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近日，新西兰发布了2019年财政预算案，这份预算案有一个引人注目的名字——“福祉预算”。按照预算的内容，政府不再只以GDP作为发展目标，而是将社会福祉作为制定财政预算的依据。新西兰政府每年将投入数十亿资金帮助弱势群体，包括有心理疾病的人、贫困儿童和受家庭暴力侵害的人群等。新西兰也因此成为全球首个制定“福祉预算”的国家。“福祉预算案”究竟是怎么回事？该预算案会对人们的生活产生哪些影响？一起来看《纽约时报》的报道。
本篇课程首发于2019年6月9日，选自 The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/world/asia/new-zealand-wellbeing-budget.html
作者：Charlotte Graham-McLay
文本难度：
话题难度：
New Zealand’s Next Liberal Milestone: A Budget Guided by ‘Well-Being’
① It’s being called the next big move by a New Zealand government seen by progressives around the world as a beacon in increasingly populist times: a national budget whose spending is dictated by what best encourages the “well-being” of citizens.
② That means that as the center-left government of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern sets its priorities in the budget unveiled on May 30, it is moving away from more traditional bottom-line measures like productivity and economic growth and instead focusing on goals like community and cultural connection and equity in well-being across generations.
③ New Zealand is not the only country that is starting to rethink whether blunt economic measurements like GDP are the best gauge of a nation’s success. But there has been no other major country that has so explicitly adopted well-being as its objective, said Richard Layard, a professor at the London School of Economics.
④ Under New Zealand’s revised policy, all new spending must advance one of five government priorities: improving mental health, reducing child poverty, addressing the inequalities faced by indigenous Maori and Pacific islands people, thriving in a digital age, and transitioning to a low-emission, sustainable economy.
⑤ While the country may be facing some economic headwinds, New Zealanders have been among the most contented people on the planet, according to the World Happiness Report, which is produced by the United Nations.
1.milestone /ˈmaɪlstəʊn/ n. 里程碑；（某个发展进程中的）重大事件 Huawei’s 5G technology is a technical milestone.
华为的5G技术是科技领域的里程碑。
2.be guided by sth. 被某物所引导 My life decisions are guided by my faith in God.
对于神的信仰指导着我人生的方向。
3.budget /ˈbʌdʒɪt/ n. 预算案；预算
4.well-being /ˌwelˈbiːɪŋ/ n. 福祉，福利；健康、幸福的生活状态（the state of feeling happy and healthy） a patient’s well-being 病人良好的身体状态
mental well-being 精神的富足
5.move /muːv/ n. 举措；措施
6.call … sth. 把……称作／看作…… I call you my best friend.
我把你看作我最好的朋友。
7.progressive /prə(ʊ)ˈɡresɪv/ n. 进步派人士
8.populist /ˈpɒpjəlɪst, ˈpɑːpjəlɪst/ adj. 民粹主义的（representing the ideas and opinions of ordinary people）
9.beacon /ˈbiːkən/ n. 灯塔，烽火；指路明灯 She was a beacon of hope in the troubled times.
在动荡的年代，她是人们的希望之灯。
10.spending /ˈspendɪŋ/ n. 开支；花费
11. dictate /dɪkˈteɪt/ vt. 决定 The government will dictate how to deal with the economy downturn.
政府将决定如何应对经济衰退。
12.set priorities 确定优先级 To deal with multiple works efficiently, you have to set your priorities.
想要有效率多线程工作，你必须决定好工作的优先级。
13.move away from sth. 原来在做某件事，现在不做了 He had moved away from stealing, and become a decent man.
他已经不再偷东西了，金盆洗手，成了一个体面人。
14.bottom-line adj. 务实的
15.measure /ˈmeʒə(r)/ n. 衡量标准
16. equity /ˈekwɪti, ˈekwət̬i/ n. 公平；公正
17.blunt /blʌnt/ adj. 直截了当的
18.GDP = Gross Domestic Product 国内生产总值
19.gauge /ɡeɪdʒ/ n. 评判方法（a way of judging something）
20.rethink /ˌriːˈθɪŋk/ vt. 反思；重新思考
21.major /ˈmeɪdʒə(r)/ adj. 主流的；主要的
22.explicitly /ɪkˈsplɪsɪtli/ adv. 清晰地；明确地
23.adopt /əˈdɒpt, əˈdɑːpt/ vt. 采用；采纳 adopt a new strategy 采用一种新的策略
adopt a measure 采用一种措施
adopt an attitude 采用一种态度
24.objective /əbˈdʒektɪv/ n. 目标
25.advance /ədˈvɑːns, ədˈvæns/ vt. 推进；使发展（to improve or develop something） Hawking’s study has considerably advanced human’s exploration of the universe.
霍金的研究大幅推进了人类对于宇宙的探索进程。
26.address /əˈdres/ vt. 应对；处理（deal with） address a problem 解决一个问题
27.indigenous /ɪnˈdɪdʒɪnəs/ adj. 土生土长的（native）
28. thrive /θraɪv/ vi. 蓬勃发展（grow rapidly）
29.transition /trænˈzɪʃən/ vi. 转变；过渡（to change to a new state）
30.headwind /ˈhedwɪnd/ n. 前行道路上的阻力；顶风，逆风 When I want to study, social media applications are always strong headwinds.当我想学习的时候，社交媒体转件总是强大的阻力。
31.contented /kənˈtentɪd/ adj. 高兴的；满足的（happy and satisfied）
