Does being rich make you happy? Many studies on happiness give negative answers. Here are some points in being happy.
Basic Human Needs Must Be Met
People whose basic needs for shelter, clothing and food are not met will find it very difficult to feel happy. Of course, there are exceptions, but for most of us, we can only be happy once our basic needs are met.
The Joneses Cannot Be Escaped
People’s happiness is not determined by how much they have, but by how much people around them have. So, we tend to feel happy once our basic needs are met and we have more than the people surrounding us.
This means that while keeping up with the Joneses could be destructive if we let it go too far. It is also part of humana nature to want to feel at least on the same level, financially, as those surrounding us.
You Should Escape The Rat Race
We should know the importance of staying out of the rat race. So yes, you need to work hard, get the education you need to land a good job and work long enough and hard enough to get to a place where you can easily meet your basic needs. What are basic needs? For most middle or upper middle class Americans, basic needs are not very basic anymore.
For most of us, once our basic needs have been met, happiness is achieved when we engage in activities we like, spend time with friends and family and stay active. Making money for the sake of making money does not make people happy.
Ideally, these questions should be answered when you’re still young and just starting out. Don’t wait until your midlife crisis to realize that half your life has passed you by and you’re still unhappy.
小題1:What’s the main idea of the passage?
A．The research on happiness.B．Key points on being happy.
C．What makes people feel unhappy.D．Being rich makes people happy.
小題2:In the view of the author, we know that ______.
A．people need to have a place to live first of all
B．human basic needs are not necessary for being happy
C．human basic needs are fundamental for being happy
D．one will be happy if he has enough money
小題3:What does the underlined phrase”the Joneses” in Paragraph 4 probably stand for?
A．Expensive things.B．Neighbors.
C．Money.D．Richer people.
小題4:From the passage, what is the purpose of people probably to do in “the rat race”?
A．To enjoy their life with family.
B．To get high education for better jobs.
C．To work too hard for money only.
D．To work hard for basic needs.
小題5:What’s the attitude of the author towards the passage?
A．Money is a big problem, but money isn’t everything.
B．The love of money is the root of all evil.
C．Money doesn’t grow on trees.
D．Money is happiness.

小題1:B
小題2:C
小題3:B
小題4:C
小題5:A

試題分析：本文論述了人們對于幸福的不同的理解，滿足人們的生活需要是幸福最基本的保證，其次，人們都愿意與周圍的人相比，愿意比別人持平或者高于他們，再者，有的人辛辛苦苦的勞動為了掙錢，掙得錢很多，也不一定得到了幸福。作者指出錢是重要的，但不是萬能的。
小題1:這是主旨大意題。根據(jù)Here are some points in being happy.故選B。
小題2:這是細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)for most of us, we can only be happy once our basic needs are met.對于大多數(shù)人來說只要滿足了最基本的需要，就是幸福的，故選C。
小題3:這是細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)It is also part of humana nature to want to feel at least on the same level, financially, as those surrounding us.我們要和周圍的人在經(jīng)濟上保持持平，才覺得可以，故選B。
小題4:這是細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)Making money for the sake of making money does not make people happy.努力工作只是為了掙錢，故選C。
小題5:這是作者觀點題。通讀全文可知，為了生活我們必須滿足日常消費，而不要拼命地為了掙錢而掙錢，錢不是一切。根據(jù)You Should Escape The Rat Race可知應選A。
點評：文章的主旨大意即是文章的中心思想。做閱讀理解題首先要明確文章的中心意思，只有明確了中心意思，那么做閱讀理解的試題才能做到游刃有余。閱讀理解的主旨大意題其實主要考查考生把握全文內(nèi)容或理解文章中心思想的能力以及分析歸納文章段落大意、重要情節(jié)、人物特征和寫作特點等方面的能力。文章的主旨大意明確了，若還具備分析長難句的能力，難的試題也會迎刃而解。
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