According to researchers, money can buy happiness, but only if you spend it on someone else.
Spending as little as $5 a day on someone else could significantly bring you happiness, the team at the University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School found.
Their experiments on more than 630 Americans showed they were measurably(适度地) 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(慈善机构).
"Regardless of 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(调查)16 employees at a company in Boston before and after they received an annual profit-sharing bonus(奖金) of between $3,000 and $8,000.
"Employees who devoted more of their bonus to pro-social(有益社会的) spending experienced greater happiness after receiving the bonus, and the manner in which they spent that bonus was a more important predictor(预示) 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 alterations(改动) in spending allocations(分配) --- as little as $5 --- may be enough to produce real gains in happiness on a given day," Dunn said.According to the passage,_____________.
A.the more money you spend on others, the happier you are |
B.spending money on others can bring you happiness |
C.Elizabeth Dunn is a psychologist from Harvest Business School |
D.six hundred volunteers took part in the experiment |
The 16 employees mentioned in the passage _________.
A.were given clear instructions on how to spend the bonus |
B.had more happiness than the size of the bonus itself |
C.experienced greater happiness after receiving their bonus |
D.felt happier after they contributed much of the bonus to charities |
Dunn’s statement suggested that ______________.
A.those who spent money on others felt happier no matter how much they earned |
B.those who spent more money on themselves felt happier |
C.people thought spending money could make themselves happier |
D.the money spent was as important as the money earned |
The best title of this passage is ___________.
A.Experiment on Money Spending |
B.Devoting Your Money to Charities |
C.Spending Money on Others Makes One Happier |
D.Bonus and Pro-social Spending |
Lost Cat Please help me to find our cat. His name is Fluff and he’s a Persian cat. The photo is an old one—Fluff is bigger now. Fluff went missing from our home on Christmas Day of 2011. If you find him, please phone me at 91843568. I’m Jack Lim and my address is: 32 Lavender Lane, Singapore 532981. Reward for finding Fluff: $ 50.00 |
The name of the cat is ______.
A.Persian | B.Fluff | C.Lavender | D.Jack |
If you find the cat, you can call its owner at ______.
A.532981 | B.918435 | C.91843568 | D.84356891 |
This passage is most probably from a ______.
A.map | B.dictionary | C.guidebook | D.newspaper |
Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big problem lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there's no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit(成套设备) and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.
It wasn't long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: ''If those old people next – door hadn't mattered so much to me, I wouldn't have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened.''Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?
A.Because she didn't want others to hear her play |
B.Because she didn't mean to disturb others. |
C.Because she didn't have her own room |
D.Because she didn’t like her neighbors. |
Brenda started to give concerts _______.
A.after she practiced in her space bubble |
B.when she became part of the unique space journey |
C.after she became a real musical astronaut |
D.when people came to see her in the space bubble |
Brenda became famous because _______.
A.she was good at music and science |
B.she became a real musical astronaut |
C.she invented a special way of practice |
D.she played well and had a talent |
Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?
A.Kind, hardworking and clever |
B.Brave, kind and hardworking. |
C.Lovely, brave and kind |
D.Nervous, kind and clever. |
It can be inferred from the text that: " _______".
A.He laughs best who laughs last |
B.It's never too old to learn |
C.Two heads are better than one |
D.One good turn deserves another |
What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt(收据)? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion(蒲公英) standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that l already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; My dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling (卷曲的)black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was.
A.doing shopping | B.having a debate |
C.leaving for Wyoming | D.reading a message |
The author's inspiration for the gift came from .
A.a photo of a flower | B.a story about a kid |
C.a call from the mother | D.a text about Christmas |
The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by _.
A.the father | B.the author |
C.Edgar Allan Poe | D. William Blake |
The author made the gift by.
A.searching for the poems online |
B.drawing the background by hand |
C.painting the letters in three colors |
D.matching the words with pictures |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To show how to design images for gifts |
B.To suggest making gifts from one's heart. |
C.To explain how computers help create gifts |
D.To describe the gifts the author has received. |
Everybody has one of those days when everything goes wrong. This is what happened to Harry.
He got up one morning very late because he had forgotten to wind up his alarm clock(闹钟). He tried to shave(刮脸)quickly and cut himself. When he got dressed he got blood all over his clean shirt, so he had to find another one. The only other shirt that was clean needed ironing(熨), so he ironed it. While he was ironing it, there was a knock at the door. It was the man to read the electricity meter(表). He showed him where the meter was, said good-bye and found that the iron had burnt a hole in his shirt. So he had to wear the one with the blood on it after all. By this time it was very late, so he decided he couldn’t go to work by bus. He telephoned for a taxi to take him to work. The taxi arrived and Harry got in and began to read the newspaper.
In another part of the town, a man had killed a woman with a knife and was seen to run away in a taxi. When Harry’s taxi stopped outside his office, a policeman happened to be standing there. He saw the blood on Harry’s shirt, and took him to the police station. He was kept till 3 o’clock in the afternoon before the police were sure that he was not the man they wanted. When he finally arrived at the office at about four, his boss took a look at him and told him to go away and find another job.Harry had.
A.a lucky day | B.an unlucky day | C.a busy day | D.a good day |
Put the following sentences into correct order according to the passage.
a. The man who read the electricity meter came.
b. Harry ironed his shirt.
c. Harry got blood all over his clean shirt
d. There was a knock at the door.
e. Harry wore the shirt with blood on it.
A.a, b, c, d, e | B.b, a, d, c, e |
C.b, a, c, d, e | D.c, b, d, a, e |
Why did Harry wear the shirt with blood on it?
A.The iron had burnt a hole in his clean shirt |
B.The only other needed ironing. |
C.He had only one shirt |
D.He cut himself and got blood all over his shirt. |
Harry was taken to the police station because.
A.his taxi stopped outside his office and a policeman happened to be there |
B.there was blood on his shirt and he was in a taxi |
C.a man killed a woman with a knife |
D.the murderer was seen to run away in a taxi |
His boss told him to go away and find another job because.
A.he had been kept by the police |
B.there was blood on his shirt |
C.he was late for work |
D.he had killed a woman |
Isn’t it cool to surf (冲浪) in summer? You catch a wave and enjoy the ride. Surfing is not only our favorite sport, though. A group of penguins (企鹅) enjoy the sport as much as we do. And they show their excitement and skills in the new animated film —Surf`s Up, which came out on June 6, in the US.
Cody loves the sport. Cody’s idol (偶像) is Big Z, a great penguin surfing king. Cody doesn’t like his brother and his mother who are not supportive. He really wants to get away. Cody believes that winning a surfing competition will bring him admiration and respect. When Mikey Abromowitz, a talent scout (侦察员), comes to Antarctica to look for talented penguins for a surfing competition, Cody’s really excited, but during his show there are no waves and he doesn’t make it. But he knows he can’t give up. He runs after Mikey’s whale and begs until Mikey agrees to take him.
There Cody meets Lani, the island’s beautiful lifeguard, as well as his main rival (对手), the surfing champion Evans. The cocky Evans shows no respect for Big Z, which makes Cody angry. For this, he challenges Evans to a surfing match, only to suffer a terrible defeat.
Lani takes Cody to the island doctor. As they spend time together, Cody realizes that this doctor is really Big Z himself. When he learns this, Cody begs him to train him and make him a better surfer.
Cody begins to find his own way. Cody improves his skills with the help of Big Z and discovers that a true winner isn’t always the one who comes in first.The passage mainly tells us ______.
A.that winning can bring you good luck and respect |
B.how a penguin can be a good surfer |
C.about a new animated film —Surf`s Up |
D.about the life of a teenage penguin called Cody |
Which of the following statements about Big Z is NOT true?
A.He is a great penguin surfing king. |
B.He doesn’t help Cody with surfing although Cody begs him. |
C.He works as a doctor after he leaves surfing. |
D.He is loved by the teenage penguin Cody. |
The underlined part “doesn’t make it” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_______”.
A.feels very sad | B.can’t breathe freely |
C.is not successful | D.can’t continue surfing |
Which of the following statements about Cody is NOT true?
A.He likes surfing and lives in Antarctica. |
B.He thinks winning will win him the respect of others at first. |
C.He gets along well with his brother and his mother. |
D.He is defeated by Evans in a surfing match. |