原文视听

By the second day, everyone was
到第二天
actively involved in serving meals and clearing away.
所有人都很积极的做饭和清洁
Ellen was changing the routines
艾伦改变了
and habits they'd built up over the last 20 years,
他们在过去20年内形成的习惯
challenging what they'd come to believe was possible.
挑战他们的认知
They were being treated as
他们被当成
if they were capable, autonomous individuals.
有能力的 独立的个体对待
When they were in discussion groups,
他们进行小组讨论
they would decide whether or not they were going to speak
可以自行决定讨论与否
without anybody signalling subtlly
而不需要有人暗中提示他们
as the culture often does, that they're incompetent.
就像对待没自主能力的人一样
Ellen believes that what's often
艾伦相信老人被认为的没能力
taken to be incompetence is really willfulness.
只是因为他们的固执
Old people have learned to please themselves.
老年人要学会让自己快乐
When old people start to act in
当年轻人觉得老年人的行为
ways that young people think is uninhibited
变得随心所欲时
and think they've regressed,
觉得是他们退步了
actually they've progressed and they're disinhibited.
其实他们是进步了 摆脱了世俗的束缚
They say "Why am I paying attention to some of these rules?
他们问"为什么我们要在意世俗"
"They just don't make sense."
"这根本毫无意义"
Ellen wanted to see if getting
艾伦想知道如果
the men to think of themselves as in control
让这些人认为自己有能力控制事情
would actually put them in control.
他们是否会再次被控制
But would their bodies follow their minds?
但身体会随思想改变吗
Had her reconstruction been convincing?
她的场景重建真的有说服力吗
She'd only run the experiment for one week
她只进行一个星期的实验
but at the end of that period, it was crunch time.
但最后阶段是最困难的时刻
Had they changed?
他们改变了吗

重点解释

By the second day, everyone was actively involved in serving meals and clearing away.到第二天所有人都很积极的做饭和清洁

involve in:卷入； 陷入

I don't want to involve in this matter.

我不想牵扯到这件事里面去。

Ellen was changing the routines and habits they'd built up over the last 20 years,艾伦改变了他们在过去20年内形成的习惯

build up:建立

He have build up his own business.

他逐步建立了自己的公司。

they would decide whether or not they were going to speak他们可以自行决定讨论与否

whether or not:无论是 ... 或 ...； 是否

I am deliberating whether or not to buy a new car.

我在考虑是否要买一辆新汽车。

They say "Why am I paying attention to some of these rules?他们问"为什么我们要在意世俗"

pay attention to:注意； 留意

You must pay attention to your study.

你必须专心学习。