Question

  Most,if not all,Chinese are financially better off thanks to over 30 years of reform and opening up. But are we any happier?

  Various surveys and rankings attempt to answer this question.

  Though sociologists have presented varying percentages based on different criteria,their answers tend to find we are generally happier,and the number of optimists rises each year.

  But each survey reveals a worrisome fact that a sizable portion,10 percent at the lowest,of respondents were not content with their lives or not hopeful about the future.

  We cannot be content with the fact that at least 130 million of our countrymen are not happy.

  Although a sense of happiness remains a luxury for many of our compatriots because of poverty,we agree financial wellbeing is not the sole determinant of happiness.

  For most of us,except the extremely rich and naturally born optimists,there simply are too many variables that may kill the feeling of happiness.

  These include,but are not limited to,rising housing prices,tight and instable job market,backbreaking schooling expenses and medical bills. 

  The most common one,however,is a low sense of security.

  An eyecatching characteristic of our economy is its high savings rate,at 46 percent now.

  Explaining the rise in savings and drop in spending in their city,Beijing municipal statisticians pointed that in the low-and-middle-income group there was too much uncertainty regarding employment,income,housing,medical situations,and education.

  How can you feel happy when you always have to brace ( = prepare) yourself for the unexpected?

  It may be beyond the government's reach,to guarantee higher income for every citizen. But it does have a burden to create an environment where all citizens can feel a reasonable level of security.

  There was an inclusive '* safety network" when the government encouraged officials to leave public offices in 1980s in attempts to downsize public service. The idea was to offer officials secure pay and benefits so they would not have to worry about guarantees after their departure from positions of power.

  It is time the government displayed similar creativity and resolve to address a much larger sense of uncertainty.

(   ) 1. The underlined word "burden" in the passage means         .

   A. a heavy load

   B. a duty or responsibility

   C. the main theme of an article

   D. capacity

(   ) 2. According to the passage,the reason that most people involved in the surveys feel unhappy is that         .

   A. they are faced with financial problems

   B. they are not naturally born optimists

   C. they are lack of sense of security

   D. they are bothered by the rising prices

(   ) 3. From the passage,we know that the high savings rate shows that        .

   A. life for most Chinese is no longer a daily struggle for basic necessities

   B. the country's social security system is incomplete

   C. the public are too busy to spend

   D. it is not easy to change this traditional custom

(   ) 4. The writer offers the example of "safety network" is to show        .

   A. the officials in China can enjoy better social welfare

   B. the advantages of a policy

   C. a way to solve the problem mentioned above

   D. it is not necessary for most people to worry about their future

Answer 1

1. B从本句中的But可推出此处指一种职责。A、D项为部分概念。

2. C从文中The most common one,however,is a low sense of security可知。

3. B从下一段可知高存款率表明人们缺乏安全感，这说明社会保障体系不完善。

4. C从下文可知。