Section C Reading in Depth
Read the following three passages carefully and then do the exercises below.
PASSAGE 1
Money may not buy you love， but it turns out that the green stuff can bring happiness，to a point： New research finds that there's a limit to how beneficial a lofty income is to an individual's well⁃being.
“That might be surprising， as what we see on TV and what advertisers tell us we need would indicate that there is no ceiling when it comes to how much money is needed for happiness， but we now see there are some thresholds，” lead study author Andrew Jebb， a doctoral student in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University， said in a statement.
Jebb and his colleagues used survey data from the Gallup World Poll collected from more than 1.7 million adults aged 15 and older from 164 countries. Participants answered questions related to life satisfaction and well⁃being， as well as purchasing power. Whereas emotional well⁃being refers to a person's day⁃to⁃day feelings of happiness， excitement， sadness and anger， overall satisfaction in life is largely influenced by higher goals and a comparison of one's belongings with others' stuff.
On average， the research revealed the ideal income point， or “satiation income，” is＄95， 000 for overall life satisfaction and＄60，000 to＄75， 000 for emotional well⁃being. The highest satiation income related to one's overall life evaluation was found in Australia and New Zealand， where happiness increased up until about ＄125， 000. By contrast， the satiation income in Latin America and the Caribbean， was＄35，000. In North America， however， the threshold for happiness was reached with an income of＄105， 000. This data suggests that income matters more to individuals living in wealthier nations， according to the study.
“Again， this amount is for individuals and would likely be higher for families，” Jebb said in the statement. “And there was substantial variation across world regions， with satiation—the point beyond which no more happiness is gained and， in fact， satisfaction goes down—occurring later in wealthier regions for life satisfaction. This could be because evaluations tend to be more influenced by the standards by which individuals compare themselves to other people.”
However， once an individual reached that threshold of happiness， additional increases in income resulted in reduced life satisfaction and a lower level of emotional well⁃being，according to the study. The researchers said this is likely because money fulfills basic needs，such as purchasing necessities and paying bills， but after people's needs are met， they are driven by material gains and social comparisons that may ultimately lower their well⁃being.
“At this point， they are asking themselves， ‘Overall， how am I doing？ ' and ‘How do I compare to other people？ '” Jebb said in the statement. “The small decline puts one's level of well⁃being closer to that of individuals who make slightly lower incomes， perhaps due to the costs that come with the highest incomes.”
The researchers also examined the influence of gender and education on an individual's optimal income. Overall， there was no significant evidence suggesting the link between income and happiness was stronger for men or women. However， income satiation did vary based on an individual's level of education. Specifically， individuals with a higher education reported a more positive life evaluation and emotional well⁃being in relation to a higher income. This is likely due to income aspirations and social comparisons with different groups of people， the researchers said.
The study builds on previous findings that suggest people with higher incomes devote more time to working， commuting and／or child care and， as a result， feel more stress and tension in their daily lives than those in lower income brackets.
1. What is the passage mainly about？
A. How can money bring happiness？
B. How much money can make people happy？
C. Why can't money buy happiness？
D. Why do people associate money with happiness？
2. What does “satiation income” （Line 1， Para. 4） refer to？
A. The income point supporting people's families.
B. The income point bringing happiness to people.
C. The income point meeting people's basic needs.
D. The income point driving people to work overtime.
3. The research indicated that after people reached their ideal income point，________.
A. their happiness increased
B. their emotional well⁃being disappeared
C. their satisfaction declined
D. their material needs became stronger
4. According to the research， the optimal income that brings happiness to people was influenced by________.
A. education B. family
C. age D. gender
5. We can learn from the passage that________.
A. emotional well⁃being refers to people's higher goals
B. people in wealthier regions always feel happier
C. the lowest satiation income for happiness was found in North America
D. people may feel less happy when comparing themselves to others
PASSAGE 2
They were a cultural icon， a classic product of twentieth century Lifestyle； movie theaters where you just drove up，paid a few bucks，parked facing the screen，relaxed in your car， and waited for the movie to begin.
Drive⁃in movie theaters originated in the eastern USA in the 1930's； in those days the quality of movies was not terribly polished， so people tended not to worry about poor quality sound and images that flickered on the vast outdoor screens in front of them. Often， it wasn't much better in indoor movie theaters. Moreover， the drive⁃ins had advantages that indoor theaters did not have； you didn't get disturbed by the person next to you， and you could go as you pleased. In those days， people dressed up to go to the movies in town； there was no dressing up for drive⁃ins.
From the end of the Second World War， until the mid⁃sixties， drive⁃ins lived their glory years. They got bigger and smarter， and the sound quality improved markedly. In the early years， the sound had come from huge loudspeakers placed below the screen； by the fifties，the system of individual sound for each car had become the norm， and all you had to do was to roll down the window and hook the small loudspeaker over it. If there were too many mosquitos， you could even pull the speaker right into the car， and roll the window up again.
Movie theaters were changing； but so was American society. By 1965， the American Dream was beginning to show some cracks. Once color television arrived， the writing was on the wall for thousands of U.S. movie⁃theaters， both drive⁃ins and indoor cinemas. With an escalating crime rate and rising fears of violence， more and more Americans decided that it was better not to go out in the evening at all.
Drive⁃in movie theaters were also suffering from commercial pressures；some went out of business， unable to compete with the flexibility and comfort of new suburban multiplex cinemas—but many profitable theaters closed too. As towns and cities expanded， large suburban sites became valuable real estate， and few owners could resist multi⁃million dollar offers to sell out to supermarket chains or business corporations. Over 1， 000 drive⁃ins closed during the 1970's； over 2， 000 followed in the next decade； by the time 1990 arrived， there were less than 1， 000 drive⁃in screens across the USA， and few people thought that there would be any left at all by the end of the century.
Yet things have not happened that way. Today， in 2009， there are still almost 500 drive⁃in theaters in the USA； only about 100 screens disappeared in the 1990's， and new screens are now appearing， particularly in states where suburban real estate values have not escalated too far. Ohio， for instance， still has almost over 30 drive⁃in theaters！
Today's theater owners have learned to market their assets more effectively； instead of remaining empty during the day time， theater parking lots are now used for flea markets，open air sales， and other activities.
Technology has come to the drive⁃in too； the modern drive⁃in uses a low⁃frequency FM radio sound system， and viewers simply tune their car radio to the right channel， and listen to the soundtrack using their own hi⁃fi system. Given the quality of the sound systems in some cars these days， there is a new breed of drive⁃in theater fans who come along to enjoy their own in⁃car sound systems. Watching the recent movie Twister with the advantage of a quadriphonic megawatt in⁃car hi⁃fi was， it is said， quite an experience—especially on a windy night with lightning flashing in the distance！
Many movie⁃goers， however， come along just for the fun， or the nostalgia， of watching a movie in a different sort of environment， under a star⁃lit sky， and in the comfort of their car！ They can smoke if they want to， drink coffee， or order a pizza or a burger； food and drink are available in today's drive⁃ins， providing another plus that indoor theaters cannot offer， and that too is helping drive⁃ins to survive.
It is still possible to visit a drive⁃in movie theater in the USA， but how long will they last？Watching a movie from the back of a 1962 Cadillac convertible was one thing； doing so from the back of a Honda Civic is not the same experience.
1. What is the main purpose of Para. 2？
A. To introduce the origin of drive⁃in movie theaters.
B. To emphasize the influence of drive⁃in movie theaters.
C. To point out the problems with drive⁃in movie theaters.
D. To describe the quality of movies in drive⁃in movie theaters.
2. The word “escalating” in Para. 4 is closest in meaning to________.
A. normal
B. increasing
C. falling
D. fixed
3. According to Para. 4 and Par. 5， all of the following are mentioned as reasons for the decline of the business of drive⁃in movie theaters EXCEPT________.
A. unstable society
B. emergence of color TV
C. expansion of towns and cities
D. competition with supermarket chains
4. The phrase “market their assets” in Para. 7 is closest in meaning to________.
A. buy more assets at market
B. sell their assets at market
C. increase the value of their assets
D. deliver the value of their assets
5. Today， while watching movies in drive⁃in movie theaters， viewers can do the following EXCEPT________.
A. smoke if they want to
B. upgrade their own in⁃car sound system
C. order food and drink
D. listen to the soundtrack using their own hi⁃fi system
PASSAGE 3
Just as human beings have a basic need for food and shelter， we also have a basic need to belong to a group and form relationships.The desire to be in a loving relationship，to avoid rejection and loss， and to see your friends do well and be cared for—these things motivate an incredibly impressive array of our thoughts， actions， and feelings.
Lieberman sees the brain as the center of the social self. One of the great mysteries of evolutionary science is how and why the human brain got to be so large. Brain size generally increases with body size across the animal kingdom. Elephants have huge brains while mice have tiny ones. But humans are the great exception to this rule. Given the size of our bodies，our brains should be much smaller—but they are by far the largest in the animal kingdom relative to our body size. The question is why.
One of the most exciting findings to emerge from neuroscience （神经学） in recent years underlines the brain's inherently social nature. When neuroscientists monitor what's going on in someone's brain when we're chilling out and the brain is at rest. Every time we are not engaged in an active task—like when we take a break between two math problems—the brain falls into a neural configuration （神经结构） called the “default network”. When you have down time， even if it's just for a second， this brain system comes on automatically.
What's remarkable about the default network， according to Lieberman's research， is that it looks almost identical to another brain configuration—the one used for social thinking or“making sense of other people and ourselves，” as he writes： “The default network directs us to think about other people's minds—their thoughts， feelings， and goals”. Whenever it has a free moment， the human brain has an automatic reflex to go social. Why would the brain，which forms only 2 percent of our body weight but consumes 20 percent of its energy， use its limited resources on social thinking， rather than conserving its energy by relaxing？
Evolution only makes bets if there are payoffs—and when it comes to being social， there are many benefits. Having strong social bonds is as good for you as quitting smoking.Connecting with other people， even in the most basic ways， also makes you happier—especially when you know they need your help.“To be kept in solitude is to be kept in pain，”writes the sociobiologist E. O. Wilson， “and put on the road to madness. A person's membership in his group—his tribe—is a large part of his identity.”
1. What is the passage mainly about？
A. The social function of the human brain.
B. The differences in brain size between humans and animals.
C. The evolution of human brain.
D. The default network configuration in the human brain.
2. It can be learned from the passage that the human brain________.
A. is largest among living species
B. is not in proportion to the body size
C. is bigger than that of elephants
D. is smaller than that of mice
3. According to the passage， when does default network in the brain begin to work？
A. When the brain isn't actively engaged in a task.
B. When the brain is rest for a second.
C. When inherent social nature begins to evolve.
D. When people solve two math problems.
4. Lieberman's research finds that________.
A. default network and another brain's configuration have different social purposes
B. the default network directs people to think about others all the time
C. it is energy conserving for the human brain to go social
D. the human brain goes social unconsciously when it is available
5. According to the passage，________is the best way for a person to have a sense of identity.
A. to quit smoking B. to be kept in solitude
C. to connect with people D. to look happier