日常英语短文

日常英语短文篇一：日常生活用品英语表达

日常生活用品英语表达

床 bed 枕头pillow 被子quilt 牙刷toothbrush 牙膏toothpaste 杯子glass 桌子desk 椅子chair 厨房kitchen 盆子salver 锅holloware 橱柜cabinet 台灯tablelight 电脑computer 面膜facial 香水perfume 洗面奶 facial milk 肥皂soap 洗发水shampoo 书架bookshelf

衣架clothes rack 面霜facial cream 洗衣粉 washing powder 面膜mask 香水perfume 洗面奶 cleansers 肥皂soap 洗发水shampoo 书架bookshelf 衣架hanger 面霜moisturizer 洗衣粉 washing powder 床 bed 枕头pillow 被子blanket 牙刷toothbrush 牙膏toothpaste 杯子glass 桌子desk/table 椅子chair

厨房kitchen 锅pot/pan 橱柜cabinet 台灯lamp 电脑computer 浴巾towel 电视tv 音响hi-fi 收音机radio 地毯carpet 钟clock 窗帘curtain 水壶 kettle 冰箱frigde 梳子brush、comb refrigerator 冰箱

automatic rice cooker 电饭锅 steamer 蒸锅 oven 烤箱 grill 烧烤架 toaster 烤面包机 egg beater 打蛋器 ice crusher 刨冰机

food processor 食品加工机 paper towel 纸巾 apron 围裙 tableware 餐具 plate 盘子 dish 碟子 bowl 碗 cupboard 碗橱 dining table 餐桌 larder 食品柜

drop-leaf table 可以折叠边缘的桌子

chopping board 案板 cutlery tray 装餐具的容器 dish drainer 晾干餐具的容器（类似铁丝筐）

table cloth 桌布

化妆品：

护肤: skin care：

洗面奶: facial cleanser/face wash

爽肤水: toner/astringent（紧肤水 firming lotion，柔肤水 toner/smoothing toner） facial mist/facial spray/complexion mist

护肤霜: moisturizers and creams（保湿 moisturizer，隔离霜，防晒 sun screen/sun block，美白whitening，露 lotion，霜 cream，日霜 day cream，晚霜 night cream） 眼霜: eye gel 面膜: facial mask/masque 眼膜: eye mask 磨砂膏: facial scrub

去黑头: (deep) pore cleanser/striper pore refining

去死皮: Exfoliating Scrub 润肤露（身体）: body lotion/moisturizer

护手霜: hand lotion/moisturizer 沐浴露: body wash 彩妆: cosmetics

遮瑕膏: concealer 粉底: foundation (compact,stick) 粉饼: pressed powder（散粉 loose powder，闪粉 shimmering powder/glitter

眉粉: brow powder, （眉笔）brow pencil 眼线液:（眼线笔）liquid eye liner, eye liner

眼影: eye shadow 睫毛膏: mascara 唇线笔: lip liner 唇膏: lip color/lipstick（笔状 lip pencil，膏状 lip lipstick，盒装 lip color/lip gloss）

唇彩: lip gloss/lip color 腮红: blush 卸装水: makeup remover

卸装乳: makeup removing lotion 帖在身上的小亮片: body art

指甲: manicure/pedicure: 指甲油-去甲油: nail polish, nail polish remover

发: hair products/accessories： 洗发水: shampoo 护发素: hair conditioner

锔油膏: conditioning hairdressing/hairdressing gel /treatment

摩丝: mousse 发胶: styling gel 染发: hair color

冷烫水: perm/perming ｆｒｏｍula 卷发器: rollers/perm rollers

工具: cosmetic applicators/accessories

粉刷: cosmetic brush, face brush 粉扑: powder puffs 海绵扑: sponge puffs 眉刷: brow brush 睫毛夹: lash curler

眼影刷: eye shadow brush/shadow applicator

口红刷: lip brush 胭脂扫: blush brush 转笔刀: pencil sharpener 电动剃毛器: electric shaver-for women 电动睫毛卷: electric lash curler

描眉卡: brow template 纸巾: facial tissue 吸油纸: oil-Absorbing Sheets

化装棉: cotton pads 棉签: Q-tips 化装包: cosmetic bag

理发用语

打薄剪刀：THINNING 乱发: SHOCK

修剪: TRIM 平顶头: CROP 分发:PART HAIR 做发型: CUTTING & STYLING

电烫: PERMANENT WAVE 点烫药水; SETTING LOTION

女子做发: HAIRDO 点烫发机: ELECTRIC HAIR CURLER

压发: HAIR FIXER 束发结: SNOOD 发网: HAIRNET

假辫子: CORONET BRAID SWITCH 前流海: BANG

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一些关于水果蔬菜和饮料的词汇

冷饮:

beverages 饮料 soya-bean milk 豆浆 syrup of plum 酸梅汤

tomato juice 番茄汁 orange juice 橘子汁 coconut milk 椰子汁

asparagus juice 芦荟汁 grapefruit juice 葡萄柚汁 vegetable juice 蔬菜汁 ginger ale 姜汁 sarsaparilla 沙士

soft drink 汽水 coco-cola (coke) 可口可乐 tea leaves 茶叶

black tea 红茶 jasmine tea 茉莉(香片) tea bag 茶包 lemon tea 柠檬茶 white goup tea 冬瓜茶 honey 蜂蜜

chlorella 绿藻 soda water 苏打水 arti(来自:WwW.ZHaOqt.nEt 蒲公英文 摘:日常英语短文)ficial color 人工色素

ice water 冰水 mineral water 矿泉水 distilled water 蒸馏水

long-life milk 保久奶 condensed milk 炼乳; 炼奶 cocoa 可可

coffee mate 奶精 coffee 咖啡 iced coffee 冰咖啡 .wR E

white coffee 牛奶咖啡 black coffee 纯咖啡 ovaltine 阿华田

chlorella yakult 养乐多 essence of chicken 鸡精 ice-cream cone 甜筒 sundae 圣代; 新地 ice-cream 雪糕

soft ice-cream 窗淇淋 vanilla ice-cream 香草冰淇淋

ice candy 冰棒 milk-shake 奶昔 straw 吸管

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购物与日常生活~~

to do some shopping; to go shopping 买东西shopping centre 商业中心区department store 百货商店children's goods store 儿童用品商店

antique shop 古玩店second-hand store 旧货店counter 柜台

stall, stand 售货摊show window 橱窗show case 玻璃柜台shelf 货架

cash desk, cashier's desk 收银处price tag 标价签 prices are fixed, fixed prices 有定价discount 打折扣 change 零钱to keep the bill 留发票to wrap up 包装free of charge 不收费

to deliver 送be al sold out, out of stock 售空shop assistant, salesman 售货员

saleswoman 女售货员glassware counter 玻璃器皿部enamel ware 搪瓷器皿

haberdashery 男子服饰用品confectionery 糖果糕点cosmetics 化妆用品

stationery 文具fabrics 纺织品dry goods 服装

ready-made clothes, off-the-peg, ready-to-wear 成衣,现成服装

men's wear 男服women's wear 女服underwear 内衣裤 sports goods, athletic equipment 体育用品sundries 零星小物

toilet articles 盥洗用品towel 毛巾handkerchief 手帕toilet soap 香皂

shampoo 洗发香波soap 肥皂laundry soap 洗衣皂soap powder 肥皂粉

soap flakes 皂片medicated soap 药皂detergent 洗衣粉cleanser 去污粉

tooth paste 牙膏tooth brush 牙刷toilet mirror 梳妆镜hair brush 发刷

hair vaseline 发蜡cosmetics 化妆品lipstic 口红, 唇膏face powder 粉

compact 粉盒powder puff 粉扑cold cream 香脂vanishing cream 雪花膏

perfume, scent 香水perfume spray 香水喷子coat hanger 挂衣架

clothes-peg, clothes pin 晒衣夹string bag, net bag 网兜 thermos bottle 热水瓶

cap, cork 热水瓶瓶盖travellers' water bottle, water flask, canteen 旅行水壶

lunch box, canteen 饭盒thread 线needle 针button 钮扣zipper 拉链

key-ring 钥匙圈torch, flashlight 手电bulb 灯泡battery 电池lock 锁

watch, wrist watch 表, 手表watch band 表带watch chain 表链clock 钟

alarm clock 闹钟electric clock 电钟umbrella 雨伞parasol, sun umbrella 阳伞

knapsack 背包handbag 女手提包travelling bag 旅行包 suitcase 手提箱

trunk 大衣箱magnifying glass 放大镜binoculares 望远镜hot-water bottle 热水袋

smoking set 烟具lighter 打火机jewelry, jewels 首饰, 珠宝jewel case 首饰盒

antique, curio 古玩ornaments 装饰品ring, finger ring 戒指signet ring 印章戒指

necklace 项链brooch 胸针pendant 坠子bracelet 镯子chain bracelet 手链

ear ring 耳环trinket 小饰物safety-pin 别针cuff-link 袖扣diamond 钻石

gold jeweleries 金饰silver jeweleries 银饰pearl 珍珠imitation 仿制品

genuine 真的fake 假的baby's cot, crib 婴儿床cradle 摇篮diaper, napkin 尿布

feeding bottle, feeder 奶瓶teat, nipple 橡皮奶嘴dummy, comforter 假奶嘴

perambulator 儿童车go-cart, walker, babywalker 儿童学步车

rocking-horse 摇马scooter 踏板车child's tricycle 儿童三轮车

razor 剃刀safety razor 保险剃须刀electric razor 电剃刀razor blade 刀片

shaving brush 剃须刷shaving cream 剃须膏comb 梳子hair-brush 发刷

hair-net 发网hair pin 发夹hair oil, brilliantine 发油hair lotion 生发水pomade 发膏

hair drier 吹风机hair-curler 卷发夹electric clippers, electric shears 电推子

nail scissors 指甲剪nail clipper 指甲夹nail file 指甲锉nail varnish, nail polish 指甲油

手纸——das Toilettenpapier 手巾纸——die Taschentuecher (pl.) das Taschentuch

厨房用纸——das Kuechenpapier 咖啡滤纸——das Filterpapier

烤箱纸——das Backpapier 吸尘器滤纸——der Staubsauger-Beutel

抹布——das Haushaltstuch 铝箔纸——die Alu-Folie

保鲜膜——die Frischhalte-Folie 垃圾袋——der Muell-Beutel

刷碗海面——der Topf-Reiniger / der Geschirr-Schwamm

洗涤灵——das Spuelmittel 空气清新剂——die Duft-Frische

卫生间清馨剂——die WC-Frische 处厕剂——der WC-Reiniger

洗衣粉——das Waschpulver / das Waschmittel 卫生巾——Pantyliner (Englisch) / das Pantyliner 卫生护垫——die Slipeinlage 内用卫生棉条——der o.b. Tampon

洗发水——das Shampoo 护法素——das Haarpflegemittel

肥皂——die Seife 香皂——die Duftende-Seife 洗手液——die Fluessigseife / die Cremeseife 浴液——Dusch Gel / die Pflegendusche

2010-12-08 22:14:19 来自: 徐诺。(注定要放弃。)

食物已经差不多都在就不再重复了~

也有对之前食物的一些补充，因为很多，有重复的请大家见谅下咯~ 欢迎补充~

========================================

化妆品：

护肤: skin care：

洗面奶: facial cleanser/face wash

爽肤水: toner/astringent（紧肤水 firming lotion，柔肤水 toner/smoothing

toner

）

facial

mist/facial

spray/complexion mist

护肤霜: moisturizers and creams（保湿 moisturizer，隔离霜，防晒 sun screen/sun block，美白whitening，露 lotion，霜 cream，日霜 day cream，晚霜 night cream） 眼霜: eye gel 面膜: facial mask/masque 眼膜: eye mask 磨砂膏: facial scrub

去黑头: (deep) pore cleanser/striper pore refining 去死皮: Exfoliating Scrub 润肤露（身体）: body lotion/moisturizer

护手霜: hand lotion/moisturizer 沐浴露: body wash 彩妆: cosmetics

遮瑕膏: concealer 粉底: foundation (compact,stick) 粉饼: pressed powder（散粉 loose powder，闪粉 shimmering powder/glitter

眉粉: brow powder, （眉笔）brow pencil 眼线液:（眼线笔）liquid eye liner, eye liner

眼影: eye shadow 睫毛膏: mascara 唇线笔: lip liner 唇膏: lip color/lipstick（笔状 lip pencil，膏状 lip lipstick，盒装 lip color/lip gloss）

唇彩: lip gloss/lip color 腮红: blush 卸装水: makeup remover

卸装乳: makeup removing lotion 帖在身上的小亮片: body art

指甲: manicure/pedicure: 指甲油-去甲油: nail polish, nail polish remover

发: hair products/accessories： 洗发水: shampoo 护发素: hair conditioner

锔油膏: conditioning hairdressing/hairdressing gel /treatment

摩丝: mousse 发胶: styling gel 染发: hair color

冷烫水: perm/perming ｆｒｏｍula 卷发器: rollers/perm rollers

工具: cosmetic applicators/accessories

粉刷: cosmetic brush, face brush 粉扑: powder puffs 海绵扑: sponge puffs 眉刷: brow brush 睫毛夹: lash curler

日常英语短文篇二：英语短文

1、Talking About Myself谈论自己

My name is ZhangMeng. I'm 27 years old. I'm from Beijing. I am a math teacher in a primary school. My school is far away from my home,so I usually drive to work. There are three people in my family. They are my husband, my daughter and I. My husband is a doctor in a big hospital and my daughter is a 1 year old student. In my spare time, I like reading book, watching TV, playing table

我的名字是ZhangMeng。 我27岁。我来自北京。我是一个数学老师在一所小学。我的学校离我家很远,所以我通常开车上班。我家有三口人。他们是我的丈夫,我的女儿和我。我的丈夫是一个大医院的医生和我女儿是一个1岁的学生。在我的业余时间,我喜欢看书、看电视、做桌子

2、

My Family我的家人

There are five persons in my family: My parents, my wife, my daughter and I. My father used to be a senior engineer. His responsibility was designing new machines. My mother would work in a factory. They are retired now. My father is very serious about everything in life and pays attention to the details. My mother is patient and hardworking. I take after my parents. They have influence upon me to make me a good teacher. My wife is a nurse and she is very busy everyday. My daughter is a pupil. She is pretty and lovely and looks like her mother.

我的家人

我家中共有五个人:我的父母、妻子、女儿和我。我父亲以前是一个高级工程师。他的责任是设计新机器。我母亲在一个工厂工作。现在他们都退休了。我的父亲是一个很认真对待生活中的每一件事,注重细节。我的妈妈是耐心和勤奋。我像我的父母。他们有影响,我使我成为一个很好的老师。我的妻子是一名护士,她每天都很忙。我的女儿是一个小学生。她是漂亮和可爱,看起来像她的妈妈。

Like most ordinary Chinese families, my family life is busy and meaningful. My family members often get up at about six o’clock in the mornings. My wife deals with my little kid’s chores while I’m cooking the breakfast. I drive my daughter to her school then to my work. My wife takes subway to her hospital. Around 4:30 p.m., I pick up my daughter and do some grocery shopping. My wife is good at cooking. So when we arrive home, a delicious meal is waiting for us. During the eating, we chat the interesting things in the daytime and discuss the current affairs. We go to bed at 10 p.m.

像大多数普通的中国家庭,我的家庭生活是充实和有意义。我的家庭成员往往起来大约六点钟早餐。我和我妻子交易小朋友的家务,当我做早餐。我被我的女儿嫁给她的学校然后我的工作。我的妻子带地铁她的医院。在下午四时三十分,我拿起我的女儿和我买点食品杂货。我的妻子擅长烹饪。所以当我们下班回家,一顿美餐正等着我们呢。在吃的时候,我们聊感兴趣的东西在白天,讨论时事。我们睡觉晚上10点关门。

There have been many changes in my life. With the development of the economy, my life is better off. For the clothing, I have spare money to buy sorts of

pretty clothes. But in the past, there were fewer clothes in my wardrobe. For the food, I usually had traditional Chinese food for every meal, rice, noodles or streamed ban with one or two light dishes even preserved pickles. Nowadays, I can afford any delicious food, including western foods. For the housing, I have moved from a cramped and gloomy room to a big and bright f

lat. For the getting around, I rode an old bike on my way to work a year ago. At present, I drive my private car to travel. I believe my life will be better and better in the future.

有了许多变化在我的生命中。随着经济的发展,我的生命就会更富裕。为服装,我有多余的钱去买各种漂亮的衣服。但在过去,越来越少的衣服在衣柜里。买菜,我通常有中国传统菜肴给每顿饭、米饭、面条还是络绎不绝地禁令,有一个或两个光菜即使保存泡菜。现在,我还能够买得起任何美味的食物,包括西方食物。房屋,我已经从拥挤和阴暗的房间到一个大而明亮的公寓。为避开,我骑着一辆旧自行车在上班路上有一年了。目前,我开我的私人小汽车旅行。我相信,我的生命将变成更好、更大的发展。 Everybody has his dream for his career in the future. He or she might want to be a teacher, a doctor, a scientist, and so on. My ideal job is to be a lawyer. Lawyers, especially those familiar with global laws and fluent in foreign languages, will be in great demand. I have a good eye for detail, a sharp mind, an excellent memory and like taking responsibility as well. So I think I would make a good lawyer. I am planning to open a lawyer firm by myself some day. But now I must study hard to get myself qualified for my future job.

每个人都有自己的梦想他将来的事业。他或者她可能想做一名教师,医生,一个科学家,等等。我理想的工作是一名律师。律师,尤其是那些熟悉全球法律、流利的外语,将需求量很大。我有一个很好的眼光详情,头脑敏锐,极好的记忆力,像承担责任。所以我想我会做一个好律师。我打算自己开一个律师事务所的一天。但是现在我必须努力学习让自己能胜任我未来的工作。 I am living in the 10 floor of a tower building with my wife and daughter. It is a newly-built block of flats with 22 stories altogether in the north of city. We have three bedrooms, one big living-room in addition to one kitchen and two bathrooms. The size is about 127 th

square meters. When we moved in three years ago, I painted the doors myself, but I had the window frames painted. We are satisfied with the decorations except the cupboards in the kitchen, so I need to build them again. The neighbourhood is nice too. I think my home is cozy and I like my home.

我住在一座大楼的地板十周年开个晚会和我的妻子和女儿。这是一个新建的公寓楼,总共有22个故事在北方的城市。我们有三个卧室,一个大的起居室里除了一个厨房和两个卫生间。大小为127多平方米。我们搬进来的时候我三年前开始油漆门我自己,但我有窗框上漆。我们感到满意,除了装饰厨房的橱柜里放,所以我需要建立他们了。附近是不错的。我想我的家是温馨的,我喜欢我的家。

Hobbies are activities from which one can benefit a lot. In my spare time, I like painting, singing，raising flowers and cycling. My hobbies help me relax after periods of hard work. Moreover, I can make many friends who share the same hobbies with me. My hobbies make me maintain a mental and physical balance. As you can see, hobbies can be relaxing, challenging, interesting, enjoyable

or educational. So everyone should have one or two hobbies, then the life is meaningful and amused.

业余爱好是来自哪一个活动可以受益匪浅。在我的业余时间,我喜欢画画、唱歌、提高鲜花和骑自行车。我的爱好帮助我放松,在时间的艰苦的工作。而且,我可以结识很多朋友分享相同的爱好和我在一起。我的爱好使我保持身心的平衡。正如你所看到的,业余爱好可以舒适地、具有挑战性的,有趣的,愉快的还是教育的。所以每个人都应该有一个或两个爱好,这样你的生命才有意义的和好玩的。

There are many advantages of hosting the Olympic Games.

First, it has a major effect on the economy. It can create many opportunities to develop the economy.

Second, thousands of tourists come to the games and the host city will quicken its construction of infrastructure. In the end, it brings international prestige to the country.

Third, it can arouse common people’s interest in English, so English-learning is prevailing. As a result, it is good for our fellow-citizens to improve their English.

The host cities are permanently improved; So hosting the Olympic Games is rewarding.

有许多优点举办奥运会的。

首先,它有着重大的影响,对经济。它可以创造出很多机会去发展经济。

第二,成千上万的游客来到这个游戏和主办城市将加快基础设施建设。最后,它带来的国际威望到乡下。

第三,它能引起普遍的人民对英语的兴趣,所以学英文是普遍存在。作为一个结果,是有益于我们的同胞来提高他们的英语水平。 的主办城市是永久地提高;所以举办奥运会是值得的。

Eating habit is closely related to health. In order to keep fit, we should pay more attention to our eating habits. My suggestions on good eating habit are as follows:

First, don’t eat too much or too little for each meal. Eating too much will cause overweight and eating too little malnutrition.(营养不良) Second, don’t eat between meals. Sometimes we like eating biscuits and chips before the mealtime; as a result, we lose our appetite（胃口） for lunch or dinner.

Third, eat more vegetables and fruits everyday.

In my opinion, a good eating habit leads to a healthy life.

饮食习惯与健康息息相关。为了保持健康,我们应该更注重饮食的习惯。良好的饮食习惯我建议如下:

首先,不要吃太多或太少每顿。吃得过多会导致超重和吃得很少(营养不良)营养不良。

第二,正餐之间不要吃零食。有时我们喜欢吃饼干和芯片进餐前;因此,我们失去了我们的食欲(胃口)为午餐或晚餐。 第三,每天多吃蔬菜和水果。

在我看来,一个良好的饮食习惯导致健康生活。

10、

Nowadays, more and more people know the importance of keeping healthy. Without good health, we can do nothing. For me, there are mainly three ways to keep healthy.

First, it is necessary to keep a balanced diet, which is the basis of good health. we had better have more fruit and vegetables everyday. Secondly, it is important to do regular exercises, such as swimming, jogging and so on. Last but not least, it is essential to keep high mood. Relaxation and entertainment are ways to renew our spirits and release our stress.

When we make healthy habits a part of our everyday life, we are bound to keep healthy.

时下,越来越多的人知道,重要的是保持健康。没有健康的话,更不要说我们什么也做不了。对我来说,主要有三种方式来保持健康。

首先,必须保持平衡饮食,它的基础是健康。我们最好每天都有更多的水果和蔬菜。其次,它是重要的事要做定期的体育运动,比如游泳、跑步等。最后但并非最不重要的,很有必要保持高的心情。休闲和娱乐的方法来恢复我们的精神和释放压力。 当我们让健康的生活习惯一个我们日常生活的一部分,我们一定能够保持健康。

11、

High school life is quite different from college life. In high school, the students have to wear school uniform. Teachers always ask

students to do many tasks in the classroom and supervise students’ behavior in detail. In college, students have to be responsible for themselves. They have more freedom in college than in high school. For example, they put on the casual clothes instead of uniform. Tutors give them lectures and assignments, and they must spend more time studying by themselves in the library. That means students must manage themselves very well. Although I often recall my high school life, I like college life more.

高中生活是非常不同的大学生活。在高中,学生必须穿校服。老师们总是要求学生在教室里做很多任务和督促学生的行为进行了详细的介绍。在大学里,学生必须负责自己。他们有更多的自由要比在学校在高中的时候。例如,他们穿上便服,而不是制服。教师给他们讲座和作业,而且他们必须多花点时间学习本身在图书馆里了。这意味着学生必须自我管理得很好。虽然我经常会想起我的高中生活,我喜欢大学生活。

12、

Our TV University is mainly engaged in long distance education. The form of study is very convenient for the adult learners like me. I can learn my courses at anywhere in my spare time by computer. There are many web-based courses and sources on line. Moreover, I not only use email to send our homework to our tutors but also join online discussion forums. Meantime, the difficulties and puzzles can be solved in the tutorial once a week. The e-learning life is meaningful and demanding. I enjoy my TV university life.

我们主要从事广播电视大学远程教育。研究的形式是非常方便的成人学习者喜欢我。我可以学我的课程在任何地方在我的业余时间用电脑。有许多网络课程和来源就行。此外,我不仅使用电子邮件送我们的作业,但也参加了英语教师在线讨论论坛。同时,存在的困难和困惑都可以在后面的教程中解决一周一次。人生是有意义的学习和苛刻了。我喜欢我的电视大学生活。

日常英语短文篇三：英文短文

You hear the refrain all the time: the U.S. economy looks good statistically, but it doesn’t feel good. Why doesn’t ever-greater wealth promote ever-greater happiness? It is a question that dates at least to the appearance in 1958 of The Affluent (富裕的) Society by John Kenneth Galbraith, who died recently at 97.

The Affluent Society is a modern classic because it helped define a new moment in the human condition. For most of history, “hunger, sickness, and cold” threatened nearly everyone, Galbraith wrote. “Poverty was found everywhere in that world. Obviously it is not of ours.” After World War II, the dread of another Great Depression gave way to an economic boom. In the 1930s unemployment had averaged 18.2 percent; in the 1950s it was 4.5 percent.

To Galbraith, materialism had gone mad and would breed discontent. Through advertising, companies conditioned consumers to buy things they didn’t really want or need. Because so much spending was artificial, it would be unfulfilling. Meanwhile, government spending that would make everyone better off was being cut down

because people instinctively—and wrongly—labeled government only as “a necessary evil.”

It’s often said that only the rich are getting ahead; everyone else is standing still or falling behind. Well, there are many undeserving rich—overpaid chief executives, for instance. But over any meaningful period, most people’s incomes are increasing. From 1995 to 2004, inflation-adjusted average family income rose 14.3 percent, to $43,200. People feel “squeezed” because their rising incomes often don’t satisfy their rising wants—for bigger homes, more health care, more education, faster Internet connections.

The other great frustration is that it has not eliminated insecurity. People regard job stability as part of their standard of living. As corporate layoffs increased, that part has eroded. More workers fear they’ve become “the disposable American,” as Louis Uchitelle puts it in his book by the same name.

Because so much previous suffering and social conflict stemmed from poverty, the arrival of widespread affluence suggested utopian (乌托邦式的) possibilities. Up to a point, affluence succeeds. There is much less physical misery than before. People are better off. Unfortunately, affluence also creates new complaints and

contradictions.

Advanced societies need economic growth to satisfy the multiplying wants of their citizens. But the quest for growth lets loose new anxieties and economic

conflicts that disturb the social order. Affluence liberates the individual, promising that everyone can choose a unique way to self-fulfillment. But the promise is so

extravagant that it predestines many disappointments and sometimes inspires choices that have anti-social consequences, including family breakdown and obesity (肥胖症). Statistical indicators of happiness have not risen with incomes.

Should we be surprised? Not really. We’ve simply reaffirmed an old truth: the pursuit of affluence does not always end with happiness.

Shopping has become a very secret and mysterious affair. Conspicuous

consumption does not look good during a recession, which explains why so many of us are embracing e-commerce. Online shopping on these shores is projected to grow from sales of 8.9bn to around 21.3bn by the end next year.

Often people proclaim they’ve embraced e-commerce because it’s “green”. This is understandable. If many shopping bags in a recession look bad, bricks and mortar retail — huge out-of-town shopping centres, retail emporia （大百货店） that insist on leaving their doors open even in winter and grocery stores full of the most inefficient freezers — look terrible during an ecological emergency.

Should we buy the idea that e-commerce is any better? Several studies have tried to answer this with cold, hard data. A 2000 study on Webvan, a US online grocer that

does not exist anymore, concluded that a wider adoption of ecommerce would not give us environmental gains, while a 2002 study of US book retailing found no greater energy savings selling online. But the study that all e-retailers are talking about is a new one from Carnegie Mellon University, which has found that shopping online via Buy.corn’s e-commerce model for electronic products uses 35 per cent less energy consumption and CO2 emissions than a traditional bricks-and-mortar model.

This is largely because it avoids the usual retail distribution model and, of course, the impact of consumers driving to a store. And, from the shopper’s perspective, online buying often allows you to avoid the ephemera （便宜的日常小用品） of retail, like the 100m coat hangers that end up in landfill each year, or lengthened cash register receipts.

But both models are flawed, because online or on the high street, retailers are dependent on a hydrocarbon-fuelled delivery system. Trucks deliver 4.8m tons of freight each day in the UK, which works out at about 80kg per person. To make matters worse, after a truck drops off the goods it often returns empty to the storehouse. A 2002 study of 20,000 haulage trips found that only 2.4% of return journey legs found suitable backloads. This journey represents a large part of the impact of what we buy.

Online shopping may prove marginally greener in terms of energy saving, but we shouldn’t forget progressive traditional retail. Places such as Ludlow in Shropshire, a trade town based on ethical trading ideas, where the independent high street has been hard earned. It brings consumers face to face with products with a just background, shortened supply chain and with values. This is a wiser and wider retail experience; anything else could leave you feeling short changed.

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