Does being rich make you happy? Many studies on happiness give negative answers. Here are some points in being happy. Basic Human Needs Must Be Met People whose basic needs for shelter, clothing and food are not met will find it very difficult to feel happy. Of course, there are exceptions, but for most of us, we can only be happy once our basic needs are met. The Joneses Cannot Be Escaped People's happiness is not determined by how much they have, but by how much people around them have. So, we tend to feel happy once our basic needs are met and we have more than the people surrounding us. This means that while keeping up with _ could be destructive if we let it go too far. It is also part of humana nature to want to feel at least on the same level, financially, as those surrounding us. You Should Escape The Rat Race We should know the importance of staying out of the rat race. So yes, you need to work hard, get the education you need to land a good job and work long enough and hard enough to get to a place where you can easily meet your basic needs. What are basic needs? For most middle or upper middle class Americans, basic needs are not very basic anymore. For most of us, once our basic needs have been met, happiness is achieved when we engage in activities we like, spend time with friends and family and stay active. Making money for the sake of making money does not make people happy. Ideally, these questions should be answered when you're still young and just starting out. Don't wait until your midlife crisis to realize that half your life has passed you by and you're still unhappy. What's the main idea of the passage? A) The research on happiness. B) Key points on being happy. C) What makes people feel unhappy. D) Being rich makes people happy.
B
(Question)
The forces that make Japan one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries could become part of its long-term energy solution. Water from deep below the ground at Japan's tens of thousands of hot springs could be used to produce electricity. Although Japanese high-tech companies are leaders in geothermal technology and export it, its use is limited in the nation. "Japan should no doubt make use of its resources of geothermal energy," said Yoshiyasu Takefuji, a leading researcher of thermal-electric power production. The disastrous earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 caused a reaction against atomic power, which previously made up 30 percent of Japan's energy needs, and increased interest in alternative energies, which account for only 8 percent. Artist Yoko Ono has called on Japan to explore its natural energy, following the example of Iceland which uses renewable energy for more than 80 percent of its needs. For now, geothermal energy makes up less than 1 percent of the energy needs in Japan, which has for decades relied heavily on fossil fuels and atomic power. The biggest problem to geothermal energy is the high initial cost of the exploration and constructing the factories.Another problem is that Japan's potentially best sites are already being developed for tourism or are located within national parks where construction is forbidden. "We can't even dig 10cm inside national parks." said Shigeto Yamada of Fuji Electric, adding that regulations protecting nature would need to be relaxed for geothermal energy to grow. Researcher Hideaki Matsui said, "Producing electricity using hot springs is a decades-long project.We also have to think about what to do for now as energy supplies will decline in the short term." The Earth Policy Institute in Washington, US, believed Japan could produce 80,000 megawatts and meet more than half its electricity needs with geothermal technology. Japanese giants such as Toshiba are already global leaders in geothermal technology, with a 70 percent market share.In 2010,... What percentage of Japan's energy needs is geothermal energy? A) About 8%. B) Below 1%. C) Around 30%. D) Over 80%.
(Answer)
B
Ques: I will never forget what my old headmaster told me. Normally when you are only 15years of age you do not remember most of the things that are preached by your teachers. But, this particular story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I drift off course, I get reminded of this story. It was a normal Monday morning at an assembly, and he was addressing the students on important things in life and about committing ourselves to what is important to us. This is how the story went: An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years. His house was filthy, and a stench came out of the house and it smelled horribly. The neighbours could not stand the smell anymore, so they summoned the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years. The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire. They waited outside his house in anticipation to share the good news with him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire. He said nothing at all: he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, got into the train, and sat at the street corner and continued to beg. Obviously, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything significant for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing, commitment(,). We should remain true to our course, although it may mean committing ourselves to things that people around us would normally disapprove. Just keep it in mind that... Why did the police officer clean the old man's house? A) Because the old man hired them to do so. B) Because they wanted to know how much money the old man had begged. C) Because the old man wanted to live comfortably. D) Because the neighbours could not bear the smell coming out of the oldman's house.
Ans:
D