勤俭是一种美德吗？
Is being thrifty a virtue?
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.
大家好。这里是BBC教学英语的《六分钟英语》。我是尼尔。
And I'm Sam.
我是萨姆。
Are you a saver or a spender, Sam?
萨姆，你是存钱的人还是花钱的人？
Well, I'm trying to limit my spending right now because I'm saving up for a deposit to buy a house.
好吧，我现在正努力限制自己的花销，因为我要存钱买房。
Saving money is not always easy
存钱并不总是那么容易，
- as we'll find out in today's programme, which is all about 'thrift'.
我们在今天的节目中就会发现这一点。这一切都和“勤俭”有关。
'Thrift' is not a simple idea to define.
“勤俭”并不能简单地定义。
It's to do with living a simple life free from the need to constantly buy the latest products.
它是指过一种简单的生活，不需要经常购买最新的产品。
Today's consumer culture encourages us to 'spend, spend, spend', but it hasn't always been that way.
当今的消费文化鼓励我们“花钱、花钱、花钱”，但并不总是如此。
The Victorians for example told people to 'save up for a rainy day',
例如，维多利亚时代的人告诉人们“未雨绸缪”，
meaning to keep some money back in case of unforeseen emergencies.
意思是存一些钱以备不时之需。
But before we discover more about that, it's time for today's quiz question.
但在我们了解更多之前，是时候看一下今天的测试问题了。
If you're trying to save money you probably know how hard it can be.
如果你在存钱，你或许知道那有多难。
So my question is: what percentage of people in the UK, do you think, have less than ?1000 in savings?
所以我的问题是：你认为英国有多少人的存款少于1000英镑？
Is it: a) 5%, b) 15 %, or c) 30%?
是a) 5%， b) 15%，还是c) 30%？
Well, if I'm anything to go by I'd say c) 30%.
如果要我说，我会说是c) 30%。
OK. Well, we'll find the correct answer out later.
好的。稍后我们将揭晓正确答案。
I mentioned before that 'thrift' is a difficult idea to define,
我之前提到过，“勤俭”是一个很难定义的概念，
so here's Alison Hulme, a lecturer at the University of Northampton, explaining more to BBC Radio 4s programme Thinking Allowed:
因此北安普顿大学的讲师艾莉森·休姆向BBC广播4频道的Thinking Allowed节目做了更多解释：
There are two dictionary definitions of thrift.
“勤俭”的词典释义有两种。
The older of the two comes from the word 'thrive' etymologically,
其中较老的定义从词源学上讲源自“繁荣”这个词，
and described thrift as the ability to live well and to flourish,
并形容“勤俭”为生活得好以及繁荣昌盛的能力，
so it's that sense of human flourishing.
所以它就是人类繁荣昌盛的意思。
The more recent definition is the one we're probably more familiar with which is about frugality.
较新的定义是我们可能更熟悉的，它和节俭有关。
All of that said, it's been used historically of course by various people in various moments in various different places in very different ways
除了以上所言，从历史角度，它当然也在不同的地点，不同的时间，被不同的人以不同的方式使用，
and they've often had a social or religious agenda.
通常具有社会或宗教目的。
It seems the oldest definition of 'thrift' has nothing to do with saving money
对“勤俭”的最古老定义似乎与存钱无关，
and is connected to the verbs 'thrive' and 'flourish' - meaning to grow or develop successfully.
它与动词“繁荣”和“兴旺”有关，意思是成功地成长或发展。
It was only later with the Puritans - 16th century English Christians with a reputation for strict discipline
直到后来，由于清教徒——16世纪以严格纪律闻名的基督徒，
that the meaning of thrift changed and became associated with frugality
勤俭的含义才发生改变，变得和“节俭”相关
- being careful not to spend too much money or eat too much food.
——即注意不去花太多钱或吃太多食物。
The Puritans believed that being frugal was a religious virtue and that people ought to save money in order to give to others in need.
清教徒认为节俭是一种宗教美德，而且人们应该存钱以帮助有困难的人。
Later on the meaning of 'thrift' changed again.
后来，“勤俭”的含义又发生了变化。
During the Victorian era, it was connected to the idea of managing your own money in order to be a responsible citizen.
在维多利亚时代，它和管理自己的金钱以成为一个负责任的公民这种理念相关联。
Throughout history then, there have been different versions of 'thrift',
纵观历史，对“勤俭”有不同版本的解释，
and this may be because different religions or social groups had their own agenda
这可能是由于不同的宗教或社会团体有他们自己的动机
- a specific aim or reason for a particular group to do something.
——特定群体做某事的特定目的或理由。
For example, the Victorian definition of thrift was based on a social agenda about being a respectable member of society.
例如，维多利亚时代对勤俭的定义是基于成为受人尊敬的社会成员这个社会动机。
Ideas about frugality and thrift changed again during the Second World War
勤俭和节俭的概念在第二次世界大战期间再次发生改变，
when the public was encouraged to avoid waste so that every material resource could go into the war effort.
当时公众被鼓励要避免浪费，这样每一种物质资源都可以投入到战争中。
And in the post-war period, it changed again as people's wealth and standard of living increased.
战后随着人们财富的增加和生活水平的提高，它又发生了变化。
Here's Alison Hulme again:
这是艾莉森·休姆再次谈到的：
It's the idea that once people had enough to meet their kind of basic needs there was this kind of moral slide into consumerism.
有一种观点认为，一旦人们的基本需求得到满足，道德就会滑坡为消费主义。
It's not a view that I subscribe to in a simplistic sense myself - I think there's a very fine line to tread here.
我自己并不赞同这种过分简单的观点——我认为这里有一条很微妙的分界线。
There's no point denying that, certainly in the developed world, there's been a rise in consumer capitalism,
毫无疑问，在发达国家，消费资本主义正在兴起，
that's just a truism, but thrift hasn't declined.
这是不言而喻的，但是勤俭并没有衰退。
In modern times, people's motivation to save up and be thrifty declined once they had enough to meet their basic needs
在现代，一旦人们有了足够的钱来满足他们的基本需求，他们存钱和保持勤俭的动力就减弱了。
- the basic necessities needed to survive, like food, clothes and shelter and nothing extra.
基本需求是指生存所需的基本必需品，比如食物、衣服、住所等。
Alison mentions that once these basic needs were satisfied, people moved away from thrift into consumerism,
艾莉森提到，一旦这些基本需求得到满足，人们就从勤俭转向消费主义，
the desire to buy 'luxury' products which were not absolutely necessary.
即购买并非绝对必要的“奢侈品”的欲望。
According to some, this created a moral slide – a decrease in the standards of behaving in good, fair and honest ways.
根据一些人的说法，这造成了道德滑坡——良好、公平及诚实行为标准的下降。
The rise in consumer capitalism we have seen around the world is an example of a truism
我们在世界各地看到的消费资本主义的崛起，是一个不言而喻的例子
- something that is so obviously true it is not worth repeating.
——某事显然是事实，不值得重复。
What is worth repeating is the quiz question, Neil.
值得重复的是今天的测试问题，尼尔。
Yes, I asked you how many British people had savings of under ?1000.
是的，我问你有多少英国人的存款低于1000英镑。
And I said, c) 30%.
我说是c) 30%。
In fact, Sam, it’s b) 15%.
事实上，萨姆，是b) 15%。
So I guess I'm not such a bad saver after all!
所以我想我还是个不错的存款人！
OK. Well, today we've been talking about the changing meanings of 'thrift',
好的。今天我们一直在讨论“勤俭”含义的变化，
an idea connected to frugality - being careful not to spend too much money.
它和“节俭”有关——是指注意不花太多钱。
The original meaning of 'thrift' was to flourish - grow or develop successfully,
“勤俭”的最初含义是繁荣昌盛——成功地成长或发展，
but that definition changed as different religious groups, like the Puritans, promoted their own agenda
但随着不同的宗教团体，如清教徒，宣扬他们自己的动机，“勤俭”的定义发生了改变
- aim or reason for a particular group to do something.
——动机是指特定群体做某事的目的或理由。
In recent times, people's ability to meet their basic needs
近年来，人们满足基本需求的能力，
– the necessities for survival like food and shelter, have reduced the importance of 'thrift',
如食物和住所等生存的必需品，已经降低了“勤俭”的重要性。
which some believe has created a moral slide – a reduction in standards of moral behaviour.
一些人认为这导致了道德滑坡——道德行为标准的下降。
And the associated rise of consumer capitalism is an example of a truism
与之相关的消费资本主义的崛起是一个不言而喻的例子
- something that is obviously true and generally accepted by all.
——某事显然是事实并且为所有人普遍接受。
That's all for now.
今天的节目就到这里了。
Join us again next time for more topical discussion and vocabulary.
下次再加入我们进行更多话题讨论和词汇学习。
Bye for now!
再见了！
Bye bye!
拜拜！