究竟要赚多少钱才能快乐？

大年初五迎财神，祝你财源滚滚，好运常在。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. What can be inferred about the UBS survey findings?

A. Most participants believed $1 million in assets was sufficient for financial security.

B. Wealth perception depends more on social context than absolute financial metrics.

C. High earners prioritize lifestyle stability over further wealth accumulation.

D. Only billionaires feel truly satisfied with their financial status.

无注释原文：

How rich are you, really?

From: BBC

Imagine having a six-figure income, owning at least one home and sitting on a spare $1 million in investable assets. Surely a sign that you’ve “made it” and are, by global standards, incredibly rich?

Apparently not.

A recent survey of affluent US investors by global financial services firm UBS found 70% of people meeting these criteria don’t consider themselves wealthy. Only those with $5 million or more in assets thought they have enough set aside to feel secure about their future, while the majority of the rest feared a single setback could have a major effect on their lifestyle.

So, if millionaires don’t consider themselves wealthy, where does that leave the rest of us? If we’re unlikely to “feel” rich, no matter how much we earn, is it really worth aspiring to get there at all?

Getting off the treadmill

Decades of psychological research has already disproven the idea that money can buy long-term happiness, with one study even suggesting that lottery winners ended up no more satisfied with their lives after a big win. And The New York Times reported in February about a boom in bespoke therapy for billionaires suffering personal struggles.

“As people get wealthier, they are more satisfied to start, but at some stage there is no additional increase in satisfaction,” explains Jolanda Jetten, a professor in social psychology at the University of Queensland in Australia and co-author of The Wealth Paradox.

She says plenty of high earners can’t get off the treadmill, even if they’re aware that their happiness or quality of life has flatlined, because they become too defined by their wealth.

This, she explains, is because rich people, just as the less well-off, make upwards comparisons, rating their income, home, investments or possessions against those of even richer friends and colleagues, rather than the rest of the population.

“The more money you make, the more you also have a need for more money – it’s like an addiction,” she says.

It’s a pattern that’s all too familiar with life and career coaches like Pia Webb, who focuses on guiding top-tier managers in Europe. Even in her home country, Sweden, a social democracy famed for work-life balance rather than excess, she says many still fall victim to benchmarking themselves against those in higher income brackets.

“Nobody looks up to you because you work a lot in Sweden. But there is still a pressure to keep up with others, to show your wealth in other ways, like going on holidays with your family, having a boat, a summer house,” she says.

Webb asks her clients to reflect on the experiences or items they think they personally need to feel satisfied, rather than striving to keep earning more to match societal or peer-group expectations.

“When it comes to wealth, many people think money is the key. But you don't need much if you can be happy living in the moment,” she argues. Webb, who was much more focused on wealth before experiencing a burnout 10 years ago, now enjoys simple pleasures such as having a sauna, taking a walk in the forest or enjoying time with friends and relatives.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为BBC官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

How rich are you, really?

From: BBC

Imagine having a six-figure income, owning at least one home and sitting on a spare $1 million in investable assets. Surely a sign that you’ve “made it” and are, by global standards, incredibly rich?

试想，如果你有6位数的年薪，至少有一套房子，还有100万美元可投资资产。这显然表明你已经是"成功人士"。而且按照全球的标准来看，你也已经非常富有。不是吗？

Apparently not.

显然不是。

A recent survey of affluent US investors by global financial services firm UBS found 70% of people meeting these criteria don’t consider themselves wealthy. Only those with $5 million or more in assets thought they have enough set aside to feel secure about their future, while the majority of the rest feared a single setback could have a major effect on their lifestyle.

跨国金融服务公司瑞士银行最近对富裕的美国投资者进行的调查发现，在达到这一标准的人中，有70%不认为自己有钱。只有资产达到或超过500万美元的人才对未来怀有充分的安全感，而其他多数人仍然担心一次挫折就可能对自己的生活产生重大影响。

affluent /ˈæf.lu.ənt/ 表示“富裕的；富足的”，英文解释为“having a lot of money or owning a lot of things”如：affluent nations/neighbourhoods 富有国家/富人区。

criterion /kraɪˈtɪərɪən/ 表示“（判断的）标准，准则，原则”，复数形式为criteria，英文解释为“A criterion is a factor on which you judge or decide something.”举个🌰：The most important criterion for entry is that applicants must design and make their own work. 参加的最重要标准就是申请人必须设计并制作自己的作品。

So, if millionaires don’t consider themselves wealthy, where does that leave the rest of us? If we’re unlikely to “feel” rich, no matter how much we earn, is it really worth aspiring to get there at all?

如果连百万富翁都觉得自己没钱，我们这些普通人又该如何是好？如果我们无论赚多少钱都不太可能"感觉"自己有钱，那又是否值得追求这一切？

Getting off the treadmill 停下脚步

Decades of psychological research has already disproven the idea that money can buy long-term happiness, with one study even suggesting that lottery winners ended up no more satisfied with their lives after a big win. And The New York Times reported in February about a boom in bespoke therapy for billionaires suffering personal struggles.

数十年来的心理学研究已经否认了"金钱能买来长期幸福"的说法，甚至有一项研究表明，彩票中奖者在获得大奖后最终并没有感觉更加满足。而《纽约时报》今年2月还报道了亿万富豪因为个人问题而接受定制治疗的情况大幅增加。

treadmill /ˈtredmɪl/ 1）表示“（锻炼用的）踏步机，跑步机”，英文解释为“an exercise machine that consists of a moving strip or two step-like parts on which you walk without moving forward”

2）表示“繁重无聊的重复性工作”，英文解释为“any type of repeated work that is boring and makes you feel tired and seems to have no positive effect and no end”举个🌰：There were days when having kids seemed like an endless treadmill of feeding, washing, and nappy-changing. 过去养育孩子似乎就是永无休止的喂饭、洗衣和换尿布，繁重而又单调。

作动词，boom /buːm/ 1）表示“增长；迅速发展”，英文解释为“to increase or become successful and produce a lot of money very quickly”举个🌰：The leisure industry is booming. 休闲产业正在蓬勃发展。

2）表示“发出低沉有力的声音；发出隆隆声，轰鸣”，英文解释为“to make a very deep and loud hollow sound”举个🌰：The cannons boomed (out) in the night. 晚上传来隆隆炮声。

作名词，表示“增长，繁荣；增长期，繁荣期”，英文解释为“an increase in something , or a time when something becomes more popular”举个🌰：This year has seen a boom in book sales. 今年图书销售激增。

📍baby boom表示“生育高峰，婴儿潮”，英文解释为“a large increase in the number of babies born among a particular group of people during a particular time”举个🌰：There was a baby boom in the UK and the US after the Second World War. 二战后，英国和美国都出现了一次生育高峰。

bespoke /bɪˈspəʊk/ 表示“定做的;定制的”，英文解释为“specially made for a particular person”如：a bespoke suit 定做的西服。

“As people get wealthier, they are more satisfied to start, but at some stage there is no additional increase in satisfaction,” explains Jolanda Jetten, a professor in social psychology at the University of Queensland in Australia and co-author of The Wealth Paradox.

"随着人们越来越富裕，他们最开始感觉满足感提升，但到了某个阶段，满足感就不再增加了。" 澳大利亚昆士兰大学社会心理学教授、《财富悖论》（The Wealth Paradox）的作者之一乔兰达·杰登（Jolanda Jetten）解释道。

She says plenty of high earners can’t get off the treadmill, even if they’re aware that their happiness or quality of life has flatlined, because they become too defined by their wealth.

她表示，有很多高收入人群无法停下脚步，即便当他们意识到自己的幸福和生活品质已经进入平台期之后同样如此，因为他们太过看重财富。

flatline /ˈflæt.laɪn/ 1）表示“处于低水平的”，英文解释为“to be at a low level and not increase”举个🌰：Have widescreen TV prices finally flatlined? 宽屏电视的价钱最终低下来了吗？

2）表示“处于低谷的，没有起色的”，英文解释为“to stop being popular or successful”举个🌰：Her acting career has flatlined. 她的演艺事业处于低谷。

This, she explains, is because rich people, just as the less well-off, make upwards comparisons, rating their income, home, investments or possessions against those of even richer friends and colleagues, rather than the rest of the population.

她解释道，这是因为有钱人跟没钱人一样，总喜欢跟比自己强的人攀比，拿自己的收入、房子、投资或财产跟那些更加富裕的朋友和同事比较，而没有跟普通大众对比。

“The more money you make, the more you also have a need for more money – it’s like an addiction,” she says.

"你赚钱越多，就越想赚更多钱——就像上瘾一样。"她说。

It’s a pattern that’s all too familiar with life and career coaches like Pia Webb, who focuses on guiding top-tier managers in Europe. Even in her home country, Sweden, a social democracy famed for work-life balance rather than excess, she says many still fall victim to benchmarking themselves against those in higher income brackets.

皮亚·韦伯（Pia Webb）这样的生活和职场教练对这种情况十分熟悉，她专门为欧洲的顶尖管理者提供指导。即便是在她的祖国瑞典这种以生活和工作平衡而著称的国家，很多人仍然会因为跟高收入人群对比而感到失落。

表示“一流的；水平最高的，质量最好的”，英文解释为“of the highest level or quality”如：a top-tier medical school 一所一流的医学院。

benchmark /ˈbentʃ.mɑːk/ 作名词，表示“基准（点）”，英文解释为“a level of quality that can be used as a standard when comparing other things”举个🌰：Her outstanding performances set a new benchmark for singers throughout the world. 她的精彩表演为全世界歌手树立了新典范。

作动词，表示“以…为标准来衡量”，英文解释为“to measure the quality of something by comparing it with something else of an accepted standard”举个🌰：His reports said that all schools should be benchmarked against the best. 他的报告指出，所有学校都应该以最好的学校为标准进行衡量。

bracket /ˈbræk.ɪt/ 1）表示“括号”，英文解释为“either of two symbols put around a word, phrase, or sentence in a piece of writing to show that what is between them should be considered as separate from the main part”举个🌰：Biographical information is included in brackets. 括号里给出了作者的个人信息。

2）表示“等级；段；档次”，英文解释为“a group with fixed upper and lower limits”举个🌰：They were both surgeons in a high income bracket. 他俩都属于高收入阶层的外科医生。

“Nobody looks up to you because you work a lot in Sweden. But there is still a pressure to keep up with others, to show your wealth in other ways, like going on holidays with your family, having a boat, a summer house,” she says.

"瑞典没有人因为你工作时间长而仰慕你。但仍然有跟他人攀比的压力，他们会通过其他方式展现自己的财富，包括跟家人一起度假、买邮轮或者度假屋。"她说。

Webb asks her clients to reflect on the experiences or items they think they personally need to feel satisfied, rather than striving to keep earning more to match societal or peer-group expectations.

韦伯让她的客户列出他们认为能够给自己带来个人满足的体验或物品，而不要一门心思只想着为了满足社会和亲友的期望而多赚钱。

“When it comes to wealth, many people think money is the key. But you don't need much if you can be happy living in the moment,” she argues. Webb, who was much more focused on wealth before experiencing a burnout 10 years ago, now enjoys simple pleasures such as having a sauna, taking a walk in the forest or enjoying time with friends and relatives.

"具体到财富，很多人认为金钱是关键。但如果你现在就能快乐地生活，那就不需要太多钱。"她说。在10年前经历挫折之前，韦伯也十分看重财富，但她现在更享受洗桑拿、林间漫步、与亲友聚会这些简单的快乐。

burnout /ˈbɜrnˌɑʊt/ 表示“极度劳累；疲劳过度”，英文解释为“extreme tiredness usually caused by working too much”如：employees complaining of/suffering burn-out 抱怨/感到极度劳累的员工。

📍根据世界卫生组织，职业过劳（Occupational burnout）是一种由慢性工作压力导致的症候群，症状包含“精神耗尽、对工作的心理距离增加、对工作的负面感觉、以及工作效率的减少”。职业过劳不被归类为一种医学疾病。

📍动词短语：burn (yourself) out，疲惫不堪，精疲力竭。

sauna /ˈsɔːnə/ 1）表示“桑拿浴室”，英文解释为“A sauna is a room or building where you can have a sauna.”

2）表示“桑拿”，英文解释为“If you have a sauna, you sit or lie in a room that is so hot that it makes you sweat. People have saunas in order to relax and to clean their skin thoroughly.”

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