【小阅读^大脑袋】0528 NO.369

Over the last 70 years, researchers have been studying happy and unhappy people and finally found out ten factors that make a difference. Our feelings of well-being at any moment are determined to a certain degree by genes. However, of all the factors, wealth and age are the top two.

Money can buy a degree of happiness. But once you can afford to feed, clothes and house yourself, each extra dollar makes less and less difference.

Researchers find that, on average, wealthier people are happier. But the link between money and happiness is complex. In the past half-century, average income has sharply increased in developed countries, yet happiness levels have remained almost the same. Once your basic needs are met, money only seems to increase happiness if you have more than your friends, neighbors and colleagues.

“Dollars buy status, and status makes people feel better,” conclude some experts, which helps explain why people who can seek status in other ways--scientists or actors, for example-may happily accept relatively poorly-paid jobs.

In a research, Professor Alex Michalos found that the people whose desires--not just for money, but for friends, family, job, health--rose furthest beyond what they already had, tended to be less happy than those who felt a smaller gap. Indeed, the size of the gap predicted happiness about five times better than income alone. “The gap measures just blow away the only measures of income.” says Michalos.

Another factor that has to do with happiness is age. Old age may not be so bad “Given all the problems of aging, how could the elderly be more satisfied？”asks Professor Laura Carstensen.

In one survey, Carstensen interviewed 184 people between the ages of 18 and 94, and asked them to fill out an emotions questionnaire. She found that old people reported positive emotions just as often as young people. Some scientists suggest older people may expect life to be harder and learn to live with it, or they’re more realistic about their time running out, older people have learned to focus on things that make them happy and let go of those that don’t.

“People realize not only what they have, but also that what they have cannot last forever,” she says. “A goodbye kiss to a husband or wife at the age of 85, for example, may bring far more complex emotional responses than a similar kiss to a boy or girl friend at the age of 20.”
ACA
答案解析：
1. According to the passage, the feeling of happiness .
A. is determined partly by genes
B. increases gradually with age
C. has little to do with wealth
D. is measured by desires
解析：A正确
B,随着年龄增长逐渐增加。年龄的增长包括各阶段，大人比孩子快乐吗？不尽然。所以这个选项的跨度太大，不正确。
C，与年龄没有多少关系。年龄是影响快乐的因素之一哦。
D．由欲望的多少来衡量。文章谈到人类的欲望是在第四段，而这一段主要说的是欲望与现实的差距会影响人类的快乐。关键词是gap。
A．在第一段就出现对应的部分：Our feelings of well-being at any moment are determined to a certain degree by genes。

2. Some actors would like to accept poorly-paid jobs because the jobs .
A. make them feel much better
B. provide chances to make friends
C. improve their social position
D. satisfy their professional interests
解析：C正确
一些演员愿意接受收入微薄的工作是因为这个工作怎么样？
这些人是在seek status in other ways，而status就是人在社会中的地位。所以并不是这些工作本身让他们高兴，而是工作所带来的身份让他们感觉良好，这题的A容易误选。

3. Professor Alex Michalos found that people feel less happy if .
A. the gap between reality and desire is bigger
B. they have a stronger desire for friendship
C. their income is below their expectation
D. the hope for good health is greater
解析：A正确
亚历克斯•麦克罗斯发现人们什么情况下会不快乐？
从第四段找到：the people whose desires……rose furthest beyond what they already had, tended to be less happy than those who felt a smaller gap,也就是欲望与现实之间差距越大的人越感觉不到快乐。
其他选项的友谊，收入，健康都是包含在欲望之中的。

参考译文：
在过去的70年中，研究者研究了快乐和不快乐的人，终于找出了造成他们之间差异的十个因素。我们的幸福感在某些程度上受基因决定。然而，在所有的因素中，财富和年龄居于前两位。

金钱可以买来一定程度的快乐。但是一旦你能够承担自己的衣食住行，每一份多出的钱所带来的改变也越来越少。

研究者发现，平均来看，越富有的人越快乐。但是金钱和快乐之间的联系是复杂的。近半个世纪里，发达国家人均收入急剧增长，而快乐指数几乎没变。当你的基本需求得到满足了，似乎只有在你的钱比朋友，邻居和同事更多的情况下才会增加快乐。

“钱可以买身份，身份让人感觉更快乐，”一些专家总结道。这也就解释了为什么人用其他方式寻找身份——科学家或者演员，举个例子——会高兴地接受一份收入相对微薄的工作。

在一项研究中，亚历克斯•麦克罗斯教授发现这样的人，他们的欲望——不仅仅是对金钱，也对朋友，家庭，工作，健康——与他们实际已经拥有的差距过大。他们没有那些觉得差距小的人快乐。的确，预示着快乐的差距大小的影响力大约要比单纯的收入高出5倍。“这些差距驱散了收入带来的快乐，” 麦克罗斯说。

与快乐有关的另一个因素就是年龄。年老没有什么不好的。“衰老会有非常多的问题，老年人为何还能容易满足呢？” 劳拉•卡斯滕森教授问道。

在一项调查中，卡斯滕森访问了年龄介于18岁至94岁的184个人，让他们填好一份情感问卷。她发现老年人反映出了和年轻人一样的积极的情绪。一些科学家 思考老年人也许知道生活艰难，学会了适应生活，或者他们随着时间的逝去变得更加的实际。老年人学会去关注能让他们开心的事情，忘记不好的事情。

“人们不仅意识到他们拥有了什么，也会知道他们不能永远拥有某些东西，”她说，“例如，两位85岁的老年夫妻的临别之吻或许要比20岁的年轻夫妻的蕴含更加复杂深刻的情感。”

词汇及短语：
make a difference: 有影响，有关系
well-being: 康乐,安康;福利
questionnaire: 调查表,问卷
blow away: (使)吹掉
measures:n. 尺寸;分量;程度;限度;分寸