VOA慢速英语2016 富人的压力比穷人更"优越"

Rich People Even Have Better Stress Than Poor 富人的压力比穷人更"优越"

For VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

这里是VOA慢速英语健康生活频道。

The lives of rich people seem to be getting better and better. Rich people generally have better homes than poor people. They usually have better jobs and better schools for their children, too.

富人的生活似乎越来越好了。富人的住房比穷人的气派。他们的工作薪水更加丰厚，他们的孩子念的也是贵族学校。

Now, a new study finds that the rich may even have better stress than poor people.

然而，最新一项研究显示，富人比穷人面临“更优越”压力。

Stress is the way the brain reacts to any kind of demand or threat. The American Psychological Association says it is part of our body’s fight-or-flight response.

压力是大脑对某种需求或威胁作出的不安反应。美国心理学会称这是人类身体一种“战或逃”的本能反应。

When faced with danger, stress can create energy to fight off an attacker. It makes the body release hormones 2 that increase our heart rate and blood pressure.

面临危险时，压力可以激发击退侵犯者的能力。压力会让人体释放出使心跳加快和血压升高的荷尔蒙。

That is the stress of ancient times. In modern times, stress can help you give a great presentation at work or win a sporting event. This is short-term stress that leads to success in accomplishing a goal.

这是在远古时期压力的作用。在现代，压力可以帮你在工作中发表一次出色的演讲，或者赢得体育竞赛。这种短期压力可以帮你完成目标。

This is a good kind of stress. And it is the stress that most rich people have.

这是一种良性的压力。这也是大多数富人所拥有的压力。

But many problems with life or work can cause stress. Stressors are the bills that you can’t pay; the childcare that falls through at the last minute; or the car that won’t start.

生活或工作中的很多问题都会引起压力。压力可能来自于尚未付清的账单；最后一刻出状况的儿童看护；或一辆无法发动的汽车。

These stressors add to what experts call chronic 3 stress. According to a new survey, this is the stress facing many poor people in the United States. The Brookings Institution, a public policy group, reported the finding.

专家称这些为“慢性压力”。最近一项调查显示，美国多数穷人都面临着这种压力。公共政策机构布鲁金斯学会报道了这项发现。

The APA website notes that chronic stress can affect a person’s mental and physical health. When people deal with these chronic stressors every day, their fight-or-flight response is stuck in the “on” position.

美国心理学会的网站指出，慢性压力影响人的心理和身体健康。如果每天面对这些慢性压力，“战或逃”的反应机制就会一直处于活跃状态。

And chronic stress is poor people stress.

所以慢性压力就是穷人所面对的压力。

Poor people often experience stressful conditions beyond their control. If one thing goes wrong in their day – like a flat tire or picking up a sick child from school – their lives can spiral out of control. This can create a huge amount of chronic stress.

穷人经常面对充满压力且难以控制的状况。如果碰上诸如汽车爆胎或去学校接生病孩子回家等事情，他们的生活就会急转直下。这会产生大量的慢性压力。

For some people, there is often no light at the end of tunnel. The day-to-day stress never lets up. And it is wears down the body. It harms the natural defenses against disease, puts pressure on the heart, makes muscles tired and can cause depression.

对有的人来说，这样的日子没有尽头。日复一日的压力永远都不会消失。最终会把身体拖垮。压力会降低人体免疫力，向心脏施加压力，使肌肉变得松弛无力，严重者甚至会得抑郁症。

Besides causing physical issues, chronic day-to-day stress can lead to other problems.

除了身体上的问题，日复一日的慢性压力还会引发其他问题。

It is difficult to plan for tomorrow when you can barely make ends meet today. Poor people often do not have time, energy or resources to plan and successfully complete long-term goals. The daily grind of life can make it more difficult to attend college classes at night in hopes of getting a better job.

若今日入不敷出，那么拿什么为明日做打算。穷人通常没有时间、精力或者资源去规划并实现长远目标。生活的点点滴滴让他们很难念完夜校并找一份好工作。

Rich people also have stress and face difficulties. But their situations are very different. Rich people’s stress is often linked to career advancement 4. It is short-term stress that helps lead them to a long-term goal.

当然，富人也有压力，也会面临各种困难。但是他们的处境完全不一样。富人的压力通常与职场晋升有关。是短期压力让他们有了长远目标。

Of course, rich people can have terrible things happen to them. But they are usually better prepared.

当然，富人也会遇到糟糕的事情。但是他们往往有着齐全的准备。

They usually have better life insurance policies. They may have more professional contacts that often reach far back to college and even high school. These connections can help them get another job should they lose the one they have.

他们有更完善的人寿保险。他们保持着与大学甚至是高中同学间良好的人际关系。一旦失业，凭借这些人脉他们可以立刻找到一份工作。

People with money usually have better doctors and medical care than poor people. If a family member develops a drug dependency, for example, a person with money can send them to a drug treatment center.

富人比穷人拥有更为专业的医生和医疗护理。比如，若家人对药物产生了依赖，富人就可以送他们去戒毒康复中心。

The rich also have access to support that poor people often don't.

富人解决问题的途径也是穷人难以企及的。

A poor person may worry a lot about a child getting poor grades in school. A rich person can pay a tutor to help their child. In other words, wealthy people can throw money at their problems. This can greatly reduce stress.

穷人常常担心孩子的学习成绩。而富人会请家教指导孩子学习。换句话说，富人可以用钱解决问题。这很大程度上纾解了压力。

It is important to note that chronic stress can be a problem among poor people in the United States. In other countries, the poor may not experience the same kind of stress.

美国穷人的慢性压力问题不容忽视。其他国家的穷人可能并不存在这样的压力。

The Brookings survey found that the Americans most at risk are generally uneducated, lower-income white people. The rates of suicide and addiction 5 to prescription 6 drugs are on the rise among this group.

布鲁克斯研究所经调查发现，面临这种压力的通常为低学历、低收入的美国白人。这一群体自杀率和对处方药上瘾的比例都在飙升。

This same poll found that differences between life satisfaction and stress between rich and poor Americans are very large.

同样一份调查还显示，富人和穷人对生活满意度及压力的区别也是相当大的。

Words in This Story

stress – n. a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc. : something that causes strong feelings of worry or anxiety

ace 1 – v. to earn a very high grade on (an examination) : to get a grade of A on (an examination) : to perform very well on (a test or challenge)

promotion 7 – n. the act of moving someone to a higher or more important position or rank in an organization

spiral out of control – idiomatic 8 expression : when things change very quickly and in an uncontrolled way

light at the end of the tunnel – idiomatic expression : hope of success, happiness or help after a long period of difficulty

spouse 9 – n. someone who is married : a husband or wife

throw money at (something) – idiomatic expression : to spend a lot of money on something (usually a problem) because you believe that only money can solve it