Amid weak job and housing markets, consumers are saving more and spending less than they have in decades and industry professionals expect that trend to continue. Consumers saved 6.4 percent of their after-tax income in June. Before the recession, the rate was 1 to 2 percent for many years. In June, consumer spending and personal incomes were essentially flat compared with May, suggesting that the American economy, as dependent as it is on shoppers opening their wallets and purses, isn’t likely to rebound anytime soon.
On the bright side, the practices that consumers have adopted in response to the economic crisis ultimately could make them happier. New studies of consumption and happiness show, for instance, that people are happier when they spend money on experiences instead of material objects, when they relish what they plan to buy long before they buy it, and when they stop trying to outdo the Joneses.
If consumers end up sticking with their newfound spending habits, some tactics (策略) that retailers and marketers began using during the recession could become lasting business strategies. Among those strategies are offering goods that makes being at home more entertaining and trying to make consumers feel special by giving them access to exclusive events and more personal customer service.
While the current round of stinginess may simply be a response to the economic downturn, some analysts say consumers may also be permanently adjusting their spending based on what they’ve discovered about what truly makes them happy or fulfilled.
“This actually is a topic that hasn’t been researched very much until recently,” says Elizabeth W. Dunn, an associate professor in the psychology department at the University of British Columbia, who is at the forefront of research on consumption and happiness. There’s massive literature on income and happiness. It’s amazing how little there is on how to spend your money.
Studies over the last few decades have shown that money, up to a certain point, makes people happier because it lets them meet basic needs. The latest round of research is, for lack of a better term, all about emotional efficiency: how to reap the most happiness for your dollar.
So just where does happiness reside for consumers? Scholars and researchers haven’t determined whether Armani will put a bigger smile on your face than Dolce & Gabbana. But they have found that our types of purchases, their size and frequency, and even the timing of the spending all affect long-term happiness.
One major finding is that spending money for an experience — concert tickets, French lessons, sushi-rolling classes, a hotel room in Monaco — produces longer-lasting satisfaction than spending money on plain old stuff.
“‘It’s better to go on a vacation than buy a new couch’ is basically the idea,” says Professor Dunn.
Thomas DeLeire, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin discovered that the only category to be positively related to happiness was leisure: vacations, entertainment, sports and equipment like golf clubs and fishing poles.
1.What’s the dark side of American consumers’ saving more and spending less?
A.The job and housing markets will become even weaker.
B.There is little hope that the American economy will recover soon.
C.More and more retailers and marketers will have to go bankrupt.
D.It’s possible that the American economy will rebound sooner.
2.What will happen if customers keep their spending habits formed in the economic downturn?
A.They will get goods and services much cheaper.
B.It’s likely that they spend more time indoors.
C.Retailers will change their business strategies.
D.They will enjoy better services and experiences.
3.What surprises Elizabeth W. Dunn according to the passage?
A.There is little about how to spend money to make people happy.
B.Consumers unconsciously adjust their spending habits to be happy.
C.People started researches on consumption-happiness relationship so early.
D.Happiness is proved to have nothing to do with consumption.
4.Scholars such as Prof. Dunn and Prof. DeLeire agree that_______.
A.richer people feel happier and more satisfied
B.most consumers prefer leading brands like Armani
C.spending on vacations brings long-term happiness
D.people should curb their spending on material thing
The other morning on the subway I sat next to an attractive young blonde woman who was reading something on her iPad. She was very well-dressed, carrying a Prada bag with tastefully applied make-up indeed, she had an unmistakable air of wealth, material success and even authority. I suspected she worked as a highly-paid Wall Street lawyer or stockbroker or something of that sort. So, I was curious to see what she was so focused on. The Wall Street Journal perhaps? The Economist?
Quite the contrary; rather, she was concentrating on a romance novel. Then I realized that I have known many women who love romance novels—smart, attractive, successful, “liberated,” modern females who nonetheless find some kind of deep satisfaction and thrill from those hyper-romantic, artificial and extremely unrealistic tales of handsome, manly heroes falling in love with virginal women, enduring a series of adventures, then no doubt having a happy ending.
These romance stories are to literature what hot dogs are to fine food. Yet, the genre(体裁) remains enormously popular. Consider some of these surprising statistics from the good folks at the Romance Writers of America (RWA):
*More than 9,000 romance titles were released last year, with sales of about $1.44 billion (more than triple the taxes produced by classic literary fiction).
*More than 90 percent of the market are women (okay, that’s not at all surprising).
* Readers are typically women between the ages 30 and 54 who are themselves involved in a romantic relationship (betraying the stereotype that only lonely women long for these tales of love and adventure).
*Almost 40 percent of romance book consumers have an annual income of between $50,000 and $99,900 (placing them firmly in the middle class).
I had thought that romance novels accounted for a very small share of the literary market, so I was quite surprised that this part has such enormous popularity. But I must wonder why so many women—forty years after the women’s liberation movement—continue to enjoy themselves in the fanciful tales?
I’m not sure if it represents a kind of “rejection” of the women’s liberation movement, but clearly something is missing in the lives of contemporary ladies. A romance author named Donna Hatch who focuses on the Regency period (early 19th century Britain) explained the appeal of such books this way: “Regency men were civilized and treated women with courtesy. When a lady entered the room, gentlemen stood, doffed their hats, offered an arm, bowed, and a hundred other little things I wish men still did today. But they were also very athletic; they hunted, raced, boxed, rode horses. They were manly. Strong. Noble. Honorable. And that is why I love them!”
Mrs. Hatch may have expressed the secret desires and attitudes of untold millions of her peers—that is, in the early 21st century, have women grown tired of the burdens and expectations that the “freedoms” they have gained give them? Is this a rejection of modern feminism? Do women long for days of old when men were masculine gentlemen and women were feminine and protected as precious treasures and regarded as possessions?
Perhaps most women (even the ones who get lost in romance novels) do not want to go all the way back but it is obvious,______.
1.What is the function of the opening paragraph?
A. To summarize the whole passage. B. To prove the author’s argument.
C. To lead in the main topic of the passage. D. To raise problems that will be solved later.
2.What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph imply?
A. Romance novels are satisfying and thrilling.
B. Romance novels are not of much “nutrition”.
C. Romance novels are as popular as hot dogs.
D. Romance novels are an essential part of contemporary life.
3.In the author’s opinion, what is missing in the lives of contemporary women?
A. Authority. B. Dignity. C. Liberty. D. Care.
4.Which sentence can be put in the blank in the last paragraph?
A. they prefer tales of innocent romance to classics
B. they are unhappy with how the world has turned out
C. true love described in romance novels does exist in reality
D. romance novels provide them with an access to society
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1.What do the four items have in common?
A.They are waterproof.
B.They are of the same price.
C.They are made of fiberglass.
D.They are on sale on Amazon
2.From the passage, we know_______.
A.the handbag raincoat is of low quality
B.the short boots are suitable for urban living
C.the waterproof phone case has different sizes
D.the travel umbrella can be folded using a button
One day in early December, we woke up to discover a heavy fall of snow. “Mom, can we go _______ after breakfast?” my eleven-year-old daughter Erica begged. I didn’t want to _______ her request, so we headed towards the only _______ in our town.
When we arrived, the hill was crowded with people. We found an open spot next to a thin man and his three-year-old son. The boy was already lying in the sled, _______ to be launched. “Come on, Daddy!” he called.
The man looked over at me. “Okay if we go _______?” he asked.
“Sure. Looks like your son is ready to go,” I said. With that, he gave the boy a huge _______, and off he flew! And the father ran after his son at full speed.
“He must be afraid that his son is going to _______ somebody,” I said to Erica. “We’d better be _______, too.”
Then we also skied down the hill at a great speed. As we returned to the top, I noticed that the man was _______ his son, who was still lying in the sled, back up to the summit. When we reached the top, the boy was ready to play again. Again, the father ________ him down the hill, and then pulled both the boy and the sled back up. The little boy was terribly spoilt by his father, I thought. ________ he was small, the child could pull his own sled up the hill once in a while. This ________ went on for more than an hour, but the man never ________ , and he was very happy instead. Finally, I could ________ it no longer. I called to him, “You have tremendous ________ !”
The man smiled and said, “He has cerebral palsy (脑瘫). He can’t walk. ”
I was dumbstruck (惊呆的). It had all seemed so happy, so ________ , that it never occurred to me that the child might be ________ . Although I didn’t know the man’s name, I told the ________ in my newspaper column. Either he or someone he knew must have recognized him, ________ shortly afterward, I received this letter:
Dear Mrs. Silverman,
The energy I expended on the hill that day is ________ compared to what my son does every day. To me, he is a true hero.
1.A.camping B.hiking C.shopping D.skiing
2.A.answer B.refuse C.allow D.accept
3.A.hill B.lake C.market D.gym
4.A.promising B.advising C.waiting D.warning
5.A.too B.second C.last D.first
6.A.wave B.ability C.push D.touch
7.A.look at B.run into C.come across D.call on
8.A.natural B.honest C.careful D.special
9.A.attracting B.following C.pulling D.forbidding
10.A.found B.chased C.drove D.noticed
11.A.As if B.Even though C.Now that D.Ever since
12.A.accident B.signal C.pattern D.adventure
13.A.doubted B.laughed C.tired D.cried
14.A.interrupt B.stand C.change D.demand
15.A.energy B.value C.skills D.attitude
16.A.fair B.frightening C.normal D.unlucky
17.A.homeless B.disabled C.technical D.creative
18.A.joke B.story C.meeting D.news
19.A.because B.unless C.if D.although
20.A.all B.everything C.something D.nothing
—Could Martha afford the money to go on a trip abroad with us?
—I’m afraid not. She is ___________ at the moment.
A.physically challenged B.between jobs C.not all there D.all ears
Our high-tech zone has__________guidelines for sustainable development in the next five years.
A.fallen for B.got over C.broken down D.laid out
