2021下半年南陽(yáng)市英語(yǔ)練習(xí)題【帶答案】

2021下半年南陽(yáng)市英語(yǔ)練習(xí)題【帶答案】學(xué)校:________班級(jí):________姓名:________考號(hào):________

一、單選題(40題)1.Wouldyouliketogooutforapicnic?Yes,it’s（）day!

A.soabeautiful

B.sobeautiful

C.suchbeautiful

D.suchabeautiful

2.Yourchildrenmuststop（）mebyaskingforcandyalldaylong.Iam（）everydaybytheslowbusserviceinthistown

A.annoyed;annoying

B.toannoy;annoying

C.annoying;annoying

D.annoying;annoyed

3.Theywillfinishthetaskbeforethedeadline______theyaregivenenoughtime（）

A.inthatB.asfarasC.aslongasD.incase

4.Thetree,branchesarealmostbare,isaveryoldone（）

A.whoseB.inwhichC.ofwhichD.which

5.ThepersonIcomplainedisthesupervisor（）

A.whomB.towhomC.whoD.towho

6.Wethoughtofsellingthisoldfurniture,butwe’vedecidedto_____it.Itmightbevaluable（）

A.holdontoB.keepupwithC.turntoD.lookafter

7.Freemedicaltreatmentinthiscountrycovers____illnessofallkindsforallthecitizens（）

A.normalB.averageC.regularD.ordinary

8.Nocreamforme,thanks.Iamadiet（）

A.inB.onC.fromD.off

9.Nosoonerhadhesatdowntolunch（）therewasaknockatthedoor

A.whenB.thatC.asD.than

10.Thenew______machineisagreathelpintheproductionofthisfactory（）

A.adequateB.sufficientC.efficientD.effective

11.Hersisteralwaysspendssomuch_____herclothesthatshecan’tmanagetolivewithhersalary（）

A.forB.inC.atD.on

12.Itwas_____hearrivedhome_____herealizedthathehadlefthiskeysintheoffice（）

A.until;thatB.notuntil;hadC.until;hadD.notuntil;that

13.It’smygreathonor_____togiveaspeechattheopeningceremonyoftheArtFestival（）

A.toinviteB.invitingC.havinginvitedD.tobeinvited

14.Beforeusingyournewpressurecooker,readthefollowing（）carefully

A.noticesB.ordersC.advertisementD.instructions

15.Shehasonlyaslim______ofpassingtheexam（）

A.chanceB.opportunityC.questionD.problem

16.Thestudentswereassigneddifferenttasksaccordingtotheir_____abilities（）

A.respectfulB.respectableC.respectiveD.responsible

17.MillionsofpeoplerushedtoCalifornia,______thattheywouldfindgoldandbecomerich（）

A.convincedB.convincingC.toconvinceD.tobeconvinced

18.Ididn’thear_____becausetherewastoomuchnoisewhereIwassitting（）

A.whatdidhesay

B.whathehadsaid

C.whatwashesaying

D.whattosay

19.Communityservicecan（）anythingfromgardeningtohelpinginoldpeople’shomes

A.involveB.askC.insistD.remain

20.Iaskedhimto__________meafewminutessothatIcouldhaveawordwithhim（）

A.spendB.spareC.saveD.share

21.Thecomputerdoesn’tworkwell，sosomething（）wrong

A.canhavegone

B.oughttohavegone

C.musthavegone

D.shouldhavegone

22.Thepatient’sprogresswasveryencouragingashecould_____getoutofbedwithouthelp（）

A.nearlyB.onlyC.merelyD.barely

23.MillionsofAmericanstakevitaminsandminerals,（）thatthesepillscanhelptopreventseriousillnesses

A.convincingB.convincedC.toconvinceD.tobeconvinced

24.AlthoughtheUnitedStateshaslongbeenknownasanationofimmigrants，________discriminationstillexists（）

A.radicalB.racialC.crucialD.diplomatic

25.Thereismiserablenewsthatveryfewpeopletheearthquake（）

A.recoveredB.survivedC.existedD.discovered

26.Thefriedfishweateattherestaurantyesterdayisdelicious.I’dliketohaveitagainevenifitcosts_____（）

A.astwiceB.twiceasmuchC.muchastwiceD.asmuchtwice

27.Itwasrecommendedthatwe_________thejobassoonaspossible（）

A.dieB.doC.woulddoD.mustdo

28.Thenewschoolbuilding,bytheendofnextyear,canaccommodatemorethantwothousandstudents（）

A.beingaccomplished

B.havingbeenaccomplished

C.accomplished

D.tobeaccomplished

29.Thesearecommonmaterials_______weareallfamiliar（）

A.aboutwhichB.ofwhichC.withwhichD.towhich

30.Great_______thedifficultiesare，wemustdoourbesttosucceed（）

A.whileB.asC.althoughD.however

31.Iamconsidering_________myjobasI'mnotgettingonwellwithmyboss（）

A.changingB.tochangeC.changedD.tobechanged

32.Hemingwayspokehighlyof（）suchasloyalty,courageanddeterminationshownbyhumanbeingsinhisworks

A.featuresB.appearancesC.virtuesD.characteristics

33.Theclassroomisquiteclean______somewastepaperonthefloor（）

A.exceptforB.exceptC.besidesD.without

34.TherearesomanybooksonthelistthatIdon'tknowwhich（）

A.tochooseB.tobechosenC.chosenD.choosing

35.Youhaveto（）earlyinthemorningtoavoidtherushhour

A.setasideB.setoutC.setupD.setin

36.Onlybyadoptingthehigheststandardsofintegrity______thetrustofourclientsandthecompaniesweworkwith（）

A.weearnB.canweearnC.weearnedD.didweearn

37.Thereasonis______heisunabletooperatethemachine（）

A.becauseB.whyC.thatD.whether

38.Freshair,enoughexerciseandnutritiousfood_____togoodhealth（）

A.contributeB.addC.attributeD.distribute

39.Shehateswhensomeonespeakstoherwithoutlookingintohereyes（）

A.thatB.oneC.itD.this

40.We（）ourbreakfastwhenanoldmancametothedoor

A.justhavehadB.hadjusthadC.justhadD.havejusthad

二、判斷題(5題)41.A.否B.是

42.A.否B.是

43.A.否B.是

44.A.否B.是

45.A.否B.是

三、填空題(5題)46.Nowadays,weareinavery____businessenvironment.（competition）

47.Itis（scientific）____tothinkthatsciencecansolvealltheproblemsforhumanbeings

48.Shesmiledbackatthe____facesofherstudents.（cheer）

49.Manytelevisionviewerstakehimastheir（favor）____actor

50.Whencollegestudentsarecaught____inexam,theycanbekickedoutofschool.（cheat）

四、完型填空(20題)51.64.（）

A.validforB.usefultoC.availabletoD.readyfor

52.55（）

A.uponB.withC.toD.for

53.63.（）

A.worriedB.busyC.similarD.disturbed

54.74.（）

A.scopeB.rangeC.fieldD.district

55.（）

A.niceB.goodC.elseD.wonderful

56.40.（）

A.painB.harmC.dangerD.reason

57.Haveyoueverbeentemptedtocutacornerortotaketheeasiestroute,thoughyouknowitmaynotnecessarilybethebestone?Orhaveyouevermadea41becauseitwasquickandsimple,42thatitmightcomebacktobiteyoulater?

Iappreciateaparable（寓言）DanishphilosopherSorenKierkegaardtoldaboutthe43oftakingtheeasyroute.Itisastoryaboutawildduck.Thoughlifewasdifficult44,thebeautifulcreature45theboundlessheavensandtheendlessstretchesofwilderness.Soaringabouttreetopsandtowns,theduckwasasymboloffreedomtoitstamecounterparts（相對(duì)物）,whocouldnotfly.

Oneeveningduringfallmigration,he46toenterabarnyardwhereafarmerwasfeedinghisducks.Thebeautifulcreatureatethe47thefarmersprinkled（撒）aboutandlikeditsomuchthathestayedthenightinabedofwarmstraw.Heatetheducks'cornagainthenextday.Andthenext.Andthenext…

Whenspringcame,heheardhisoldcompanionsflyingoverheadandanalmostforgottenlongingdeepwithinhimawoke.Theduckhadlosthisinstinctforfreedomoverthe48winter.Nowhelongedto49hiscomradesinthesky,buthehadgrownfatandwasunabletofly.Thewildduckhadbecomeatameduck.Theeasywaythroughourproblems,though50,maynotbethebestway.Alwaysremember:Theonlyplacewhereyouwillfindsuccessbefore51isinthedictionary!It'salwayseasiertoborrowthantosave;easiertojumpinnowthantodothehardworkofplanning;easiertomake52thantodoitright;easiertoremainthesamethanto53changes.

54youwanttofly,youmayhavetopayaprice.But55isworthitatanycost!Areyoureadytosoar

41.（）

A.betB.differenceC.decisionD.suggestion

58.65.（）

A.suddenlyB.personallyC.eventuallyD.constantly

59.52.（）

A.selectB.selectingC.chosenD.choose

60.56.（）

A.contentB.patientC.busyD.familiar

61.35.（）

A.thebestB.atallC.withoutD.agood

62.78（）

A.byasmileB.withasmileC.bysmileD.withsmile

63.Mr.Johnsonworkedinanoffice.Hewasshortandoverweight,andhelookedlikeafifty-year-oldman61hewasnomorethanthirty-five.He62threethousanddollarsamonthandhadhisownhouseandcar.Buthewasverymiserly（吝嗇的）andhad63friends.Hetookgoodcareofnobodybut64.Hewasintroducedtoseveralgirls,butheneverboughtany65forthemandnogirllikedamanlikehim.Sohehadto66aloneinhisbeautifulhouse.Hewasalwayssadofitbutdidn’tknowthe67.

OneSundaymorningMr.Johnsonfeltlonely68andwentoutforawalknearapark.Itwasafineday.Thesunwas69andthebirdsweresinginginthetrees.Beautiful70andgreengrasscouldbeseeneverywhere.He71abouthissadnessandwalkedon.Suddenlyheheardsomeonewascallingfrom72.Heturnedroundandsawaprettygirlwithapairofglasses73tocatchupwithhim.Hefeltstrange74hedidn’tknowheratall,buthestoppedto75her.

Don’tyourememberme,sir?askedthegirl.I76youlastDecember!

I’m77you’reoneofmychildren’sfather.thegirlsaid.Suddenlyshefoundshedidn’tknowthemanatallandher78turnedredandhurriedoff.

79herwalkingaway,Mr.Johnsoncouldnotunderstand80itmeant.Ofcourse,hedidn’tknowthatshewasaprimaryschoolteacher

（）

A.ifB.whetherC.thoughD.where

64.Tobeagoodteacher,youneedsomeofthegiftsofagoodactor:youmustbeabletoholdtheattentionandinterestofyourstudents;youmustbea____speaker,withagood,strong,pleasingvoicewhichisfullyunderyourcontrol;andyoumustbeableto____whatyouareteachinginordertomakeitsmeaningclear.____agoodteacherandyouwillseethathedoesnotsitstill____hisclass:hestandsthewholetimewhenheisteaching;hewalksabout,usinghis____,handsandfingerstohelphiminhisexplanations,andhisfacetoexpressfeelings.Listentohim,andyouwill____theloudness,thequalityandthemusicalnoteofhisvoicealwayschangingaccordingtowhatheis____about.Thefactthatagoodteacherhassomeofthegiftsofagoodactordoesn’tmeanthathewillindeedbeabletoact____onthestage,forthereareveryimportant____betweentheteacher’sworkandtheactor’s.Theactorhastospeakwordswhichhehaslearntbyheart;hehastorepeatexactlythe____wordseachtimeheplaysacertainpart;____hismovementsandthewaysinwhichheuseshisvoiceareusuallyfixedbeforehand.Whathehastodoistomakeallthesecarefullylearntwordsandactionsseem____onthestage.Agoodteacher____inquiteadifferentway.Hisstudentstakeanactivepartinhis____;theyaskandanswerquestions;theyobeyorders;andiftheydon’tunderstandsomething,theywillsayso.Theteacherthereforehastosuithisacttotheneedsofhisstudents.Hecannotlearnhispartbyheart,butmust____itashegoesalong

（）

A.clearB.slowC.quickD.loud

65.66.（）

A.possibleB.difficultC.simpleD.complex

66.13）（）

A.holdB.leaveC.dropD.give

67.34.（）

A.thereforeB.inawayC.perhapsD.accordingly

68.59.（）

A.uprightB.powerfulC.valuableD.unlucky

69.IoncewenttoatowninthenorthofEnglandonbusiness.Itwasabout7:30intheeveningwhenIreachedthehotel.Themanageress,astrictoldladyofabout60,showedmetomyroom.WhenIaskedherwhattimedinnerwas,shesaidtherewasonlyonesittingat6:30,andIhad51it.Nevermind,Isaid.I’mnotveryhungry.I’lljusthaveadrinkinthebar（酒吧）andasandwich.

Bar!she52hervoice.Thisisarespectablehotel,youngman.Ifyouwantbeer,youmustgosomewhereelse.Shespoke53aglassofbeerwasadangerousdrug.Iwenttoabarandhadsomebeerandsandwichesandthenwenttothecinema.Atabout11:30I54.Everythingwasindarkness.Iknockedatthedoor,butnothinghappened.The55soundwasthechurchclockopposite,whichsuddenlystruckthehalf-hourwithsuchforcethatitmademe56.Finallyawindowopenedupstairs.Theoldlady57andaskedmewhatwasgoing.Iexplained58Iwasandsheletmeinaftertenminutes’wait.Shewasinhernightdress.Shetoldmeseriouslythatguestswere59tobebackinthehotelby11o’clock.

Iwenttobedbutcouldnotsleep.Everyquarterofanhourthechurchclockstruckandatmidnightthewholehotelshookwiththenoise.Justbeforedawn,Ifinally60.WhenIarrivedatbreakfast,everyoneelsehadnearly61andtherewasnotenoughcoffeetogoround.

Didyou62well,youngman?theoldladyasked.63,Idon’tthinkIcouldgothroughanothernightinthatroom,Ireplied.Ihardlysleptatall.That’sbecauseyouwere64allnightdrinking！shesaidangrily,putting65totheconversation

（）

A.hadB.passedC.missedD.caught

70.57.（）

A.friendsB.soldiersC.newsmenD.firemen

五、閱讀理解(20題)71.Thelockonthefrontdoorwasonewhich_____（）

A.couldnotbeopenedthroughtheletter-box

B.couldbeopenedwithalongpieceofwire

C.couldnotbeopenedwithoutakey

D.couldbeopenedbyusingaknobinsteadofakey

72.PassageThree

Increasinglyoverthepasttenyears,people—especiallyyoungpeople—havebecomeawareoftheneedtochangetheireatinghabits,becausemuchofthefoodtheyeat,particularlyprocessedfoods,isnotgoodforhealth.Consequently,therehasbeenagrowinginterestinnaturalfoods:foodswhichdonotcontainchemicaladditivesandwhichhavenotbeenaffectedbychemicalfertilizerswidelyusedinfarmingtoday.

Naturalfoods,forexample,includevegetables,fruitandgrainwhichhavebeengrowninsoilthatisrichinorganicmatter.Insimpleterms,thismeansthatthesoilhasbeennourishedbyunusedvegetablematter,whichprovidesitwithessentialvitaminsandminerals.Thisinitselfisanaturalprocesscomparedwiththeuseofchemicalsandfertilizers,themainpurposeofwhichistoincreasetheamount—butnotthequality—offoodsgrownincommercialfarmingareas.

Naturalfoodsalsoincludeanimalswhichhavebeenallowedtofeedandmovefreelyinhealthypastures.Comparethiswithwhathappensinthemassproductionofpoultry:therearebatteryfarms,forexample,wherethousandsofchickenslivecrowdedtogetherinonebuildingandarefedonfoodwhichislittlebetterthanrubbish.Chickenskeptinthiswayarenotonlytastelessasfood;theyalsoproduceeggswhichlackimportantvitamins.

Itissignificantthatnowadaysfiberisconsideredtobeanimportantpartofahealthydiet.Inwhitebread,forexample,thefiberhasbeenremoved.Butitispresentinunrefinedflourandofcourseinvegetables.（68）Itisinterestingtonotethatincountrieswherethenationaldietcontainslargequantitiesofunrefinedflourandvegetables,certaindiseasesarecomparativelyrare.Hencetheemphasisshouldbeplacedontheeatingofwholemealbreadandmorevegetablesbymodernexpertsonhealthyeating

Peoplehavebecomemoreinterestedinnaturalfoodsbecause______（）

A.theylikechangingtheirdietfromtimetotime

B.theywanttoeatfoodthatismoredelicious

C.muchofthefoodtheyeatisnolongerconsideredtobehealthy

D.theywanttobefashionable

73.Passage1

Stressmaybedefinedastheresponseofthebodytoanydemand.Wheneverpeopleexperiencesomethingpleasantorunpleasant,wesaytheyareunderstress.Wecallthepleasantkindeustress,theunpleasantkinddistress.

Peoplesometimescompareourlifewiththatofthecavemanwhodidn'thavetoworryaboutthestockmarketortheatomicbomb.Theyforgetthatthecavemanworriedaboutbeingeatenbyabearoraboutdyingofhunger—thingsthatfewpeopleworryabouttoday.It'snotthatpeoplesuffermorestresstoday;it'sjustthattheythinktheydo.

Itisinconceivablethatanyoneshouldhavenostressatall.Mostpeoplewhoareambitiousandwanttoaccomplishsomethingliveunderstress.Theyneedit.Butexcessivestressisbyallmeansharmful.Worse,chronicexposuretostressoveralongtimemaycausemoreseriousdiseasesandmayactuallyshortenyourlife.

Themostfrequentcausesofdistressinmanarepsychological—lackofadaptability,nothavingacodeofbehavior.Sothesecretofcopingwithstressisnottoavoidit,buttodowhatyouliketodoandwhatyouaremadetodo,atyourownrate.Formostpeople,itisreallyamatteroflearninghowtobehaveinvarioussituations.Themostimportantthingistohaveacodeoflife,toknowhowtolive

Themodernmanissuffering（）

A.morestressthanthecaveman

B.lessstressthanthecaveman

C.differentstressfromthecaveman

D.thesamestressasthecaveman

74.Janewouldpretendtobereadinginthelasttenminutesofclassbecause_____（）

A.shehadtodowhatothersweredoing

B.shewasafraidofhertroubletobefoundout

C.thereadingclasswasterrible

D.hermotherhadtoldhertodoso

75.WhichofthefollowingisNOTmentionedinthepassage（）

A.Heartdisease

B.Lungdiseases

C.Lossofclearsight

D.Seriousheadache

76.Whatdoestheauthorthinkaboutcreatingone’sownWebsite（）

A.It’sverycomplicated

B.It’sexpensivebyAmericanstandard

C.It’smucheasierthanwethink

D.It’sjusttoosimple

77.Whoaretheintendedreadersofthepassage（）

A.ParentsB.AdolescentsC.EducatorsD.Peopleingeneral

78.Passage4

Eatingadiethighinprocessedfoodincreasestheriskofdepression,astudysuggests.What'smore,peoplewhoateplentyofvegetables,fruitandfishactuallyhadalowerriskofdepression,theUniversityCollegeLondonteamfound.

Dataonthedietamong3500middleagedcivilservantswascomparedwiththeiremotionalstatefiveyearslater,aBritishjournalreported.Theysplittheparticipantsintotwotypesofdiet—thosewhoateadietlargelybasedonwholefood（全天然食物）,whichincludeslotsoffruit,vegetablesandfish,andthosewhoateamainlyprocessedfooddiet,suchassweeteneddesserts,friedfood,processedmeat,refinedgrainsandhighfatdairyproducts.Afteraccountingforfactorssuchasgender,age,education,physicalactivity,smokinghabitsandchronic（慢性的）diseases,theyfoundasignificantdifferenceinthefuturedepressionriskwiththedifferentdiets.

Thosewhoatethemostwholefoodhada26%lowerriskoffuturedepressionthanthosewhoatetheleastwholefood.Bycontrast,peoplewithadiethighinprocessedfoodhada58％higherriskofdepressionthanthosewhoateadietlowinprocessedfood.

StudyauthorDr.ArchanaSinghManouxpointedouttherewasachancethatthefindingcouldbeexplainedbythelifestylefactortheyhadnotaccountedfor.HealsopointedoutinapaperthataMediterraneandietwasassociatedwithalowerriskofdepression,buttheproblemwiththatisifyouliveinBritain,thelikelihoodofeatingaMediterraneandietisnotveryhigh.

Dr.AndrewMcCulloeh,chiefexecutiveoftheMentalHealthFoundation,said,thisstudyaddstoanexistingbodyofsolidresearchthatshowsthestronglinksbetweenwhatweeatandourmentalhealth.

Headdedpeople'sdietsarebecomingincreasinglyunhealthy.TheUKpopulationisconsuminglessnutritious,freshproduceandmoresaturatedfatsandsugars

WhatcanwelearnfromwhatDr.ArchanaSinghManouxsaid（）

A.ItisdifficultformostBritishpeopletohaveaMediterraneandiet

B.TheMediterraneandietisthehealthiestintheworld

C.ManystudieshavebeendoneontheMediterraneandietbefore

D.TheMediterraneandietisnotgoodfordepression

79.TheonlythingwecandotopreventthedisastercausedbyＨijackingisto（）

A.setupaseriesofsecurityprocedures

B.exertcontroloverguns

C.fightbravelyagainstthehijacking

D.meetthehijacker’sdemand

80.Thetableismainlyabout____________（）

A.part-timejobs

B.asummerbuspass

C.waterparkswimming

D.thingstodoinsummer

81.Whichofthefollowingmayleadtofamilyquarrelsaccordingtothepassage（）

A.Unawarenessofenergycycles

B.Familiarmonologues

C.Achangeinafamilymember’senergycycle

D.Attemptstocontroltheenergycycleofotherfamilymembers

82.Inthesecondparagraphofthispassage,thelattercaserefersto______（）

A.naturalprocess

B.quality

C.theuseofchemicalsandfertilizers

D.quantity

83.Thelastsentenceofthefirstparagraphimpliesthat（）

A.Stevedidn’tlikeofferinghelptoothers

B.Americanpeopleonlyeattheirownfood

C.AmericanandChinesedifferintheirsenseofvalues

D.StevewantedJimtodohisownshopping

84.Everytimeapersoneatssomethinghemakesanutritionaldecision.Heacceptsorrejectsthefoodavailabletohimathomeformealsorsnacks.Orheselectsfoodforhimselfatmanyplacesinthecommunity,suchassupermarkets,drive-ins,restaurants,andfoodcountersindrugstores.Theseselectionsmakeadifferenceinhowanindividuallooks,howhefeels,andhowwellhecanworkandplay.

Whenagoodassortmentoffoodinappropriateamountsisselectedandeaten,theconsequencesaremorelikelytobeadesirablelevelofhealthandenoughenergytoallowonetobeasactiveasheneedsandwantstobe.Whenchoicesarelessthandesirable,theconsequencesarelikelytobepoorhealthorlimitedenergyorboth.

StudiesofdietsofindividualsintheUnitedStatesshowthatfoodselectionisahighlyindividualmatter,evenamongyoungchildren.Furthermore,fartoomanyindividualsofallagesaremakingpoorchoicesdayafterdayandareeithernowlivingwiththeconsequencesorwillbeinthefuture.

Nutritionistsandworkersinalliedprofessionshavebeenconcernedabouthelpingpeoplelearntoselectandenjoyawidevarietyoffoodcombinationsthatcanadduptoagooddiet.

Mostpeoplebelievethattheyarewell-fed—thatthechoicestheymakearegoodones.Afterall,theyarenotreallysick;neitheraretheyhungry.However,theirnutritionisreallypoorinonerespectoranother.Milkandmilkproducts,suchascheese,icecream,buttermilk,andyogurt，areoftenneglected.Thenpeoplemayleaveoutintheirdietsmanyfruitsandvegetable,particularlythosethataregoodsourcesofvitaminsAandC.Theseincludedarkgreen,leafyvegetables;deepyellowvegetables;andcitrusfruitsandvegetables,suchascabbages,tomatoes,andgreenpeppers

Thepassagementionsallofthefollowinginfluencesoffoodselectionexcept（）

A.howanindividuallooks

B.howanindividualfeels

C.howwellanindividualworksandplays

D.howanindividuallooksatlife

85.Thefactorsthatadduptoahappylifeformostpeoplearenotwhatwetypicallyhearabout.（71）Thingslikeearningamaster’sdegreedon’tmakepeoplehappyoveranextendedperiodoftime.Rather,thekeytohappiness,andthedifferencebetweenhappyandunhappyAmericans，isalifethatreflectsvaluesandpracticeslike:hardwork,marriage,charity,andfreedom.

Work

Whenmorethan1000peopleacrossthecountrywereaskedin2002.Ifyouweretogetenoughmoneytolivecomfortablyfortherestofyourlife,wouldyoustopworking?fewerthanathirdoftheAmericansansweredyes.

Contrarytowidelyheldopinion,mostAmericanslikeorevenlovetheirwork.In2002anamazing89percentofworkerssaidtheywereverysatisfiedorsomewhatsatisfiedwiththeirjobs.Thisisn’ttruejustforthosewithhigh-paying,highlyskilledjobsbutforallworkersacrossthecountry.Andthepercentageisalmostexactlythesameamongthosewithandwithoutcollegedegreesandamongthoseworkingforprivatecompanies,nonprofitorganizationsandthegovernment.

FormostAmericans,jobsatisfactionisnearlyequivalenttolifesatisfaction.Amongthosepeoplewhosaytheyareveryhappyintheirlives,95percentarealsosatisfiedwiththeirjobs.Furthermore,jobsatisfactionwouldseemtobecausingoverallhappiness,nottheotherwayaround.

In2004,42percentofmarriedAmericanssaidtheywereveryhappy.Just23percentofnever-marriedpeoplesaidthis.Overall,marriedpeopleweresixtimesmorelikelytosaythattheywereveryhappythantoreportthattheywerenottoohappy.Andgenerallyspeaking,marriedwomensaythey’rehappymoreoftenthanmarriedmen.

Marriage&Family

Marriageisn’tjustassociatedwithhappinessitbringshappiness,atleastforalotofus.One2003studythatfollowed24,000peopleformorethanadecadedocumentedasignificantincreaseinhappinessafterpeoplemarried.Forsome,thehappinessincreaseworeoffinafewyears,andtheyendedupbackattheirpremarriagehappinesslevels.Butforothers,itlastedaslongasalifetime.

Whatabouthavingkids?Whilechildren,ontheirown,don’tappeartoraisethehappinesslevel（theyactuallytendtoslightlylowerthehappinessofamarriage）.Studiessuggestthatchildrenarealmostalwayspartofanoveralllifestyleofhappiness,whichislikelytoincludesuchthingsasmarriageandreligion.

Charity

We’veallheardthatmoneydoesn’tbuyhappiness,andthat’scertainlytrue.Butthereisonewaytogetit:Givemoneyaway.

Theevidenceisclearthatgiftstocharitableorganizationsandotherworthycausesbringsubstantiallifesatisfactiontothegivers.Ifyouwant＄50inauthentichappinesstodayjustdonateittoafavoritecharity.

Peoplewhogivemoneytocharityare43percentmorelikelythannon-giverstosaythey’reveryhappy.Volunteersare42percentmorelikelytobeveryhappythannon-volunteers.Itdoesn’tmatterwhetherthegiftsofmoneygotochurchesorconcerts;religiousgivingandunreligiousgivingleavepeopleequallyhappy,andfarhappierthanpeoplewhodon’tgive.Evendonatingblood,anespeciallypersonalkindofgiving,improvesourattitude.Fundamentally,themorepeoplegive,thehappiertheyget.

Freedom

Infact,freedomandhappinessareintimatelyrelated:Peoplewhoconsiderthemselvesfreearealothappierthanthosewhodon’t.In2000theGeneralSocialSurveyrevealedthatpeoplewhopersonallyfeelcompletelyfreeorveryfreeweretwiceaslikelyasthosewhodon’tsaythey’reveryhappyabouttheirlives.

Notalltypesoffreedomarethesameintermsofhappiness,however.Researchershaveshownthateconomicfreedombringshappiness,asdoespoliticalandreligiousfreedom.Ontheotherhand,moralfreedom—alackofconstraintsonbehaviordoesnot.Peoplewhofeeltheyhaveunlimitedmoralchoicesintheirliveswhenitcomestomattersofsexordrugs,forexample,tendtobeunhappierthanthosewhodonotfeeltheyhavesomanychoicesinlife.

LessonsforAmerica

（72）Thedatatellusthatwhatmattersmostforhappinessisnothavingalotofthingsbuthavinghealthyvalues.Withoutthesevalues,ourjobsandoureconomywillbringusjoylessriches.Thefactscanhelpremindusofwhatweshouldbepayingattentiontoasindividualsandasfamilies,ifwewanttobehappy.