You may think the days of childhood would rank as most people’s happiest. But, in fact, men are happiest at 40 while women are most satisfied at 38 when they are fit and healthy and have good friends.
A survey showed that the best moments in life are the birth of a first child, your wedding day and the birth of grandchildren.
The research involved (涉及) questioning 1000 people aged 70 or older. They were asked about their happiest moments and their biggest regrets in life. More than half the people questioned said they had no regrets in life, but the most common regrets were choosing the wrong career and not running after lifelong dreams.
Other happy moments to make the top ten included the day you retire, moving into a new home, seeing your child’s first steps and meeting the man or woman of your dreams.
One in ten of those with regrets wished they had worked harder in school and seven per cent regretted not travelling the world more. The other two to make the top five regrets were getting divorced and getting married too soon.
The top piece of advice the researchers offered to younger generations was to never take
the people you love for granted. Other top pearls of wisdom were “believe in yourself”, “nothing worth having comes easy” and “don’t hold grudges (怨恨)”.
Matthew Gledhill, who took part in the survey, said: “The message from those with the most life experience is that the key to happiness is to worry less and live in the moment with the people you care about most. As much as people look to the future and try to climb career ladders, our research clearly shows that happiness is linked much more heavily to relationships, friends and family than social status.”
29. According to the survey, which of the following is the best moment in life?
A. The day you retire.
B. Seeing your child’s first steps.
C. The birth of a first child.
D. Meeting the people of your dreams.
30. Among people who had regrets, most thought that _________.
A. they had got married too soon
B. they hadn’t travelled the world enough
C. they hadn’t worked hard enough in school
D. they had chosen the wrong career
31. The underlined words in the sixth paragraph refer to _________.
A. the biggest regrets B. useful and wise tips
C. the happiest moments D. a list of don’ts