And I’m Pippa. In this programme we’re talking about happiness. So, what makes you happy, Neil?
我是 Pippa。在这个节目中，我们谈论的是幸福。那么，是什么让你快乐呢，尼尔？
Neil(尼尔)
It makes me happy when I’m with a group of old friends and we’re having a good laugh. How about you, Pippa?
当我和一群老朋友在一起，我们开怀大笑时，我很高兴。你呢，皮帕？
Pippa(皮帕)
Cats make me very happy. Especially if I see a cat on the street that I don’t know, and it lets me give it a little stroke. That always makes me happy.
猫让我非常高兴。特别是如果我在街上看到一只我不认识的猫，它让我轻轻抚摸它。这总是让我很高兴。
Neil(尼尔)
I’m not surprised. That sounds great.
我并不感到惊讶。这听起来不错。
Pippa(皮帕)
So, happiness means different things to different people, but what’s for sure is that most people would like to be happy. And the small Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has taken this to a new level with the idea of Gross National Happiness, or GNH.
We’ll be hearing more about Gross National Happiness and learning some useful new vocabulary soon, but first Pippa, I have a question for you. Of course, it’s not just the people of Bhutan who want to be happy. In fact, the United Nations has even announced an International Day of Happiness. But when is that? Is International Happiness Day: a) the 20th of March? b) the 20th of June? c) the 20th of November?
I’m going to say the 20th of June, because it would be sunny in the UK.
我要说的是 6 月 20 日，因为英国会阳光明媚。
Neil(尼尔)
OK, let’s find out if you’re right at the end of the programme. Now, briefly, Gross National Happiness means preserving Bhutan’s natural environment and culture through sustainable and eco-friendly development. Bhutan’s government sees these goals as more important than growing the economy at any cost.
For many years, Bhutan was closed to the outside world – the first foreign tourists arrived in 1974, and television was only introduced in 1999. The King of Bhutan wanted to modernise the country and give it the benefits of modern technology, but without damaging traditional culture, so he invited outside experts to develop the idea of Gross National Happiness. One expert was Dr Ha Vinh Tho, speaking here to Charmaine Cozier, presenter of BBC World Service programme, The Inquiry:
多年来，不丹一直与外界隔绝 —— 第一批外国游客于 1974 年抵达，而电视直到 1999 年才被引入。不丹国王希望使国家现代化，并赋予其现代技术的好处，但又不损害传统文化，因此他邀请外部专家来发展国民幸福总值的想法。其中一位专家是 Ha Vinh Tho 博士，他在这里与 BBC 世界服务节目 The Inquiry 的主持人 Charmaine Cozier 进行了交谈：
Dr Ha Vinh Tho(HaVinhTho医师)
So, his idea was: ‘How could we modernise and open our country without losing its culture, its environment, and its very strong social fabric?’ Because Bhutan was one of the only countries in Asia that was never colonised therefore its culture is very intact and vibrant, mainly Buddhist culture. And so the idea was that Gross National Happiness should be the focus on all governmental decisions and policies.
So the wellbeing and happiness of citizens took centre stage.
因此，公民的福祉和幸福成为中心议题。
Pippa(皮帕)
Bhutan has a strong social fabric meaning there are good relationships within communities and these hold society together.
不丹拥有强大的社会结构，这意味着社区内部有良好的关系，这些关系将社会团结在一起。
Neil(尼尔)
Unlike other Asian countries, Bhutan was never colonised, so its Buddhist culture and traditions are intact – they’re complete and unspoiled.
与其他亚洲国家不同，不丹从未被殖民，因此其佛教文化和传统完好无损 —— 它们是完整且未受破坏的。
Pippa(皮帕)
As a result, the happiness of Bhutan’s people took centre stage, it became the most important thing.
因此，不丹人民的幸福成为中心，它成为最重要的事情。
Neil(尼尔)
Bhutan’s emphasis on happiness has been admired around the world, but there have been problems too. One is the migration of Bhutanese workers to India and other countries in search of better paid jobs and opportunities, something known as the brain drain.
So in 2023, the King of Bhutan announced a multi-million dollar project called, The Mindfulness City, a new Himalayan city built on spiritual and environmental principles, all powered by renewable energy.
Originally from Bhutan, Dr Lhawang Ugyel, is the project’s director and spoke with Charmaine Cozier for BBC World Service’s, The Inquiry:
来自不丹的 Lhawang Ugyel 博士是该项目的主任，他与 BBC 国际频道的 Charmaine Cozier 进行了交谈， 调查.
Charmaine Cozier(查梅因·科齐尔)
The project is also about reversing Bhutan’s brain drain.
该项目还旨在扭转不丹的人才流失。
Dr Lhawang Ugyel(LhawangUgyel医生)
The intention is to have locals run this whole Mindfulness City, so in that sense it’s also to attract the migrants that have left, and in the process of having worked abroad, gained the extra skills, come back to the Mindfulness City and work.
As well as being a futuristic eco-city, the Mindfulness City hopes to stop Bhutan’s brain drain by attracting workers back home to Bhutan. These local workers can then use the extra skills that they’ve learned abroad through upskilling. And upskilling is the process where workers’ skills are improved through training.
The idea of Gross National Happiness might sound unusual, but it’s interesting to see Bhutan balancing economic growth with the happiness of its people.
国民幸福总值的概念听起来可能很不寻常，但看到不丹平衡经济增长和人民幸福感是很有趣的。
Pippa(皮帕)
Yes, that’s true – and it reminds me of your question, Neil…
是的，这是真的 —— 这让我想起了你的问题，尼尔……
Neil(尼尔)
Yes, I asked you what the date of International Happiness Day is?
是的，我问你国际幸福日的日期是哪一天？
Pippa(皮帕)
I said it was the 20th of June in the summer in the UK.
我说那是英国夏天的 6 月 20 日。
Neil(尼尔)
Well, maybe it’s better for people in the Southern hemisphere because it’s the 20th of March.
嗯，也许这对南半球的人们更好，因为现在是 3 月 20 日。
Pippa(皮帕)
Nice.
好。
Neil(尼尔)
And if you got that answer right, why not try our interactive quiz which you’ll find on our website, bbclearningenglish.com! OK, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learned, starting with modernise, to make something more modern, for example through introducing technology.
A country’s social fabric means the relationships which connect a community together.
一个国家的社会结构是指将一个社区联系在一起的关系。
Neil(尼尔)
The adjective intact means complete and undamaged.
形容词 intact 的意思是完整和未损坏。
Pippa(皮帕)
If something takes centre stage, it becomes more important than anything else.
如果某件事占据中心位置，它就变得比其他任何事情都重要。
Neil(尼尔)
A brain drain happens when large numbers of educated and skilled people leave their own country to live and work in another country where they can earn more money.
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