Question

【題目】When asked about happiness, we usually think of something extraordinary, an absolute delight, which seems to get rarer the older we get.

For kids, happiness has a magical quality. Their delight at winning a race or getting a new bike is unreserved (毫不掩飾的).

In the teenage years the concept of happiness changes. Suddenly it’s conditional on such things as excitement, love and popularity. I can still recall the excitement of being invited to dance with the most attractive boy at the school party.

In adulthood the things that bring deep joy — love, marriage, birth — also bring responsibility and the risk of loss. For adults, happiness is complicated.

My definition of happiness is “the capacity for enjoyment”. The more we can enjoy what we have, the happier we are. It’s easy to overlook the pleasure we get from the company of friends, the freedom to live where we please, and even good health.

I experienced my little moments of pleasure yesterday. First I was overjoyed when I shut the last lunch-box and had the house to myself. Then I spent an uninterrupted morning writing, which I love. When the kids and my husband came home, I enjoyed their noise after the quiet of the day.

Psychologists tell us that to be happy we need a mix of enjoyable leisure time and satisfying work. I don’t think that my grandmother, who raised 14 children, had much of either. She did have a network of close friends and family, and maybe this is what satisfied her.

We, however, with so many choices and such pressure to succeed in every area, have turned happiness into one more thing we’ve got to have. We’re so self-conscious about our “right” to it that it’s making us miserable. So we chase it and equal it with wealth and success, without noticing that the people who have those things aren’t necessarily happier.

Happiness isn’t about what happens to us — it’s about how we see what happens to us. It’s the skillful way of finding a positive for every negative. It’s not wishing for what we don’t have, but enjoying what we do possess.

【1】As people grow older, they .

A. associate their happiness less with others B. feel it harder to experience happiness

C. will take fewer risks in pursuing happiness D. tend to believe responsibility means happiness

【2】What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 5 and 6?

A. She cares little about her own health. B. She enjoys the freedom of traveling.

C. She is easily pleased by things in daily life. D. She prefers getting pleasure from housework.

【3】What can be inferred from Paragraph 7?

A. Psychologists think satisfying work is key to happiness.

B. Psychologists’ opinion is well proved by Grandma’ case.

C. Grandma often found time for social gatherings.

D. Grandma’s happiness came from modest expectations of life.

【4】What can be concluded from the passage?

A. Happiness lies between the positive and the negative.

B. Each man is the master of his own fate.

C. Happy is he who is content.

D. Success leads to happiness.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】 B

【2】 C

【3】 D

【4】 C

【解析】

本文是一篇議論文，文章討論了什么是幸福？幸福不是希望得到自己所沒(méi)有的東西，而是享受自己已經(jīng)擁有的東西。也就是說(shuō)幸福的人是那些對(duì)自己已經(jīng)擁有的事物感覺(jué)滿意的人。

【1】推理判斷題。根據(jù)第一段“When asked about happiness, we usually think of something extraordinary, an absolute delight, which seems to get rarer the older we get.”可知幸福是一種快樂(lè)，我們?cè)嚼线@種快樂(lè)就原少。也就是說(shuō)人們?cè)嚼�，越難以體驗(yàn)到幸福。故B項(xiàng)正確。

【2】推理判斷題。根據(jù)第五段前兩句“My definition of happiness is “the capacity for enjoyment”. The more we can enjoy what we have, the happier we are.”可知作者對(duì)幸福的定義是快樂(lè)的能力，對(duì)于自己擁有的東西越是喜歡，我們?cè)绞强鞓?lè)。再根據(jù)第六段所列舉事例可知生活中一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)的小事都可以讓作者非�？鞓�(lè)。說(shuō)明作者對(duì)生活中的事情非常容易滿足。故C項(xiàng)正確。

【3】推理判斷題。根據(jù)第七段前兩句“Psychologists tell us that to be happy we need a mix of enjoyable leisure time and satisfying work. I don’t think that my grandmother, who raised 14 children, had much of either.”可知心理學(xué)家認(rèn)為要想幸福我們需要奢侈的時(shí)間和令人滿意的工作，而作者的奶奶的幸福與之相反，第一句中提到的這兩種東西她都沒(méi)有，她也很幸福。說(shuō)明她的幸福來(lái)自生活中最樸素的東西。故D項(xiàng)正確。

【4】推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章最后一句“It’s not wishing for what we don’t have, but enjoying what we do possess.”可知幸福不是希望得到自己所沒(méi)有的東西，而是享受自己已經(jīng)擁有的東西。也就是說(shuō)幸福的人是那些對(duì)自己已經(jīng)擁有的事物感覺(jué)滿意的人。故C項(xiàng)正確。