【英语听和读】幸福是什么

Jackie: Hello, I'm Jackie Dalton, welcome to Entertainment.

(sfx laughter)

Jackie: What makes you happy? Friends, family, art, money, a big TV set? Research

shows that having lots of money doesn't always mean being happier.

We're about to hear a report on the topic of wealth and happiness. First, let's

look at a few words and phrases related to happiness.

If you're feeling happy, you could also express it in these ways.

'I'm feeling quite cheerful today.'

'I'm content.'

'I'm feeling good.'

Another word for 'happiness' can be 'well-being¹'.

'The older I get, the greater my sense of well-being.'

(sfx crying)

What about unhappiness? That baby sounded miserable². 'Miserable' is a word

we sometimes use to describe someone who's not happy. We can also say.

'She's sad.' 

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'I'm feeling low.'

'He's a bit down today.'

Some of these words will come up in a moment. As you listen to this report by

Mark Easton answer this question: Are people in Britain happier now than they

were 50 years ago?

Report

It is perhaps one of the greatest challenges for developed nations around the world. Once

average incomes exceed about fifteen thousand dollars, additional wealth doesn't easily

translate into additional well-being. In some countries, notably³ the United States, it appears

that despite being richer than ever in their history, they're getting slightly more miserable. In

Britain, happiness levels appear to have remained constant since the 1950s despite the country

being three times richer.

Jackie: The answer to the question was 'no'. People in Britain are not happier than they

were 50 years ago, Mark said happiness levels have remained constant –

people are as happy as they were in the 1950s, even though Britain is three

times richer. And in the United States, although people are richer, they are a bit

more miserable than before.

So is there anything we can do to make us feel good? Some people think the

leaders of countries should take action. As you listen to the next part of the

report, answer this question. Why is happiness important for nations?

Report

Governments are being forced to consider the purpose of politics; should its prime aim be to

make people richer or to make people happier? Happy nations tend to be more productive⁴,

health is better, people are more creative, life expectancy⁵ goes up. Quality of life matters. 

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Jackie: So why is a more cheerful country a better country? Well, there are a lot of

reasons, including people are more productive, which means they achieve

more at work and life expectancy goes up, meaning they live longer. Mark says

quality of life matters. 'Quality of life' is a term often used to talk about how

good or bad your life is and how happy you are.

So what are some of the things that make us feel like we have a bad quality of

life? Listen to find out.

Report

Mobility⁶ of labour, commuting⁷, long working hours are all bad for happiness. A big gap

between rich and poor tends to reduce it too.

Jackie: So essentially⁸, it looks like working too hard makes people feel low, and

commuting – travelling to and from work. As does a big pay gap – a situation

where there are very rich and very poor people living in the same region.

So these are things that, in theory, governments could improve, but what about

us as individuals? Dr Nicks Baylis is co-Director the new Well-Being Institute

at the University of Cambridge. He thinks that happiness has become an

industry. Firms want us to think we can buy happiness – whether it’s a tasty

chocolate bar or self-help books. 'Self-help books'…books telling you how you

can make yourself happier. Why does Dr Baylis think the commercialisation of

happiness is a bad thing?

Dr Nick Baylis

I think it's become an industry. There's 8 million self-help books claiming they can sell us

'feel-good'. I think that's a very unhelpful view of life because sometimes life feels bad and we

have to know what to do with those bad feelings and if we're just trying to feel good the

whole time and demonise the feeling bad, feeling scared or angry or ashamed or lonely, I 

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think we're missing much of the richness of life. As for there being a formula for happy lives,

I think that's going so far in the wrong direction.

Jackie: Dr Baylis rejects the idea of a formula – a set of rules – for how to be happy.

He thinks the 'feel-good' industry offers an unhelpful view of how we should

be living. He thinks is more important for us to stop just expecting to be able to

lead happy lives all the time. We must learn to accept that there are times when

we don't feel so good. What were some of the adjectives he used?

Dr Nick Baylis

…feeling bad, feeling scared or angry or ashamed or lonely…

Jackie: Feeling bad, scared, lonely, angry or ashamed. You feel ashamed when you

think you have done something wrong, like upset someone. Dr Baylis thinks

we shouldn't expect to be content all the time. We should learn how to accept

and cope with negative feelings. As, he says, they are all part of the richness of

life. 

1 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。

2 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

3 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

4 productive   

adj.能生产的，有生产价值的，多产的

参考例句：

• We had a productive meeting that solved some problems.我们开了一个富有成效的会议，解决了一些问题。
• Science and technology are part of the productive forces.科学技术是生产力。

5 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。

6 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

7 commuting   

交换（的）

参考例句：

• I used the commuting time to read and answer my mail. 我利用上下班在汽车中的时间来阅读和答复给我的函电。
• Noncommuting objects are as real to the mathematicians as commuting objects. 对于数学家来说，不可交换的对象与可交换的对象是一样真实的。

8 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。