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. "
词汇：
Gender n．性别 tenable adj.守得住的
Nadir n．最低点 aspiration n．志向
Skew v. 使偏斜
注释：
1．People around the globe hit the height of their misery and depression in middle age：世界各地的人们在其中年时达到痛苦与沮丧的高峰。
2．apply across the board：全面适用。
3．bottoms out：稳定在某一低水平。
4．pick up：振作精神，鼓起勇气。
5．That said：这是一种非常口语化的表达法，意思是“尽管如此，”相当于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：但是他们也提示说，幸福曲线的军能反映了人到中年时做出的选择，即放弃久存的但却再也守不住的志向，但是他们也幸福曲线可能只是反映了人到中年时的一种选择，即放弃那些虽然坚持已久，却再也站不住脚的雄心壮心，随之而来的是一位年长者因为自己成功地忍耐了下来但其他人未能做到此点而产生的沾沾自喜。tenable是合理性，暗示年长者的自欺欺人扭曲了幸福指数。
练习：
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
答案与题解：
1．B从短文的题目可以得知，世界各地的人们在其中年时达到痛苦与沮丧的高峰。
2．A短语regardless of是固定搭配，意思是“不管，不顾”。
3．C显然，空格处应选shape一词，“U shape”表示u形的。
4．C表示几十岁，应用介词in。
5．A短文通篇谈的是mental health，所以此处应填mental。
6．D本句话的意思是：调查结果是在综合了若干不同的幸福数据来源得出的。
7．B从上下文可以得知，空格处应填表示“进行”意思的conducted一词。
8．C前面一句中出现了表示“涉及”多少人的involving一词，此处仍应选这样一个词
9．A表示年龄应用years of age这样的短语。
10．B从本句的后半句可以得知，男女之间在幸福低点方面存在着“性别”差异。
11．B本句前面出现了cheerful people，此处应与其对应，在unhappy后面添people。
12．A前面曾出现过“U形”，显然此处应填表示“曲线”的curve一词
