A recent study by a group of psychologists in the journal Science
几位心理学家最近在《科学》杂志上发表了一篇研究论文
found that people are extremely poor at predicting their futures
他们发现人极其不擅长预测自己的未来
The study showed
他们的研究显示
that, for example, a typical 20-year-old woman's predictions
例如 一个典型的20岁女性
for life changes in the next decade of her life
对自己未来十年人生变化的预测
were not nearly as radical
绝不像一个典型的
as the typical 30-year-old woman's recollection of how much she had changed in her 20s
30岁女性对自己在20来岁时有多大变化的回忆那么激进
In other words, 20-year-olds had little idea of
换句话说 20岁的人对于自己
just how much they would change over the next ten years
在未来十年会有多大变化几乎没有概念
This discrepancy persisted among respondents all the way into their 60s
这种差异在受访者中一直延续到60多岁的人
This study's findings are essentially the story of my life
这项研究结果基本上也是我的人生故事
In fact, even before I was born, given the obstacles my parents faced
事实上 即使在我出生之前 鉴于我父母所面临的重重障碍
I would never have predicted that, in fact, I would be born
事实上我都不敢预测我会出生
My father spent his childhood in North Korea
我的父亲在朝鲜度过了他的童年
At the age of 17, he escaped across the border into South Korea
他在17岁那年偷越边境逃到韩国
leaving his parents, his brothers and sisters, his entire extended family --
离开他的父母 他的兄弟姐妹 他的所有亲朋好友
everything he had ever known --
离开了他所熟悉的一切
He had no money. Still
他身无分文 但是
somehow he managed to enroll in the Seoul National University Dental School
他还是设法进了首尔国立大学牙科学院
and became a dentist
后来成为一名牙医
He told me stories about how he had so little money
他告诉我 他口袋里只有一点点钱
he often could only afford to buy lunch from the illegal noodle vendors in the street
常常只能买得起街上非法小摊贩卖的面条当午餐