Question

Spending money on time-saving services reduces stress and boosts(增进）happiness，according to a new research, but shockingly, few of us do it.

Whillans, a professor at HBS said, “ Buying time helps to protect us from the stress in our lives caused by time pressure, and the feeling that we don’ t have enough minutes in the day to complete our tasks. ’’

The effect was clearest in the Canadian experiment, in which 60 working adults were given $40 to spend in two different ways. One weekend, they were told to spend the money on a material purchase—a gift for themselves. The next weekend, they were instructed to spend the $40 on anything that saved them time，from paying the neighbor ’ s kid to run errands (跑腿）to taking an Uber instead of a bus.

^u〇n the day they made the time-saving purchase, they felt happier, in a better mood, and lower feelings of time stress than on the day they bought a material purchase，’’ said Whillans.

The biggest surprise to the researchers was how few people would spend money on time-saving services. When they asked 98 working adults how they would spend a “windfall” of $40，only two percent named a purchase that would save them time.

“ One reason，’’ said Whillans，^u is that we * re very bad at remembering how much we hate doing certain tasks once the suffering has passed. That makes us less likely to take active steps to avoid that overburdened feeling in the future. ” But another possible cause is good old-fashioned guilt. “If you feel guilty about getting someone to clean your house for you, then you might get less happiness from outsourcing (夕卜包）that task，” said Whillans，^u or you might just be less likely to spend your money in that way. ’’

1.In the Canadian experiment, the participants    .

A. were divided into two groups

B. were given $ 40 every two weeks

C. were asked to give money to a neighbor^J s kid

D. were asked to spend the money in different ways

2.According to the author, what can make people less time-stressed?

A. Paying much for a concert ticket.

B. Taking a regular bus to get to work.

C. Employing someone to clean the garden.

D. Buying themselves an expensive present.

3.When it comes to spending money on ‘‘buying time”，    .

A. no people would like to do it

B. a small percentage of people choose to do it

C. more people will do it if extra money is given

D. most people like the idea but don ’ t practice it in life

4.What do the underlined words “that overburdened feeling”in Paragraph 6 refer to?

A. The good old-fashioned guilt.

B. The feeling of spending’money on goods.

C. The stress of having someone clean your house.

D. The discomfort when completing tasks we hate doing.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.D

【解析】本文讲述了如何解决时间不足的问题还能提升快乐。

1.细节理解题。根据The effect was clearest in the Canadian experiment, in which 60 working adults were given $40 to spend in two different ways.，可以得知在加拿大的这个试验中，参加试验的人被要求用不同的方式花钱。故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据u〇n the day they made the time-saving purchase, they felt happier, in a better mood, and lower feelings of time stress than on the day they bought a material purchase，’’，可以得知花钱雇佣别人打扫花园的人时间压力更少些。故选C。

3.细节理解题。根据The biggest surprise to the researchers was how few people would spend money on time-saving services，可以得知很少有人在购买时间上花钱。故选B。

4.词义猜测题。根据“ One reason，’’ said Whillans，u is that we * re very bad at remembering how much we hate doing certain tasks once the suffering has passed. That makes us less likely to take active steps to avoid that overburdened feeling in the future. ”，可以得知我们在做讨厌的事情时曾经的痛苦感觉过后总会遗忘，这样就不会采取积极行动，去避免将来这种难受不舒服的感觉再次发生。故选D。