Now, Now 现在，就现在
Some people blame our national impatience on technology. A columnist writes, “Technology has made us impatient. We no longer enjoy pausing. Or remembering.
有些人认为国人的急躁性子应该归咎于科技。一位专栏作家这样写道：“科技让我们变得急躁不已。我们不再享受停下来的感觉，也不喜欢记忆。我们就像加速赛车手那样开机登录、收看节目、拨号上网，然后快速关机，在自己身后留下一缕盘旋的青烟，抛下历史的尘埃、记忆、观念和人。”
We log on, tune in, dial up and speed off like drag racers注1, leaving in our 15)wake a 16)swirling cloud of historical dust, memory, perspective and people.”But technology only does what we want it to do. And we want it to do whatever it does faster. Here's a quick thought experiment注2: Name one technological task you wish could be performed slower. We want computers on NOW. Files downloaded NOW. Phones displaying info[即information] NOW.
然而科技只是按照我们的要求发展，而我们则希望它做什么都越来越快。来一个快速的思维实验：说出一个你希望能慢点完成的科技任务。我们想要电脑马上就开机，文件即时完成下载，电话也要立刻显示信息。
But impatience is not just about 17)acceleration. It's about 18)agitation. Ants in the pants. 19)Edginess, 20)rashness, 21)impetuousness.
但是急躁并不是加速就能解决的。它是一种焦虑感，让人坐立不安、急躁难耐、轻率鲁莽。
We: 22)Clamor for more safety in the skies, then complain when security takes too long—and is inconvenient. Can't take the time to drive to the video store or to wait for a DVD to arrive in the mail, so we order them 23)on demand or stream them on the Web—well, clips of movies at least.
我们要求提高空中安全指数，却又抱怨安检时间太长——而且极其不便。等不及驱车到音像店买DVD，也等不及邮局送货上门，于是我们在网上预订或者观看影片——呃，至少看到电影片段也行。
Impatience as a Virtue Whoa now. 24)Cool your jets. Impatience isn't always a bad thing.
急躁也可以是好事吃惊吧。冷静冷静，急躁也不总是一件坏事。
Sure, it can be the sign of a troubled mind: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention puts impatience at the top of the list of 25)symptoms in diagnosing someone with 26)traumatic brain injuries.
当然了，它可能是脑袋出问题的迹象：（美国）食品及药物管理局将“急躁”列为诊断创伤性脑损伤的首要症状。
But impatience can also be the sign of a healthy mind: Wired注3 magazine lists impatience as a desirable characteristic in the “27)X-factor” that leads to success.
不过，急躁也可以是健康思想的表现：美国《连线》杂志将急躁列入通往成功的重要因素中应该具备的性格特征。
Some of our most 28)revered leaders are impatient people. Bill and Melinda Gates describe themselves as impatient optimists. “The world is definitely getting better,” Melinda Gates says publicly. “But it's not getting better fast enough.”
在最受尊敬的领导人当中，有好些人是急性子。比尔和梅琳达·盖茨将自己描述为急性的乐观主义者。“世界确实变得越来越美好，”梅琳达·盖茨公开宣称。“但其变美的速度还不够快。”
And here is President Obama on the subject. “The people are frustrated, they're anxious, they're scared about the future,” he said. “And they have a right to be impatient about the pace of change. I'm impatient.”
让我们来听听奥巴马总统怎么看待这个问题。“人们倍感挫折，他们非常担忧，害怕未来，”他说。“他们有权对改革的步伐感到不耐烦。我也急躁不已。”
Impatience can be a virtue. The country's Founding Fathers were an impatient 29)lot. In an 1822 letter, John Adams described the writing of the Declaration of Independence: “We were all 30)in haste,” he said of the 31)drafting committee, which included Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. “Congress was impatient.”
急躁也可以是一种美德。这个国家的开国元勋们都是一群急躁的家伙。在一封写于1822年的信中，约翰·亚当斯如此描述《独立宣言》的起草：“我们全都匆匆忙忙，”他这么形容包括托马斯·杰佛逊和本杰明·富兰克林在内的起草委员会。“整个国会都急躁不安。”
The fact is: Everybody would be impatient if delayed and frustrated long enough. It's only when people have an 32)excessively 33)short fuse and get impatient quickly that someone's impatience becomes a problem for others.
事实上，如果拖延或受挫的时间太长，每个人都会变得急躁。只有在人们的急性子走向极端，太容易变得不耐烦的情况下，一个人的急躁才有可能成为别人的麻烦。
Poorly thought out impatience can cause grief rather than relieve it.
不经大脑的一味急躁更可能带来不幸而非减免痛苦。
In other words, imprudence, not impatience, is the problem.
换句话说，问题的关键是轻率，而不是急躁。
