productivity n.
[U] the rate of producing goods, crops, etc.; the relationship between the amount that is produced and the work, money, etc., that is needed to produce it 生产力；生产率，生产效率
e.g. He has invented a new production method, which improves productivity by 10% . Productivity in the digital industry improved by 15% last year. 电子工业的生产率去年提高了15%。
at the same time
together 一齐；同时
e.g. At the good news she laughed and cried at the same time.
The celebrations were held at the same time in big cities all over the country. 庆祝活动同时在全国各大城市举行。
be better off
be in a more satisfactory or desirable situation 较自在；较幸运；较幸福
e.g. With a substantial cut in income tax, all wage-earners are better off now than before. I feel better off living in a farm house in the countryside. 我觉得住在乡野的农舍里较自在。 formal a.
esp. tech (of words or a style of writing or speaking) suitable for official occasions, serious writing, etc., but not for ordinary conversation 〖尤术语〗规范的；书面语要求的；正规的，正式的；公文的 e.g. Government reports are usually written in formal language.
We should be formal on business occasions, and never call anyone by their first name. 我们在商务场合应该讲究礼仪, 不要对别人直呼其名。 Collocations:
formal curriculum 正式课程 formal dress 礼服
formal effectiveness 正式生效 formal style 正式文体 survey n.
a general examination or study (of conditions, opinions, etc.), esp. carried out by asking people questions 调查
e.g. I was stopped in the street by a girl doing a marketing survey.
The recent survey found that students wanted to spend more time practicing speaking in class. 最近的调查发现学生希望在课堂上有更多的时间练习口语。 CF: inquiry, investigation & survey
这些名词均有“调查”之意。
inquiry普通常用词，指正式调查，也指一般的打听或查询。例如： *Out of curiosity, she made inquiries about the guy who dated her sister.
investigation一般指系统的调查，以了解希望发现或需要知道的事。例如：
*An investigation by airline officials has shown that the crash was caused by human error. survey多指为写书面报告而进行的民意测验或调查。例如：
*This report was based on a survey our group carried out in the past two months.
on average
in most cases; usually 大多情况下；通常；平均
e.g. On average, men still earn more than women in our society.
Adults in our country smoke on average five cigarettes every day.
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我国成年人平均每天抽烟五根。 critic n.
a person who gives judgments about the good and bad qualities of sth., esp. art, music, films, etc., esp. sb. who does this as a job （尤指文学、艺术）评论家，批评家
e.g. The critic’s review of the play contains just a short paragraph of disapproval. The movie has been well received by the critics. 这部电影赢得评论家们的好评。 advent n.
the arrival or coming of (an important event, period, invention, etc.) （事件、时期、发明等的）出现，来临
e.g. People are much better informed since the advent of television.
Up to now, historians have assumed that calendars came into being with the advent of agriculture. 至今，历史学家们认为日历是随着农业的出现而产生的。
prosperity n.
[U] good fortune and success, esp. in money matters 发达，兴隆，昌盛，繁荣 e.g. The new government is expected to usher in a period of economic prosperity. A closed economy will not put a country on the way to prosperity. 闭关自守的经济不会使一个国家富起来。
when it comes to
when it concerns 当提到??
e.g. When it comes to politics, I just feel so incompetent.
At the press conference, when it came to his personal life, the movie star always kept silence. 在记者招待会上，当提到这位影星的私人生活时，他总是保持沉默。 close to
almost; nearly 接近于；差不多
e.g. The population of the city is close to one million now. He came close to losing his temper. 他差一点就发脾气了。
universal a.
of or for everyone or everything; wide-spread; general 普遍的，一般的 e.g. Problems such as high blood pressure are a universal feature of old age. Weather is a subject of almost universal interest. 天气是普遍感兴趣的话题。
phenomenon n.
(pl. phenomena) a fact, event, type of behavior, etc., that exists and can be experienced by the senses, esp. one that is unusual and / or of scientific interest （尤指不寻常或具科学性的）现象 e.g. International terrorism is not just a recent phenomenon.
A thorough understanding of mathematics helps explain a wide range of natural phenomena. 对数学的透彻理解有助于解释各种各样的自然现象。
make no difference
not matter at all 没有影响；都一样
e.g. Prices make no difference to him because he really wants to purchase a new-model car for her daughter
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as a birthday present.
It makes no difference to me whether you go or stay. 你是去是留对我都一样。
for good or ill
whether the results are good or bad 不论好歹
e.g. He always goes in for various competitions, for good or ill. I would find her out by any means, for good or ill. 不论好歹，我要千方百计找到她。
come to mind
make (one) suddenly think of 使想到
e.g. During the stay in my hometown, childhood memories kept coming to mind. At sight of this picture, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? 看到这幅图，你第一个会想到什么东西？ gradual a.
happening or developing slowly and by degrees; not sudden 逐渐的，逐步的 e.g. The cart began its gradual climb up the hill.
The gradual recovery is encouraging not only to the patient but to the doctors as well. 逐步的恢复对病人和医生来说都是鼓舞人心的。
isolation n.
[U] the act of keeping apart or separating from others; the quality or condition of being kept apart or separated from others 隔绝，孤立，隔离
e.g. He chose to live in complete isolation in the country after retirement. The patients need to be kept in isolation for a few days. 这些病人需要被隔离几天。
similarly ad.
as is similar 同样地，相同地
e.g. The son followed his father’s example and, similarly, the daughter modeled herself on her mother. Men must wear a jacket and tie; similarly, women must wear a skirt or dress, not trousers. 男子必须穿夹克并打领带；同样地，女士必须穿裙子或连衣裙，不能穿裤子。 for certain
without doubt 肯定地
e.g. I don’t know for certain what I will be after graduation.
Taxation is for certain going to be the key issue to the President’s campaign. 毫无疑问，税收将会成为总统竞选的关键问题。
be stuck with
have or deal with sth. unwanted unwillingly 被??缠住无法摆脱
e.g. Will you help me with this mathematical problem? I’m stuck with it. We were stuck with him for the entire journey. 整个旅程他都缠着我们不放。
build … into
make (sth.) a part of a system, agreement, etc. 使??成为组成部分
e.g. For centuries racial discrimination was built into their social system, which deprived black people of
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their human rights.
The rate of pay was built into her contract. 她的薪金额已订入合同。 nasty a.
very ugly or unpleasant to see, taste, smell, etc. 丑恶的；令人不愉快的；令人作呕的 e.g. Her stories are very nasty, full of murder and violence. There’s a nasty smell — has something turned sour? 有股难闻的味道，有什么东西馊了吗？ rough a.
(of food and living conditions) not delicate or comfortable; simple （食物）粗制的；（生活环境、条件）简陋的，不舒服的
e.g. I made a rough table out of some wood.
Life was rough out in the American West in the last century. 上个世纪美国西部的生活非常简陋。 Difficult Sentences for Text A
1. But it’s been left largely unexamined by economists and social scientists. (Para. 3) Q: Paraphrase this sentence.
A: But economists and social scientists have hardly examined the relationship between happiness and technology at all.
2. But for the most part, modern critiques of technology have focused not so much on specific, bad technologies as on the impact of technology on our human relationships. (Para. 6) Q: Paraphrase this sentence.
A: However, current comments on technology have mostly centered on the bad effects of technology on our human relationships rather than particular, harmful technologies.
3. The notion that technology disrupts relationships and fractures community gained mainstream prominence as an attack on television. (Para. 7)
Q: What do people blame television mainly for?
A: Television is to blame mainly for interfering with the smooth development of relationships between people and breaking up community unity.
4. … what the technological improvement of our health and our longevity emphasizes is a paradox of any discussion of happiness on a national or a global level…(Para. 11) Q: What does this sentence imply?
A: …the fact that technology has greatly improved people’s health and life expectancy is just contradictory to the general claim at any level that technology cannot bring happiness to people. Extended Questions
▇ Extended questions (Para. 2)
Q: Do you agree with the author that one’s happiness does not always relate closely to one’s wealth?
A: I used to think that happiness could be measured by the amount of wealth one has accumulated. With enough money, one could live with abundance and enjoy a decent life. Now I’ve come to realize that wealth alone does not necessarily bring us happiness.
I’m fully aware that wealth is not the only source of happiness. It is true that money or wealth is essential to a happy and fulfilling life. But happiness is not something that can only be measured by money or wealth.
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True happiness means both material well-being and spiritual well-being, and I attach more importance to the latter.
▇ Extended questions (Para. 3)
Q: Do you think there is something in what Easterlin said?
A: Yes. I think there is some truth in it. When people become comparatively well off, they tend to pursue spiritual well-being. Money can satisfy one’s material needs, but it cannot buy spiritual well-being. For example, money can buy you rich food, but it cannot buy a good appetite; money can buy you a grand bed, but it cannot buy you a sound sleep; money can buy you a splendid house, but not a sweet home full of true love, genuine care and close family ties; money can buy you insurance, but not safety; money can buy you good medicine, but not good health. Money can buy a wonderful clock, but it cannot buy time; money can even buy social position sometimes, but it cannot buy respect. ▇ Extended questions (Para. 4)
Q: Can you give an example to show that “people adapt very quickly to good news”?
A: Yes. For example, the moment I got the admission notice from the university, I was so excited that I couldn’t calm down for the whole day and night, but my excitement faded away in the following days and pretty soon I took it for granted. And now I just regard it as one of the many events in my life. ▇ Extended questions (Para. 5)
Q: Can you list some gadgets which you have already taken for granted?
A: Yes. Computer, mobile phone, digital camera, MP3 player, to name just a few. ▇ Extended questions (Para. 6)
Q: Can you name some of the bad things technology has brought about besides telemarketing, traffic jams, and identity theft?
A: Spreading viruses across the Internet; sending garbage messages via e-mails or to mobile phone users;
online banking theft; hearing damage caused by excessive use of cell phones and earphones; video game violence, and so on.
▇ Extended questions (Para. 7)
Q: What’s your opinion about TV and the Internet?
A: I think both TV and the Internet can be regarded as double-edged swords. On the one hand, they provide easy access to information and entertainment, which makes our work easier and our life richer. On the other hand, they also have ill effects on our lifestyles. Without proper supervision, children, for example, can easily be exposed to inappropriate material or messages; and they may become addicted to TV or computer games on the Internet, which surely does harm to their growth. For adults, spending too much time on TV or the Internet reduces the amount of time spent on outdoor activities and social engagements. TV and the Internet do isolate people from each other as well as from the real world.
Section C Voicing Your Views
In Text A, the author stresses the lack of correlation between technology and happiness. What is your opinion? Now work in pairs or groups and discuss whether the use of the following four technological inventions makes you happier.
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