Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams|有钱、没钱都难过？

Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams

有钱、没钱都难过？

by Matthew Brown

Winning a huge pile of money is something many people dream of, but is the reality actually a nightmare?

大家都梦想能赢得大笔奖金，但实际上中奖却是场梦魇？

Most of us have fantasized about winning heaps of money. With millions of dollars in the bank or in a huge safe at home, we would be happy, helpful, and free to do whatever we want. Or at least that's what we think. Unfortunately, that's not necessarily the case. _(1)_ There's even a name for the problem─sudden wealth syndrome.

One doctor at Virginia Commonwealth University has worked with lottery winners for more than a decade. No one he has talked to has been perfectly happy since receiving their prizes. _(2)_. First, there's a feeling of shock. This is often followed by a sense of guilt because the winners simply don't feel that they deserve winning the money. _(3)_ Giving it to family members becomes an issue, and many other people start coming out of the woodwork asking for handouts.

Instead of bringing them comfort, people often find that suddenly becoming wealthy leads to social isolation. _(4)_ Also, differences in wealth can make it hard to keep old friends that have remained in a much lower economic class. However, experts say there are techniques the newly rich can use to avoid getting too stressed out about sudden wealth. First, take time to learn about money and talk to financial advisors about the windfall. _(5)_ For example, one US couple won the lottery and started a nonprofit organization with the goal of improving their home state. They've avoided media attention and remained pretty much the same as they were before hitting it big.

(A) Then, there's the problem of what to do with the money.

(B) Doing something worthwhile with the money can also be a good route to take.

(C) Instead, they encounter serious problems and have difficulty adjusting to their new lives.

(D) Someone who was never rich before might have a hard time fitting in with wealthy people in rich social circles.

(E) Though it might be hard to believe, winning a large sum of money in a short time can be very stressful.

     我们多数人都曾幻想赢一大笔钱。有数百万现金存在银行或锁在家中保险箱里，我们会觉得高兴、乐于助人并能随心所欲。至少我们是这么想的。不幸的是，事情未必如此。虽然令人难以相信，但短时间内赢得一大笔钱可能会带来很大的压力。这种情况甚至有种称呼叫作『暴富症候群』。

　　维吉尼亚联邦大学的一位博士与多位乐透中奖者合作超过 10 年之久。他会晤过的人没有一位在领到奖金后感到完全地快乐。他们反而遭遇到许多严重的问题，并很难适应新生活。首先，他们先是感到震惊，然后有股罪恶感，因为这些人就是觉得自己不值得赢这些钱。再来，如何处理这笔钱的问题跟着接踵而来。把这笔奖金分送给家人成了一个问题，而许多其他人亦纷纷现身分一杯羹。

　　一夕致富并没有给这些人带来安逸，反而通常导致他们在社交上被孤立。那些从不曾富有的人可能很难融入有钱人的社交圈中。而财富上的差异也让他们很难与经济阶层较低的老朋友继续保持交往。不过专家表示，有一些方法可让这些暴发户避免因短时间致富而压力缠身。首先，花点时间了解金钱并和理财顾问讨论这笔突如其来的奖金。用这笔钱做有意义的事也是不错的方法。像是有一对美国夫妻赢得乐透后，成立一个非营利组织，旨在改善他们居住的那一州。他们也避免媒体曝光，并保持与致富前没什么两样的生活。

标准答案: 1. (E)2. (C)3. (A)4. (D)5. (B)

For Your Information

人人都想中乐透，但过度沉迷却会导致患得患失，造成身心调适困难，出现『乐透症候群』现象，最极端的例子还会自杀。另一种『病态性赌博』则是指当投注愈大、期望也就愈大，当身体处于压力反应时，体内会分泌肾上腺素，造成精神亢奋、紧绷及不想睡觉等征状，但结果揭晓，自己并不如预期得到大奖，整个身体像是泄了气的皮球，提不起劲、无精打采。但赌博会降低焦虑，因此造成恶性循环。