Question

Over the last 70 years, researchers have been studying happy and unhappy people and finally found out ten factors that make a difference. Our feelings of well-being at any moment are determined to a certain degree by genes. However, of all the factors, wealth and age are the top two.

Money can buy a degree of happiness. But once you can afford to feed, clothe and house yourself , each extra dollar makes less and less difference.

Researchers find that, on average, wealthier people are happier. But the link between money and happiness is complex. In the past half-century, average income has sharply increased in developed countries, yet happiness levels have remained almost the same. Once your basic needs are met, money only seems to increase happiness if you have more than your friends, neighbors and colleagues.

“Dollars buy status, and status makes people feel better,” conclude some experts, which helps explain why people who can seek status in other ways---scientists or actors, for example—may happily accept relatively poorly-paid jobs.

In a research, Professor Alex Michalos found that the people whose desires—not just for money, but for friends, family, job, health—rose furthest beyond what they already had, tended to be less happy than those who felt a smaller gap. Indeed, the size of the gap predicted happiness about five times better than income alone. “The gap measures just blow away the only measures of income.” Says Michalos.

Another factor that has to do with happiness is age. Old age may not be so bad. “Given all the problems of aging, how could the elderly be more satisfied?” asks Professor Laura Carstensen.

In one survey, Carstensen interviewed 184 people between the ages of 18 and 94, and asked them to fill out an emotions questionnaire. She found that old people reported positive emotions just as often as young people, but negative emotions much less often.

Why are old people happier? Some scientists suggest older people may expect life to be harder and learn to live with it, or they’re more realistic about their goals, only setting ones that they know they can achieve. But Carstensen thinks that with time running out, older people have learned to focus on things that make them happy and let go of those that don’t. “People realize not only what they have, but also that what they have cannot last forever,” she says. “A goodbye kiss to a husband or wife at the age of 85, for example, may bring far more complex emotional responses than a similar kiss to a boy or girl friend at the age of 20.

1.According to the passage, the feeling of happiness ________.

A．is determined partly by genes              B．increases gradually with age

C．has little to do with wealth                 D．is measured by desires

2.Some actors would like to accept poorly-paid jobs because the jobs_____.

A．make them feel much better               B．provide chances to make friends

C．improve their social position               D．satisfy their professional interests

3.Aged people are more likely to feel happy because they are more______.

A．optimistic         B．successful         C．practical          D．emotional

4.Professor Alex Michalos found that people feel less happy if _______.

A．the gap between reality and desire is bigger

B．they have a stronger desire for friendship

C．their income is below their expectation

D．the hope for good health is greater

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.A

2.C

3.C

4.A

【解析】

試題分析：文章講述了幸福感與基因有關(guān)，但是更重要的是財富和年齡大小是決定人們對幸福不同看法的最重要的兩個因素。

1.細(xì)節(jié)題。從第一段Our feelings of well-being at any moment are determined to a certain degree by genes. 可知，幸福的感覺一定程度上由基因決定，故選A

2.細(xì)節(jié)題。從“Dollars buy status, and status makes people feel better,” conclude some experts, which helps explain why people who can seek status in other ways---scientists or actors, for example—may happily accept relatively poorly-paid jobs.可知之所以樂意接受這些工作是因為這些工作能夠提高他們的社會地位，故選C

3.細(xì)節(jié)推斷題。從文章Some scientists suggest older people may expect life to be harder and learn to live with it, or they’re more realistic about their goals, only setting ones that they know they can achieve.可知老年人更加現(xiàn)實一些，故選C

4.細(xì)節(jié)題。從文章In a research, Professor Alex Michalos found that the people whose desires—not just for money, but for friends, family, job, health—rose furthest beyond what they already had, tended to be less happy than those who felt a smaller gap. 可知如果現(xiàn)實和期望存在差距越大，他們就會越感到不幸福，故選A

考點(diǎn)：健康類說明文

點(diǎn)評：本文對人們對幸福的觀點(diǎn)進(jìn)行了說明，文章機(jī)構(gòu)分明，有明確的層次劃分句。對于此類題，可以通過文章結(jié)構(gòu)中所引述的人物來迅速的理解全文，對整體段落的概括也相對容易。答題過程中在結(jié)合題目在文章中準(zhǔn)確定位，相信每個題目都在文章中能找到相應(yīng)的地方，把握好作者的意思準(zhǔn)確作答。