英语口语材料

英语口语材料

双语：社会转型期的中国为何如此焦虑？

Why are Chinese people so anxious? On April 8 the China Youth Daily published an article illustrating this problem. Here is an excerpt.

Ordinary Chinese people are anxious about education, jobs, personal relationships, houses, love and children's primary education, etc. Because of their anxiety, the words such as “Fangnu” (Slave to house)，“Chenu” (Slave to car) and “Hainu” (Slave to c hildren) are continuing to enrich modern Chinese vocabularies.

Rich people are anxious as well. When they didn't have enough money, they were worried about their poor living conditions. When they are affluent enough to purchase a flat, they want a villa. When they possess a car, they wish for a limousine. When they are millionaires, they dream about ten million yuan, but once they fulfill that, aren't they anxious about being billionaires?

Officials must be the envy of most people. However, in a panel discussion during the two National Annual Sessions on March 6, Du Deyin, a representative of National People's Congress, pointed out that officials are also indulging in anxiety, over achievements and promotions. How could they feel no anxiety to see others' promotion, especially their rivals?

The competitive society is full of life pressures and work pressures. Moreover, Chinese people care much about social status and personal wealth. It was reported recently by the Global Times that China was regarded by some foreign media as the top country obsessed with wealth. The 2019 Happiness Index Survey Report conducted by a dozen media outlets, published on April 1, revealed that over half of the participants believe that money brings happiness. However, when all the people are pursuing the same value, and the values of life are universally defined, how could they not feel anxious?

The White Paper on the Happiness of Middle Class Families was revealed recently by the media, pointing out that the middle class in the most developed cities such as Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai, is marked with the lowest happiness index. They have “Fake Happiness”. “My burden is heavy; my shoulders are painful. I wander in the crowd for the sake of saving face. My desires are many while my salary is little. Will I live in such an ordinary way till death? My life has been just so-so,” The Taiwan singer Zheng

Zhihua's song expresses the ambitions, depression and anxiety of the middle class.

Anxiety is pervading the overall Chinese society, but is it an unavoidable process that the people in a transitional country must experience?

中国人为什么如此焦虑？《中国青年报》4月8日发表的一篇文章对这个问题进行了

分析。以下是文章的节选：

中国的普罗大众正在为教育、工作、人际关系、房子、爱情和孩子的基础教育感到焦虑。而正因为大家的焦虑情绪，“房奴”(房子的奴隶)、“车奴”(车子的奴隶)和“孩

奴”(孩子的奴隶)等新词不断出现，极大地丰富了现代汉语词汇。

富人们也同样感到焦虑。以前没钱的时候，他们为自己贫困的生活条件感到忧虑。当

他们有足够的钱买一套房子的时候，他们想要一座别墅；当他们买了车之后，他们又渴望

要一辆豪华轿车。当他们成为百万富翁的时候，他们想要拥有一千万；然而一旦他们拥有

了一千万，难道他们就不会为了成为亿万富翁而感到焦虑吗？

政府官员无疑是大多数人羡慕的对象。然而，在3月6日全国两会的一个小组讨论上，全国人大代表杜德印指出，政府官员同样身陷由政绩和提拔而引发的焦虑情绪之中。当他

们看到别人，尤其是自己的竞争对手，得到提拔的时候，他们怎么能不焦虑呢？

竞争激烈的社会充满了生活压力和工作压力。另外，中国人非常在乎社会地位和个人

财富。《环

球时报》最近的报道称，在一些外国媒体眼中，中国是最迷恋财富的国家。十二家媒

体于4月1日共同发布了《2019年幸福指数调查报告》，报告显示，超过一半的受访者相信金钱会带来幸福。然而，当所有人的价值追求一致而且人生价值被普遍定义的时候，他

们怎么能不焦虑呢？

媒体最近发布的《中产家庭幸福白皮书》指出，深圳、北京、上海这些经济最发达城

市中的中产家庭幸福指数最低。他们拥有的只是“伪幸福”。“ 我的包袱很重我的肩膀

很痛。我扛着面子流浪在人群之中。我的欲望很多我的薪水很少。是不是就这样平凡到老？我的日子一直是不坏不好。”台湾歌手郑智化的歌唱出了中产阶级的野心、沮丧和焦虑。

焦虑的情绪正在中国社会蔓延，然而对于正处于社会转型期的中国来说，这真的是一

个无可避免的过程吗？

As continuously growing demand makes China the world's largest market for everything from mobile phones to cars, and as the country develops a voracious appetite for luxury goods, the plans and expectations of young people also seem increasingly to resemble those of their western peers: and, it seems,

they share the same status symbols and desires.

随着持续扩大的需求让中国成为全球一切商品的最大市场（从手机到汽车），加之中

国人对奢侈品产生了强烈兴趣，中国年轻人的未来规划和期望也似乎越来越像西方靠拢，

他们似乎有着同样的社会地位象征和愿望。

But the path to realising these seemingly simple dreams in China is very different from what it might be in Europe or America.

但在中国，实现这些看似简单的梦想的道路与欧美截然不同。

China's society and economy are changing rapidly. The countryside is urbanising at a dizzying speed, the job market is being transformed overnight, and the media and entertainment landscape is undergoing sweeping changes.

中国的社会和经济正迅速发生变化。农村正以惊人的速度城市化，就业市场日新月异，媒体和娱乐业格局正在经历彻底变革。

While these conditions offer many opportunities to strike it rich, they

also create huge hurdles for young people to attain their desired state of a middle class goal.

这些环境造就了很多暴富的机会，但也给年轻人实现期望中的中产阶级目标制造了巨

大障碍。 "As a result, they feel a lot of pressure," explains Mr Li.

李春玲表示：“因此，他们感受到很多压力。”

To be sure, the lives of the young can differ vastly, depending on whether they were born in a big city or in the countryside and whether they come from an affluent or well-connected family or a simple peasant household.

无可否认，年轻一代的生活千差万别，这取决于他们出生在大城市还是农村，是来自

富裕或是有着良好社会关系的家庭还是简单的农民家庭。

Mr Li says: "It is broadly felt that one's family background is an increasingly important factor in one's future, that social mobility is somewhat decreasing in China."

李春玲表示：“人们普遍认为，一个人的家庭背景对于他的未来是一个越来越重要的

因素，在中国，社会阶层的流动性正开始有所减速。”

But what young people across all social groups share is the expectation of a good life and the sobering realisation that getting there can require a

rather uncomfortable struggle, if it does not turn out to be impossible altogether.