7．If you feel yourself turning into an old grouch（脾氣壞的人），don't worry--happiness is around bend．A survey has found that although happiness dips in those in their 30s and 40s，people start to feel more content with lite after the age of 50．
However an economist found that older people will never regain regain the excitement of youth．Rather it is though that with age，individuals become more pragmatic about the ups ang downs that life brings and accept their fortune．
He questioned those in Britain，Switzerland and Germanry and applied the findings to people's life cycle．
Mr．Van Landeghem，29，said："A happiness curve does not necessarily imply that a 65-year-old prefers his own life to the life of a 25-year-old．
"Both the 25-year-old and 65-year-old might agree that it is nicer to be 25 than to be 65．But the 65-year-old might nevertheless be more satisfied，as he has learned to satisfied with what he has．"
It was suggested the mid-life happiness dip is because this is when people have the most responsibilities--taking care of a family，paying a mortgage （抵押貸款）and having a demanding career． The middle-aged dip in happiness was also compared to that of losing a close relative or suddenly becoming unemployed．
The study is just one of many put forward as an indicator of what makes for a happy life．
Psychologists concluded that having money makes you happier，but only if you have a lot more than your friends and neighbors．At the same time，you'd better have enough time to enjoy yourself instead of spending all your time on making money．
Separate research found that owning the house of your dreams，the car you always longed for and having millions in the bank doesn't stop that desire to keep up with the Joneses（攀比）． And if the Joneses have more than you do，you'll be miserable．It seems envy at being lower in the social pecking order （權(quán)勢(shì)等級(jí)）reduces the satisfaction of being well off．
If you just do what you love and you are good at，which society also values much，you may have a higher probability to be happy．But if your job pays less，how can you stick to it in disregard of responsibilities？Happiness means different things from different points of views，and point of view grows from one's experience and knowledge．Perhaps it comes with you when you don't need to think about adult problems or when you are wise enough to understand what satisfaction is．
51．The underlined word"pragmatic"in paragraph 2 may meanC．
| A．nervous | B．concerned |
| C．realistic | D．careful |
52．According to the passage，people in their 30s and 40sB．
A．may feel it more difficult to experience happiness
B．may sense happiness declines owing to other complicated factors
C．start to realize responsibility and risk mean risk mean happiness
D．may associate happiness with money and status and risk pursuing happiness
53．It is implied in the passage thatD．
A．happiness comes when you complain less
B．life is full of ups and downs in fact
C．a(chǎn) sense of responsibility brings you happiness
D．competing with others often makes you blue
54．What makes for a happy fife？C
A．One's famiLy．
B．One's money．
C．One's wisdom．
D．One's status．
55．The best title for the passage may beA．
A．happiness is U-shaped
B．happiness is an experience
C．happiness makes you satisfied
D．happiness can be won by yourself．
