第六部分 完形填空（共六篇）
第十二篇
Middle Age： A Low Point for Most
People around the globe hit the height of their misery and depression in 1 age1, a new international study suggests.
The finding by British and American researchers was based on an analysis of well-being among approximately 2 million people in 80 nations. With few exceptions, the observation appears to apply across the board2, regardless 2 gender, culture, geography, wealth, job history, education, and marriage or parental status.
"The scientific fact seems to be that happiness and positive mental health follow a giant 'U' 3 through life," said study author Andrew J. Oswald, a professor of economics at Warwick University in Warwickshire, England. "For the average person, it's high when you're 20, and then it slowly falls and bottoms out3 4 your 40s. But the good news is that your 5 health picks up4 again, and eventually gets back to the high levels of our youth. "
The finding was 6 on the pooling of several different sources of happiness data ,including: two multi-decade happiness/satisfaction surveys (first launched in the 1970s), involving about 500,000 American and Western European men and women; four rounds of the 80-nation "World Values Survey" 7 between 1981 and 2004 in North America, Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Central and South America; and a 2004-2007 survey 8 nearly 1 million Britons.
The bottom-line: For most people throughout the world, the highest probability for depression striking is around 44 years of 9
In the United States, however, some as-yet unexplained 10 differences were observed, with happiness among men dipping the most in their early 50s, whereas women hit their Nadir around the age of 40.
The researchers cautioned that cheerful people tend to live longer than unhappy 11 --a fact that might have skewed the overall finding. But they also suggested that evidence of a happiness 12 might simply reflect a midlife choice to give up long-held but no longer tenable aspirations, followed by a senior's sense of gratitude for having successfully endured 13 others did not6.
"That sai5, some might find it helpful simply to understand the general 14 of mental health as they go through their own life," said Oswald. "It might be useful for people to realize that if they are 15 in their 40s, this is normal. It is not exceptional. And just knowing this might help. "
詞匯：
Gender n．性別 tenable adj.守得住的
Nadir n．最低點 aspiration n．志向
Skew v. 使偏斜
注釋：
1．People around the globe hit the height of their misery and depression in middle age：世界各地的人們在其中年時達到痛苦與沮喪的高峰。
2．apply across the board：全面適用。
3．bottoms out：穩(wěn)定在某一低水平。
4．pick up：振作精神，鼓起勇氣。
5．That said：這是一種非�？谡Z化的表達法，意思是“盡管如此，”相當于in spite of what has been said；nevertheless。
6．But they also suggested that evidence of a happiness curve might simply reflect a middle choice to give up long—held but no longer tenable aspirations，followed by a senior's sense of gratitude for having successfully endured while others did not：但是他們也提示說，幸福曲線的軍能反映了人到中年時做出的選擇，即放棄久存的但卻再也守不住的志向，但是他們也幸福曲線可能只是反映了人到中年時的一種選擇，即放棄那些雖然堅持已久，卻再也站不住腳的雄心壯心，隨之而來的是一位年長者因為自己成功地忍耐了下來但其他人未能做到此點而產生的沾沾自喜。tenable是合理性，暗示年長者的自欺欺人扭曲了幸福指數(shù)。
練習：
l. A old B middle C right D young
2. A of B for C to D by
3. A color B size C shape D letter
4. A with B on C in D upon
5. A mental B good C general D physical
6. A focused B concluded C decided D based
7. A measured B conducted C checked D inspected
8. A taking B counting C involving D accepting
9. A age B marriage C experience D work
10. A race B gender C education D income
11. A men B people C women D families
12. A curve B line C axis D table
13. A unless B because C while D since
14. A moods B figures C views D trends
15. A poor B low C old D weak
答案與題解：
1．B從短文的題目可以得知，世界各地的人們在其中年時達到痛苦與沮喪的高峰。
2．A短語regardless of是固定搭配，意思是“不管，不顧”。
3．C顯然，空格處應選shape一詞，“U shape”表示u形的。
4．C表示幾十歲，應用介詞in。
5．A短文通篇談的是mental health，所以此處應填mental。
6．D本句話的意思是：調查結果是在綜合了若干不同的幸福數(shù)據(jù)來源得出的。
7．B從上下文可以得知，空格處應填表示“進行”意思的conducted一詞。
8．C前面一句中出現(xiàn)了表示“涉及”多少人的involving一詞，此處仍應選這樣一個詞
9．A表示年齡應用years of age這樣的短語。
10．B從本句的后半句可以得知，男女之間在幸福低點方面存在著“性別”差異。
11．B本句前面出現(xiàn)了cheerful people，此處應與其對應，在unhappy后面添people。
12．A前面曾出現(xiàn)過“U形”，顯然此處應填表示“曲線”的curve一詞
