VOA慢速英語：挪威成為全球最幸福國家

Norway First on List of Happiest Countries

挪威成為全球最幸福國家

People in Norway are the happiest in the world.

挪威人民是全世界最幸福的。

That finding comes from a report released this week. It shows Norwegians are happier, on average, than people in over 150 countries.

該發(fā)現(xiàn)來自于本周發(fā)表的報(bào)告。報(bào)告顯示，平均150個(gè)國家中，挪威人民的幸福感更強(qiáng)。

Over 1,000 individuals were asked to rate their own happiness levels on a scale of 1-to-10. Norwegians had an average happiness rating of 7.537. That is just a little higher than people in Denmark. Danes had a rating of 7.522 in the survey.

超1000人被要求評價(jià)其幸福度，分?jǐn)?shù)從1~10。挪威人幸福感平均值為7.537。丹麥僅次于挪威。在調(diào)查中，丹麥人的幸福感為7.522。

The 2017 World Happiness Report shows the six happiest countries are all in northern Europe. Norway had been the fourth-happiest country last year, while Denmark was rated number one.

2017年世界幸福指數(shù)報(bào)道顯示前六個(gè)國家均分布在北歐。去年挪威排名第四，丹麥排名第一。

This year, Canada is the seventh happiest, while New Zealand and Australia are in eighth and ninth place.

今年，加拿大第七名，新西蘭和澳大利亞位列第八和第九名。

A group of social scientists carried out the survey. Their findings were based on a simple question. They asked the subjects to imagine a ladder with 10 steps. The top of the ladder was “the best possible life,” and the bottom was the worst.

一群社會(huì)科學(xué)家完成的該調(diào)查。他們的結(jié)果是基于一項(xiàng)簡單的調(diào)查。他們詢問的是：“想象一下，一個(gè)十步的梯子”。最高的是“最期待的生活”，最底部的是“最差的生活”。

Then, the people were asked: “On which step would you say you personally stand at this time?”

隨后，被詢問的人會(huì)被問道：“就你個(gè)人而言，你現(xiàn)在站在那個(gè)階梯上呢?”

The new report said the least happy country was the Central African Republic, one of the poorest areas in the world.

該報(bào)告也顯示最不幸福的國家為世界上最貧窮之一的國家：中非共和國。

Syria was 152nd on the list. The Syrian civil war began over five years ago, and the fighting continues.

敘利亞為第152名。敘利亞戰(zhàn)爭發(fā)生在5年前，并且一直在戰(zhàn)爭。

While the study’s question is simple, the social scientists worked hard to understand why some people feel happy, and others do not. They decided six factors were partly responsible for one’s happiness. The six were: national wealth, life expectancy, honesty in government, freedom to make life choices, generosity and having a strong social network.

盡管研究的問題很簡單，但是社會(huì)科學(xué)家很努力的去研究為什么一些人感到快樂，而一些人并沒有。他們認(rèn)為其中的六個(gè)因素在很大程度上決定了幸福感。該因素為：國家財(cái)富、平均壽命、政府誠信、生活自由選擇權(quán)利、慷慨和擁有強(qiáng)大的社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)。

Based on those factors, people in Latin America appeared to be about half a point happier than they should be. But the opposite is true in Asia.

基于這些事實(shí)，拉丁美洲的人們顯示出半數(shù)以上的人比他們認(rèn)為的應(yīng)該更幸福。而亞洲則是相反的。

Meik Wiking directs the Happiness Research Institute in Denmark. He did not mind that Denmark lost its top ranking.

Meik Wiking指導(dǎo)丹麥的幸福指數(shù)研究。他并不在意丹麥丟了冠軍之位。

“I don't think Denmark has a monopoly on happiness,” he said. “What works in the Nordic countries is a sense of community and understanding in the common good.”

我不認(rèn)為丹麥會(huì)一直壟斷幸福感國家冠軍之位。他表示：使北歐國家成為幸福指數(shù)最多的地區(qū)的原因就是社區(qū)意識和共同利益的正確理解。

The United States came in 14th place, with a happiness rating of 6.993. That is one step lower than last year.

美國位列14。幸福指數(shù)為6.993。比去年下降一名。

Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University helped write the report. He said there are a number of reasons why Americans are not as happy as before.

哥倫比亞大學(xué)的Jeffrey Sachs幫助撰寫報(bào)告。他表示為什么美國沒有之前那么幸福了是有原因的。

Sachs said the country is becoming meaner. He also thinks the government is becoming more corrupt, and there is less equality among U.S. residents than in the past.

Sachs 表示國家變得越來越謹(jǐn)慎。他也認(rèn)為政府變得更加的腐敗并且和過去相比美國居民之間越來越不平等。

“It's a long-term trend, and conditions are getting worse," Sachs said.

Sachs 表示：這是一個(gè)長期的轉(zhuǎn)變，并且情況變得越來越糟糕。

I’m Anne Ball.

安妮·貝爾報(bào)道。