《2026年水木金卷高考模拟试卷精编英语》

D
It's probably not hard for many of us to come up with specific moments that felt joyful. But the question of whether we're happy overall is much more complex. It involves weighing many factors in our lives, good and bad. And in that sense, many people—especially teens and young adults—seem unhappier than ever.
Young people, especially those in the United States, just aren't as happy as they were 10 or 15 years ago. That's according to the 2024 World Happiness Report, published by the University of Oxford in England. This annual report is based on surveys that ask people around the globe how satisfied they are with their lives. Participants also answer questions about their positive and negative emotions from the day before the survey. Good feelings include things like laughter, enjoyment and how interested a person was in the activities they did. Negative emotions focus on sadness, anger and worry. The researchers who compile(编写) these reports look at how different emotions affect people's life satisfaction.
The first report, released in 2012, used survey data from 2006 to 2010. With nearly two decades of data, scientists can now begin to track happiness trends for people of different ages or generations. It used to be that middle-aged adults were the least-happy age group. But the 2024 report flipped(翻转) that on its head: Teens in the United States are now the unhappiest group. In 2006 to 2010, young people's reported happiness levels were about 7.3 on a scale from 0 to 10. In the most recent survey they were just 6.4. That drop put young people in the United States at a rank of 62 in terms of happiness, among 143 countries. Older Americans ranked in the top 10.
That changed in 2012. That's when happiness levels began to drop, according to data from Monitoring the Future. This long-term study follows more than 1 million US teens to learn about their behaviors and emotional states as they grow into adulthood. It measures happiness on a scale from 1 (unhappiest) to 3 (happiest). Throughout the 2000s, high-school seniors showed average happiness levels around 2.09. But by 2016, that figure had dipped to 2.04. Eighth graders had a larger drop, from an average of about 2.06 to 1.98.
What triggered(触发) that ongoing slide in happiness levels? It's likely tied to smartphone and Internet use, reports Jean M. Twenge, a psychologist at San Diego State University in California. The problem with being online more isn't just cyberbullying or other negative online interactions. Rather, the more time teens spend online, the lonelier they feel, Twenge has found.
51. In writing Paragraph 1, the author aims to .
A. present an argument
B. make a comparison
C. raise a question
D. propose a definition
52. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?
A. Young people are the unhappiest in the United States.
B. The 2024 World Happiness Report was issued by the US.
C. The World Happiness Report shows how satisfied people are with their lives.
D. Researchers believe that young people 10 or 15 years ago were not happy.
53. What could be inferred from Paragraph 3?
A. The first report is based on nearly 20 years of survey data.
B. Young Americans now live in poor conditions.
C. Middle-aged Americans used to be the happiest age group.
D. Older people in the United States might be the happiest now.
54. What is the author's purpose in writing Paragraph 4?
A. To point out when the happiness levels of American teens began to decline.
B. To provide specific data on the happiness levels of American teens.
C. To help readers understand the levels of happiness among American teenagers.
D. To share data on the happiness levels of American teenagers.
55. What conclusion can we draw from the passage?
A. American teenagers are glued to their phones and the Internet.
B. Cyberbullying is a leading cause of unhappiness among American teens.
C. Negative online interactions triggered the ongoing slide in happiness levels.
D. The amount of time spent online is related to the happiness level of US teens.

答案： 51.A 推理判断题。题干意为:作者写第一段的目的是_______。根据第一段中“And in that sense, many people—especially teens and young adults—seem unhappier than ever.”可知,第一段提出了“很多人,尤其是青少年和年轻人,似乎比以往任何时候都更不幸福”的观点;结合文章内容及第二段中“Young people, especially those in the United States, just aren’t as happy as they were 10 or 15 years ago.”可知,本文主要说明了年轻人尤其是美国青少年的幸福感在下降的现象,并探讨了可能的原因。由此可推知,作者写第一段是为了提出一个论点。故选A。
52.C 推理判断题。题干意为:我们可以从第二段中得知什么?根据第二段中“This annual report is based on surveys that ask people around the globe how satisfied they are with their lives. Participants also answer questions about their positive and negative emotions from the day before the survey... The researchers who compile(编写)these reports look at how different emotions affect people’s life satisfaction.”可知,《世界幸福报告》询问全球人们对自己生活的满意度,参与者还需回答关于调查前一天的积极和消极情绪的问题,研究人员会研究不同情绪如何影响人们的生活满意度。由此可推知,《世界幸福报告》展示了人们对自己生活的满意程度。故选C。
53.D 推理判断题。题干意为:从第三段中可以推断出什么?根据第三段中“That drop put young people in the United States at a rank of 62 in terms of happiness, among 143 countries. Older Americans ranked in the top 10.”可知,美国年轻人这一群体在143个国家的幸福排名中位列第62位,而美国老年人这一群体则排在前十位。由此可推知,美国的老年人现在可能是最幸福的群体。故选D。
54.A 推理判断题。题干意为:作者写第四段的目的是什么?根据第四段中“Throughout the 2000s, high-school seniors showed average happiness levels around 2.09. But by 2016, that figure had dipped to 2.04. Eighth graders had a larger drop, from an average of about 2.06 to 1.98.”可知,作者列举了21世纪00年代,高中生和八年级学生的平均幸福水平,以及到2016年时这些数据的下降情况。由此可推知,作者写第四段是为了指出美国青少年的幸福水平是何时开始下降的。故选A。
55.D 推理判断题。题干意为:我们可以从这篇文章中得出什么结论?根据最后一段中“It’s likely tied to smartphone and Internet use... the more time teens spend online, the lonelier they feel”可知,幸福水平的持续下降可能与智能手机和互联网的使用有关,青少年上网时间越长,他们就会感觉越孤独。由此可推知,上网时间的长短与美国青少年的幸福水平有关。故选D。