Is better off really better? - Module 8

C1 Advanced · Multiple Choice Reading · Advanced Expert Student's Resource Book, Pearson Education

You are going to read an article about the relationship between material possessions and happiness. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

Do material possessions really make us happy? It's a well-known fact that material possessions don't ultimately make us happy. There are a number of reasons for this. First of all, it is things such as connection with people and meaningful activity that make a big difference to our well-being. Additionally, there are various factors that underpin the fleeting nature of the thrill that comes from getting the stuff we crave. One is that the acquisition of material goods is often quickly followed by anxiety about losing or damaging them; think of the first scratch on a new car. Another is that if something makes you happy, more of it won't necessarily make you even happier. Then there is what's known as hedonic adaptation: the fact that we simply get used to having the things that make us feel good and so stop noticing their beneficial impact. That's all true. And yet, I've come to think that the issue is slightly more nuanced. There seem to be certain things that continue to make a little bit of difference to daily life for a long time. In my case, the prime example is my smartphone, which never ceases to amaze me. I don't live in fear of losing or damaging it, nor have I stopped noticing its benefits. One distinction that can be made is whether the item is functional and something we really grow to rely on, rather than just own. An expensive watch, for instance, wouldn't in itself necessarily make the same kind of difference. You only really get a thrill when it's new. Another important point is whether we manage to keep material goods in perspective and avoid giving them more value than they deserve. Apart from the fact that they can often be replaced, we should aim to enjoy things in the genuine understanding that they will not last forever nor will they give meaning to our life. If we do this, we may be able to avert excessive fear of losing them. It would be completely wrong to let our well-being hang on an electronic device or to think that it could bring about a deep existential transformation. But there's nothing wrong with noticing and appreciating what it can do for us, practically and aesthetically. And what is happiness, anyway? As my uncle always used to say, 'Laughing always turns to crying.' He may not have known that his homespun wisdom had a classical pedigree. Plato thought that if we feel pleasure, we will inevitably feel a corresponding pain as we regain equilibrium; and if we feel pain, we will feel pleasure when we are restored to normality. One popular folk theory to explain this, often dignified by references to Taoism, is that the yin of happiness requires the yang of misery. 'He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness,' as Alexandre Dumas put it. From this principle many draw the same conclusion he did: that happiness and misery have a measure of relativity. 'There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another.' There is some truth in this, but good and bad cannot be defined purely relative to expectation and experience. Many things or states of affairs really are better or worse than others. Poverty, for example, is terrible, even when people around you are even poorer. Nothing has the power of the first time, so as we get used to good things, it is inevitable that many will have less impact. But familiarity need not make us lose sight of their real value. Remembering how lucky you are to eat well every day and how easily things could be different, for instance, can lead to more, not less, satisfaction with life. The way to appreciate improvements in life is never to allow ourselves to get so used to them that they are no longer noticed.

giving reasons why an accepted truth is so widely believed.

exposing the weaknesses in a commonly held assumption.

providing examples in support of her personal viewpoint.

questioning the logic of a popularly accepted theory.

In the first paragraph, the writer is

how difficult it would be to live without certain key possessions.

how superficial is our feeling of attachment to pieces of technology.

how quickly we become accustomed to the advantages of certain gadgets.

how the usefulness of consumer goods affects our view of their lasting value.

The writer gives the example of her smartphone to illustrate

is a natural reaction to their intrinsic value.

is a reflection of the cost of having to replace them.

is a symptom of placing too much importance on them.

is a logical response to our emotional attachment to them.

In the third paragraph, the writer suggests that fear of losing certain material goods

an important change.

an everyday object.

a serious mistake.

a strong feeling.

The word 'it' in line 47 refers to

provide a contrast to the ideas of Plato.

show how mistaken her uncle's words were.

demonstrate why a popular folk theory is misguided.

clarify a point of view which she only partially agrees with.

In the fourth paragraph, the writer quotes from Alexandre Dumas in order to

guard against complacency in our attitudes to life.

be prepared for both good times and hardships in life.

strive to improve both our own lives and those of others.

accept the positive contribution of consumer goods to our lives.

In the final paragraph, the writer is encouraging us to

Is better off really better?

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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