Question

【题目】 Does owning the latest iPhone, designer dress or expensive shoes really make you happy? It’s an age-old question, but one psychologist(心理学家) thinks he might have the answer.

Dr. Thomas Gilovich, psychology professor at Cornell University, has studied the topic for over 20 years. According to Dr. Gilovich, “We buy things to make us happy, and we succeed, but only for a while. New things are exciting to us at first, but then we adapt to them.” In other words, once the excitement of our newest buying wears off, we begin looking for something else to buy to make us happy.

Dr. Gilovich found that our satisfaction with possessions( 物 品 ) fades over time. Yet our happiness over things we’ve experienced increases. For that reason, he noted that we are spending our money on the wrong things.

A study out of San Francisco State University agrees. The research showed that those people who spent money on experiences instead of possessions were happier. They also thought their money was better invested(投资).

Why experiences are the better investment? “ A trip, adventure, or hobby is more likely to bring people closer together and unite them over a shared interest,” According to Gilovich. As a result, these experiences typically create a positive link and good feelings toward the other person or people.

Also, your experiences become a part of you. You might be someone who loves taking cooking lessons. More than likely, you’ll become known by friends and family as a great cook. They won’t know you as someone who owns the latest kitchen equipment.

Moreover, experiences provide lasting memories. Planned experiences are always something we expect. Then when the moment arrives, if we enjoy ourselves in the activity, we’re left with beautiful memories. These memories will often last a lifetime. Even our worst trips, on many occasions, are later remembered with laughter.

Most of us have limited resources. Why not spend them on things that will make the greatest influence on our lives--meaningful experiences?

【1】The writer raises a question at the beginning of this article in order to________.

A.lead into the topicB.know about the answer

C.make a surveyD.divide the article into two parts

【2】The underlined phrase “adapt to” in paragraph two may mean________

A.pay attention toB.look forward to

C.get used toD.stick to

【3】The following pie charts show how the four people spent their money in 2019. According to the article, who might live a much happier life than the other three?

A.MaryB.Stacy

C.MichaelD. Andrew

【4】What’s the purpose of this passage?

A.To tell people to stop buying expensive things.

B.To encourage people to spend money on meaningful experiences.

C.To advise people to take cooking lessons in their free time.

D.To explain why experiences can make people happier.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】A

【2】C

【3】B

【4】B

【解析】

本文介绍了把钱花费在经历上的人过着更快乐的生活。因为你的经历会成为你的一部分，此外，经历提供了持久的记忆。

【1】推理判断题。根据“Does owning the latest iPhone, designer dress or expensive shoes really make you happy? It’s an age-old question, but one psychologist(心理学家) thinks he might have the answer.”可知，文章的开头用问题，是为了引出话题。故选A。

【2】词义猜测题。A. pay attention to注意，B. look forward to期望，C. get used to习惯，D. stick to坚持。根据“In other words, once the excitement of our newest buying wears off, we begin looking for something else to buy to make us happy.”可知，换句话说，一旦我们对新买的东西的兴奋感消退，我们就会开始寻找其他能让我们开心的东西。因此，我们已经习惯了这种兴奋感。故选C。

【3】推理判断题。根据“The research showed that those people who spent money on experiences instead of possessions were happier.”可知，那些把钱花在经历上而不是拥有上的人更快乐。从图中可知，Stacy把47%的金钱花费在旅行这种经历上，比花费在衣服，食物和房子这些物质上都多，因此她过得更高兴。故选B。

【4】推理判断题。根据本文介绍了把钱花费在经历上的人比把钱花费在物品的拥有上的人更快乐，因此本文的目的是想要鼓励人们把钱花费在有意义的体验和经历上。故选B。