評論
打印
Recording One
錄音一
Did you know that Americans have approximately 3 times the amount of space we had 50 years ago? Therefore, you'd think we'd have sufficient room for all of our possessions. On the contrary, the personal storage business is now a growing industry. We've got triple the space, but we've become such enthusiastic consumers that we require even more. This phenomenon has resulted in significant credit card debt, enormous environmental footprints, and perhaps not coincidentally, our happiness levels have failed to increase over the same half century.
你知道嗎，美國人擁有的空間大約是50年前的3倍？因此，你會認為我們有足夠的空間存放我們所有的個人財產。但相反，個人存儲業務目前是一個蓬勃發展的行業。我們擁有三倍的空間，但身為狂熱消費者的我們還需要更多。這一現象引發了大量的信用卡債務和巨大的環境足跡，而且不湊巧的是，我們的幸福水平在同樣的半個世紀里卻沒有提高。
I'm here to suggest an alternative - that having less, might actually be a preferable decision. Many of us have experienced, at some stage, the pleasure of possessing less. I propose that less stuff and less space can not only help you economize, but also simplify your life. I recently started an innovative project to discover some creative solutions that offered me everything I required. By purchasing an apartment that was 40 square meters instead of 60, I admittedly saved $200,000. Smaller space leads to reduce utility bills, and also a smaller carbon footprint. Because it's designed around an edited collection of possessions, limited to my favorite stuff, I'm really excited to live there.
為此，我提出了一個替代方案，即擁有的更少，這實際上可能是一個更好的決定。我們中的許多人在某些階段都曾經歷過擁有更少東西的樂趣。我建議讓我們擁有的東西和空間變得更少，這樣不僅可以節省開支，而且可以簡化生活。我最近開始了一個創新項目，通過發現一些創造性的解決方案來提供我所需要的一切。我買了一套40平方米的公寓，而沒買60平方米的，無可否認，我省了20萬美元。更小的空間可以減少水電費，也可以減少碳足跡。公寓的設計理念是圍繞著我所擁有的大量個人財產而進行的，所以我只能存放我最喜歡的東西，我真的很興奮住在那里。
How can we live more basically? Firstly, we must ruthlessly cut the unnecessary objects out of our lives. To stem consumption, we should think before we buy, and ask ourselves," will it truly make me happier?" Obviously, we should possess some great stuff, but we want belongings that we're going to love for years. Secondly, we require space efficiency. We want appliances that are designed for use most of the time, not for occasional use. Why own a six-burner stove when you rarely use even three burners? Finally, we need multifunctional spaces and housewares.
我們怎樣才能更基本地生活？首先，我們必須無情地從我們的生活中剔除不必要的東西。為了抑制消費，我們應該在購買之前思考一下，問問自己，“它真的會讓我更快樂嗎？”顯然，我們應該擁有一些很棒的東西，但我們想要一些我們會愛惜多年的東西。第二，我們需要空間效率。我們要的電器是專為頻繁使用而設計的，而不是那些用的很少的。當你很少使用三個爐子的時候，為什么還要擁有六個爐子呢？最后，我們需要多功能空間和家庭用品。
I combined a movable wall with transforming furniture to get more out of my limited space. Consider my coffee table. It increases in size to accommodate ten. My office is tucked away, easily hidden. My bed simply pops out the wall. For guests, I can relocate the movable wall and utilize the foldable guest beds I installed.
我把移動墻和改造家具結合起來，使有限的空間得到更多的利用。想想我的咖啡桌。它的大小可以調整到10倍大。我的辦公室能夠很容易藏起來。我的床可簡單從墻上彈下來。至于可以，我可以重新安置移動墻，并利用我安裝的可折疊客房床來招待他們。
I'm not saying we should all live in tinier apartments, but consider the benefits of an edited life. When you return home and walk through your front door, take a moment to ask yourselves," could I do with a little life editing? Will that give me more freedom and more time?"
我并不是說我們都應該住在更小的公寓里，而是請大家考慮一下變形生活的好處。當你回到家，走過前門時，花點時間問問自己，“我能接受一部分變形生活嗎？那會給我更多的自由和時間嗎？”
16. What has prevented Americans happiness levels from increasing?
16. 是什么阻止了美國人的幸福感水平的提高？
17. What things should we possess according to the speaker?
17. 演講者認為我們應該擁有什么東西？
18. What do we learn about the items in the speaker's home?
18. 從演講者家里的物品來看，我們可以了解到什么？
