单选题 Most people believe the key to happy and productive retirement years is staying healthy. Yet, it's not just about diet and exercise. How you manage your money often determines your level of stress, which, if too high, may lead to chronic health problems like heart diseases.
So you'll have to do more than switch to whole wheat and start jogging every day. Your health also depends on feeling good about and in control of your finances. Not a lot of people understand that—and relatively few are doing much about it.
In a survey, Principal Financial found that just 48% of American workers are monitoring their spending—down from 58% two years ago. Fewer are reevaluating their investments, and while more are using a budget, the rate is still low at just 28%. In other words, they are casual about their money.
Most American workers see the link between wealth and health as one directional: Staying healthy is the ticket to saving on healthcare costs and to financial security in retirement. In the survey, 84% said being physically healthy is good for their financial future and 76% said if they spend money on their health or things they enjoy now they will avoid major health costs later in life.
Yet it's not that simple. Good health comes with its own financial demands. Living healthy means living longer, which is wonderful. But without a traditional pension or other source of guaranteed lifetime income how will you pay for all those extra years? You'll need to save tens of thousands of dollars more than you may have figured in your lifetime—and still there is no guarantee you won't need costly, end-of-life services.
None of this is to say that living longer and healthier isn't a blessing, and probably even less a demand on your resources than developing chronic illness and passing away early. But the link between financial health and physical health goes both ways. In the survey, workers were far more likely to rate themselves physically healthy (53%) than financially healthy (31%), suggesting they see it as a one-way street. But it's also the case that feeling in control of your wealth—no matter how much you have—leads to better health.
单选题 In the first paragraph, the author expresses the belief that ______.
  • A. nothing but diet and exercise determines health
  • B. diet and exercise have nothing to do with health
  • C. health after retirement depends on money alone
  • D. wealth also plays a role in staying healthy
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】文章第一段说，多数人认为快乐的退休生活取决于身体健康，但身体健康也不仅仅局限于注意饮食和坚持锻炼。理财方式不当也会引起慢性疾病。这说明财富也与健康有关。
单选题 Which of the following statements is true about the workers surveyed?
  • A. They don't care about their retired life at all.
  • B. They believe wealth means a happy retired life.
  • C. They are not in control of their money.
  • D. They have to save money now for future health.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】在第三段，作者介绍了一项调查结果：不计算支出的工人超过半数，重新评估自己投资的人更少，而做预算的人只有28%。上述内容意味着工人们不擅长理财。第四段第一句话说，多数工人认为身体健康就意味着晚年幸福，而不是相反的情形。他们普遍认为，现在身体健康，等老了就不会为钱犯愁。
单选题 In Paragraph 5, the point that the author is trying to make is that ______.
  • A. the more you spend on health, the healthier you will be
  • B. money is of great importance after your retirement
  • C. poverty sometimes induces suicide among elders
  • D. no one can be happy and healthy without wealth
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】文章第五段中讲：健康也需要钱。人老了事就多，需要的费用不好估算，尤其是生命的最后几年。没有养老金和其他固定收入，你如何安度晚年?你怎样养老送终?这些文字表明健康的老年生活离不开钱。
单选题 In the last paragraph, "one-way street" probably means ______.
  • A. financial health leads to physical health
  • B. physical health leads to financial health
  • C. financial health equals physical health
  • D. financial health repels physical health
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】在最后一段，作者说健康的身体和健康的经济之间是双向的，也就是健康的身体能创造财富，同时财富也有助于身体健康，但工人们却认为是单向的。结合上文，可以肯定地说“单向”指的是身体健康就不用花钱，就能“不差钱”。
单选题 The author is very likely to argue in the last paragraph that ______.
  • A. financial health and physical health are mutually dependent
  • B. neither wealth nor health makes any difference to happiness
  • C. physical health depends on nothing but financial health
  • D. taking care of your wealth will not lead to better health
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】在最后一段，作者表明自己的立场：身体健康与经济富有之间的关系是双向的。“双向的”就是“相互促进的”或“互相依赖的”。
单选题 The author of this passage intends to argue that ______.
  • A. staying healthy is impossible without accumulating much wealth
  • B. being physically healthy can eventually contribute to your wealth
  • C. feeling good about your finance is also of health benefit
  • D. a large fortune will increase the chance of deterioration of health
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】本文作者首先阐明了工人们的观点，然后提出了自己的见解。工人们的观点可总结为“单向的”，而作者的观点可概括为“双向的”。作者不否认健康对于财富的重要性，但认为很好理财也有助于延年益寿。