Question

Americans gave nearly $300 billion away last year. Do you know the reason? Beyond the noble goals of helping others, it is that giving will make them happier.

It is a fact that givers are happier people than non-givers. According to the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, a survey of 30,000 American households, people who give money to charity are 43% more likely than non-givers to say they are “very happy” about their lives. Similarly, volunteers are 42% more likely to be very happy then non-volunteers.

The happiness difference between givers and non-givers is not due to differences in their personal characteristics, such as income or religion. Imagine two people who are identical in terms of income and faith, as well as age, education, politics, sex, and family circumstances, but one donates money and volunteers, while the other does not. The giver will be, on average, over 40 percentage points more likely to be very happy than the non-givers.

A number of studies have researched exactly why charity leads to happiness. The surprising conclusion is that giving affects our brain chemistry. For example, people who give often report feelings of euphoria, which psychologists have referred to as the “Helper’s High”. They believe that charitable activity produces a very mild version of the sensations people get from drugs like morphine and heroin.

Of course, not only does giving increase our happiness, but also our happiness increases the possibility that we will give. Everyone prefers to give more when they are happy. Researchers have investigated this by conducting experiments in which people are asked about their happiness before and after they participate in a charitable activity, such as volunteering to help children or serving meals to the poor. The result is clear that giving has a strong, positive causal impact on our happiness, so does happiness on giving

1.According to Paragraph 2. We can learn that .

A. only those people who gave money to charity will be happy

B. more givers say they feel having happy lives than non-givers

C. those who donate money are happier than those who volunteer

D. 42% of the volunteers say they are as happy as the non-volunteers

2.What causes the happiness difference?

A. Income. B. Faith.

C. Education. D. Donation.

3.The underlined word “euphoria” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to .

A. relaxation B. uncertainty

C. nervousness D. pleasure

4.If a person feels happy, he may .

A. ask for more donations

B. stop charitable activity

C. be likely to give more

D. cook food for the poor

5.Which of the following is the main theme of this passage?

A. Giving brings happiness.

B. Americans love donating.

C. The happiness difference.

D. Feelings of volunteers.

Answer 1

1.B

2.D

3.D

4.C

5.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要讲述了，为他人付出能使人感到幸福。在背景相同的人中，进行捐赠和做自愿者工作的人比那些不做的人更幸福。为他人付出不紧能使自己感到幸福，而且越幸福就会就会越乐意为他人付出，这是个相互促进的过程。

1.第二自然段“people who give money to charity are 43% more likely than non-givers to say they are “very happy” about their lives.”意思是向慈善机构捐钱而感到幸福的人比那些什么都不做而感觉不到幸福的人多43%。故选择B。

2.】细节理解题。第三自然段“one donates money and volunteers, while the other does not. The giver will be, on average, over 40 percentage points more likely to be very happy than the non-givers.”意思是一个人做捐赠，另一个不做。因捐赠而感到幸福的人比不做捐赠的而感觉不到幸福的人平均多40%。故选择D。

3. who give often report feelings of euphoria”意思是做捐赠的人通常有“euphoria”感，而前文提到做捐赠的人更快乐幸福，所以“euphoria”意思是快乐、幸福。故选择D。

4.细节理解题。最后一自然段“not only does giving increase our happiness, but also our happiness increases the possibility that we will give.”意思是捐赠不仅能增加我们的幸福感，而且能让我们更乐意去捐赠。故选择C。

5. result is clear that giving has a strong, positive causal impact on our happiness, so does happiness on giving”翻译为结果是显然的，捐赠能提高人的幸福感，感到幸福的人会做更多的捐赠。故选择A。

考点：考查议论文阅读。