美文赏析（六）
Happiness
Even lottery winners and the Forbes'100 wealthiest Americans have expressed only slightly greater happiness than the average American. Making it big brings temporary joy. But in the long run wealth is like health:its utter absence can breed misery, but having it doesn't guarantee happiness. Happiness seems less a matter of getting what we want than of wanting what we have.
Has our happiness floated upward with the rising economic tide? Are we happier today than in 1940, when two out of five homes lacked a shower or tub? When heat often meant feeding wood or coal into a furnace? When 35 percent of homes had no toilet?
Actually, we are not. Since 1957, the number of Americans who say they are "very happy"has declined from 35 to 32 percent. Meanwhile, the divorce rate has doubled,the teen suicide rate has nearly tripled, the violent crime rate has nearly quadrupled(even after the recent decline),and more people than ever (especially teens and young adults) are depressed.
I call this soaring wealth and shrinking spirit"the American paradox."More than ever, we have big houses and broken homes, high incomes and low morale, secured rights and diminished civility. We excel at making a living but often fail at making a life. We celebrate our prosperity but yearn for purpose. We cherish our freedoms but long for connection. In an age of plenty, we feel
spiritual hunger.
New words and expressions生词和短语
lottery ['lɔtəri] n.抽彩给奖法，
slightly ['slaitli] adv.稍微地
furnace ['fə:nis] n.炉子，熔炉
quadruple ['kwɔdrupl] adj.四倍的
shrink [ʃriŋk] v.收缩，(使)皱缩，萎缩
paradox ['pærədɔks] n.似非而是的论点自相矛盾的话
morale [mɔ'ra:l] n.道德观念
参考译文
快乐
即使中奖者以及《福布斯》杂志选出的前100名最富有的美国人都表示，比起一般的美国人，他们只是略感幸福而已。发大财能够带来短暂的快乐，但从长远来讲，财富就如同健康：完全没有，会带来苦难，但是有了却不一定能够保证幸福。幸福似乎并不意味企图得到我们想要的东西，而意味着想要我们已有的东西。
我们的幸福是否伴随着经济浪潮上涨了呢?回顾1940年，2/5的家庭没有淋浴或者浴缸，取暖通常意味着向炉子中添加木块或者煤块，35%的家庭没有卫生间。同那时相比，今天的我们是否多了一份幸福?
实际上，我们并没有。自1957年以来，声称自己“非常幸福”的美国人已经从35%降到了32%。
同时，离婚率翻一番，青少年自杀率增长了近2倍，暴力犯罪率上升了近3倍(即便最近有所下降),情绪消沉的人数(尤其是青少年)超过了以往任何的时候。
我把这种飞速增长的财富和不断萎靡的精神称之为“美国矛盾”。这种情况现在甚于以往任何时候：我们得到了大房子，但却换来了家庭的破裂；我们得到了高收入，但却降低了道德水准；我们得到了有保障的权利，但却渐渐失去了礼仪。我们善于谋生，但却往往不会营造生活。我们庆祝取得的成功，但却感到缺乏目的。我们珍视个人的自由，但却又渴望着与他人交流。在这个物质财富充裕的时代，我们感到精神上的饥渴。

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