阅读理解 Social scientists have been trying to identify the conditions most likely to promote satisfying human lives. Their findings give some important clues about choosing a career: Money matters, but as the economist Richard Easterlinand and others have demonstrated, not always in the ways you may think.
Consider this thought experiment. Suppose you had to choose between two parallel worlds that were alike except that people in one had significantly higher incomes. If you occupied the same position in the income distribution in both—say, as a median earner—there would be compelling reasons for choosing the richer world. After all, societies with higher incomes tend also to enjoy cleaner air and water, better schools, less noisy environments, safer working conditions, longer life expectancy and many other obvious benefits.
But context also matters. If you faced a choice between being a relatively low earner in a high-income society or being near the top in a society in which your income was lower in absolute terms, the answer would be less clear.
If the income difference was very small, being a top earner in the poorer world would probably be more satisfying. Your house would be smaller in absolute terms, but because it would be bigger than most other people' s, you would be more likely to regard it as adequate.
It's not just that more money doesn't provide a straightforward increase in happiness. Social science research also underscores the importance of focusing carefully on the many ways in which jobs differ along dimensions other than pay. As economists have long known, jobs that offer more attractive working conditions—greater autonomy, for example, or better opportunities for learning, or enhanced workplace safety—also tend to pay less.
The happiness literature has identified one of the most deeply satisfying human psychological states to be one called "flow". It occurs when you are so immersed in an activity that you lose track of the passage of time. If you can land a job that enables you to experience substantial periods of flow, you will be among the most fortunate people on the planet. What's more, as the years pass, you will almost surely develop deep expertise at whatever it is you've been doing.

单选题 31.By saying "Money matters ... not always in the ways you may think" (Para.l), the author means money______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】含义题。根据题干关键词定位到文章第一段第二句Money matters…not always in the ways you may think matter意为“事关紧要”，not always in the ways you may think意为“并非总是如你想象的那样”，放在一起可理解为“金钱是很重要，它在其中起到的作用并非你想象的那样”。A项中的count意为“重要”，但该项并没有强调“它在其中起到的作用并非你想象的那样”，表述片面。C项强调“金钱与人们在找工作的过程中所形成的金钱观念不一样”，很明显该项错误。D项意为“金钱在找工作中不重要”，因此可排除掉，故本题选B。

单选题 32.People choose to be a top earner in the poorer world because they______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】细节题。根据题干关键词定位到文章第四段。该段第二句Your house would be smaller in absolute terms，but because it would be bigger than most other people’s意为“你的房子绝对面积会更小，但因为它比你所在社会其他大多数人的房子大，所以你更有可能认为它足够大”。由此可知，人们从与他人相比中得到某种满足感。A项“在富有环境中挣得少会难受”在文章中并未提及。B项“在贫穷环境中挣得多会增进幸福感”是第五段的内容。C项“满足人们的虚荣心”较D项“满足他们的欲望”更符合文意，故本题选C。