歷年六級(jí)閱讀理解逐句翻譯:2007年6月(2)
二、
You hear the refrain all the time: the U.S. economy looks good statistically, but it doesnt feel good.
你一直重復(fù)聽到:美國(guó)的經(jīng)濟(jì)從數(shù)據(jù)上看很不錯(cuò),但實(shí)際上并不覺得很好。
Why doesnt ever-greater wealth promote ever-greater happiness?
為什么不斷增加的財(cái)富卻沒有促進(jìn)不斷提高的幸福程度呢?
It is a question that dates at least to the appearance in 1958 of The Affluent Societyby John Kenneth Galbraith, who died recently at 97.
這個(gè)問題最早要追溯到1958年《富足社會(huì)》一書的出現(xiàn),其作者John Kenneth Galbraith最近去世了,享年97歲。
The Affluent Society is a modern classic because it helped define a new moment in the human condition.
《富足社會(huì)》是一本現(xiàn)代名著,因?yàn)闀卸x了人類境況的一個(gè)新時(shí)期。
For most of history, hunger, sickness, and cold threatened nearly everyone, Galbraith wrote.
在歷史上的大多數(shù)時(shí)期,饑寒交迫和疾病幾乎威脅了每一個(gè)人。Galbraith寫道:
Poverty was found everywhere in that world. Obviously it is not of ours.
貧窮出現(xiàn)在那個(gè)世界的任何角落。但這顯然與我們無(wú)關(guān)
After World War II, the dread of another Great Depression gave way to an economic boom. In the 1930s unemployment had averaged 18.2 percent; in the 1950s it was 4.5 percent.
二戰(zhàn)后,對(duì)于新的一次大衰退的恐懼讓位于一次經(jīng)濟(jì)繁榮。在二十世紀(jì)三十年代,失業(yè)率高達(dá)18.2%,而在二十世紀(jì)五十年代,失業(yè)率為4.5%。
To Galbraith, materialism had gone mad and would breed discontent.
對(duì)于Galbraith而言,物質(zhì)主義已經(jīng)瘋狂,并且會(huì)滋生不滿。
Through advertising, companies conditioned consumers to buy things they didnt really want or need.
公司通過廣告讓消費(fèi)者購(gòu)買他們不需要或者不想要的東西。
Because so much spending was artificial, it would be unfulfilling.
如此多的花費(fèi)是虛假的,所以肯定會(huì)有不滿
Meanwhile, government spending that would make everyone better off was being cut down because people instinctivelyand wronglylabeled government only as a necessary evil.
同時(shí),能讓每個(gè)人生活得更好的政府開銷卻減少了,因?yàn)槿藗儽灸艿亍㈠e(cuò)誤地為政府貼上了必要的惡魔的標(biāo)簽。
Its often said that only the rich are getting ahead; everyone else is standing still or falling behind.
人們常說(shuō)只有富人在前行,其他人都停留在原地或者落在后面。
Well, there are many undeserving richoverpaid chief executives, for instance.
例如,是有很多人不應(yīng)富有的人
But over any meaningful period, most peoples incomes are increasing.
工資過高的首席執(zhí)行官。但是在經(jīng)歷了很多重要時(shí)期之后,大多數(shù)人的收入在上升。
From 1995 to 2004, inflation-adjusted average family income rose 14.3 percent, to $43,200.
從1995年到2004年,針對(duì)通貨膨脹進(jìn)行調(diào)整的普通家庭收入上升了14.3%,達(dá)到了43,200美元。
People feel squeezed because their rising incomes often dont satisfy their rising wantsfor bigger homes, more health care, more education, faster Internet connections.
人們覺得被壓榨,是因?yàn)樗麄冊(cè)黾拥氖杖氩荒軡M足他們上升的欲望----更大的房子,更多醫(yī)療保健,更多教育,更快的網(wǎng)絡(luò)連接。
The other great frustration is that it has not eliminated insecurity.
另外一大沮喪是不安全感并沒有被消除。
People regard job stability as part of their standard of living.
人們把工作的穩(wěn)定性看成生活標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的一部分。
As corporate layoffs increased, that part has eroded.
隨著公司裁員的增加了,這部分被腐蝕了。
More workers fear theyve become the disposable American, as Louis Uchitelle puts it in his book by the same name.
更過的員工害怕自己會(huì)成為被處理的美國(guó)人,這一說(shuō)法來(lái)自于LouisUchtelle的同名著作。
Because so much previous suffering and social conflict stemmed from poverty, the arrival of widespread affluence suggested utopian possibilities.
因?yàn)榍懊嫣岬降耐纯嗪蜕鐣?huì)沖突都來(lái)源于貧窮,大范圍富裕的來(lái)臨暗示了烏托邦式的可能。
Up to a point, affluence succeeds. There is much les physical misery than before. People are better off. Unfortunately, affluence also creates new complaints and contradictions.
從某種意義來(lái)說(shuō),富裕成功了。比起以前,身體上的痛苦大大減少。人們比以前更富于了。不幸的是,富足同樣創(chuàng)造了新的抱怨和矛盾。
Advanced societies need economic growth to satisfy the multiplying wants of their citizens.
現(xiàn)金的社會(huì)需要經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng),以滿足市民日益多樣化的需要。
But the quest for growth lets loose new anxieties and economic conflicts that disturb the social order.
但是對(duì)增長(zhǎng)的追求卻產(chǎn)生了新的焦慮和經(jīng)濟(jì)沖突,擾亂了社會(huì)秩序。
Affluence liberates the individual, promising that everyone can choose a unique way to self-fulfillment.
富裕解放了個(gè)人,承諾每個(gè)人可以選擇獨(dú)特方式來(lái)達(dá)成自己的愿望。
But the promise is so extravagant that it predestines many disappointments and sometimes inspires choices that have anti-social consequences, including family breakdown and obesity .
但是承諾是如此的奢侈,以至于注定會(huì)有失望,有時(shí)還會(huì)引起帶來(lái)反社會(huì)的選擇,包括家庭破裂和肥胖癥。
Statistical indicators of happiness have not risen with incomes.
數(shù)據(jù)表明,幸福并沒有隨著收入的增長(zhǎng)而增長(zhǎng)。
Should we be surprised? Not really. Weve simply reaffirmed an old truth: the pursuit of affluence does not always end with happiness.
我們是不是應(yīng)該感到驚訝?不必。我們僅是重新印證了一句老話:對(duì)富裕的追求并不會(huì)總是以幸福為結(jié)局。
二、
You hear the refrain all the time: the U.S. economy looks good statistically, but it doesnt feel good.
你一直重復(fù)聽到:美國(guó)的經(jīng)濟(jì)從數(shù)據(jù)上看很不錯(cuò),但實(shí)際上并不覺得很好。
Why doesnt ever-greater wealth promote ever-greater happiness?
為什么不斷增加的財(cái)富卻沒有促進(jìn)不斷提高的幸福程度呢?
It is a question that dates at least to the appearance in 1958 of The Affluent Societyby John Kenneth Galbraith, who died recently at 97.
這個(gè)問題最早要追溯到1958年《富足社會(huì)》一書的出現(xiàn),其作者John Kenneth Galbraith最近去世了,享年97歲。
The Affluent Society is a modern classic because it helped define a new moment in the human condition.
《富足社會(huì)》是一本現(xiàn)代名著,因?yàn)闀卸x了人類境況的一個(gè)新時(shí)期。
For most of history, hunger, sickness, and cold threatened nearly everyone, Galbraith wrote.
在歷史上的大多數(shù)時(shí)期,饑寒交迫和疾病幾乎威脅了每一個(gè)人。Galbraith寫道:
Poverty was found everywhere in that world. Obviously it is not of ours.
貧窮出現(xiàn)在那個(gè)世界的任何角落。但這顯然與我們無(wú)關(guān)
After World War II, the dread of another Great Depression gave way to an economic boom. In the 1930s unemployment had averaged 18.2 percent; in the 1950s it was 4.5 percent.
二戰(zhàn)后,對(duì)于新的一次大衰退的恐懼讓位于一次經(jīng)濟(jì)繁榮。在二十世紀(jì)三十年代,失業(yè)率高達(dá)18.2%,而在二十世紀(jì)五十年代,失業(yè)率為4.5%。
To Galbraith, materialism had gone mad and would breed discontent.
對(duì)于Galbraith而言,物質(zhì)主義已經(jīng)瘋狂,并且會(huì)滋生不滿。
Through advertising, companies conditioned consumers to buy things they didnt really want or need.
公司通過廣告讓消費(fèi)者購(gòu)買他們不需要或者不想要的東西。
Because so much spending was artificial, it would be unfulfilling.
如此多的花費(fèi)是虛假的,所以肯定會(huì)有不滿
Meanwhile, government spending that would make everyone better off was being cut down because people instinctivelyand wronglylabeled government only as a necessary evil.
同時(shí),能讓每個(gè)人生活得更好的政府開銷卻減少了,因?yàn)槿藗儽灸艿亍㈠e(cuò)誤地為政府貼上了必要的惡魔的標(biāo)簽。
Its often said that only the rich are getting ahead; everyone else is standing still or falling behind.
人們常說(shuō)只有富人在前行,其他人都停留在原地或者落在后面。
Well, there are many undeserving richoverpaid chief executives, for instance.
例如,是有很多人不應(yīng)富有的人
But over any meaningful period, most peoples incomes are increasing.
工資過高的首席執(zhí)行官。但是在經(jīng)歷了很多重要時(shí)期之后,大多數(shù)人的收入在上升。
From 1995 to 2004, inflation-adjusted average family income rose 14.3 percent, to $43,200.
從1995年到2004年,針對(duì)通貨膨脹進(jìn)行調(diào)整的普通家庭收入上升了14.3%,達(dá)到了43,200美元。
People feel squeezed because their rising incomes often dont satisfy their rising wantsfor bigger homes, more health care, more education, faster Internet connections.
人們覺得被壓榨,是因?yàn)樗麄冊(cè)黾拥氖杖氩荒軡M足他們上升的欲望----更大的房子,更多醫(yī)療保健,更多教育,更快的網(wǎng)絡(luò)連接。
The other great frustration is that it has not eliminated insecurity.
另外一大沮喪是不安全感并沒有被消除。
People regard job stability as part of their standard of living.
人們把工作的穩(wěn)定性看成生活標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的一部分。
As corporate layoffs increased, that part has eroded.
隨著公司裁員的增加了,這部分被腐蝕了。
More workers fear theyve become the disposable American, as Louis Uchitelle puts it in his book by the same name.
更過的員工害怕自己會(huì)成為被處理的美國(guó)人,這一說(shuō)法來(lái)自于LouisUchtelle的同名著作。
Because so much previous suffering and social conflict stemmed from poverty, the arrival of widespread affluence suggested utopian possibilities.
因?yàn)榍懊嫣岬降耐纯嗪蜕鐣?huì)沖突都來(lái)源于貧窮,大范圍富裕的來(lái)臨暗示了烏托邦式的可能。
Up to a point, affluence succeeds. There is much les physical misery than before. People are better off. Unfortunately, affluence also creates new complaints and contradictions.
從某種意義來(lái)說(shuō),富裕成功了。比起以前,身體上的痛苦大大減少。人們比以前更富于了。不幸的是,富足同樣創(chuàng)造了新的抱怨和矛盾。
Advanced societies need economic growth to satisfy the multiplying wants of their citizens.
現(xiàn)金的社會(huì)需要經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng),以滿足市民日益多樣化的需要。
But the quest for growth lets loose new anxieties and economic conflicts that disturb the social order.
但是對(duì)增長(zhǎng)的追求卻產(chǎn)生了新的焦慮和經(jīng)濟(jì)沖突,擾亂了社會(huì)秩序。
Affluence liberates the individual, promising that everyone can choose a unique way to self-fulfillment.
富裕解放了個(gè)人,承諾每個(gè)人可以選擇獨(dú)特方式來(lái)達(dá)成自己的愿望。
But the promise is so extravagant that it predestines many disappointments and sometimes inspires choices that have anti-social consequences, including family breakdown and obesity .
但是承諾是如此的奢侈,以至于注定會(huì)有失望,有時(shí)還會(huì)引起帶來(lái)反社會(huì)的選擇,包括家庭破裂和肥胖癥。
Statistical indicators of happiness have not risen with incomes.
數(shù)據(jù)表明,幸福并沒有隨著收入的增長(zhǎng)而增長(zhǎng)。
Should we be surprised? Not really. Weve simply reaffirmed an old truth: the pursuit of affluence does not always end with happiness.
我們是不是應(yīng)該感到驚訝?不必。我們僅是重新印證了一句老話:對(duì)富裕的追求并不會(huì)總是以幸福為結(jié)局。