你是哪个阶层？ What class are you?

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English, I’m Rob and with me is Neil.
大家好，欢迎来到BBC6分钟英语，我是Rob，我的搭档是Neil。
Hello.
大家好。
Today we’re talking about class. This is something of an obsession with British people; it’s something they talk about and think about all the time!So Neil, what class are you – lower, middle or upper?
今天我们讨论下阶层的话题。对英国人来说这是有些困扰的；是他们一直在谈论和思考的事情！Neil，你属于哪个阶层呢—低收入阶层、中产阶层还是富有阶层？
I suppose if you look at my background, you could say I am middle class.
我想如果你了解我的背景，你会说我是中产阶层了。
Yes, me too – middle class. So we belong to a social group that consists of well-educated people, who have good jobs and are neither very rich nor very poor.
是的，我也是中产阶层。因此我们属于这样一个阶层--这个阶层的人都受过良好的教育，有一份较好的工作，他们既不富裕也不贫穷。
Well we are certainly not rich! But being middle class is not just a British thing.
我们当然不富裕了！但是成为中产阶层并不仅仅是英国的事。
No – the number of middle class people around the world is rising as people earn more money. So, for your question today Neil, can you guess how many people are predicted to be middle class in the world by 2030? a) 2.9 billion b) 3.9 billion c) 4.9 billion
是的--随着人们赚钱愈来愈多，世界上中产阶层的数量在不断增长。因此，Neil，今天你的问题是你能猜一下到2030年世界上预计中产阶层的人数有多少吗？a）29亿b）39亿c）49亿
Such large numbers, I don’t know. I’ll go for b) 3.9 billion.
我不知道竟然这么多。我选b）39亿。
We’ll find out the answer later. So, being middle class involves a number of factors – good education, a good job, sometimes owning your own home and having a number of possessions like a car or a TV.
一会我们来揭晓答案。要想成为中产阶层由很多的因素组成--良好的教育、一份良好的工作，有些人拥有一个属于自己的房子，并且有一定数目的财产--比如一辆车或一台电视。
It’s quite a privileged or comfortable position to be in – but the most important factor is having disposable income – that’s spare money to spend on more than just things you need for everyday survival, like food.That’s what you’ve got Rob, right?
那是一个相当特权或舒适的位置——但最重要的因素是拥有可支配收入——这是些钱不是用来购买生活必需品的，比如食物。这是你已经达到的，Rob，对吧？
A little – spare money to spend on little luxuries like a holiday, a computer or a meal at a restaurant.But we always complain we never have enough money, don’t we!
有一点吧--有多余的钱用来一些小奢侈品上比如一个假期、买一台电脑、在饭店吃一顿饭。但是我们总是抱怨我们从来没有足够的钱，不是吗？
Yes, we do: the UN says to be middle class you have to earn between $10 and $100 per day. In the UK I think that’s quite a small amount so we could say, very generally, we are quite well-off – but in places such as Asia there has been a huge shift recently from people in poorer working class jobs to middle class ones.
是的。联合国称要想变成中产阶层，你一天必须要赚10-100美元。在英国我觉得那是相当相当少的所以我们可以说，非常普遍，我们相当富裕 — —但是在一些地方比如亚洲，已经有了巨大的转变，有相当多在较穷工作岗位的人变成了中产阶层。
It’s interesting: that by 2030 there could be 3.2 billion middle class people in Asia – overtaking Europe and America.The BBC’s John Sudworth can explain what is happening now in China. What does he say people are becoming?
这很有趣：到2030年亚洲的中产阶层将要达到32亿--超过欧洲和美国。BBC的John Sudworth告诉我们现在的中国在发生着什么。他会怎么说人们的变化呢？
Now there’s a new chapter, the farmers leaving these fields for cities like Zhengzhou, are becoming not just workers but consumers too. In short – they’re off to join the middle class.
现在是一个新的篇章，农民离开田地奔向城市比如郑州，他们也不仅仅是工人也变成了消费者。简单地说 — — 他们加入了中产阶级。
So, people are now moving to the city not just to find work but to spend the money they earn. They are becoming consumers because their income – the money they earn – has gone up.
所以，人们挪到城市不仅仅是找工作，同时也消费。他们变成消费者是因为他们的收入--他们赚的钱变多了。
So, this is because of industrialisation – a change from an economy based on farming to a growth in factories making things. Now, this happened in China in the 1970s but it is now upgrading or improving its industries again making people wealthier.
这是工业化引起的--一个基于农业的经济向在工厂里制造东西的经济的改变。这个改变发生在中国上世纪70年代，但是现在它又一次更新或者提高了工业化水平让人们变得更富裕。
This has led to a consumer society – that’s where people are spending money on things like fridges and washing machines.
这会形成一个消费社会--人们就会花钱买冰箱、洗衣机之类的东西。
Let’s hear from John Sudworth again, talking about a consumer from China – what does this woman do if she can’t afford to buy something?
让我们再次联系John Sudworth ，听听他怎么谈论中国的消费者--这位女士怎么办如果她买不起东西？
Jessica Zhao earns a little more than $12,000 US dollars a year and she spends every last bit of it, often with the help of a credit card. My parents would never spend money they don’t have, she tells me, but attitudes are changing fast.
Jessica Zhao年收入大概 12,000 美元多一点，她花光她赚的每一分钱，并且经常要借助于信用卡。我的父母从来不会花自己之外的钱，她告诉我说，但是看法正迅速改变。
So that woman uses a credit card – it means she can buy now and pay later. It’s a change in attitude – it’s not what our parents or grandparents would do. I do it all the time. You pay for the goods later but with a high interest rate. What have you bought with your credit card recently Rob?
那位女士使用信用卡--这意味着她可以现在买但可以晚些时候还钱。这是一个看法的改变--这不是我们的父母或祖父母会做的事。我一直这么做。你晚些时候还钱利息会很高。Rob，你最近用你的信用卡买什么了？
A new carpet… a pair of jeans and some train tickets. But I’m not looking forward to my credit card bill!
一个新地毯...一条牛仔裤和一些火车票。不过我可不期待我的信用卡账单！
Nor me. You might think we are spending a lot – in China 2,500 vehicles are sold every hour!
我也是。你或许认为我们花的钱很多了--在中国，每小时可卖出2500辆车！
Goodness. Well, the rise of the middle class could be a good thing. As people’s standard of living improves, global poverty could be reduced.
天。不过中产阶层的人数增加或许是件好事。随着人们生活标准的提高，全球贫困人口数量会减少。
Ah, but if people borrow too much money there could be a credit crunch – that’s a bad economic situation where banks do not want to lend as much money.
Ah，但是如果人们借太多的钱可能会导致信用紧缩--那就是不好的经济状况了，银行也不会再借那么多钱了。
But what I really want to know is when will I become upper class?
但是我真正想知道的是我什么时候变成富有阶层？
Sorry Rob, you’ll never get there – it’s all about your upbringing and your family – something you can’t change, even with money. But let’s prove how well educated I am by seeing if I got today’s question right.
很抱歉Rob，你永远也达不到了--都是关于你的教养和你的家庭--一些你甚至用钱也不能改变的事。但是可以证明我受了多好的教育如果我回答对今天的问题。
OK. Earlier I asked you how many people are predicted to be middle class in the world by 2030?
OK。之前我问你在2030年全世界预计达到中产阶层份人数是多少？
I said 3.9 billion.
我回答的是39亿。
You were wrong. The figure is 4.9 billion. Now, Neil, could you remind us of some of today’s language?
你回答错了，答案是49亿。Neil，你现在带大家一起回想下今天的词语吧？
obsession ,possessions ,privileged ,disposable income ,well-off consumers ,income ,industrialisation ,credit crunch ,upgrading ,consumer society ,upbringing
obsession困扰 ,possessions财产 ,privileged 享有特权的,disposable income可支配收入 ,well-off富裕的consumers消费者 ,income 收入,industrialisation工业化 ,credit crunch 信用紧缩,upgrading升级 ,consumer society 消费社会,upbringing教养
OK that’s it for this programme. Do join us again soon for more 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
好的这就是今天节目的所有内容了。欢迎再次加入BBC6分钟英语学习英语。
Bye.
拜~