Psychology of Love 1
One of the most important human emotions is love.
However, there are many different kinds of love.
Romantic love is certainly one of the most interesting kinds of love.
It can be beautiful, wonderful, and heartbreaking, sometimes all at the same time.
Romantic love can make our lives full and meaningful, but it can also be an escape from loneliness and suffering.
译文：人类最重要的情感之一是爱。然而，爱有许多种。浪漫的爱情当然是最有趣的情感中的一种。它可以是美好的，奇妙的或是心碎的，有时多种种感觉并存。浪漫的爱情可以使我们的生活充实而有意义，但它也可以逃避孤独和痛苦。
Exercise:
Besides romantic love, another kind of love is between parents and children.
If romantic love has a purpose, neither psychology nor biology has discovered it.
However, throughout history, philosophers have offered opinions about it.
The Greek philosopher, Plato, said love makes us complete.
He relates a comic story in which humans originally had 4 arms, 4 legs and 2 faces.
Then, when they angered the Gods, they were cut in half.
Since then every person has been searching for their soulmate, the other half of his or her self.
译文：如果浪漫的爱情有目的，心理学和生物学都发现不了爱。然而，纵观历史，哲学家们对此提出了看法。希腊哲学家柏拉图说过，爱使我们完整。他讲述了一个有趣的故事，在这个故事中，人类最初有4条胳膊，4条腿和2张脸。当他们激怒了众神，就被砍成两半。从那以后，每个人都在寻找自己的灵魂伴侣，也就是其另一半。
Fill in the blanks:
If romantic love has a purpose, neither psychology nor biology has discovered it. However, throughout history, philosophers have offered opinions about it.
Another philosopher believed that love is an illusion.
In his view, people fall in love because they believe the other person can make them happy.
But in fact, this is just an illusion designed to make us have children.
Once we have children, we are right back to where we were, still searching for happiness.
For nature this is a success, because we have children to maintain our species.
But it leaves us still searching for something more.
译文：另一位哲学家认为爱情是一种幻觉。在他看来，人们相爱是因为他们相信对方能让他们幸福。但事实上，这只是为了让我们有孩子而设计的一种错觉。一旦我们有了孩子，我们又回到了过去，仍然在寻找幸福。对于大自然来说，这是一个成功，因为我们有孩子来维持我们的物种。但它让我们仍在寻找更多的东西。
Fill in the blanks:
Once we have children, we are right back to where we were, still searching for happiness. For nature this is a success, because we have children to maintain our species.
Repeat & Read Sentences:
1. If something is an illusion, it isn't what it seems to be.
2. Once we have children, we are right back to where we were, still searching for happiness.
In Buddhism, romantic love is seen as an attempt to satisfy our desires.
These desires are a defect, something we need to overcome.
The way to free ourselves from suffering is to remove desires.
Once free of desires we can reach a state of peace and wisdom.
This state of being is called nirvana.
译文：在佛教中，浪漫的爱情被看作是满足我们欲望的一种尝试。这些欲望是一种我们需要克服的缺陷。从痛苦中解脱出来的方法就是去除欲望。一旦没有欲望，我们就能达到和平与智慧的境界，这种存在状态叫做涅槃。
Fill in the blanks:
In Buddhism, romantic love is seen as an attempt to satisfy our desires. These desires are a defect, something we need to overcome.
Repeat & Read Sentences:
1. If romantic love has a purpose, neither psychology nor biology has discovered it.
2. Another philosopher believed that love is an illusion.
3. The way to free ourselves from suffering is to remove desires.
4. Since then every person has been searching for their soulmate, the other half of his or her self.
5. Romantic love can make our lives full and meaningful, but it can also be an escape from loneliness and suffering.
Psychology of Love 2
In one of China's greatest classical novels, Dream of the Red Chamber, love is presented as a state of foolishness.
A young man falls in love with a beautiful woman who tricks and makes a fool of him.
This results in conflicting emotions of love and hate which tear him apart.
To cure him, a priest gives him a magic mirror.
The priest tells him to look into the reverse side of the mirror, but never to look in the front side.
译文：在中国最伟大的古典小说之一——《红楼梦》中，爱情被描绘成一种愚蠢的状态。一位年轻男子爱上了一位美丽女子，她欺骗并愚弄他。这导致了爱恨冲突，使他四分五裂。为了治好他，牧师给了他一面魔镜。牧师告诉他要看镜子的背面，但永远不要看镜子的正面。
Exercise:
— What side of the mirror is he supposed to look into?
— the reverse side
When the young man looks into the mirror, he doesn't like what he sees, so he looks into the forbidden side, the front side.
There he sees the lovely image of his love, who invites him into the mirror to be with her.
He does this several times until he is finally dragged away in chains.
He dies while looking into the mirror.
Perhaps the point of the story is that all such attachments should be avoided.
译文：当年轻人照镜子的时候，他不喜欢他所看到的，所以他看了看被禁止的一面，也就是正面。在镜子里，他看到了爱人的可爱形象，她邀请他到镜子里和她在一起。他这样做了好几次，直到最后被链子拖走。他照镜子的时候死了。也许这个故事的重点是所有此类爱慕之情都应该避免。
Exercise:
1.— Why does the young man look into the forbidden side of the mirror?
— He doesn't like what he sees in the mirror.
2.— What finally happens to the young man?
— He is dragged away in chains and dies.
Repeat & Read Sentences:
1. To cure him, a priest gives him a magic mirror.
2. He enters the mirror to be with his love and satisfy his desires.
3. Once free of desires we can reach a state of peace and wisdom.
4. A young man falls in love with a beautiful woman who tricks and makes a fool of him.
5. Perhaps the point of the story is that all such attachments should be avoided.
A famous French writer, Simone de Beauvoir has another point of view.
For her, love is the desire to integrate with another, like in a great friendship.
However, it is important that lovers not become too dependent on the other person.
Becoming dependent on another person can lead to boredom or power games.
Lovers should support each other in discovering themselves and developing their potentials.
In this way, romantic love can enrich the world.
译文：法国著名作家西蒙娜·德·波伏娃持另一种观点。对她来说，爱是一种与他人融合的渴望，就像在良好的友谊中一样。然而，重要的是，恋人不要太依赖对方。依赖另一个人会导致无聊或权力游戏。恋人应该互相支持，发现自己并发展自己的潜能。这样，浪漫的爱情可以让世界更精彩。
Exercise:
1. According to this writer, lovers should avoid becoming too dependent on the other person.
Falling in love can be exciting and frightening.
Maybe we lose ourselves and maybe we find ourselves.
Will you dare to find out?
译文：坠入爱河可能令人兴奋，也可能让人恐惧。也许我们失去了自我，也许我们找到了自我。你敢弄清楚吗？
Repeat & Read Sentences:
1. For her, love is the desire to integrate with another, like in a great friendship.
2. Maybe we lose ourselves and maybe we find ourselves.
3. Lovers should support each other in discovering themselves and developing their potentials.
