But something unexpected occurred. Once people started imagining the future, even the most banal life events seemed to take a dramatic turn for the better.

没想到的事发生了：一旦人们开始想像未来，甚至最平凡的生活事件都似乎向好的方向发生戏剧性的改变。

youdao

It's a banal example, but a good one I think about to remind myself that even if I lose my most precious teddy bear in the world, it's just a thing.

这个例子是老生常谈了，但是它总能恰如其分地提醒我，甚至在我把我视若稀世珍宝的泰迪熊丢了的时候，我还能淡定地对自己说，这其实就是一件东西罢了。

youdao

A banal landscape of ugly new towers flanks both sides.

马路两遍的是平凡丑陋的新摩天大楼的景象。

youdao

The Coda looks normal to the point of banal, a Toyota-ish family car indistinguishable from anything you would find in a suburban cul-de-sac.

NEWYORKER: Green Giant

With a skeleton crew, he documents the banal comedy of a book tour and takes unannounced side-trips to corporate offices.

ECONOMIST: Sundance film festival

That's evident in the movie's best scene, when Elena and O come face to face as captor and captive, and O, revealing a sweetly banal attitude toward life, rambles on about her days at a community college and her charmed existence with Chon and Ben.

WSJ: 'Savages': Drugs, Gore, Action, Wit, With Feeling