有調查發現，越來越多的英國年輕人更願意花錢獲得人生體驗而非購物。心理學研究也為這一選擇提供瞭理論支持。研究顯示，哪怕是對一次時間很短的活動的期待和記憶也能帶來比擁有最新的電子產品、服飾或珠寶更多的精神享受。本文探討這種現象帶給我們的啟示。
詞匯：leisure 休閑
1 What’s best: a brand new phone or a day out with your friends? Is it better to spend money to buy things or to do things? A study of UK consumers showed that six in ten people would rather spend their money on experiences than material possessions. Those aged 18-34 reported spending the highest amount on fun activities.
2 Possessions can last for many years, while experiences are fleeting. This, however, might be the wrong way to look at things. Psychology professor Thomas Gilovich discovered that the happiness that objects provide can fade quickly. We adapt to having new possessions, so that rather than being something we are excited by, they just become our new normal. Soon we may even want to buy a better version of the things we own. Our feelings around possessions can also be affected by others. We tend to compare what we have with other people. If someone else has something better, we can start to feel envious.
3 A holiday or a day out may have a short duration, but the happiness it provides can last much longer. Waiting for our latest purchases to be delivered is frustrating, but waiting for an exciting event gives us a feeling of anticipation. Experiences are often shared, so we gain pleasure from social connection and time spent with other people. Memories of our experiences become part of our identity. As Gilovich points out, we are the sum of our experiences. Indeed, the very fact that experiences last for a limited time can give them value. A physical good deteriorates over time, while our memories of an experience can give us pleasure year after year.
4 Of course, it’s not always that simple. Other studies have suggested that happiness gained from experiences might depend on your personality type, and how many possessions you already have. People with more introverted personality types may get less benefit from social occasions and those with few possessions may get greater benefit from objects. However, for many of us, it could be that when choosing how to spend our disposable income, we’ll get far more benefit by spending on something to do, rather than something to have.
測驗與練習
一、將標題和段落配對。
Paragraph 1 _______
Paragraph 2 _______
Paragraph 3 _______
Paragraph 4 _______
a. Adapting to products
b. Experiences becoming more popular
c. Spending disposable income
d. Not for everyone
e. Anticipation and memories
二、根據文章內容選出正確的選項。
1. Most UK consumers prefer spending their income on experiences.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
2. What does ‘this’ refer to in the following passage? Possessions can last for many years, while experiences are fleeting. This, however, might be the wrong way to look at things.
a. thinking that experiences are better
b. thinking that something that lasts longer is better
c. thinking about experiences
3. According to the text, which of these are true?
a. experiences have to be exciting to be enjoyable.
b. new possessions are expensive.
c. we get bored of new possessions over time.
4. Waiting for a new experience is exciting.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
5. Whether you can get more pleasure from experiences can depend on _______.
a. where you live
b. your income
c. your job
三、用下列單詞完成對本文的總結。
Buying new 1)_______ might not make us happy. We can start to see them as a 2)_______ and also they can 3)_______ over time. Waiting for new experiences often makes us feel 4)_______, while the memories we make help form our 5)_______.
deteriorate
gain
anticipation
new normal
material possessions
identity
duration
（答案見詞匯表後）
詞匯表
experiences 體驗，經歷
material possessions 物質財產
fleeting 短暫的，轉瞬即逝的
fade 漸漸消失
new normal 新常態
envious 嫉妒的，羨慕的
duration 持續時間
frustrating 令人沮喪的，令人懊惱的
anticipation 期望，期待
gain 獲得，獲取
social connection 社會聯系
the sum of …的總和，…的集合
deteriorate 劣化，變壞
personality type 性格類型
disposable income 可支配收入
benefit 好處
答案
一、將標題和段落配對。
Paragraph 1 b) Experiences becoming more popular
Paragraph 2 a) Adapting to products
Paragraph 3 e) Anticipation and memories
Paragraph 4 d) Not for everyone
二、根據文章內容選出正確的選項。
1. a. True. A study of UK consumers showed that six in ten people would rather spend their money on experiences than material possessions.
2. b. thinking that something that lasts longer is better. The pronoun ‘this’ refers to the sentence ‘Possessions can last for many years, while experiences are fleeting’, which implies that possessions are better value.
3. c. we get bored of new possessions over time. Psychology professor Thomas Gilovich discovered that the happiness that objects provide can fade quickly.
4. a. True. Waiting for our latest new products to be delivered is frustrating but waiting for an exciting event gives us a feeling of anticipation.
5. b. your income. Other studies have suggested that happiness gained from experiences might depend on your personality type, and that people with lower incomes may be more likely to get happiness from possessions.
三、用下列單詞完成對本文的總結。
Buying new material possessions might not make us happy. We can start to see them as a new normal and also they can deteriorate over time. Waiting for new experiences often makes us feel anticipation, while the memories we make help form our identity.
免費試聽
填表領取25分鐘真人外師課＋英文程度分析
