Section II Reading Comprehension

　　PartA

　　Directions:

　　Readthe following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A,B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)

　　Text 1

　　What would you do with590m? This is now a question for Gloria Mackenzie, an 84-year-old widow whorecently emerged from her small, tin-roofed house in Florida to collect thebiggest undivided lottery jackpot in history. If she hopes her new-found fortune will yield lasting feelings of fulfillment, she could do worse than readHappy Money by Elizabeth Dumn and Michael Norton.

　　These two academicsuse an array of behavioral research to show that the most rewarding ways tospend money can be counterintuitive. Fantasies of great wealth often involvevisions of fancy cars and extravagant homes. Yet satisfaction with thesematerial purchases wears off fairly quickly what was once exciting and newbecomes old-hat; regret creeps in. It is far better to spend money onexperiences, say Ms Dumn and Mr Norton, like interesting trips, unique meals oreven going to the cinema. These purchases often become more valuable withtime-as stories or memories-particularly if they involve feeling more connectedto others.

　　This slim volume ispacked 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 betteroff if they could shorten their commutes to work, spend more time with friendsand family and less of it watching television (something the average Americanspends a whopping two months a year doing, and is hardly jollier for it).Buyinggifts or giving to charity is often more pleasurable than purchasing things foroneself, and luxuries are most enjoyable when they are consumed sparingly. Thisis apparently the reason MacDonald's restricts the availability of its popularMcRib - a marketing trick that has turned the pork sandwich into an object ofobsession.

　　Readers of “Happy Money”are clearly a privileged lot, anxious about fulfillment, not hunger. Money maynot quite buy happiness, but people in wealthier countries are generallyhappier than those in poor ones. Yet the link between feeling good and spendingmoney on others can be seen among rich and poor people around the world, andscarcity enhances the pleasure of most things for most people. Not everyonewill agree with the authors’ policy ideas, which range from mandating moreholiday time to reducing tax incentives for American homebuyers. But mostpeople will come away from this book believing it was money well spent.

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

　　[A]Abig house [B]Aspecial tour [C]A stylish car [D]A rich meal

　　22. Theauthor’s attitude toward Americans’ watching TV is________.

　　[A]critical [B]supportive [C]sympathetic [D]ambiguous

　　23. Macrib ismentioned in paragraph 3 to show that_______.

　　[A]consumersare sometimes irrational

　　[B]popularityusually comes after quality

　　[C]marketingtricks are after effective

　　[D]rarity generally increasespleasure

　　24. Accordingto the last paragraph, Happy Money_______.

　　[A]hasleft much room for readers’criticism

　　[B]may prove to be aworthwhile purchase

　　[C]haspredicted a wider income gap in the us

　　[D]maygive its readers a sense of achievement

　　25. This textmainly discusses how to______.

　　[A]balance feeling good andspending money

　　[B]spendlarge sums of money won in lotteries

　　[C]obtainlasting satisfaction from money spent

　　[D]becomemore reasonable in spending on luxuries