C
We have to make certain our limited money is well spent. But what should we spend our money on? A 20-year study conducted by Dr. Gilovich, a professor at Cormell University, reached a powerful and straightforward conclusion: don't spend your money on things.
The trouble with things is that the happiness they provide peters out. We get used to new possessions, and what once seemed exciting quickly becomes the norm. We keep raising the bar and always look for an even better one. Possessions, by their nature, cause comparisons. We buy a new car and are thrilled with it until a friend buys a better one—and there's always someone with a better one. Most of us usually assume that the happiness we get from buying something will last as long as the thing itself. It seems intuitive(直觉的) that investing in something we can see, hear, and touch on a permanent basis delivers the best value. But it's not the case at all.
Gilovich has found that experiences deliver more-lasting happiness than things. Experiences become a part of our identity. Everyone's experience is unique. We are not our possessions, but we are the accumulation of everything we've seen, the things we've done, and the places we've been to. “Our experiences are a bigger part of ourselves than our material goods,” said Gilovich. “You can really like your material stuff. You can even think that part of your identity is connected to those things, but they remain separate from you. In contrast, your experiences really are part of you. We are the sum total of our experiences.”
Besides, we don't compare experiences in the same way that we compare things. It's hard to quantify the relative value of any two experiences, which makes them that much more enjoyable. And expectation of an experience causes excitement and enjoyment, while expectation of obtaining a possession causes impatience. Experiences are enjoyable from the very first moments of planning, all the way through to the memories you keep forever. The temporary happiness achieved by buying things can be regarded as “puddles(水坑) of pleasure.” In other words, that kind of happiness evaporates(蒸发) quickly and leaves us wanting more. Things may last longer than experiences, but the memories that remain are what matter most.
8. The underlined phrase “peters out” can be replaced by_________________.
A. dies away B. is too little C. is not real D. costs too much
9. What does Gilovich think of experiences?
A. Experiences deliver less-lasting happiness than things.
B. Experiences can exist in our memory forever.
C. Our experiences take up all parts of ourselves.
D. Our experiences are what separate us from others.
10. It can be inferred from the passage that_________________.
A. experiences can be compared with each other
B. expecting an experience increases our feeling of anxiety
C. people are more likely to be impatient when buying things
D. spiritual wealth is the most valuable for us
11. Which is the main idea of the passage?
A. How can we gain happiness with money?
B. How can we make happiness last long?
C. Why should we spend money on experiences instead of things?
D. Why do experiences achieve permanent happiness than things?
【答案】8. A 9. D 10. D 11. C
【解析】
本文是一篇议论文，作者论证说明了一个道理“为什么要把钱花在经历上，而不是事物上”。
【8题详解】
词句猜测题。根据划线短语所在句后一句提到“We get used to new possessions, and what once seemed exciting quickly becomes the norm.”（我们习惯了新拥有的东西，曾经令人兴奋的东西很快就变成了常态。），即可推断出新拥有的东西，能够带来的快乐是短暂的 ，很快就会“消失”，peters out对应的同义词应是“die away”，故选A。
【9题详解】
细节理解题。根据第二段提到“Gilovich has found that experiences deliver more-lasting happiness than things. Experiences become a part of our identity. Everyone's experience is unique.”（吉洛维奇发现，体验比物质更能带来持久的幸福。经历成为我们身份的一部分。每个人的经历都是独一无二的。）可知，吉洛维奇（Gilovich）认为经历是个人身份的象征，个人的经历形成与他人的区别，故选D。
【10题详解】
推理判断题。根据第二段首句提到“The trouble with things is that the happiness they provide peters out.” （问题是，事物所带来的快乐会逐渐消失。）及第三段首句提到“Gilovich has found that experiences deliver more-lasting happiness than things.”（吉洛维奇发现，体验比物质更能带来持久的幸福。）及最后一段最后一句提到“Things may last longer than experiences, but the memories that remain are what matter most.”（事物可能比经历更持久，但留下的记忆才是最重要的。）可推断出，在作者的观点看来，事物可能留存的时间比经历更久，但是并不能带来长久的幸福，而经历留下的精神财富才是最重要的，故选D。
【11题详解】
主旨大意题。通读全文内容可知，本文主要讲述了事物能够带来的幸福是短暂，经历留下来的精神财富才是最重要的；再根据第一段首句，引出文章主题“We have to make certain our limited money is well spent. But what should we spend our money on?”（我们必须确保有限的钱花得值。但是我们应该把钱花在什么地方呢），所以本文主要想表达的主题是“为什么要把钱花在经历上，而不是事物上”，故选C。
We have to make certain our limited money is well spent. But what should we spend our money on? A 20-year study conducted by Dr. Gilovich, a professor at Cormell University, reached a powerful and straightforward conclusion: don't spend your money on things.
The trouble with things is that the happiness they provide peters out. We get used to new possessions, and what once seemed exciting quickly becomes the norm. We keep raising the bar and always look for an even better one. Possessions, by their nature, cause comparisons. We buy a new car and are thrilled with it until a friend buys a better one—and there's always someone with a better one. Most of us usually assume that the happiness we get from buying something will last as long as the thing itself. It seems intuitive(直觉的) that investing in something we can see, hear, and touch on a permanent basis delivers the best value. But it's not the case at all.
Gilovich has found that experiences deliver more-lasting happiness than things. Experiences become a part of our identity. Everyone's experience is unique. We are not our possessions, but we are the accumulation of everything we've seen, the things we've done, and the places we've been to. “Our experiences are a bigger part of ourselves than our material goods,” said Gilovich. “You can really like your material stuff. You can even think that part of your identity is connected to those things, but they remain separate from you. In contrast, your experiences really are part of you. We are the sum total of our experiences.”
Besides, we don't compare experiences in the same way that we compare things. It's hard to quantify the relative value of any two experiences, which makes them that much more enjoyable. And expectation of an experience causes excitement and enjoyment, while expectation of obtaining a possession causes impatience. Experiences are enjoyable from the very first moments of planning, all the way through to the memories you keep forever. The temporary happiness achieved by buying things can be regarded as “puddles(水坑) of pleasure.” In other words, that kind of happiness evaporates(蒸发) quickly and leaves us wanting more. Things may last longer than experiences, but the memories that remain are what matter most.
8. The underlined phrase “peters out” can be replaced by_________________.
A. dies away B. is too little C. is not real D. costs too much
9. What does Gilovich think of experiences?
A. Experiences deliver less-lasting happiness than things.
B. Experiences can exist in our memory forever.
C. Our experiences take up all parts of ourselves.
D. Our experiences are what separate us from others.
10. It can be inferred from the passage that_________________.
A. experiences can be compared with each other
B. expecting an experience increases our feeling of anxiety
C. people are more likely to be impatient when buying things
D. spiritual wealth is the most valuable for us
11. Which is the main idea of the passage?
A. How can we gain happiness with money?
B. How can we make happiness last long?
C. Why should we spend money on experiences instead of things?
D. Why do experiences achieve permanent happiness than things?
【答案】8. A 9. D 10. D 11. C
【解析】
本文是一篇议论文，作者论证说明了一个道理“为什么要把钱花在经历上，而不是事物上”。
【8题详解】
词句猜测题。根据划线短语所在句后一句提到“We get used to new possessions, and what once seemed exciting quickly becomes the norm.”（我们习惯了新拥有的东西，曾经令人兴奋的东西很快就变成了常态。），即可推断出新拥有的东西，能够带来的快乐是短暂的 ，很快就会“消失”，peters out对应的同义词应是“die away”，故选A。
【9题详解】
细节理解题。根据第二段提到“Gilovich has found that experiences deliver more-lasting happiness than things. Experiences become a part of our identity. Everyone's experience is unique.”（吉洛维奇发现，体验比物质更能带来持久的幸福。经历成为我们身份的一部分。每个人的经历都是独一无二的。）可知，吉洛维奇（Gilovich）认为经历是个人身份的象征，个人的经历形成与他人的区别，故选D。
【10题详解】
推理判断题。根据第二段首句提到“The trouble with things is that the happiness they provide peters out.” （问题是，事物所带来的快乐会逐渐消失。）及第三段首句提到“Gilovich has found that experiences deliver more-lasting happiness than things.”（吉洛维奇发现，体验比物质更能带来持久的幸福。）及最后一段最后一句提到“Things may last longer than experiences, but the memories that remain are what matter most.”（事物可能比经历更持久，但留下的记忆才是最重要的。）可推断出，在作者的观点看来，事物可能留存的时间比经历更久，但是并不能带来长久的幸福，而经历留下的精神财富才是最重要的，故选D。
【11题详解】
主旨大意题。通读全文内容可知，本文主要讲述了事物能够带来的幸福是短暂，经历留下来的精神财富才是最重要的；再根据第一段首句，引出文章主题“We have to make certain our limited money is well spent. But what should we spend our money on?”（我们必须确保有限的钱花得值。但是我们应该把钱花在什么地方呢），所以本文主要想表达的主题是“为什么要把钱花在经历上，而不是事物上”，故选C。
