Human wants seem endless. When a starving man gets a meal, he begins to think about an overcoat; when an executive gets a new sports car, visions of country clubs and pleasure boats dance into view. The many wants of mankind might be regarded as up several levels. When there is money enough to satisfy one level of wants, another level appears. The first and most basic level of wants involves food. Once this want is satisfied, a second level of wants appears: clothing and some sort of shelter. By the end of World WarⅡ these wants were satisfied for a great majority of Americans. Then a third level appeared. It included such items as automobiles and new houses. By 1957 or 1958 this third level of wants was fairly well satisfied. Then, in the late 1950s a fourth level of wants appeared: the "life-enriching" level. While other levels involve physical satisfaction-the feeding, comfort, safety, and transportation of the human body-this level stresses mental needs for recognition, achievement, and happiness. It includes a variety of goods and services, many of which could be called "luxury" items. Among them are vacation trips, the best medical and dental care, and entertainment. Also included here are fancy foods and the latest styles in clothing. On the fourth level, a greater percentage of consumer spending goes to services, while on the first three levels more is spent on goods. Will consumers raise their sights to a fifth level of wants as their income increases, or will they continue to demand luxuries and personal services on the fourth level A fifth level probably would involve wants that can be achieved best by community action. Consumers may be spending more on taxes to pay for government action against disease, ignorance, crime, and prejudice. After filling our stomachs, our clothes closets(衣橱), our garages, our teeth, and our minds, we now may seek to ensure the health, safety, and leisure to enjoy more fully the good things on the first four levels. |
The main concern of man on the fourth level is ().
A.the more goods the better
B.the more mental satisfaction the better
C.the more "luxury" items the better
D.the more earnings the better