2014硕士研究生英语二Text1

What would you do with $590m？This is now a question for Gloria Mackenzie，an 84-year-old widow who recently emerged from her small，tin-roofed house in Florida to collect the biggest undivided lottery jackpot in history.If she hopes her new-found fortune will yield lasting feelings of fulfillment，she could do worse than read Happy Money by Elizabeth Dumn and Michael Norton.

如果你有5.9亿美金你会怎么花？84岁的老妇人Gloria Mackenzie最近也面临这个问题。她离开了位于佛罗里达州的铁皮小房子，去领取历史上最大的彩票头奖。如果她希望这笔意外之财能产生持久的满足感，她最好看一看Elizabeth Dumn 和 Michael Norton写的《快乐金钱》这本书。

       widow：n. 寡妇, 遗孀 v. 使丧偶, 使成为寡妇（或鳏夫）。emerge from 自…出现；从…显露出来。lottery:彩票 。jackpot:头奖。new-found fortune：可以表示以外之财。yield:表示：v. 出产; 产生, 带来; 放弃; 让位; 让路; (使)屈服; (使)投降; 泄露; 倒塌 n. 出产; 产量; 收益 。fulfillment:满足、满足感。do worse than A:不如做A

These two academics use an array of behavioral research to show that the most rewarding ways to spend money can be counterintuitive.Fantasies of great wealth often involve visions of fancy cars and extravagant homes.Yet satisfaction with these material purchases wears off fairly quickly .what was once exciting and new becomes old-hat；regret creeps in.It is far better to spend money on experiences，say Ms Dumn and Mr Norton，like interesting trips，unique meals or even going to the cinema.These purchases often become more valuable with time，as stories or memories-----particularly if they involve feeling more connected to others.

这两位学者使用了一组关于行为的研究表明：最有价值的消费方式是非直觉的。人们对巨大财富的幻想往往包含想要豪车和豪宅。然而这些物质购买的满足会快速的消失。曾经的激动和新奇变成了过时的旧东西，悔恨渐入。Ms Dumn 和 Mr Norton说:最好是将钱花在体验上，比如：感兴趣的旅行，独特的美食或者去看电影。这些消费通常会随着时间流逝变得更有价值，正如故事或者回忆，当这些消费涉及到与他人密切关系时，尤其如此。

counterintuitive:adj.反常的，非直觉的。fantasy: n. 幻想, 想象, 想象产物, 幻想作品 v. 幻想, 梦想, 想像, 对…进行幻想 adj. 虚幻的。

       involve:v. 需要, 包含, 牵涉, 影响, 要求 [允许]参与, 积极参与。vision:n. 视力；视野；想象，幻象；眼力；远见卓识；影像，画面。

       wear off:逐渐消失。old-hat:老旧的、过时的、旧东西。regret creeps in :悔恨悄悄涌来。far better to:最好是，好得多。

       particularly:adv.特别，尤其。

This slim volume is packed with tips to help wage slaves as well as lottery winners get the most“happiness bang for your buck.”It seems most people would be better off if they could shorten their commutes to work，spend more time with friends and family and less of it watching television（something the average American spends a whopping two months a year doing，and is hardly jollier for it）。Buying gifts or giving to charity is often more pleasurable than purchasing things for oneself，and luxuries are most enjoyable when they are consumed sparingly.This is apparently the reason MacDonald's restricts the availability of its popular McRib----a marketing trick that has turned the pork sandwich into an object of obsession.

在这个薄薄的书本中存在许多帮助工薪阶级和彩票中奖者获得最多的消费快乐。对大部分人而言如果可以缩短通勤时间，有更多的时间和家人朋友相处，少看电视（平均美国人一年要花2个月的时间在做这个事，但是几乎不因此而快乐）那会更好。购买礼物或者做慈善经常会比给自己买东西更快乐，有节制的奢侈品消费也会让人更加愉快。这显然是麦当劳限量销售其广受欢迎的McRib的原因----一种营销手段，可以将猪肉三明治变成让人着迷的对象。

slim:adj. 苗条的，纤细的；单薄的，微薄的 v. 减肥 n. （非洲用语）艾滋病。volume:n. 量, 额; 体积; 容积, 容量; 音量; 卷, 册; 合订本; 大量, 许多。

be packed with sth:挤满，塞满；在真题2012-3中也考察了该词的用法，而且就该义项设置了题目；重点表达； be jolly for :因。。而愉快

       be better off 更富裕，生活更好。be better off (doing sth) 最好做某事，做某事很明智。whopping: adj. 巨大的, 很大的 adv. 非常 n. 〈口〉(重)打, 打败

       charity：n. 慈善机构；仁慈，宽厚。luxury : n. 奢侈，豪华，奢侈品 。sparingly:adv. 很少, 细嚼慢咽地, 节俭地

Readers of“HappyMoney”are clearly a privileged lot，anxious about fulfillment，not hunger.Money may not quite buy happiness，but people in wealthier countries are generally happier than those in poor ones.Yet the link between feeling good and spending money on others can be seen among rich and poor people around the world，and scarcity enhances the pleasure of most things for most people.Not everyone will agree with the authors‘policy ideas，which range from mandating more holiday time to reducing tax incentives for American homebuyers.But most people will come away from this book believing it was money well spent.

《快乐金钱》的读者们显然幸运许多，他们是对满足感的焦虑而不是饥饿。金钱也许不能购买快乐，但是生活在富裕国家的人们普遍比贫穷地区更快乐。然而，在世界上穷人和富人之间，可以看到感觉美好和为他人花钱之间存在联系，对于大多数人而言，稀缺性可以提高愉悦感。并不是每个人都认同作者的观点，其中包括批准增加休假时间，以及减少美国购房者的税收激励。但是大部分人读完这本书后都详细物超所值。

scarcity：n. 缺乏，不足，缺少 。enhances：v. 提高；增强；增进 ；privileged：享有特权的； be anxious about：为...担忧；相当于worry about；range from A to B :范围从A到B；tax incentives：税收的激励措施；come away from:离开...

附录：

1、161-164