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400 年前的「人生七幕」，今天还准吗？

Today, I want to do something a little different.

I want to start with one of the most famous lines William Shakespeare ever wrote: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”

You’ve probably heard that line before. But what comes after it is actually much more interesting.

More than 400 years ago, Shakespeare tried to describe an entire human life — from the moment we’re born to the moment we die — in just seven stages.

A crying baby. A schoolboy who doesn’t want to go to school. A hopeless lover. An ambitious young man trying to prove himself. A successful, respected middle-aged man. An aging old man. And finally, someone who slowly becomes dependent on others again.

Together, these are often called Shakespeare’s “Seven Ages of Man.”

So today, I want to read you the entire passage first.

And if you don’t understand everything, don’t worry. That’s ok! This was written more than 400 years ago, and some of the English is very different from what we use today.

After I read it, we’ll go through the seven stages together, talk about what Shakespeare was actually saying, and then ask one more question: Does his description of life still make sense today?

� 本期的知识卡片我们整理在下面啦：
一、莎士比亚的「人生七幕」
这段独白出自莎士比亚的喜剧《皆大欢喜》（As You Like It），由剧中人物 Jaques 说出。
他将整个世界比作一座舞台，而每个人都是演员。我们登场，扮演不同的角色，最终退场。一生之中，我们会经历七个阶段。

二、英文原文与中文翻译
ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE 世界就是一座舞台
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.
整个世界就是一座舞台，
所有的男人和女人不过是演员；
他们有登场的时候，也有退场的时候，
一个人在一生中会扮演许多不同的角色，
他的一生分为七个阶段。

STAGE ONE: THE INFANT 第一幕：婴儿
At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
首先登场的是婴儿，
在乳母的怀里啼哭、呕吐。

STAGE TWO: THE SCHOOLBOY 第二幕：学童
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.
接着是抱怨连连的学童，背着书包，
顶着一张清晨般明亮的脸，
像蜗牛一样慢吞吞地爬向学校，满心不情愿。

STAGE THREE: THE LOVER 第三幕：恋人
And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow.
然后是恋人，
热烈得仿佛炉火一般，不停地叹息，
为心上人写下哀婉的情歌，哪怕只是为了她的眉梢。

STAGE FOUR: THE SOLDIER 第四幕：战士
Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth.
接下来是战士，
满口奇特的誓言，留着豹子般的胡须，
极其看重荣誉，一言不合便迅速卷入争斗，
甚至不惜冲进炮火之中，
只为追逐那如泡沫般脆弱的名声。

STAGE FIVE: THE JUSTICE 第五幕：成熟的中年人
And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part.
然后是成熟稳重的人，
腹部圆润，享用着丰盛的佳肴，
目光严肃，胡须修剪得一丝不苟，
满口格言警句，也善于引经据典、举出现实中的例子。
就这样，他扮演着自己的角色。

STAGE SIX: THE PANTALOON 第六幕：衰老
The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound.
到了第六幕，
他变成了一个瘦削、穿着拖鞋的老头，
鼻梁上架着眼镜，腰侧挂着钱袋；
年轻时珍藏的长袜，如今穿在日渐萎缩的腿上，
显得宽大得不合身。
曾经浑厚有力的男性嗓音，
也重新变得像孩子般尖细，
说起话来，声音里带着颤抖与哨音。

STAGE SEVEN: SECOND CHILDISHNESS 第七幕：再度回到童年
Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
最后一幕，
为这段曲折而奇异的人生故事画上句号。
那便是再度回到孩童般的状态，逐渐失去记忆，
没有牙齿，没有视力，没有味觉，最终失去一切。
注：以上中文为结合上下文的意译，旨在帮助理解诗歌含义，并非逐字直译。
三、三个值得记住的表达
1. Creeping like snail — 像蜗牛一样慢吞吞地前进
莎士比亚用一个生动的比喻，描绘了孩子不情愿上学的样子。400 多年过去，孩子们不想上学的理由或许变了，但磨磨蹭蹭的身影依然熟悉。

2. Bubble reputation — 泡沫般的名声
这是整段独白中尤其值得玩味的表达。
泡沫看起来真实而美丽，却很容易破碎。莎士比亚借此讽刺人们为了荣誉与名声，不惜承担巨大的风险。
放到今天，我们追逐的可能是职位、收入、社会地位、粉丝数量，或简历上那些令人羡慕的标签。我们愿意为它们付出多少？而这些东西，又有多少真正值得我们追求？

3. Second childishness — 再度回到孩童般的状态
人生以依赖他人开始，在成长中逐渐获得独立，却可能在衰老时再次走向依赖。
莎士比亚笔下的人生因此不仅是一条不断向上的直线，也有着某种循环的意味：我们最终可能回到起点，只是已经走过了一段漫长的旅程。

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从商业内幕、体育秘辛到儿童故事，跟大家分享我真正会听的英文 Podcast！

不知道大家还记不记得，不久之前的 Ep188，我做了一集关于“到底要怎么练英文听力”的节目。�

那一集里我一直强调：如果你真的想把英文 Podcast 听下去，不要一开始就找“最适合学英文的 Podcast”，而应该选择自己真正感兴趣、并且已经具备一些背景知识的领域。

所以这一集不讲大道理，直接跟大家分享——我自己平常到底都听什么英文 Podcast？

本期 Podcast 推荐
Business｜商业故事
Foundering：深入讲述一家公司或创业者背后的故事，推荐 WeWork、Amazon 和 Sam Altman 等系列。
Business Wars：通过场景和对话，重新演绎 Nike vs. Adidas、Coke vs. Pepsi、Netflix vs. Blockbuster 等经典商业战争。
Acquired：用三四个小时深度拆解一家公司的历史、商业模式、战略和竞争优势。

Sports｜体育故事
30 for 30：由 ESPN 制作，从体育出发，讲述金钱、种族、犯罪、家庭、政治、名人和权力背后的故事。节目中也包括大谷翔平身边的赌博风波，以及职业球星破产等主题。

Kids & Stories｜儿童与故事
《听故事学英文》：适合需要中文辅助的听众。
Forever Ago：选择小朋友也会感兴趣的题目讲历史。
Smash Boom Best：让两个事物展开趣味对战。
Circle Round
Story Pirates
Storynory

本期英文学习知识卡片
1｜Background knowledge：背景知识
选择自己熟悉的领域练习英文听力。当你已经了解相关的人物、公司、球队或比赛，就能利用已有知识推测节目内容。

2｜Context：语境与上下文
听英文不需要逐字翻译。熟悉一个领域的 context 和常用词汇，可以帮助你通过上下文理解没有听清楚的部分。

3｜从熟悉的内容开始
听 Acquired 这类三四个小时的全英文节目时，可以先选择自己非常熟悉、也非常感兴趣的公司。如果普通英文 Podcast 太难，则可以从发音清楚、句子结构简单的儿童节目开始。

4｜What happens next?
不要一直纠结自己听懂了 70%、80% 还是 90%。找到一个真正让你想知道“What happens next?”的节目，才会愿意持续听下去。
不要先问自己，哪一个 Podcast 最适合学英文。先问自己：什么东西是你真的想听的？这才是把英文真正带进生活里的好方法。

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这种全球已知仅约百例的疾病，让Billy一家的人生彻底偏离计划，也重新定义了他们对成功、勇气与爱的理解。

欢迎收听我们“无界故事 (Stories Without Borders)”的第五期节目！

本期，David 邀请老朋友 Billy，分享一段跨越美国和亚洲的人生旅程。

22岁时，Billy 从美国来到亚洲。不会中文的他，曾因食物过敏连续三个月每天吃麦当劳，也在台北遇见了后来的妻子。两人最初甚至无法用同一种语言顺畅交流，却从一朵画在纸上的小花开始，走进了一段跨越语言与文化的婚姻。

然而，真正改变这个家庭的，是第二个女儿 Savannah 的出生。从腭裂、喂养困难，到反复出现的呼吸危机和大大小小的手术，他们在没有诊断、没有路线图的情况下，一步步摸索了14年，最终才知道孩子患有一种全球已知病例极少的罕见型肌营养不良症。后来，第三个女儿 Tallulah 也出现了相同的疾病。

面对一次次医疗危机，Billy 一边攻读 MBA、发展事业，一边和妻子照顾三个女儿。生活彻底偏离了原来的计划，也迫使他重新思考：成功究竟意味着什么？当未来无法预测，我们该如何做出下一步选择？那些无法改变的苦难，是否也可能让我们看见更深的爱与连接？

在这期真诚而动人的对谈中，Billy 没有回避恐惧、疲惫和痛苦，也没有试图美化苦难。他分享了一个家庭如何在漫长的未知中继续前行，以及女儿在重症监护室里比出的一个爱心，如何让他意识到：我们的生命或许只是更大拼图中的一块，而一段故事的意义，也可能远远超出故事中的人。

本期嘉宾
Billy 在美国佐治亚州长大，大学毕业后来到亚洲，曾在台北生活约七年，并在《空中英语教室》工作。回到美国后，他在西北大学凯洛格商学院攻读 MBA。如今，他是一名高管教练和顾问，帮助组织及领导者应对关键时刻与未知挑战，同时也是三个女儿的父亲。

更多信息：
� 嘉宾Billy | LinkedIn ：
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bileonard?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios
� 主播 David｜小红书：
https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/67f9dd9e00000000060121d6?xsec_token=ABLKsyvlQ_LH7zMXBdGodPojsSBjZfGGYsBIZn4xq81M0%3D&xsec_source=pc_search

本期你会听到
一段南美志愿经历，如何改变 Billy 原本的人生规划
一个不会中文的美国青年，如何来到亚洲并在台北建立生活
一朵画在纸上的小花，如何开启一段跨文化爱情
语言、文化和成长经历，如何造成婚姻中的误解与冲突
第二个女儿出生后，一家人如何开始长达14年的求医之路
当第三个女儿出现相同症状时，Billy 经历了怎样的冲击
女儿在重症监护室里的一个手势，如何重新定义“爱”
面对无法控制的人生，什么是 Billy 所说的“勇敢的智慧”
苦难如何改变一个人对成功、领导力、信仰与生命意义的理解

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从 Juggle 到 Cascade：12 个从日常动作演变而来的高级商务动词

一周前，我带小孩去了 Canberra，也就是澳大利亚的首都，去看一年一度的花卉节 Floriade。我们走到一个市集的时候，刚好看到一个街头艺人在表演 juggling。

Juggling 就是我们中文讲的“杂耍”，可能同时把三颗球、四颗球，甚至更多东西往空中丢，然后一个一个接回来。小朋友看得超级开心，一直跟我说：“Daddy, juggling is so cool!”

我在旁边看着看着，突然想到，其实 juggle 这个词，我在工作里也超级常用。明明眼前这个人在丢球，跟我们坐在 office 里工作看起来完全没有关系，可是 juggle 今天已经是一个非常自然，甚至非常好用的 workplace verb。

其实英文里这种词超级多。很多我们今天觉得很 professional、很 business 的动词，一开始根本不是 business words。它们可能来自开车、航海、运动、农业，甚至打铁。只是因为那个 physical action 本身有一个非常强烈的画面，后来人们就把这个画面借过来，形容职场中比较 abstract 的事情。

所以今天这一集，我想带大家学习 12 组从日常生活一路演变成 workplace English 的高级动词。而且我不只想告诉大家它们现在是什么意思，我们还要从最原本的画面开始——因为当你理解那个画面之后，通常就不太需要死记硬背了。

� 本期的知识卡片我们整理在下面啦：

� English Learning Card｜Workplace Verbs You Can Picture
1. One-minute summary｜一分钟英文概述
Many English verbs that sound professional today originally described physical actions from everyday life. In this episode, David explores 12 groups of workplace verbs through the pictures behind them. To juggle projects is like keeping several balls in the air, while driving change creates momentum and steering a team provides direction. We tackle problems when we take direct action, but wrestle with decisions when there is no simple answer. We hammer out details through repeated discussion, cultivate trust over time, and shoulder responsibilities that feel heavy. A company may weather a crisis, while a team can flesh out an early idea or cascade a strategy through different levels of an organization. These visual metaphors make subtle differences easier to understand and remember. Instead of memorizing translations, connect each verb to its original physical image. This will help you use workplace English more naturally and precisely in meetings, presentations, résumés, and interviews.

2. Key vocabulary & expressions｜核心词汇与表达

3. Useful sentence patterns｜实用句型

If I say …, it means …; but if I say …, it suggests …：用于比较两个相近表达之间的细微差别。

If I say “I manage three projects,” it means I’m responsible for them; but if I say “I’m juggling three projects,” it suggests they all need my attention at the same time.

如果我说“我管理三个项目”，表示我对它们负责；但如果我说“我正在同时兼顾三个项目”，则表示它们都需要我同时投入精力。

It’s not just about …; it’s about …：强调真正重要的重点。

It’s not just about participating in change; it’s about driving it forward.

重点不只是参与改变，而是真正推动改变向前发展。

A is about …, while B is about …：对比两个概念的核心区别。

Drive is about momentum, while steer is about direction.

Drive 强调推动力，而 steer 强调方向。

We need to …, not just …：提出更深入或更有效的行动建议。

We need to tackle the root cause, not just treat the symptoms.

我们需要解决根本原因，而不只是处理表面问题。

主语 + manage to + 动词原形：表示经过努力，最终成功完成某事。

The company managed to weather the crisis without cutting jobs.

公司成功渡过了危机，而且没有裁员。

4. Speaking practice｜口语输出
尝试用英文回答，每题说 3—5 句：

What responsibilities are you currently juggling at work or in your personal life?

Have you ever had to wrestle with a difficult decision? What made it difficult?

What qualities does someone need to spearhead an important project?

How can a company cultivate trust among its employees?

What kind of crisis has your team or company had to weather?

5. Quick review｜快速自测
用本卡片中的词组填空：

We need to ________ the details before signing the agreement.

She was asked to ________ the company’s new AI initiative.

Our strategy should be ________ in real customer needs.

Small businesses are struggling to ________ the rise in operating costs.

The basic idea is promising, but we still need to ________ the business model.

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别再硬听听不懂的英文，从你真正喜欢的东西开始 Why “Just Listen More” Is Bad Advice

Today, I want to talk about probably one of the most common questions I see people asking online, especially on platforms like Xiaohongshu: How do I improve my English listening?

Should I listen to English podcasts every day? Should I watch American TV shows? Should I turn off the subtitles? Should I listen to the news?

And since you’re listening to Blend Inn right now, maybe you’re wondering: If I just keep listening to this podcast, will my English listening naturally get better?

Well… hopefully. But… not necessarily.

Because I think one of the biggest misconceptions about listening is that if you just keep exposing yourself to English—even if you barely understand it—eventually your listening will magically improve.

I don’t think that’s quite how it works.

Think about it. If I give you a podcast about quantum physics and you understand 10% of it, and then you listen to it for an hour every day, are you really practicing English listening?
Maybe.

But you might also just be spending an hour every day not understanding English.

And that’s an important distinction.

You don’t improve your listening simply by listening to more things you don’t understand. You improve by gradually understanding more of what you listen to.

� 本期的知识卡片我们整理在下面啦：
� English Learning Card｜Build an English Bubble for Better Listening
1. One-minute summary｜一分钟英文概述
Improving English listening is not simply a matter of listening more, especially when most of the material is incomprehensible. Progress happens when you gradually understand more of what you hear. One effective approach is to build an “English bubble” around a subject you already love and understand. David did this with basketball: because he knew the players, teams, rules, and recent games, context helped him predict meaning and absorb recurring vocabulary. Strong listening combines bottom-up skills, such as recognizing sounds and sentence structures, with top-down skills, such as using background knowledge and expectations. Good material should offer three things: genuine interest, enough familiar knowledge and vocabulary, and something new that stretches you. Rather than looking up every unknown word, notice repetition and check the words that keep returning. Start small by replacing one part of your normal content consumption with English, then branch out as your confidence grows.

2. Key vocabulary & expressions｜核心词汇与表达

3. Useful sentence patterns｜实用句型

You don’t … simply by + V-ing; you … by + V-ing.：表示“不是单靠……就能……，而是通过……才会……”。

You don’t improve your listening simply by hearing more English; you improve it by understanding more of what you hear.

你不是单靠听更多英语来提高听力，而是通过理解更多听到的内容来提高。

Instead of + V-ing, 主语 + 动词 …：表示“与其……，不如……”。

Instead of choosing random podcasts, start with a topic you already love.

与其随便挑选播客，不如从你已经喜欢的话题开始。

If I were …, I would …：用虚拟语气表达假设情况下的选择或建议。

If I were choosing listening material, I would look for interest, familiarity, and challenge.

如果由我选择听力材料，我会关注兴趣、熟悉度和挑战性。

The more …, the easier/more …：表示“越……，就越……”。

The more vocabulary you understand, the easier the content becomes.

你理解的词汇越多，内容就会变得越容易。

Even if …, … can still …：表示“即使……，仍然可以……”。

Even if you don’t understand every word, you can still follow the main idea.

即使你没有听懂每个单词，仍然可以理解主要意思。

4. Speaking practice｜口语输出
尝试用英文回答，每题说3—5句：

Why can “just listen more” be ineffective for improving English listening?

What topic could you build an English bubble around, and why?

How do context and background knowledge help you understand spoken English?

When should you look up an unfamiliar word instead of simply continuing to listen?

5. Quick review｜快速自测
用本卡片中的词组填空：

Many learners have the ________ that difficult content is always better.

Build an ________ around something you already love.

Context helps you ________ unfamiliar phrases.

Once familiar topics feel comfortable, ________ into new areas.

The right mix of familiarity and challenge is the ________.

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