Part A: Reading Comprehension

Text 1

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 Dunn 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.

21. According to Dunn and Norton, which of the following is the most rewarding purchase?

[A]

A big house. 

[B]

A special tour. 

[C]

A stylish car. 

[D]

A rich meal. 

22. The author’s attitude toward Americans’ watching TV is

[A]

critical. 

[B]

supportive. 

[C]

sympathetic. 

[D]

ambiguous. 

23. McRib is mentioned in Paragraph 3 to show that

[A]

consumers are sometimes irrational. 

[B]

popularity usually comes after quality. 

[C]

marketing tricks are often effective. 

[D]

rarity generally increases pleasure. 

24. According to the last paragraph, Happy Money

[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 U.S. 

[D]

may give its readers a sense of achievement. 

25. This text mainly discusses how to

[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. 

答案解析 (Answers & Explanations)

21. [B] A special tour.
解析：第二段明确指出，购买豪车和豪宅（物质购买）的满足感会很快消退。两位作者说：“把钱花在体验上要好得多（It is far better to spend money on experiences），比如有趣的旅行（interesting trips）……” 选项B中的“A special tour（一次特别的旅行）”正是对 interesting trips 的同义替换。选项D的 rich meal (丰盛的一餐) 与文中的 unique meals (独特的一餐，侧重体验) 含义不同。

22. [A] critical.
解析：第三段在括号中描述了美国人看电视的现象：“普通美国人每年要花整整两个月的时间看电视，但这几乎没有让他们更快乐（and is hardly jollier for it）”。而且作者建议人们应该“少花时间看电视（spend... less of it watching television）”。可见，作者对美国人沉迷看电视的态度是“批判的（critical）”，选A。

23. [D] rarity generally increases pleasure.
解析：第三段提到麦当劳的 McRib（麦克排骨）是为了例证它前面的一句话：“奢侈品在节制消费时才是最令人愉悦的（luxuries are most enjoyable when they are consumed sparingly）”。麦当劳通过限制供应（restricts the availability），使其成为人们痴迷的对象。这说明“稀缺性增加了愉悦感（rarity generally increases pleasure）”，选D。最后一段也呼应了这一观点：scarcity enhances the pleasure。

24. [B] may prove to be a worthwhile purchase.
解析：最后一段最后一句总结道：“大多数人读完这本书后，会认为这笔钱花得值（most people will come away from this book believing it was money well spent）”。“money well spent（钱花得值）”对应选项B中的“a worthwhile purchase（一次值得的购买）”。

25. [C] obtain lasting satisfaction from money spent.
解析：主旨题。文章第一段引出话题：如何让新财富带来“持久的满足感（lasting feelings of fulfillment）”。接下来全文都在介绍《Happy Money》这本书里的建议：把钱花在体验上（第二段）、缩短通勤/给他人买礼物（第三段）等，这些都是为了回答如何通过花钱获得持久的快乐。因此，文章主要讨论的是“如何从花出去的钱中获得持久的满足感（obtain lasting satisfaction from money spent）”，选C。

核心长难句精解 (High-Light)

1. 虚拟语气与 could do worse than 句型：
"If she hopes her new-found fortune will yield lasting feelings of fulfillment, she could do worse than read Happy Money by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton."
【解析】could do worse than 是一个非常地道的双重否定表肯定的英语短语，字面意思是“她能做的比读这本书更糟的事情有很多”，实际含义是“读这本书是个不错的选择/不妨读读这本书”。

2. 宾语从句的主语也是一个从句：
"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)."
【解析】括号内的内容是对 watching television 的同位语解释。其中，`the average American spends a whopping two months a year doing` 是一个定语从句，修饰 something。`hardly jollier for it` 表示“几乎没有因此而变得更快乐”。

3. 非限制性定语从句：
"Not everyone will agree with the authors’ policy ideas, which range from mandating more holiday time to reducing tax incentives for American homebuyers."
【解析】which 引导非限制性定语从句，修饰前面的 policy ideas。从句中使用了 range from A to B（范围从A到B）的结构，具体说明了这些政策理念的内容（从强制规定更多假期，到减少购房者的税收优惠）。