Question

Rainy days don’t have to get you down, a happiness expert has claimed.

Paul Dolan, Professor of Behavioral Science at the London School of Economics, said that people only feel miserable in bad weather because they think about it too much. Studies have shown that people who live in warm, sunny climates are no happier than those in chilly, wet climates, he says.

So the British talking about the weather may be making us gloomier（沮丧的） than the weather itself.

He said: “A study was done that measured the happiness levels of people in California compared to the North West.

“They expected that people in California would be happier because it is more sunny, but they found that levels of happiness were exactly the same.

“If it is sunny every day you get used to it and the sunshine doesn’t make you any happier.

“Most of the time the weather doesn’t affect our well-being at all. But when we think about it, and think that it does, that’s when we get miserable.”

In his new book, Happiness By Design, Dolan argues that we can think ourselves happy by taking our attention away from what makes us sad.

“Most of our anxieties come from what might be,” he argues. “If you want to be happier, pay attention to the things that make you feel good.”

He also claimed that a problem shared was not always a problem halved. He claimed that humans are actually very good at being able to get over tragedy and loss.

Professor Dolan also admitted for the first time that he had a stammer（口吃）, which had made his early life miserable. He claimed it only got better when he learned not to pay attention to his speech problem.

“Things are never as bad as you imagine them being,” he said.

1.What does the underlined word “miserable” in the second paragraph mean?

A. Good.      B. Unhappy.

C. Cheerful.  D. Confident.

2.People in California ___________ compared to people in the North West.

A. are much happier

B. can’t enjoy sunny days

C. are more used to sunny days

D. have lower levels of happiness

3.What is Dolan’s suggestion for being happy?

A. Don’t think too much about yourself.

B. Don’t focus on what makes you sad.

C. Avoid comparing yourself to others.

D. Avoid doing many miserable things.

4.Where could this passage have been taken from?

A. A report.  B. A notice.

C. A poster.  D. A questionnaire.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.B

4.A

【解析】

试题分析:根据专家，下雨天不一定会让你沮丧，本文通过几个例子，说明有些事情表面看起来没有那么糟糕。

1.B词义猜测题。根据Paul Dolan, Professor of Behavioral Science at the London School of Economics, said that people only feel miserable in bad weather because they think about it too much.可知因为人们太关注于坏天气才会感到不开心，选B。

2.C事实细节题。根据短文“A study was done that measured the happiness levels of people in California compared to the North West. “They expected that people in California would be happier because it is more sunny,可知加利福尼亚的人比西北的人在晴天更快乐，更适合呆在晴天，故选C。

3.B事实细节题。根据In his new book, Happiness By Design, Dolan argues that we can think ourselves happy by taking our attention away from what makes us sad.可知他建议我们不要太过关注于让我们伤心的事，故选B。

4.

考点：考查社会现象类短文阅读