[originaltext]W: According to sociologists, American society has changed dramat

W: According to sociologists, American society has changed dramatically over the last two generations.(22)Statistics show that we are much less involved in our communities than we used to be, and here to discuss what this might mean for our society is sociologist David Lee. Welcome to the program.
M: Thank you. Well, as you say, Americans are less involved in their communities than they were in 1960. There’s less participation all around. We get together a lot less, even with friends.(23)In the 1950s, people had friends over to dinner more often. They visited with their neighbors more often. Generally, people seemed to have a much better social life back then, than they do now!
W: That’s really interesting. But is this such a big deal? I mean, you might say, "So what?" Are these kinds of social connections between people really important? I mean, these days, we have the telephone, we have the Internet.
M: Yes. The telephone has replaced face-to-face contact a lot. But informal social connections are actually very important. There’s a high relation between social connections in a community and crime, for example. The more people know one another’s name in a community, the less crime there is.(24)And people living in communities where there are a lot of social connections tend to live longer. They have better health, and they’re generally happier.
W: Wow. So I guess there is a need to make people feel more connected to their communities. But how would you do that?
M: That’s the million-dollar question!(25)Well, one way would be to encourage people to volunteer more. Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the world around you and build connections with other people.
W: Maybe we should just all hold block parties and get to know our neighbors!
M: Absolutely. Why not?
22. Q: What has changed in American society?
23. Q: What’s the relationship like among people in the 1950s?
24. Q: Why is it important to establish social connections in a community?
25. Q: According to the man, how can we get more connected?