英语听力—环球英语 1192 Measuring a Happy Planet

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Joshua Leo.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“You could not imagine how terrible life was many years ago. I could not enjoy a single peaceful night, or even a meal, without running to a safe place. Now we have nice food to eat, good clothes to wear. And we do not have to see our family members or friends killed. What else could we ask for?”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Nguyen Thi Vinh is eighty years old. She lives in Vietnam. She survived conflict and many difficult years in her country. But today, she feels that her life is very good. She is happy!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In 2012, her country, Vietnam, was ranked second in the Happy Planet² Index³. This report tries to judge the success of many countries around the world. Today’s Spotlight is on the Happy Planet Index. Which country do you think is the happiest?

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The Happy Planet Index combines a country’s environmental actions with the well-being⁴ of its citizens. It is the first index to measure environmental care and the level of peoples’ happiness together. The Happy Planet Index is created by the New Economics⁵ Foundation⁶. This British group wants to encourage sustainable development. These financial policies encourage good economic development - development that protects the environment and helps people.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The Index combines three separate things. First, the NEF looks at how satisfied a country’s people are. Second, it looks at the average life expectancy⁷ of a country - how many years, on average, people live. And finally, the NEF looks at how many natural resources a country uses and how much waste it produces.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　For the year 2012, Costa Rica was ranked first on the list. People in Costa Rica have good life expectancy. They report satisfaction with their lives. And the country has a good environmental record.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Surprisingly, rich countries are not the highest on the list. These countries often do not have a good environmental record. They use too many of the earth’s resources. Very poor countries are often the lowest. People in these countries do not have long lives. And they usually do not report as much happiness.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The NEF gives each country a number between zero and one hundred. One hundred represents the greatest level of happiness and success. And zero represents the level of least happiness. The closer to one hundred a country is, the better it is doing.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The NEF believes that a country’s goal should be around 89. That would mean that citizens would be living past the age of 80. Citizens would be healthy and not living in poverty. And finally, citizens and governments would not be using many natural resources like trees, oil, and coal.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The index is easier to understand when you compare two similar countries. Germany and the United States are wealthy nations. According to the NEF, people’s sense of life satisfaction is almost exactly the same for Germany and the US. And the average age at death is nearly the same too. But, Germany uses about half the resources that the US uses. So, Germany is higher on the Happy Planet Index. The NEF believes that Germany is the more successful country.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Another example would be to compare two very different countries. The UK uses many of the earth’s resources. Vietnam uses much fewer resources than the UK. But people in the UK are not happier than people in Vietnam. Vietnam is the second nation on the Happy Planet Index. The UK is number 41. According to the Happy Planet Index, Vietnam is more successful than the UK.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The NEF developed the Happy Planet Index to replace other ways to measure the success of countries. In particular, it could replace Gross⁸ Domestic⁹ Product, or GDP. GDP measures a country’s economic activity. Often, governments see an increase in G D P as a sign of success. However, many experts agree that GDP is too limited. It ONLY measures economic activity - it does not measure sustainable, healthy development, or the happiness and success of its citizens. Nic Marks is the creator of the Happy Planet Index. On the NEF website, he explained the difference between the two measurements¹¹.

 

　　Voice 4

 

　　“Measurements of economic activity simply do not tell us enough. They do not tell us about societies’ goals of creating good lives for their citizens. The index measures what really matters. That is, long and happy lives now, and the hope for good lives in the future. For too many years, we have depended on incomplete¹² measures of progress. These measures concentrated only on economic activity, like gross domestic product. Rich and poor nations face different problems, but their final goal is the same.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　However, many people also criticize¹³ the Happy Planet Index. They say that it does not accurately¹⁴ show the success of a country. It uses information from many different sources, including the United Nations, and an environmental organization, the WWF. Some people say that this information may not be correct.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The biggest argument is over the measurement¹⁰ of well being, or happiness. This measurement comes from global survey research. The researchers asked people to describe their life satisfaction using numbers from one to ten. Someone who was satisfied and happy with their life might say that their life satisfaction was seven. Someone who was unhappy might say two. However, the researchers did not also include other information to test the conditions of people’s lives. Many things can affect happiness, and people can still be happy living in difficult conditions. The Happy Planet Index does not measure poverty, human rights, or security¹⁵.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The Happy Planet Index may not be the best way to measure the success of a country. But the NEF is using it to show that economic success is not the only thing that matters. Happiness matters too!

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　There are more than 150 countries in the index. Would you like to see where your country is on the Happy Planet Index? Visit our website for a link to the list: www.radioenglish.net.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writers of this program were Rebekah Schipper and Christy VanArragon. The producer was Rena Dam. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called, ‘Measuring a Happy Planet’.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　You can leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at [email protected]. You can also find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。

3 index   

n.食指；索引；标志；指数；v.把...编索引

参考例句：

• Performonce is an index of ability.成绩是能力的标志。
• Manner of walking gives an index to one's charactor.走路的姿态可反应出人的性格。

4 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

5 economics   

n.经济学，经济情况

参考例句：

• He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学，该学科是很重要的。
• One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。

6 foundation   

n.[pl.]地基；基础；基金会；建立，创办

参考例句：

• The foundation of the university took place 600 years ago.这所大学是600年前创办的。
• The Foundation gives money to help artists.那家基金会捐款帮助艺术家。

7 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

8 gross   

adj.全部的，粗俗的，肥胖的；vt.获得...总收入

参考例句：

• The gross weight of the box of chocolates is 500 grams.那盒巧克力的全部重量是500克。
• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。

9 domestic   

adj.家里的，国内的，本国的；n.家仆，佣人

参考例句：

• This is domestic news.这是国内新闻。
• She does the domestic affairs every day.她每天都忙家务。

10 measurement   

n.测量，衡量；(量得的)尺寸，大小

参考例句：

• I can find the size of something by means of measurement.我可以用测量法求得某物的体积。
• He has made an accurate measurement of my garden.他准确地丈量了我的花园。

11 measurements   

n.量度( measurement的名词复数 )；测量；衡量；（量得的）尺寸

参考例句：

• The second group of measurements had a high correlation with the first. 第二组测量数据与第一组高度相关。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In the metric system, measurements are made in metres and liters. 在公制中，用米和升作计量单位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 incomplete   

adj.不完全的，不完善的

参考例句：

• The building was left incomplete.那座楼没有完工就停下来了。
• His novel was incomplete when he died.他死的时候他的小说没有写完。

13 criticize   

vt.批评；批判，指责；评论，评价

参考例句：

• Whenever you criticize him,he always has an excuse.你批评他，他总有说头儿。
• You are free to criticize my work.你可以随意批评我的工作。

14 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

15 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。