What would you do with $590m? This is now a question for Gloria Mackenzie, an 84-year-old widow who recently emerged from her small, tin-roofed house in Florida to collect the biggest undivided lottery jackpot in history. If she hopes her new-found fortune will yield lasting feelings of fulfillment, she could do worse than read Happy Money by Elizabeth Dumn and Michael Norton.
These two academics use an array of behavioral research to show that the most rewarding ways to spend money can be counterintuitive. Fantasies of great wealth often involve visions of fancy cars and extravagant homes. Yet satisfaction with these material purchases wears off fairly quickly. What was once exciting and new becomes old-hat; regret creeps in. It is far better to spend money on experiences, say Ms. Dunn and Mr. Norton, like interesting trips, unique meals or even going to the cinema. These purchases often become more valuable with time—as stories or memories—particularly if they involve feeling more connected to others.
This slim volume is packed with tips to help wage slaves as well as lottery winners get the most “happiness bang for your buck. ” It seems most people would be better off if they could shorten their commutes to work, spend more time with friends and family and less of it watching television ( something the average American spends a whopping two months a year doing, and is hardly jollier for it). Buying gifts or giving to charity is often more pleasurable than purchasing things for oneself, and luxuries are most enjoyable when they are consumed sparingly. This is apparently the reason McDonald’s restricts the availability of its popular McRib---a marketing trick that has turned the pork sandwich into an object of obsession.
Readers of Happy Money are clearly a privileged lot，anxious about fulfillment, not hunger. Money may not quite buy happiness, but people in wealthier countries are generally happier than those in poor ones. Yet the link between feeling good and spending money on others can be seen among rich and poor people around the world, and scarcity enhances the pleasure of most things for most people. Not everyone will agree with the authors’ policy ideas, which range from mandating more holiday time to reducing tax incentives for American homebuyers. But most people will come away from this book believing it was money well spent.
1.According to Dumn and Norton, which of the following is the most rewarding purchase?
2.The author’s attitude toward Americans’ watching TV is （ ）.
3.McRib is mentioned in paragraph 3 to show that （ ）.
4.According to the last paragraph, Happy Money （ ）.
5.This text mainly discusses how to（ ）.
问题1选项
A.A big house.
B.A special tour.
C.A stylish car.
D.A rich meal.
问题2选项
A.critical
B.supportive
C.sympathetic
D.ambiguous
问题3选项
A.consumers are sometimes irrational
B.popularity usually comes after quality
C.marketing tricks are often effective
D.rarity generally increases pleasure
问题4选项
A.has left much room for readers’ criticism
B.may prove to be a worthwhile purchase
C.has predicted a wider income gap in the US
D.may give its readers a sense of achievement
问题5选项
A.balance feeling good and spending money
B.spend large sums of money won in lotteries
C.obtain lasting satisfaction from money spent
D.become more reasonable in spending on luxuries
第1题:B
第2题:A
第3题:D
第4题:B
第5题:C
第1题:
【选项释义】
According to Dumn and Norton, which of the following is the most rewarding purchase? 在邓恩与诺顿看来，下列哪种购得品最有意义？
A. A big house. A. 一所大房子。
B. A special tour. B. 一次特别的旅行。
C. A stylish car. C. 一辆时髦的汽车。
D. A rich meal. D. 一顿丰盛的大餐。
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位到原文第二段第五句“邓恩女士和诺顿先生（Ms. Dunn and Mr. Norton）说道，远不如把钱花在‘体验’上，比如说有趣的旅行（interesting trips）、独特的餐食（unique meals），甚至是去看电影”，由此可知，选项B符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
A、C选项不属于邓恩与诺顿的认为的最有意义的花钱方式，属于张冠李戴；
D选项“一顿丰盛的大餐”，与原文提到的“unique meals”不符，属于曲解原文。
第2题:
【选项释义】
The author’s attitude toward Americans’ watching TV is _____. 作者对“美国人看电视”的态度是_____。
A. critical A. 批评的。
B. supportive B. 支持的。
C. sympathetic C. 同情的
D. ambiguous D. 模糊的。
【考查点】观点态度题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位到第三段第二句“似乎大部分人都能通过缩短通勤时间，多陪家人和朋友，少看电视（less of it watching television）（美国人平均竟然有两个月的时间在看电视，却并没有因此更快乐）过得更好（better off）”，由此可知，作者对“美国人看电视”的态度是“批评的”，选项A符合。
【干扰项排除】
B、C、D选项不符合作者的态度，属于曲解原文。
第3题:
【选项释义】
McRib is mentioned in paragraph 3 to show that _____. 第三段提及McRib是为了表明_____。
A. consumers are sometimes irrational A. 消费者有时会不理智
B. popularity usually comes after quality B. 流行往往来自品质
C. marketing tricks are often effective C. 营销策略通常会起效
D. rarity generally increases pleasure D. 稀缺通常会提升愉悦感
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干可定位至第三段第四句：“这”显然是麦当劳限量出售其广受欢迎的烤汁猪排堡的“原因”。而This是指代上文第三句的观点“奢侈品（luxuries）在有节制地（sparingly）消费时才给人以最大的愉悦（most enjoyable）”。所以D项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A、B选项原文没有提及，属于无中生有；
C选项“营销策略通常会起效”，符合文中事实“McRib营销策略大获成功”，但文章不是为了说明“营销”，而是在于“如何花钱获取最大快乐”，该选项属于答非所问。
第4题:
【选项释义】
According to the last paragraph, Happy Money _____. 根据最后一段可知，《快乐金钱》一书_____。
A. has left much room for readers’ criticism A. 给读者留下了许多批评空间
B. may prove to be a worthwhile purchase B. 可能被证实是一笔值得的消费
C. has predicted a wider income gap in the US C. 已经预料到美国更大的收入差距
D. may give its readers a sense of achievement D. 可能会给读者一种成就感
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位到最后一段最后一句“但大部分人读完此书后都会认为，它非常值得购买（money well spent）”，也就是选项B的内容。
【干扰项排除】
A、C、D选项，原文没有提及，属于无中生有。
第5题:
【选项释义】
This text mainly discusses how to _____. 本文主要讨论如何_____。
A. balance feeling good and spending money A. 平衡“感觉良好”和“花钱消费”
B. spend large sums of money won in lotteries B. 花费从彩票中赢得的大笔金钱
C. obtain lasting satisfaction from money spent C. 从所花金钱中得到持久的满足感
D. become more reasonable in spending on luxuries D. 更理性地在奢侈品上花钱
【考查点】主旨大意题。
【解题思路】通读全文，文章对《快乐金钱》一书进行了评价：第一段引出书评对象，接下来两段介绍书中的内容，即《快乐金钱》以“如何使用手中财富才能带来长久的快乐”这个主题，并向人们提出多项建议，最后一段作者表明对该书的总体认同态度。选项C正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项原文没有提及“平衡”幸福感和消费，属于无中生有；
B选项属于文章的一个例子，不是文章主旨，以偏概全；
D选项属于文章针对奢侈品消费的一个建议，不是文章主旨，属于以偏概全。
