of happiness brought by material things.

　　In so many areas, we know when enough is enough. When we're healthy, we don't strive for extreme health. After a good meal, we're satisfied - we don't order another dish. Yet our "pause" button shorts out when it comes to money. The brief pick­me­up that accompanies a raise or windfall (横财) drives us to want more. We get a raise, spend it, adapt to our improved circumstances, and seek more money. But somehow the Happy­O­Meter stays in the same place, or even slows down. Consider that the average American are less satisfied with life today than we were in the 1950s, yet we earn twice as much.

　　How much is enough? Of course, the amount is relative, but consider what it represents to the average American: It's enough to cover the bills and have some fun money left over. After that, each incremental (递增的) move up the pay scale has less long­term emotional impact. A 20% raise won't make you 20% happier. In fact, chasing that extra 10 grand might just make you miserable. So the guy in the corner office may actually be more bummed_out than those of us in the cheap seats.

　　1．The first reason given by the author is that ________.

　　A．we don't know what brings true happiness

　　B．we like predicting our future state of mind

　　C．sadness hits us when our desires aren't satisfied

　　D．happiness brought by material things doesn't last long

　　解析：选D　细节理解题。根据第二段的"They may make us happy for a short time, but we can easily forget the feeling of happiness brought by material things."可知，第一个理由是金钱带来的快乐持续时间不长。

　　2．What does the author want to show by mentioning how much Americans made in the 1950s?

　　A．People back then weren't really happy.

　　B．Americans' lives have greatly changed.

　　C．Americans care more about money today.

　　D．Higher incomes don't mean a happier life.

　　解析：选D　作者意图题。根据第三段的"Consider that the average ... than we were in the 1950s, yet we earn twice as much."可知，作者是想表明高收入并不意味着更快乐的生活。

　　3．What does the underlined part "bummed out" in the last paragraph mean?

A．Bored.　　　　　 B．Satisfied.