雅思阅读第085套P1Hello

READING PASSAGE 1

You should spend about 20minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.

Hello Happiness!

Ask 100 people what would makethem happy, and a sizeable majority would say “winning the lottery.” Yet, ifthey won a vast fortune, within a year they would be back to their previouslevel of happiness. The fact is that money has many uses, but more money doesnot mean more happiness. Surveys carried out in recent years by leadingpsychologists and sociologists all confirm that while individuals may increasetheir material wealth during the course of their lifetime, this has no bearingon their well-being. And what is true for individuals can be applied on alarger scale to the world population. Statistically, wealthier nations do notachieve higher scores on the happiness-ometer than developing or underdevelopednations. Once the basic criteria of adequate shelter and nutrition aresatisfied, increased wealth plays no significant role. So why the obsessionwith getting rich? The answer, say researchers, is simple. Call it jealousy,competitiveness, or just keeping up with the Joneses, however well we are doing,there is always someone else who is doing better. Just as we acquire a new$25,000 car, our neighbour parks his brand spanking new $40,000 set of wheelsin his drive, causing us much consternation, but fuelling us with newaspirations in the process. And so the cycle continues. Money, or materialwealth, may be a prime mover, but it is not the foundation of our well-being.

If money isn’t the key tohappiness, then what is? In all 44 countries surveyed by a prominent researchcentre, family life provided the greatest source of satisfaction. Marriedpeople live on average three years longer and enjoy greater physical andpsychological health than the unmarried and, surprisingly, couples in acohabitational relationship. Having a family enhances well-being, and spendingmore time with one’s family helps even more. Social interaction among families,neighbourhoods, workplaces, communities and religious groups correlatesstrongly with subjective well-being. In fact, the degree of individuals’ socialconnections is the best benchmark of their happiness.

Friendship is another majorfactor. Indeed, to return to the dollar-equals-happiness equation, in onesurvey, having a friend converted into $50,000 worth of happiness, and confirmsthe well-known phenomenon that loneliness can lead to depression. Work isanother area central to well-being, and certain features correlate highly withhappiness. These include autonomy over how, where, and at what pace work isdone, trust between employer and employee, fair treatment, and activeparticipation in the making of decisions. Occupationally, happiness tends to bemore common among professionals and managers, that is, people who are incontrol of the work they do, rather than subservient to their bosses,inequality implies less control for those who are in the weaker position,although there are more risks of losing their privileges for those in thestronger position.

Control of one’s life ingeneral is also key. Happiness is clearly correlated with the presence offavourable events such as promotion or marriage, and the absence of troubles orbad luck such as accidents, being laid off or conflicts. These events on theirown signal the success or failure to reach one’s goals, and therefore thecontrol one has. On a national level, the more that governments recogniseindividual preferences, the happier their citizens will be. Choice, andcitizens’ belief that they can affect the political process, increasesubjective well-being. Furthermore, evidence exists for an association betweenunhappiness and poor health: people from underdeveloped countries are among theunhappiest in the world, and their life expectancy has been falling steadily.People are more satisfied in societies which minimally restrict their freedomof action, in other words, where they are in control rather than beingcontrolled. Happy people are characterised by the belief that they are able tocontrol their situation, whereas unhappy people tend to believe that they are avictim of fate. Happy people are also more psychologically resilient, assertiveand open to experience.

But how good is the evidencefor this alternative viewpoint then - that happiness, and not financial status,contributes to good health, and long life? A study of nuns, spanning sevendecades, supports this theory. Autobiographies written by the nuns in theirearly 1920s were scored for positive and negative emotions. Nuns expressing themost positive emotions lived on average ten years longer than those expressingthe least positive emotions. Happy people, it seems, are much less likely tofall ill and die than unhappy people.

But what must we do to behappy? Experts cite the old maxim “be happy with what you’ve got.” Look aroundyou, they say, and identify the positive factors in your life. Concentrating onthe negative aspects of one’s life is a no-no, and so is worrying. Worrying isa negative thinking habit that is nearly always about something that lies inthe future. It stems, apparently, from our cave dwelling days, when we had tothink on a day-to-day basis about how and where to find food and warmth, forexample. But in the modern world, worrying simply undermines our ability toenjoy life in the present. More often than not, the things we worry about nevercome to pass anyway. Just as important is not to dwell on the past - pastmistakes, bad experiences, missed opportunities and so on.

What else can we do? Well,engage in a loving relationship with another adult, and work hard to sustainit. Try to plan frequent interactions with your family, friends and neighbours(in that order). Make sure you’re not working so hard that you’ve no time leftfor personal relationships and leisure. If you are, leave your job voluntarilyto become self-employed, but don’t get sacked — that’s more damaging towell-being than the loss of a spouse, and its effects last longer. In yourspare time, join a club, volunteer for community service, or take up religion.

If none of the above works,then vote for a political party with the same agenda as the King of Bhutan, whoannounced that his nation’s objective is national happiness.

SECTION 1: QUESTIONS 1-13

Questions 1-3

Choose THREE letters A- H.

Circle the correct letters, A- H, below.

NB Your answers may be given inany order.

Which THREE of thefollowing statements are true, according to the text?

AMoney can bring misery.

BWealthier nations place more emphasis onhappiness than poorer ones.

CSecuring a place to live is a basic humanneed.

DThe desire for social status is globalphenomenon.

EAn unmarried people living together areless likely to be happy than a married people.

FThe less responsibility one has, thehappier one is.

GInvolvement in policy making can increasewell-being.

HOur prehistoric ancestors were happierthan we are.

Questions 4-7

Complete the summary using thelist of words, A -I, below.

Write the correct letter, A- I in the spaces below.

episode

interaction

cooperation

control

number

level

course

conflict

limit

Money can buy you just about anything, but not. it seems, happiness. Whether on a personal or national 4 __________, your bank balance won't make you happier. Once the basic criteria of a roof over your head and food on the table have been met, money ceases to play a part. One of the most important factors in achieving happiness is the extent of our social 5 __________ - our relationships with family, friends, colleagues anti so on. Equally important is the amount of 6 __________ we have, either in our personal life, working life, or even in our ability to influence the political 7 __________ that our country embarks on.

Questions 8-13

Do the following statementsagree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In spaces 8-13 belowwrite

TRUE

if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE

if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN

If there is no information on this

8 _________________ People from underdeveloped nations try to attain the samestandard of living as those from developed nations.

9 _________________ Seeing what others have makes people want to have it too.

10 _________________ The larger the family is, the happier the parents will probablybe.