Spending as little as $5 a day on someone else could significantly boost happine
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Spending as little as $5 a day on someone else could significantly boost happiness, the team at the University of British Columbia found.
Their experiments on more than 630 Americans showed they were measurably happier when they spent money on others even if they thought spending the money on themselves would make them happier.
“We wanted to test our theory that how people spend their money is at least as important as how much money they earn,” said Elizabeth Dunn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia. They asked their 600 volunteers first to rate their general happiness, report their annual income and detail their monthly spending including bills, gifts for themselves, gifts for others and donations to charity.
“No matter how much income each person made, those who spent money on others reported greater happiness, while those who spent more on themselves did not,” Dunn said in a statement.
Dunn’s team also surveyed 16 employees at a company in Boston before and after they received an annual profit-sharing bonus of between $3,000 and $8,000. “Employees who devoted more of their bonus to prosocial spending experienced greater happiness after receiving the bonus, and the manner in which they spent that bonus was a more important predictor of their happiness than the size of the bonus itself,” they wrote in their report, published in the journal Science.
They gave their volunteers $5 or $20 and half got clear instructions on how to spend it. Those who spent the money on someone or something else reported feeling happier about it.
“These findings suggest that very minor changes in spending allocations-as little as $5 may be enough to produce real gains in happiness on a given day,” Dunn said.
小题1:What is the general idea of the passage? | A．The more you earn, the greater happiness you will get. | | B．Spending more money on yourself will make you happier. | | C．Money can buy happiness, but only if you spend it on someone else. | | D．You can spend only $5 a day on someone else to get happiness. |
小题2:The underlined work “boost” in the first paragraph probably means .| A．help to find | B．help to increase | C．help to bring | D．help to get |
小题3:Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? | A．Those who spend more money on others can get much more bonus. | | B．People usually think spending money on themselves will make them happier. | | C．Very small changes in spending your money may be enough to gain happiness. | | D．Researchers think that how people spend their money is at least as important as how much money they earn. |
小题4:Dunn is .| A．a reporter in a journal | B．a volunteer in the experiment | | C．an employee in a company | D．a psychologist at a university |
小题5:It can be inferred from the 6th paragraph that .| A．the volunteers not given $5 or $20 spent their own money on themselves | | B．those who spent the money on someone or something else felt happier about it | | C．the volunteers were given $5 or $20 as a reward for the experiment | | D．half of the volunteers could spend the money as they liked |
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答案
小题1:C
小题2:B
小题3:A
小题4:D
小题5:D |
解析
试题分析：本文讲述了在别人身上花钱要比花钱在自己身上更让人感觉到幸福。并且用多个实验来证明这个理论。
小题1:C 主旨大意题。根据文章的主题段第一段Spending as little as $5 a day on someone else could significantly boost happiness, the team at the University of British Columbia found.说明在别人身上花钱会让我们感觉更幸福，故C项正确。
小题2:B 根据文章第一段Spending as little as $5 a day on someone else could significantly boost happiness和第二段Their experiments on more than 630 Americans showed they were measurably happier when they spent money on others even if they thought spending the money on themselves would make them happier. 都说明在别人身上花钱会让我们更快乐，那么这个词就应该是指增加的意思。故B正确。
小题3:A 推理题。根据文章第五段Employees who devoted more of their bonus to prosocial spending experienced greater happiness after receiving the bonus, and the manner in which they spent that bonus was a more important predictor of their happiness than the size of the bonus itself说明把花分红的不同方式也决定了我们快乐与否。但是文章并没有在别人身上都花钱的人就能得到分红。故A项说法是错误的。
小题4:D 细节题。根据第三段2,3行said Elizabeth Dunn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia.说明Dunn是一个心理学家，故D项正确。
小题5:D 推断题。根据本段1,2行They gave their volunteers $5 or $20 and half got clear instructions on how to spend it.说明有一半的人如何花钱是有明确的要求的，剩下的另外一半人怎么花钱是没有要求的，可以随便花。故D项说法正确。
点评：本文讲述了在别人身上花钱要比花钱在自己身上更让人感觉到幸福。并且用多个实验来证明这个理论。以推理题和细节题的考查为主，要求考生能够紧密连接上下文，根据题目的要求，仔细阅读选项，进行适当的推理判断，做出准确的判断。 |
举一反三
Can dogs and cats live in perfect harmony in the same home? People who are thinking about adopting a dog as a friend for their cats are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found a new recipe of success. According to the study, if the cat is adopted before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. Two-thirds of the homes interviewed reported a positive relationship between their cat and dog.
However, it wasn’t all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression and fighting were observed in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body signals were just opposite. For example, when a cat turns its head away it signals aggression, while a dog doing the same signals submission.
In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers observed a surprising behavior. They are learning how to talk each other’s language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk ‘dog’, and dogs can learn how to talk ‘cat’.
What’s interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to develop their intelligence. They can learn how to read each other’s body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than we previously suspected. Once familiar with each other’s presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose to nose, and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom (梳理) each other.
The significance of the research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets — to people who don’t get along, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even world superpowers. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.
小题1:The underlined word “swimmingly” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to “without _________”.| A．a message | B．a problem | C．introduction | D．delay |
小题2:Some cats and dogs may fight when _________.| A．they are cold to each other | | B．they look away from each other | | C．they misunderstood each other’s signals | | D．they are introduced at an early age |
小题3:What is found surprising about cats and dogs?| A．They eat and sleep each other. | | B．They observe each other’s behaviors. | | C．They learn to speak each other’s language. | | D．They know something from each other’s voices. |
小题4:It is suggested in Paragraph 4 that cats and dogs _________.| A．have common interests | | B．are less different than was thought | | C．have a common body language | | D．are less intelligent than was expected |
小题5:What can we human beings learn from cats and dogs?| A．We should learn to live in harmony. | | B．We should know more about animals. | | C．We should live in peace with animals. | | D．We should learn more body languages. |
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Here is the Eight O’clock News.
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Chinese people spent about 120 billion yuan during the first three days of the May Golden Week last year. This year it has increased to 140 billion yuan.
The children of Beijing No.2 Middle School sang with students from Toronto in Canada to celebrate the 20th anniversary. They had been sister schools since 1986. They spent about two weeks together in Beijing. They visited the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. They took a lot of photos in Beihai Park.
Have you ever got tired of heavy shopping bags? A new shopping assistant robot which was invented by a Japanese company could be the answer. The helpful robot can follow you around and carry several bags. The robot was tested at a shopping center in February 2006.
About 500 people from different countries were in the 2006 “Rock Paper Scissors (剪刀)” World Match in Canada. This event was founded in 1842. It is said that playing this game is fun, and also a good way to solve problems among people.
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And now it’s time for Morning Music.
小题1:The students from Canada and Beijing No. 2 Middle School didn’t _________.| A．take photos | B．visit places of interest | | C．sing songs | D．have a football match |
小题2:Which of the following is NOT talked about in the news?| A．The robot can help with shopping bags. | | B．A Japanese company invented the robot. | | C．The robot was tested at a shopping centre. | | D．There are such robots in people’s homes now. |
小题3:The underlined word “anniversary” means_________.| A．birthday | | B．yearly return of the date of an event | | C．university | | D．the new beginning of something important |
小题4:Which of the following is a game?| A．Shopping assistant robot. | B．May Golden Week. | | C．Rock Paper Scissors. | D．A visit to the school. |
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Believing overweight among school children is the result of bake sales, the Education Department of New York declared that bake sales will be banned all through the states, as a part of their new “wellness”policy.
The ban gives a harder time to schools tying to earn money，because of budget difficulties. Bake sales have proven to be highly profitable toward schools with young people because the start-up costs are very small. Allie，a Roslyn High School freshman , agrees that bake sales are needed for school supplies.“l think it’s wrong for schools to ban bake sales because a lot of schools need the money to be raised. Our school could really use the money for new uniforms.”Allie also commented on the bake sales apparent cause of child overweight. “I feel that it is the student’s choice to eat the baked goods. lf they want it, let them have it．”Jessica，another Roslyn High School freshman, had a different opinion.“I feel that children can not always stay away from items such as cupcakes. It might be better if the amount of bake sales were limited, and only allowed students to buy one item.”
New York Education advisors are having trouble coming up with substitute product for students to sell. A plan of advertising healthier foods has come into play. However the department needs to consider if students will go for items like vegetables. Allie and Jessica don’t think so.“Students might not like the healthier foods. This way, the schools are gaining less money.”Allie shares. Another plan to think about is the idea of not selling food products altogether. Alternate programs are being conducted throughout New York schools，such as walk-a-thons, as a healthy way for students to earn money for their schools．
小题1:The new “wellness”policy is declared in order to_______．| A．help schools out of budget difficulties | | B．reduce child overweight caused by bake food | | C．help students save money spent on food | | D．reduce the price of bake food sold in schools |
小题2:Which of the following statement about Allie is true? | A．He is rich in experience about the bake sales at schoo1. | | B．He agrees to carry out the bake sales ban at schools. | | C．He attaches great importance to the school"s income. | | D．He attaches too much importance to students" health. |
小题3:According to Jessica, the cupcakes____________| A．Don"t belong to the bake sales | B．Should"t be banned at school | | C．Mustn"t be sold at schools | D．can be fully replaced by vegetables |
小题4:Which is both healthy and profitable way for schools to earn money?| A．The bake sales. | B．The vegetables sales | | C．The walk-a-thons. | D．The food product sales． |
小题5:We can infer from the passage that schools in New York always______.| A．sell baked food to students | B．free students to choose food | | C．find ways to earn money | D．offer chances to earn money |
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When TV news programmers report wars or diseases, the editors rarely use the most horrifying pictures of dead or wounded victims because they don’t want to upset their viewers. Even so, viewers are usually warned in advance that they“may find some of these scenes disturbing”, so they can look away if they choose. But the men and women whose job is to record those scenes, the TV cameramen, have no such choice. It is their duty to witness the horrors of the world and record them, no matter how unpleasant they may be. As a result, it is one of the most dangerous, exposed and emotionally taxing jobs the world has to offer.
Today, the demand for their work is rising. The explosion of satellite broadcasting and 24hour news in recent years has created an almost insatiable（不能满足的）demand for TV information. But major broadcaster sand the TV news agencies（部）, such as Reuters and WTN, have never had enough staff（人员）to meet thje worldwide demand for up-to-date pictures, so increasingly they turn to freelance（自由职业的）TV cameramen.
These freelance cameramen are independent operators tied to no particular organization. They will work for any company which hires them, for just a few hours or for several weeks in a war zone. But if the freelance cameraman is injured in the course of the job, the TV company is not responsible for him. The freelance must survive on his own.
“TV will always need hard, vivid and moving pictures which are fresh, but these companies feel uncomfortable with large numbers of employees on their books.”Explains Nik Cowing, once a foreign editor for Britain’s Channel 4 news and now a BBC news presenter.
“By hiring freelancers, they can buy in the skills they need only when they need them. It also enables them to reduce the risk.”He says.
小题1:In the last sentence of the first paragraph,“taxing”most probably means“ ”.| A．depressing | B．satisfying | | C．demanding | D．encouraging |
小题2:TV news agencies turn to freelance cameramen in order to .| A．save expense and avoid（避免）risks | | B．buy pictures which are the most stimulating（剌激的）to the senses | | C．look for pictures that are of fine qualities | | D．get first-hand information and pictures |
小题3:The freelance cameramen .| A．have better skills than other cameramen | | B．are tied to many TV news agencies | | C．have to take great risks in the course of work | | D．need to reduce risks of work for TV companies |
小题4:It is implied in the passage that .| A．TV cameramen have to witness disasters and killings whether they like them or not | | B．TV cameramen are a special group of people who enjoy horrifying pictures | | C．TV cameramen should be given greater choice of work | | D．the development of TV resulted in the growing demand for TV cameramen’s work |
小题5:The main idea of the first paragraph is .| A．TV programs are reducing the use of horrible pictures of death and wound | | B．it is a requirement of work for TV cameramen to disregard people’s feelings | | C．it is the duty of TV cameramen to record horrifying scenes | | D．TV cameramen’s job is extremely dangerous and emotionally taxing |
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Forest guards in western India are using cell phones with ringtones（手机铃声）of cows mooing, goats bleating and roosters crowing to attract leopards （豹）that have wandered into human settlements, officials said on Monday.
The wild cats in the state of Gujarat often get into villages near forests in search of food, say officials, adding that this results in attacks on people. But rather than use methods such as live bait（活诱饵）like goats tied to trees to lure (引诱) the leopards, which then fall into large pits dug by guards, officials say they have found a safer method to trap the cats.
“The moos of a cow, and bleating of a goat from the phone have proved effective to trap leopards,” said D. Vasani, a senior forest official in Gujarat. “This trick works.” Vasani said forest guards have downloaded the sounds of over a dozen animals as ringtones on their mobiles which they attach to speakers and fix behind a cage. They then play the ringtone continuously for up to two hours until the curious leopard appears and moves into the cage looking for its easy meal.
At least five leopards have so far been lured from villages since the new ringtone method was introduced three months ago. The cats have all been released （释放）back into forest areas.
Wildlife activists welcomed the new initiative (新方案) saying that previous methods of trapping the cats using pits often resulted in the animals getting injured.
小题1:What can be the best title of the passage?| A．Cell Phones to Hunt Animals | B．Practical Uses of Cell Phones | | C．Wildlife And New Technology | D．Phone Ringtones to Catch Leopards |
小题2:Forest guards in India try to catch leopards mainly because _______.| A．leopards attack villagers | B．they want leopard fur | | C．leopards attack animals | D．they have new ringtones |
小题3:According to the wildlife activists, the new method is _______.| A．appreciated because it benefits leopards | B．not good because it may injure animals | | C．effective because ringtones work | D．not safer than the former one |
小题4:We can learn from the passage except that _______.| A．forest guards don’t mean to hurt the leopards | | B．forest guards no longer use pits to trap leopards | | C．forest guards used goats to attract leopards | | D．recorded animal sound are used to lure leopards |
小题5:What will be needed to trap the leopards using the new method?
a. cell phones b. animals c. sounds of animals d. cages e. large pits |
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