Practice Test | READING PASSAGE 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions which are based on Reading Passage 1 below 1-2B, ‘Ask 100 people what would make them happy, and a sizeable majority would say “winning the lottery." Yet, if they won a vast fortune, within a | year they would be back 0 their previous level of happiness. The fact is that money has many usos, but more money does not mean more happiness. Surveys carried out in recent years by leading Psychologists and sociologists all confirm that while individuals may increase their material wealth during the course of thelr lifetime, this has no bearing on their well-being. And what is true {or individuals can be applied on a larger scale to the world population. Statistically, wealthier nations do nol achieve higher scores on the hap- piness-ometer than developing or underdevol ‘oped nations. Once the basic criteria of adequate shelter and nutrition are satisfied, increased wealth plays no significant role. So why the ‘obsession with getting rich? The answer, say researchers, is simple. Call it jealousy, competi- tiveness, or just keeping up with the Joneses, however well we are doing, thoro is always some: ne else who is doing better. Just as we acquire ‘a new $25,000 car, our neighbour parks his brand spanking new $40,000 set of wheels in his drive, causing us much consternation, but fuelling us with new aspirations in the process. And so the ‘oycle continues. Money, or material wealth, may be a prime mover, but itis not the foundation of our well-being, money isn’t the key to happiness, then, what is? In all 44 counties surveyed by a prominent research centre, family life provided the greatest source of satisfaction. Married people lve on Hello Happiness! average throe years longer and enjoy great: physical and psychological health than th unmarried and, surprisingly, coupies in a cohabi tational relationship. Having a family enhances well-being, and spending more time with one’ family helps even more. Social interaction amon: families, neighbourhoods, workplaces, commun les and religious groups correlates strongly wit subjective wellbeing, In fact. the degree of indi viduals social connections is the best benchmark Of their happiness, Friendship is another major factor. Indeed, to return to the dollar-equals-happiness equation, in fone survey, having a friend converted into $50,000 worth of happiness, and confirms the well-known phenomenon that loneliness can lead to depression. Work is another area central to well-being, and certain features correlate highly with happiness. These include autonomy over how, where, and at what pace work is done, trust between employer and employee, fair treatment, ‘and active participation in the making of deci sions. Occupationally, happiness tends to be more common among professionals and man- ‘agers, that is, people who are in control of the work they do, rather than subservient to theit bosses. Inequality implies less control for those who are in the weaker position, although there are ‘mote risks of losing their privileges for those in the stronger positionof one’s life in general is also key. is clearly correlated with the presence rable events such as promotion or mar- and the absence of troubles or bad luck ‘2s accidents, being laid off or conflcts ‘events on their own signal the success or to reach one’s goals, and therefore the ‘one has, On a national level, the more ‘governments recognise individual prefer the happier their citizens will be. Choice, “cezens' belief that they can affect the politi “process, increase subjective well-being. re, evidence exists for an association unhappiness and poor health: people se former Soviet Union are among the est in the world, and their lite expactancy ‘been falling steadily. People are more satis- “> societies which minimally restrict their free- cf action, in other words, where they are in rather than being controlled. Happy peo- == characterised by the belief that they are 2 control their situation, whereas unhappy tend to believe that they aro a victim of Happy people are also more psychological- nt, assertive and open to experience. ow good is the evidence for this alternative nt then - that happiness, and not financial contributes to good health, and long life? of nuns, spanning seven decades, sup- this theory. Autobiographies written by the in their early 1920s were scored for positive negative emotions. Nuns expressing the positive emotions lived on average ten longer than those expressing the least pos- ‘emotions. Happy people, it seems, are much ‘skely to fall ill and die than unhappy people. But what must we do to be happy? Experts cite the old maxim “be happy with what you've got.” Look around you, they say, and identify the pos- itive factors in your life, Concentrating on the neg- ative aspects of one's life is a no-no, and so is worrying. Worrying is a negative thinking habit that is nearly always about something that lies in the future. It stems, apparently, from our cave dwelling days, when we had to think on a day-to- day basis about how and where to find food and warmth, for example, But in the modem world, worrying simply undermines our ability to enjoy life in the present. More often than not, the things we worry about never come to pass anyway. Just as important is not to dwell on the past - past mis- takes, bad experiences, missed opportunities and so on. What else can we do? Well, engage in a loving relationship with another adult, and work hard to sustain it. Try to plan frequent interactions with your family, friends and neighbours (in that order). Make sure you're not working so hard that you've no time left for personal relationships and leisure. if you are, leave your job voluntarily to become self-employed, but don't get sacked— that’s more damaging to well-being than the loss of a spouse, and its effects last longer. In your spare time, join a club, volunteer for community service, or take up religion. If none of the above works, then vote for a politi: cal party with the same agenda as the King of Bhutan, who announced that his nation’s objec tive is national happiness.Questions 1 - 3 Choose THREE letters A - H. Circle the correct letters, A - H, below. NB Your answers may be given in any order: Which THREE of the following statements are true, according to the text? Money can bring misery. Wealthier nations place more emphasis on happiness than poorer ones. Securing a place to live is a basic human need. The desire for social status is a global phenomenon. ‘An unmarried couple living together are less likely to be happy than a married couple. ‘The less responsibil ‘one has, the happier one is, Involvement in policy making can increase well-being. TOmmoaw > Our prehistoric ancestors were happier than we are. Questions 4-7 Reading Tip: When reading, remember to stan fo key words and practise scanning for araphrases of key words. Complete the summary using the list of words, A - 1, below Write the correct leter, A = I, in the spaces below: Money can buy you just about anything, but not, it seems, happiness. Whether on a personal national 4 .. + your bank balance won't make you happier. Onee basic criteria of a roof over your head and food on the table have been met, money ceases to play Part. One of the most important factors in achieving happiness is the extent of our social 5.. - our relationships with family, friends, colleagues and so on, Equa important is the amount of 6 ‘we have, either in our personal life, wor ing life, or even in our ability to influence the political 7 .» that our count embarks on, Acpisode D control B interaction E number C cooperation F level G course H conflict Hlimie8-13 sing statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? = 13 below write TRUE if the statement agrees with the information FALSE if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this from underdeveloped nations try to attain the same of living as those from developed nations. what others have makes people want to have it too, 1 the family is, the happier the parents will probably be. attitude to life has no influence on one’s health. can be a barrier to happiness. and friends rank equally as sources of happiness.