2014年英语二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 fulfilment, she could do worse than read “Happy Money” by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton.

如果你有5.9亿美元，你会怎么做？这个问题困扰着84岁的寡妇Gloria MacKenzie，因为最近在她那佛罗里达州的小铁皮屋顶房子里发现了一张有史以来最大的彩票头奖。但如果她希望她新得到的财富会让她产生持久的满足感，她可能需要读读Elizabeth Dunn和Michael Norton合著的《快乐理财》。

These two academics use an array of behavioural 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(随着时间的流逝)—as stories or memories—particularly if they involve feeling more connected to others.

这两位学者在书中他们引用了一系列的行为学研究向读者表明最受益的消费方式可能具有反直觉性质.财富给人的感觉经常会意味着豪车和峭壁旁的富宅。不过，这些物质采购带来的满足感会很快消失。曾经让人兴奋和带来新奇的东西到手之后不过就像是老旧的礼帽；懊恼悄然而至。远不如把钱花在生活体验上，Ms Dunn和Mr Norton说道，比如说旅行，特别的膳食及去电影院看电影。随着时间的流逝，这些体验往往会变得珍贵--成为人们的故事或记忆-如果其中包含了情感故事则更是这样。

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没翻译这括号里面的话了,应该简单). 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.

无论你是工资的奴仆，还是彩票的幸运儿在这本薄薄的书，都能让你获得“金钱带来的快乐大爆发”。如果人们能够缩短他们的工作时间和看电视的时间而花更多的时间跟朋友和家人在一起会让他们的生活的品质更高。买礼物或捐助慈善机构往往会比给自己买东西更让人觉得开心。购买限售版奢侈品会让消费者更开心。这显然是麦当劳为什么限制受欢迎的烤汁猪排堡的出售量的原因--这个营销手段使人们为猪肉三明治着迷。

Readers of “Happy Money” are clearly a privileged lot, anxious about fulfilment, 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.

《快乐财富》的读者显然是生活富足的人，他们考虑的是生活的满足感而不是饥饿。金钱可能不能买到快乐，但是在更富裕国家的人们一般比贫穷国家的人们快乐。不过，不管是在富裕的国家还是贫穷的国家，感觉良好和消费在其他人身上的联系随处可见。对大多数人来说，稀缺性提升了很多事情的快乐。并不是每个人都同意笔者在从安排更多的度假时间到减少税收刺激美国购房者的观点。但是读完这本书，大多数的人会觉得它值得购买。

（自己翻译的，不准确不要怪，找不到翻译）

21.According to Dumn and Norton, which of the following is the most rewarding purchase?具体信息题

　[A] A big house不符合Yet satisfaction with these material purchases wears off fairly quickly.

　[B] A special tour 正确选项，对应It is far better to spend money … like interesting trips

　[C] A stylish car 同A

　[D] A rich meal 不符合unique meals

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

                                                          态度题

　[A] critical 对应原文It seems most people would be better off if they … and less of it watching television (something the average American spends a whopping two months a year doing, and is hardly jollier for it)

　[B] supportive

　[C] sympathetic

　[D] ambiguous

23.Macrib is mentioned in paragraph 3 to show that __________.

                                                        逻辑题 -- 事例题

　[A] consumers are sometimes irrational 来源有误—过度推理

　[B] popularity usually comes after quality来源有误—过度推理

　[C] marketing tricks are effective 强干扰项— 逻辑有误 — 对应原文为题干的解释信息，并非是被题干解释的信息

　[D] rarity generally increases pleasure 对应原文luxuries are most enjoyable when they are consumed sparingly（节俭地），其中rarity对应consume sparingly，若果不知道sparingly的含义，可从其解释信息restricts the availability（限制供应量）中体会出，此外increases pleasure对应most enjoyable.

24. According to the last paragraph, Happy Money __________. 段落信息题

　[A] has left much room for readers’ criticism 含义扩大，夸大了原文Not everyone will agree with the authors’ policy ideas, which …，同时作为积极的书评，不可能在文尾完全否定全文。

　[B] may prove to be a worthwhile purchase 对应原文But most people will come away from this book believing it was money well spent

　[C] has predicted a wider income gap in the us 含义不符，或信息部分来源有误，曲解了原文 …rich and poor people around the world …

　[D] may give its readers a sense of achievement 强干扰项 – 逻辑有误，原文Readers …, anxious about fulfilment是看书的原因，不是结果

25.This text mainly discusses how to __________. 主旨题

　[A] balance feeling good and spending money 对应细节，且含义不符

　[B] spend large sums of money won in lotteries 对应细节，且信息部分来源有误，过度推理

　[C] obtain lasting satisfaction from money spent 概括全文，是书《快乐地花钱》的主题

　[D] become more reasonable in spending on luxuries 对应细节，且含义不符