单选题
Gross National Happiness

In the last century, new technology improved the lives of many people in many countries. However, one country resisted these changes. High in the Himalayan mountains of Asia, the kingdom of Bhutan remained separate. Its people and Buddhist (佛教) culture had not been affected for almost a thousand years. Bhutan, however, was a poor country. People died at a young age. Most of its people could not read, and they did not know much about the outside world. Then, in 1972, a new ruler named King Jigme Singye Wangchuck decided to help Bhutan to become modern, but without losing its traditions.
King Wangchuck looked at other countries for ideas. He saw that most countries measured their progress by their Gross Natonal Product (GNP). The GNP measures products and money. When the number of products sold increases, people say the country is making progress. King Wangchuck had a different idea for Bhutan. He wanted to measure his country"s progress by people"s happiness. If the people"s happiness increased, the king could say that Bhutan was making progress. To decide if people were happier, he created a measure called Gross National Happiness (GNH).
GNH is based on certain principles that create happiness. People are happier if they have health care, education, and jobs. They are happier when they live in a healthy, protected environment. They are happier when they can keep their traditional culture and customs. Finally, people are happier when they have a good, stable government.
Now these is some evidence of increased GNH in Bhutan. People are healthier and are living longer. More people are educated and employed. Teenty-five percent of the land has become national parks, and the country has almost no pollution. The Bhutanese continue to wear their traditional clothing and follow their ancient Buddhist customs. Bhutan has also become a democracy. In 2008, King Wangchuck gave his power to his son. Although the country still had a king, it held its first democratic elections that year. Bhutan had political parties and political candidates for the first time. Finally, Bhutan has connected to the rest of the world through television and internet.
Bhutan is a symbol for social progress. Many countries are now interested in Bhutan"s GNH. These countries are investigating their own ways to measure happiness. They want to create new policies that take care of their people, cultures, and land.
Brazil may be the nest country to use the principles of GNH. Brazilian leaders see the principles of GNH as a source of inspiration. Brazil is a large country with a diverse population. If happiness works as a measure of progress in Brazil, perhaps the rest of the world will follow.
单选题 Who was Jigme Singye Wangchuck?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第一段最后一句话“Then, in 1972, a new ruler named King Jigme Singye Wangchuck decided to help Bhutan to become modern, but without losing its traditions.”可知,吉格梅·辛格·旺楚克是不丹新的统治者,是不丹的国王,所以正确答案为D。
单选题 Apart from modernizing Bhutan, what else did Wangchuck want to do for Bhutan?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第一段最后一句话“Jigme Singye Wangchuck decided to help Bhutan to become modern, but without losing its traditions.”可知,一位新统治者——吉格梅·辛格·旺楚克国王决定帮助不丹变得现代化,但是不丢失其传统,所以正确答案为D。
单选题 A country shows its progress with GNP by ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第二段第三句和第四句内容“The GNP measures products and money. When the number of products sold increases, people say the country is making progress.”可知,国民生产总值用产品和金钱来衡量,当产品的销量增加,人们就说国家进步了,所以正确答案为A。
单选题 According to GNH, people are happier if they ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第三段最后一句话“Finally, people are happier when they have a good, stable government.”可知,如果人们有一个好的稳定的政府,人们就会更幸福,所以正确答案为C。
单选题 Today, many countries are ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第五段第二句话“These countries are investigating their own ways to measure happiness.”可知,这些国家正在研究衡量幸福的方法,所以正确答案为D。