第二步：精读重点段落

（Tips: 双击文中单词可以查释义并加入你的生词本哦）

第12段
What George is telling Bob is that now he has a chance to follow his dreams: to work with food instead of a job that saps his soul — because he has nothing left to lose. If you were faced with such an opportunity to change — to use a setback or constrained circumstances to instead actually do something different — would you take it?

• Sap one’s soul 磨灭意志／吞噬灵魂／令人沮丧
• Have nothing (left) to lose 没什么可失去的
• Face with 面对
• Constrained circumstances 受限的局面

第13段
It’s super hard to go against the current. Life gets away from us as the days tick by. But eventually one must say, “Not today, not anymore.”

• Go against the current 逆流而上
• As the days tick by 随着时间流逝
• Not today, not anymore 今日不做，永不会做

第14段
Use the Internet and open yourself up to the world and all the jobs and opportunities in it. There are ways to earn extra money via sharing-economy and a plethora of side jobs or freelance opportunities. Find something that moves you forward — even if it’s only a little bit. Then take the next step. Then the next. Then another. Maybe along the way, you may find yourself with a new passion or in a new situation where you happen to feel at home.

• Open up 开发／展示
• A plethora of 大量
• Side job 兼职
• Feel at home 感觉很自如

第17段
Don’t make excuses as to why you can’t — find all the ways you can. Stretch yourself. Piece a few things together. Use the web. Break out of your immediate circle. The world can be your oyster if you let it. What do you have to lose?

• Make excuses 找借口
• Stretch yourself 自我拓展
• Break out 爆发

（Tips: 双击文中单词可以查释义并加入你的生词本哦）

Why Being Broke is the Best Time to Travel

[1] When you don’t have much money, travel seems only a nice fantasy. When you have debts, loans, or a crummy job; sleep on your friend’s couch; or can barely afford McDonald’s, it seems that traveling is a pipe dream that will probably never come true, something you’re going to have to put off until you have money.

• Fantasy n. 幻想／adj. 虚幻的／vt. 空想／vi. 奏幻想曲
• Crummy adj. 微不足道的／寒酸的／肮脏的

[2] But I don’t think that’s the case! I think being broke is the best reason to start traveling. When you have the fewest options is when you really have the most options. When you’re at the bottom, you have little to lose but everything to gain. As Janis Joplin said, freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.

[3] When you don’t have any money or a great job, there’s little downside to pick up, say goodbye, and go off to travel. You’ll ride out the storm, maybe find something you really love, and gain life experience and those soft interpersonal skills that are quite valuable to find a job!

[4] The world is full of opportunities (and jobs), so if you’ve exhausted those in your area, why not try a new one? If you’re willing to go out and grab life by the horns, you’ll find plenty of opportunities out there to earn money, travel, and find what you love.

• exhaust vi. vt. 排出／耗尽
• grab vt. vi. n. 攫取／霸占／抓紧（吃或睡）
• horn n. 喇叭／角／vt. 装角于

[5] Open yourself up to new possibilities and experiences. Don’t suffer in that crummy job that barely pays the bills. Move somewhere. Pick up and start over. It’s what our ancestors used to do. They moved to where the opportunity was and they thrived because of it. Where would we be if they didn’t constantly try to seek a better life but instead sat and watched Netflix?

• Pick up 捡起／获得／不费力学会
• Thrive vi. 繁荣／茁壮成长

[6] I know picking up and leaving when you’re struggling can seem scary. We often leave a situation only when we are the most secure. When you’re struggling, your thoughts are more likely to be “if I can just get ahead a little, then I’ll be ready to go.”

• Scary adj.（事物）可怕的／（人）胆小的

[7] However, there’s no perfect time to travel. There’s no right moment. If you’re in a bad situation, find opportunities and go try them. Which is scarier: failing and coming back to exactly where you started or continuing down a path that will probably drag you down for the rest of your life?

[8] Unless you seize the moment, that temp job you’re in just until you find something new is more likely to be the job you still have years from now.

[9] If you’re in a place you don’t like, are working a job you hate, or have debt, there’s no better time to say fuck it, move overseas, find work, and travel. Or volunteer with the Peace Corps, work on a farm, train dogs, or start a blog. My friend Mark Manson started his blog when he was sleeping on his friend’s couch counting pennies to afford McDonald’s because he figured what else did he have to lose?! (He’s now a New York Times best-selling author!)

[10] One of my favorite scenes in one of my favorite movies, Up in the Air, is when George Clooney’s character fires J. K. Simmons’ character Bob. Bob is obviously upset — he has kids (one with asthma) and he feels like a failure. Instead of being sympathetic, George Clooney tells him he is a failure and reads Bob’s résumé: he went to the French culinary institute to study cooking and worked in a fancy French restaurant. To quote:

• Asthma n. 哮喘／气喘
• Sympathetic adj. 同情的／赞同的／n. 容易感受的人
• Culinary adj. 厨房的／烹调用的

[11] “I see guys who work at the same company for their entire lives, guys exactly like you. They clock in, they clock out, and they never have a moment of happiness. You have an opportunity here, Bob. This is a rebirth. If not for you, do it for your children.”

[12] What George is telling Bob is that now he has a chance to follow his dreams: to work with food instead of a job that saps his soul — because he has nothing left to lose. If you were faced with such an opportunity to change — to use a setback or constrained circumstances to instead actually do something different — would you take it?

• Sap n. 元气／活力／vt. 伤元气
• Setback n. 挫折／退步
• Constrain vt. 驱使／束缚

[13] It’s super hard to go against the current. Life gets away from us as the days tick by. But eventually one must say, “Not today, not anymore.”

• Tick vt. vi. n. 滴答声／标记号
• Eventually adv. 最后／终于

[14] Use the Internet and open yourself up to the world and all the jobs and opportunities in it. There are ways to earn extra money via sharing-economy and a plethora of side jobs or freelance opportunities. Find something that moves you forward — even if it’s only a little bit. Then take the next step. Then the next. Then another. Maybe along the way, you may find yourself with a new passion or in a new situation where you happen to feel at home.

• Plethora n. 过多／过剩

[15] But while you’re trying something new, you’ll at least be able to pay off some of your debt, have some cool adventures, and gain some life experience.

[16] The world can be your oyster if you truly grab it! Whether you make minimum wage, are wheelchair bound, have to work on boats, or come from a developing country, you can make it happen. When you expand your worldview, you increase your possibilities.

[17] Don’t make excuses as to why you can’t — find all the ways you can. Stretch yourself. Piece a few things together. Use the web. Break out of your immediate circle. The world can be your oyster if you let it. What do you have to lose?