VOA慢速英语2016--报告称美国人并不快乐

AS IT IS 2016-03-26 Report Says Americans Less Happy 报告称美国人并不快乐

The United States has experienced a decline in happiness during the past ten years although it remains¹ among the world’s happiest countries.

That finding comes from a Gallup Poll and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network survey.

The World Happiness Report found that Americans showed “significant decreases” in happiness from 2005-2007 and again from 2013-2015.

The U.S. ranked as the 13th happiest country in the 2016 poll. The report showed that 45 nations showed a decline in happiness during the past 10 years. Burundi was at the lowest spot in the rankings of more than 150 nations.

The happiest country in the world was Denmark, according to the report. The top 10 countries also included Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden.

Mexico was ranked 21st and Britain was 23rd. France was in the 32nd position, and Japan was ranked 53rd.

Greece had the largest drop in the survey. Researchers blamed the drop on the debt crisis and high employment in the country.

In 2014, the Pew Research Center compiled a life satisfaction poll. In that survey, a top conclusion was that richer countries were happier than poor countries. The Pew research said Asians and Africans are the most optimistic people about their futures².

Money was a big factor driving happiness, but it was not the most important according to the Pew organization. The majority of those asked thought good health, quality education for their children and safety from crime were more important than wealth.

Words in This Story

poll – n. an activity in which several or many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to get information about what most people think about something

compile – v. to put together in a publication or collection

survey – n. an activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something

factor – n. something that helps produce or influence a result

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。