.Asaprofessorofbusinessandgovernmentpolicy,I’velongbeen...

问题详情：

.

As a professor of business and government policy, I’ve long been interested in the pursuit of happiness as a national concept. According to surveys of thousands of people across the land, happy people are keys to making our nation healthy and strong. Happiness, in other words, is important for America. So when I came across data a couple of years ago saying that certain Americans were living in a manner that contributed to happiness—while others were not—I jumped on it.

I wanted to know which personal lifestyles and public policies would make us the happiest nation possible. I also wanted to know which of my own values, learned during my childhood and practiced during my career as a university professor, were the most concerned with happiness. First, just what is happiness? Most researchers agree that it involves an assessment of the good and bad in our lives. It’s the emotional balance sheet we keep that allows us to say honestly whether we’re living a happy life, in spite of bad things now and then.

You might guess that Americans are getting happier all the time. After all, many are getting richer, and this should make them better able and equipped to follow their dreams. On the other hand, there’s a lot of talk about the good old days, when kids could play outside without any worry about being kidnapped. And there’s a great deal of stress in this country right now, due to financial concerns, negative workplace environments, and health problems, among other pressing issues.

But average happiness levels in America have stayed largely constant for many years. In 1972, 30 percent of the population said they were very happy with their lives. In 1982, 31 percent said so, and in 2006, 31 percent said so as well. The percentage saying they were not too happy was generally stopping over at around 13 percent.

The factors that add up to a happy life for most people are not what we typically hear about. However, the key to happiness, and the difference between happy and unhappy Americans, is a life that reflects values and practices like faith, hard work, marriage, charity, and freedom.

1. The author intends to tell readers　　　.

A. why we need to be happy

B. what we should do for the country

C. how the people are getting happier

D. where the Americans like to stay for happiness

2. According to the text, what is happiness?

A. Our values being accepted by society.

B. The balance of our feelings in any situation.

C. The great material wealth we possess.

D. The contributions we have made for society.

3. From the text we can learn that　　　.

A. the American people are far happier than before

B. all the American people can realize their dreams in life

C. American public security used to be better than now

D. people felt more stressed in the past

4. The underlined word in the fourth paragraph means　　　.

A. growing　　　　B. declining　　　　C. unchanged　　　　D. terrible

5. What will be talked about in the next part of the passage?

A. Winning the lottery can make a person happier.

B. Being offered a good job is the reason for happiness.

C. All kinds of reasons for not being happy.

D. Detailing values and practices like faith, hard work.

【回答】

ABCCD

知识点：*经济文化类阅读

题型：阅读理解