Happiness

Happiness

Britain is less happy than in the 1950s despite the fact that we are three times richer. So what exactly makes us happy? A new car, an expensive holiday or simply spending time with friends and family? （尽管我们拥有着当年三倍的财富，如今英国的生活仍不如20世纪50年代幸福。究竟什么能够让我们幸福呢？一辆新车，一次昂贵的假期还是与朋友家人分享快乐时光呢？）

Join Rebecca and Kate as they discuss what makes them feel cheerful as well as hear from some experts about where we can find true happiness.（加入丽贝卡和凯特的关于什么使他们快乐的讨论，与此同时聆听一些专家的见解：“在哪我们能够找到真正的幸福？”。）

BBC Learning English 6 Minute English

Happiness

Kate:Hello, I’m Kate Colin and today I'm joined（join是参加，加入的意思，在这里be joined by可以理解成“加入”，也可理解成“应约”） by Rebecca Byrne. Hi Rebecca. Rebecca, how are you feeling today? You look very happy!

Rebecca: Yes, I am very happy actually. Spring is finally here and I have to say that the lighter¹ evenings and the sunnier days（月色皎洁的夜晚和阳光明媚的白天） do（这里do表示强调） indeed make me feel much happier!

Kate:That's good to hear because, here in the UK and all around the world, the economic recession（衰退，经济不景气） is really beginning to make life increasingly difficult for many people. So in today's programme, we're going to talk about happiness and where we are likely to find it, especially when times are hard. But before we find out more, I have the question for this week. Which country do you think is the happiest? Is it

a) Mexico b) Denmark c) Nigeria

Rebecca:answers…

Kate:We'll check your answer later, but for now, I'd like to ask you what makes you happy?

Rebecca:Generally, I'm happiest when I'm just hanging out with（与。。。一起出去玩、闲逛，瞎混） friends and family and I like also listening to music, that always makes me happy.

Kate: Yes, I agree. I always feel happiest when I'm with friends and family too. But enough about us, let's listen to the first extract²（这里的extract等于paragraph）. Can you hear what it is that (表强调，可以省略)makes this speaker happy?

Man

What makes me happy is slowing down(这里是放慢生活节奏). I think that we live in a very fast, speedy world and we often forget to take stock（做出判断，进行评估）and take time.

Rebecca:He said that 'slowing down' makes him happy. He mentioned the fact that we live in a fast world and we often forget to 'take stock'. This means we should slow down and examine our lives（检测生活质量）, rather than rush through our daily activities as most of us tend to do.

Kate:And what does he go to say is the problem with happiness?

Man

Well, the problem with happiness is of course that sometimes when you are happy, you are infected with the spirit of the fact that it's going to stop, so sometimes you can't enjoy happiness because you know it's going to end.

Rebecca:He says that the problem is that whenever we are happy, we're always aware of the fact that it's going to stop so we can't fully³ enjoy it. （每当我们享受幸福的时候，脑袋里总是意识到这种幸福会很快消失，所以我们不能够尽情的享受）

Kate:So, on to the next extract. We're going to hear the words 'contentment'(满足) and 'satisfaction'（满意）. What do these words mean?

Rebecca:Well 'contentment' is when you're pleased with your situation and not hoping for change or improvement. And 'satisfaction' is the feeling of having everything you need or want.

Kate:Have a listen and tell me what is this speaker's attitude to happiness?

Man 2

I think it is a very good thing to try and aim to be happy. Happiness is a difficult concept, you're aiming for contentment and satisfaction with a few moments of joy.

Rebecca:He says that we should all aim or try to be happy. To him, happiness is contentment and satisfaction with a few moments of joy. Joy means 'great happiness'.

Kate:Yes, so he thinks that we can't all be very happy all the time. To be contented⁴ with a few periods of true happiness should be enough for us. What else does he go on to say? What two things does he think lead to happiness?

 

Man 2

And for me, like most people actually what the evidence tells you is it's about having good relationships and making time for them, （有好的人际关系，并且为此投入时间）so I'm never happier than when I'm with my wife and child and also having fulfilling（令人高兴的，令人满意的） and satisfying work.

Rebecca:He says that the things that lead to happiness are good relationships (he says he's never happier than when he's with his family) and the second thing was having fulfilling and satisfying work. This means to have a job you enjoy and feeling you have a useful role.

Kate:What's interesting is that he doesn't mention 'material possessions'（物质财富）. What does this mean?

Rebecca:Material possessions are things we buy, clothes, houses, cars, TVs. There's a common idea that acquiring material possessions makes us happy.

Kate:Yes, many people go shopping and spend money when they feel depressed⁵ and think that this will make them feel happier. Have a listen to another speaker to hear what he has to say on the subject:

 

Man 3

Again there's a wealth of evidence about this – above a certain point （在某种程度上）wealth and possessions don't contribute to happiness.（在某种程度上，幸福与财富，财产没有多大关系） Of course there's a minimum, if you've just lost your job and you can't pay the mortgage（抵押，贷款）, you're going to be miserable⁶. But above a certain level, and it's actually relatively⁷ low in a society like ours, money doesn't actually buy happiness.

Rebecca: He says that there is evidence to suggest that above a certain point, money doesn’t contribute to happiness. Of course, there is a basic level of living for which we need money, for food and shelter but as long as we have basics（基本需求）, having lots of material possessions won't make us any happier.

Kate:So there we have it, there is indeed evidence to say that money cannot buy us happiness….an important lesson for us all I think. Let's have a look at some of the vocabulary we came across（遇到，碰到，无意间发现） in today's programme: We had take stock, which means to look at one's life and assess it Contentment means to be pleased with your situation and not hoping for change or improvement Satisfaction is the feeling of having everything you need or want Joy means great happiness Fulfilling is meeting all your needs and expectations Material possessions are objects, as opposed to abstract（抽象的） ideas such as love, happiness etc. And finally, to the question I asked you earlier in the programme. Which country is the happiest?

Rebecca: I said…..

Kate:And you were correct– according to various surveys carried out in 2006, Denmark is the happiest county. Puerto Rico and Colombia also scored highly but Britain came in at number 41 so I think we've still got some work to do!

That’s all we've got time for. Until next week, have a happy week. Goodbye.

(本文由在线英语听力室编辑整理)

1 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

2 extract   

vt.取出，提取，获得，摘录；n.摘录，提出物

参考例句：

• The article was a choice extract from her writings.这篇文章是从她的著作中摘录出来的精粹。
• We can extract oil from olive.我们可以从橄榄中榨油。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 contented   

adj.满意的，安心的，知足的

参考例句：

• He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
• The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。

5 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

6 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。

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。