新世纪大学英语综合教程4Unit2.pdfVIP

新世纪大学英语综合教程4Unit2

Inthepresentera,allofusareenthusiasticallypursuing

technologicaladvancementandtakeitforgrantedthatthe

developmentoftechnologywillmakeushappier.However,little

evidencecanbefoundtoprovethecorrelationbetween

technologyandhappinessoncematerialandtechnological

advancesreachacertainlevel.Thetextbelowmayprovideyou

withsomeinsightsintothisissue.

TechnologyandHappiness

JamesSurowiecki

1)Inthe20thcentury,Americans,Europeans,andEastAsians

enjoyedmaterialand

technologicaladvancesthatwereunimaginableinprevious

eras.IntheUnitedStates,forinstance,grossdomesticproduct

percapitatripledfrom1950to2000.

Lifeexpectancysoared.TheboominproductivityafterWorld

WarIImadegoodsbetterandcheaperatthesametime.Things

thatwereonceluxuries,suchasjettravelandlong-distance

phonecalls,becamenecessities.AndeventhoughAmericans

seemedtoworkextraordinarilyhard,theirpursuitof

entertainmentturnedmediaandleisureintomultibillion-dollar

industries.

2)Bymoststandards,then,youwouldhavetosaythat

Americansarebetteroff

nowthantheywereinthemiddleofthelastcentury.Oddly,

though,ifyouaskAmericanshowhappytheyare,youfindthat

theyarenohappierthantheywerein1946(whichiswhenformal

surveysofhappinessstarted).Infact,thepercentageofpeople

whosaytheyareveryhappyhasfallenslightlysincetheearly

1970s–eventhoughtheincomeofpeoplebornin1940has,on

average,increasedby116percentoverthecourseoftheir

workinglives.Youcanfindsimilardataformostdeveloped

countries.

3)Therelationshipbetweenhappinessandtechnologyhas

beenaneternalsubject

forsocialcriticsandphilosopherssincetheadventoft