[单项选择]

Text 3 Living standards soared during the twentieth century, and economists expect them to continue rising in the decades ahead. Does that mean that we humans can look forward to increasing happiness Easterlin admits that richer people are more likely to report themselves as being happier than poorer people are. But steady improvements in the American economy have not been accompanied by steady increases in people’s self-assessments of their own happiness. "There has been not improvement in average happiness in the United States over almost a half century -- a period in which real GDP (gross domestic product) per capital more than doubled," Easterlin reports. The explanation for this paradox may be that people become less satisfied over time with a given level of income. In Easterlin’s word: "As incomes rise, the aspiration level does too, and the effect of this increase in aspirations is to invalidate the expected growth in happiness due to high
A. Easterlin agreed with Maslow.
B. Easterlin's theory contradicts with Maslow's.
C. Easterlin's theory is more popular than Maslow's.
D. Maslow's theory is more popular than Easterlin's.

Text 3 Living standards soared during the twentieth century, and economists expect them to continue rising in the decades ahead. Does that mean that we humans can look forward to increasing happiness Easterlin admits that richer people are more likely to report themselves as being happier than poorer people are. But steady improvements in the American economy have not been accompanied by steady increases in people’s self-assessments of their own happiness. "There has been not improvement in average happiness in the United States over almost a half century -- a period in which real GDP (gross domestic product) per capital more than doubled," Easterlin reports. The explanation for this paradox may be that people become less satisfied over time with a given level of income. In Easterlin’s word: "As incomes rise, the aspiration level does too, and the effect of this increase in aspirations is to invalidate the expected growth in happiness due to high
A. feel poor if they have less than many others.
B. feel rich if they have more than many others.
C. tend to equate being happy with their feeling relatively rich.
D. tend to expect more if they are richer than their neighbors.

Text 1
More Americans are cohabiting-living together out of wedlock--than ever. Some exports applaud the practice, but others warn playing house does not always lead to marital bliss. At one time in America, living together out of wedlock was scandalous. Unmarried spouses who "shacked up" were said to be "living in sin". Indeed, cohabitation was illegal throughout the country until about 1970. Today, statistics tell a different tale. The number of unwed couples living together has risen to a new high--more than 4.1 million as of March 1997, according to the Census Bureau. That figure was up from 3.96 million couples the previous year and represents a quantum leap from the 430,000 cohabiting couples counted in 1960.
The bureau found’ that cohabiting is most prevailing in the 24 - 35 age group, accounting for 1.6 million such couples. Cohabitants claim they live together primarily to solidify their love and commitment to each other.
A. Warren Farrell does not support cohabitation
B. Warren Farrell thinks there is no need to get married for cohabitants
C. Warren Farrell thinks cohabitation is frivolous
D. Warren Farrell holds the view that cohabitation has some benefits

Text 2
At some point during their education, biology students are told about a conversation in a pub that took place over 50 years ago. J. B. S. Haldane, a British geneticist, was asked whether he would lay down his life for his country. After doing a quick calculation on the back of a napkin, he said he would do so for two brothers or eight cousins. In other words, he would die to protect the equivalent of his genetic contribution to the next generation.
The theory of kin selection--the idea that animals can pass on their genes by helping their close relatives——is biology’s explanation for seemingly altruistic acts. An individual carrying genes that promote altruism might be expected to die younger than one with "selfish" genes, and thus to have a reduced contribution to the next generation’s genetic pool.
But if the same individual acts altruistically to protect its relatives, genes for altruistic behavior might n
A. complementary.
B. contradictory.
C. superficial.
D. over-simplified.

Text 2 At some point during their education, biology students are told about a conversation in a pub that took place over 50 years ago. J. B. S. Haldane, a British geneticist, was asked whether he would lay down his life for his country. After doing a quick calculation on the back of a napkin, he said he would do so for two brothers or eight cousins. In other words, he would die to protect the equivalent of his genetic contribution to the next generation. The theory of kin selection--the idea that animals can pass on their genes by helping their close relatives——is biology’s explanation for seemingly altruistic acts. An individual carrying genes that promote altruism might be expected to die younger than one with "selfish" genes, and thus to have a reduced contribution to the next generation’s genetic pool. But if the same individual acts altruistically to protect its relatives, genes for altruistic behavior might nevertheless propagate. A
A. complementary.
B. contradictory.
C. superficial.
D. over-simplified.

Text 4
During the 1990s boom Dell Computer’s customers got hooked on speed. Most were willing to pay a premium to have their computers shipped by overnight air express. But today, the equation has flipped. Customers prize cost savings over speed. "Now, most of our computers (in the U.S. ) are shipped on the ground--and we can still reach just about everyone within two days," says Fred Montoya, Dell’s vice-president for worldwide logistics.
Express air shipping isn’t in a death spiral. But recession-spooked consumers and manufacturers are less willing to pay for overnight delivery, which is three to five times more expensive than ground shipping. Even when they pay, satisfaction is not guaranteed. After September 11th, security scrutiny of air freight can result in long delays-which means roads may actually be faster. That’s another reason why the number of packages shipped by air domestically fell 7.6% in 2001. And even wit
A. stricter security regulations enforced.
B. higher payment imposed on customers.
C. stiff competition coming from trucks.
D. failure to cater to customers' needs.