每年一到一月初，大家突然都很有目標。
健身房爆滿、減肥餐照洗版、學英文的人數暴增。
用英文跟朋友聊今年想改變什麼吧!
🎧Apple Podcast｜Spotify
💬 Dialogue 對話
🧩 場景設定
一月初，朋友在咖啡店聊天。
聊到新年新目標，話題圍繞健身、減肥、學英文、存錢，語氣輕鬆、有點自嘲。
💬 Dialogue（English）
Ben: So… new year already. Any New Year’s resolutions?
Amy: Kind of. I have some goals, but nothing too serious.
Ben: Like what?
Amy: I want to build better habits. Eat better, sleep earlier… you know.
Ben: Sounds reasonable. Gym too?
Amy: Yeah, I signed up. Not sure how long I’ll actually go.
Ben: Same here. I always start strong in January.
Amy: And slowly give up by February?
Ben: Exactly. What about learning English or saving money?
Amy: Both are on my list. I’m just trying to be more consistent.
Ben: That already sounds ambitious.
Amy: I’m keeping my plans realistic this year.
Ben: Probably a smart move.
Amy: Or I’m just lowering my expectations.
💬 中文翻譯
Ben： 所以，新的一年了，你有立新年目標嗎？
Amy： 算是有吧，但沒有很認真那種。
Ben： 像是什麼？
Amy： 想養成比較好的習慣，吃健康一點、早點睡之類的。
Ben： 那健身房呢？
Amy： 有報名啦，但不知道會去多久。
Ben： 我也是，一月都很積極。
Amy： 然後二月就慢慢放棄？
Ben： 沒錯。那學英文或存錢呢？
Amy： 都有寫在清單上，我只想穩定一點。
Ben： 聽起來已經很有企圖心了。
Amy： 我今年打算目標設低一點。
Ben： 這樣比較聰明。
Amy： 或只是我降低期待而已。
📚 Vocabulary Boost 重點單字
| 單字 / 片語 | 詞性 | 中文意思 | 英文例句 | 中文翻譯 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| resolution | n. | 新年目標 | My New Year’s resolution is exercise. | 我的新年目標是運動 |
| goals | n. | 目標 | I have some goals this year. | 我今年有一些目標 |
| habits | n. | 習慣 | I want better habits. | 我想養成好習慣 |
| sign up | v. | 報名 | I signed up for the gym. | 我報名健身房 |
| give up | v. | 放棄 | I usually give up by February. | 我通常二月就放棄 |
| on my list | phr. | 在清單上 | Learning English is on my list. | 學英文在我的清單上 |
| consistent | adj. | 穩定的 | I want to be more consistent. | 我想更穩定 |
| ambitious | adj. | 有企圖心的 | That sounds ambitious. | 聽起來很有企圖心 |
| realistic | adj. | 實際的 | I’m keeping it realistic. | 我保持務實 |
| expectations | n. | 期待 | I lowered my expectations. | 我降低期待 |
🔍 Sentence Patterns 重點句型
| 句型結構 | 中文意思 | 英文例句 | 中文翻譯 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any New Year’s resolutions? | 有新年目標嗎 | Any New Year’s resolutions? | 有立新年目標嗎 |
| I want to + V | 我想要… | I want to build better habits. | 我想養成好習慣 |
| Not sure how long + S + will… | 不確定能撐多久 | Not sure how long I’ll go. | 不確定會去多久 |
| I’m just trying to + V | 我只是想… | I’m just trying to be consistent. | 我只是想穩定 |
| I’m keeping it + adj. | 我保持… | I’m keeping it realistic. | 我保持務實 |
📖 Transcript 逐字稿
MJ: Happy New Year!
新年快樂！
J: It is January 2nd, 2026, and you are tuned in to MJ English. If you’re listening right now, I bet you are feeling that very specific, high-octane New Year energy.
今天是 2026 年 1 月 2 日，你正在收聽 MJ English。如果你現在正在聽，我敢說你一定正感受到那種非常特別、能量爆表的新年氣氛。
M: The gyms are suddenly packed, the kale is flying off the shelves, and everyone—and I mean everyone—is making resolutions.
健身房突然人滿為患，羽衣甘藍(在歐美是「健康飲食」的代表食材)被掃光，所有人——我是真的說所有人——都在立新年新希望。
J: Everyone is trying to build better habits, maybe, you know, like studying English more. But let’s be real—we all know how this story usually goes. You start strong in January, and then…
大家都想養成更好的習慣，比如說，多念一點英文。但老實說，我們都知道這故事通常怎麼發展。一月一開始很猛，然後……
M: And then February rolls around.
然後二月就到了。
M: And that tension, right between those high hopes and the harsh reality, is actually a goldmine for learning some really useful language.
而那種夾在高度期待與殘酷現實之間的拉扯感，其實正是學習超實用英文的寶庫。
J: Absolutely. So today, we’re going to listen in on a quick chat between two friends, Ben and Amy. They’re grabbing coffee, talking goals, and we are going to break down exactly how they do it.
完全同意。所以今天，我們要來聽一段朋友之間的簡短對話，Ben 和 Amy。他們一邊喝咖啡一邊聊目標，而我們會仔細拆解他們是怎麼說的。
M: Let’s dive in.
我們直接開始吧。
一月初，朋友在聊天。
聊到新年新目標，話題圍繞健身、減肥、學英文、存錢，語氣輕鬆、有點自嘲。
💬 Dialogue
Ben: So… new year already. Any New Year’s resolutions?
Amy: Kind of. I have some goals, but nothing too serious.
Ben: Like what?
Amy: I want to build better habits. Eat better, sleep earlier… you know.
Ben: Sounds reasonable. Gym too?
Amy: Yeah, I signed up. Not sure how long I’ll actually go.
Ben: Same here. I always start strong in January.
Amy: And slowly give up by February?
Ben: Exactly. What about learning English or saving money?
Amy: Both are on my list. I’m just trying to be more consistent.
Ben: That already sounds ambitious.
Amy: I’m keeping my plans realistic this year.
Ben: Probably a smart move.
Amy: Or I’m just lowering my expectations.
💬 中文翻譯
Ben： 所以，新的一年了，你有立新年目標嗎？
Amy： 算是有吧，但沒有很認真那種。
Ben： 像是什麼？
Amy： 想養成比較好的習慣，吃健康一點、早點睡之類的。
Ben： 那健身房呢？
Amy： 有報名啦，但不知道會去多久。
Ben： 我也是，一月都很積極。
Amy： 然後二月就慢慢放棄？
Ben： 沒錯。那學英文或存錢呢？
Amy： 都有寫在清單上，我只想穩定一點。
Ben： 聽起來已經很有企圖心了。
Amy： 我今年打算目標設低一點。
Ben： 這樣比較聰明。
Amy： 或只是我降低期待而已。
J: Okay, that exchange is just… it is so real. Most of our resolutions are sort of half-serious, half-abandoned before we even start.
好，剛剛那段對話真的……太真實了。我們大多數的新年新希望，往往一半是認真的，一半還沒開始就已經放棄了。
M: Right. It’s so relatable. Okay, let’s get into the language here. Ben asks about resolutions, but notice how Amy immediately says she has some “goals.”
對，真的很有共鳴。好，那我們來看一下這裡的語言。Ben 問的是新年新希望，但注意 Amy 馬上說她有的是「目標」。
J: That feels intentional.
這感覺是刻意的。
M: It is. A “resolution” has this weight to it, you know? It’s like a formal promise.
沒錯。「resolution」這個字本身就有重量感，你知道嗎？就像一個正式的承諾。
J: By switching to the word “goals,” she’s already lowering the pressure. A goal feels more personal, more manageable. It’s a very subtle, very smart way to manage expectations from the very first sentence.
把字換成「goals」，她其實已經在降低壓力了。目標聽起來比較個人、也比較容易達成。這是一種非常細膩、非常聰明的方式，從第一句話就開始管理別人的期待。
M: So she’s protecting herself from, uh, from the possibility of failure. I like that. But then she uses a word that’s all about success: “consistent.”
所以她是在保護自己，避免失敗的可能。我喜歡這點。但接著她又用了另一個完全和成功有關的字：「consistent」。
J: Yes. That’s the real key word in the whole conversation for me. She says, “I’m just trying to be more consistent.”
對。對我來說，這才是整段對話最關鍵的字。她說：「我只是想讓自己更穩定一點。」
M: Right. And that’s what it’s all about. It’s not about one big action, like when she says “I signed up for the gym.” It’s about the small, repeated effort. And “consistent” is the perfect word for that.
沒錯。重點就在這裡。這不是關於一次很大的行動，比如她說「我報名健身房了」，而是關於小小但持續的努力，而「consistent」正是最完美的字。
J: And her final line: “Or I’m just lowering my expectations.” Just a perfect, funny, self-aware way to end it.
而她最後一句：「或者我只是把期待值調低。」這真的是一個完美、好笑、又很有自覺的結尾。
M: It’s using a little humor to make a very smart strategy—being realistic—sound more casual. But let’s look at the sentence patterns too, not just the words.
沒錯。她用一點幽默，讓一個其實很聰明的策略——也就是務實——聽起來更輕鬆。不過我們也來看看句型，不只看單字。
J: Okay.
好。
M: Because how they express doubt is really interesting.
因為他們表達「不確定」的方式真的很有意思。
J: Yeah, like when Amy says, “Not sure how long I’ll actually go.” That phrase… it’s so useful for anyone listening. “Not sure how long I’ll…” It’s a perfect casual way to say you’re not 100% committed.
對啊，比如 Amy 說：「不確定我實際會去多久。」這個說法真的超實用。「Not sure how long I’ll…」是一個非常自然的方式，來表達你不是百分之百投入。
M: And it works with another structure she uses: “I’m just trying to.” “I’m just trying to be more consistent.”
而且這和她用的另一個句型搭得很好：「I’m just trying to」。像是「我只是試著讓自己更穩定一點。」
J: Right. That little phrase, “just trying.” It softens the whole goal. It makes it sound less like a huge, scary plan and more like a gentle effort. It’s not a demand; it’s an attempt.
對。這個小小的片語「just trying」會把整個目標軟化，讓它聽起來不像一個龐大又可怕的計畫，而比較像一個溫和的嘗試。它不是要求，而是一種努力。
M: So really, the key takeaway here is that talking about goals in English isn’t just about stating facts. It’s about managing how people see your effort.
所以真正的重點是，用英文聊目標不只是陳述事實，而是在管理別人怎麼看你的努力。
J: It’s a social skill. Whether you’re making plans to be more “consistent” or just keeping your goals “realistic,” using these kinds of phrases will make you sound much more natural. Want the full transcript, key vocabulary, and useful sentence patterns? Just click the link below.
這是一種社交能力。不管你是想變得更「穩定」，還是只是想讓目標「務實一點」，用這些說法都會讓你聽起來自然很多。想看完整逐字稿、重點單字和實用句型嗎？請點下面的連結。
M: Try using some of these phrases this week. We’ll talk to you soon.
這個禮拜試著用用看這些句子吧，我們很快再跟你聊。
J: Bye for now.
那我們先說再見囉。
