VOA慢速英语2019 日本富商给推特粉丝白送900万美元进行社会实验（在线收听）

A Japanese businessman is giving away $9 million to his followers on social media in what he is calling a "social experiment." He hopes to see whether the money increases people's overall happiness.

日本一位富商将向他社交媒体上的粉丝赠送900万美元，他称这是一次“社会实验。”他希望了解这笔钱能否提升人们的整体幸福感。

Yusaku Maezawa will give $9,000 to 1,000 followers chosen at random from people who retweeted his January 1 message on Twitter. The money's effect on the winners will be studied over time through questionnaires.

前泽友作将在1月1日转发过他推文的粉丝中随机抽取1000名赠送9000美元。这笔钱对获奖者的影响将通过问卷调查的方式进行研究。

"It's a serious social experiment," said the businessman on YouTube, adding that he hopes it will interest both researchers and economists.

前泽友作在油管网上表示：“这是一次严肃的社会实验，”他还说，希望这能引起研究者和经济学家的兴趣。

Yusaku Maezawa rose to fame in the Japanese fashion industry at an early age. He became rich thanks to Zozotown, a website that specializes in clothing sales.

前泽友作很年轻时就在日本时尚界广为人知。他凭借专门从事服装销售的走走城网站而致富。

Maezawa is known for his high spending on art and sports cars but also his love for sharing ideas, like a world without money. In addition, he was chosen to be the first private passenger to fly around the moon with Elon Musk's SpaceX.

前泽凭借在艺术品和跑车上的高额消费而闻名，但是他也喜欢分享一些诸如没有金钱的世界这类想法。此外，他还被选为马斯克的SpaceX公司首位绕月飞行的私人乘客。

With his giveaway, Maezawa hopes to spread the idea of basic income, or the theory of giving periodic payments to all citizens. The idea has gained attention in some political circles, even in the United States. A leading supporter is businessman Andrew Yang, a candidate for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.

前泽希望通过他的赠与来传播基本收入的概念，或是向所有公民提供定期付款的理论。这种想法在某些政治领域已经引起了关注，甚至包括在美国。美国的主要支持者是商人安德鲁·杨，他是民主党提名总统候选人。

"Basic means a regular minimum amount offering a sense of security. What Maezawa is offering is totally different," said Toshihiro Nagahama. He is an economist with the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute.

长滨俊宏表示：“基本是指提供安全感的固定最低金额，而前泽友作提供的则完全不同。”长滨俊宏是日本第一生命研究所的经济学家。

Maezawa said that since he "has the money and free time" to make the payments, he is trying to fuel a debate in Japan over the value of a basic income.

前泽表示，由于他“有足够的资金以及空闲时间”来付款，因此他试图在日本引发一场对基本收入价值的辩论。

The idea of a universal basic income has gained support because of fears that technology will replace large numbers of jobs. But for now, that concern is not as big an issue in Japan with its low unemployment rate, said Nagahama.

由于担心科技会取代大量工作，普遍基本收入的想法得到了支持。长滨表示，目前日本失业率低，这种担忧已不再是一个大问题。

This is the second, larger, giveaway by Maezawa. In November, he got $900 million from the sale of his online fashion business.

这是前泽进行的规模更大的第二次捐赠活动。去年11月，他通过转让他的网络时装公司获得了9亿美元的收入。

Maezawa now has seven million Twitter followers. His tweets are an interesting mix of subjects, including his pricy purchases and thoughts on the meaning of life. He also recently made news headlines after his split from actress girlfriend Ayame Goriki.

前泽目前拥有7百万推特粉丝。他的推文都是一些有趣的话题，包括他的高价消费以及对生活意义的思考。他与女友阿耶梅·高里奇分手最近还上了头条新闻。

These days, he can also be found on YouTube, sharing things like a look into his private plane and a visit to the barber shop to get his hair colored. He even shared a video of him working on his finances after the November sale of his company.

这段时间在油管网上也能找到他分享的一些诸如参观他的私人飞机以及去理发店染发之类的视频。他甚至在去年11月转让公司后分享了一段讲述他财务工作的视频。

The debate over basic income comes as income inequality continues to grow in the United States. In recent years, some very wealthy Americans have promised to give away most of their wealth. They include Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffett.

随着美国收入不平等的持续加剧，有关基本收入的争论不断。近年来，一些非常富裕的美国人承诺捐出他们的大部分财产。其中就包括微软公司联合创始人比尔·盖茨以及投资家沃伦·巴菲特。