1 . Finland is the happiest place on Earth, according to the 2018 World Happiness Report of 156 nations.
The report, released Wednesday by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Solutions Network, ranks the countries of the world based on six different categories of well-being: income, freedom, trust, life expectancy, generosity and social support. This year's report also pays special attention to the happiness of each country's immigrants.
The U.S. dropped four spots from 2017 and landed in the 18th place, and last year's winner, Norway, came in second place — followed by Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland.
'' The top five countries all have almost equally high values for the six factors found to support happiness, and four of these countries—Denmark, Switzerland, Norway and now Finland — have been in first place in the six World Happiness Report rankings since the first report" in 2012, '' co-editor John Helliwell told CNN. '' In a division with such excellent teams, changes in the top spot are to be expected."
Rounding out the top 10 happiest countries was Canada in sixth place, then New Zealand, Sweden and Australia. The order of the top 10 nations changed from the 2017 list but the countries did not, according to the report. They were also 10 of the 11 top spots in the immigrant happiness category (including Mexico — 24th overall, but 10th in immigration).
'' The most striking finding of the report is the remarkable consistency between the happiness of immigrants and the locally born, '' Helliwell said in a statement. '' Although immigrants come from countries with very different levels of happiness, their reported life evaluations resemble those of other residents in their new countries. Those who move to happier countries gain, while those who move to less happy countries lose. ''
Other major world powers placed in significantly low spots on the list. Germany came in 15th, the UK was 19th — followed by Japan in 54th place, Russia in 59th and China in 86th.
The report, based on surveys completed by citizen volunteers, came just under a week before World Happiness Day on March 20, when the UN declared to recognize '' the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations inthe lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives''
1. What is the most significant finding of the report?| A．That immigrants are different from residents in the country. |
| B．That immigrants and locals feel the similar level of happiness. |
| C．That immigrants become happy when they leave the country. |
| D．That immigrants come from countries with different levels of happiness. |
| A．Happiness is no less important than any other aspect in life. |
| B．People’s happiness and well-being should be considered when it comes to policy-making. |
| C．The happiness report came under a week before World Happiness Day. |
| D．What the UN declared was beneficial to all human beings. |
| A．World Happiness Day. | B．Happiness — forever pursuit. |
| C．The 2018 World Happiness Report. | D．What's your happiness index? |
2 . If you rent an apartment in Beijing, you also rent the landlord or landlady for at least a year. It's important you find a good match because you have to deal with them in the long term. For me, it was love at first sight with the elderly couple who owns my apartment.
It was quite a tough trying to find the right apartment when I first arrived in Beijing. The apartments were either unsuitable or I find fault with the owners who looked indifferent at best and unfriendly at worst. But that all changed when the renting agent's car stopped in front of a hutong house in the heart of the capital.
I saw an elderly couple, in their 70s perhaps, waving to me. They were warm and welcoming at first glance, and when I saw them attentively hanging up the curtains in what would become my bedroom, I was just sold on the place and the owners!
Chinese people talk about yuanfen, meaning fate that brings people together. Before I met my current landlords, I thought the concept of yuanfen was overrated. A generous landlady who liked me and wanted me to move into her apartment had used the term in reference to me. But it was this lovely couple that changed my mind about the concept.
We have become accustomed to visiting each other at home. The couple's apartment is lovingly decorated, boasting a recent wedding photo of themselves taken in bridal wear. The landlord likes to smoke and sip tea, while the landlady takes great pride in her appearance.
After three years, I dare say they treat me a bit like a "daughter", despite having two grown sons, one of them close by. They give me gifts of tea or clothes, and I bring them souvenirs from my trips. A match made in heaven, indeed!
1. How did the author feel about renting an apartment in Beijing?| A．It was a piece of cake. |
| B．There were lots of unfriendly owners. |
| C．It was worth trying different apartments. |
| D．It was not so easy to find a suitable apartment. |
| A．They looked indifferent and find fault with the author. |
| B．They gave a warm welcome and took good care of the house. |
| C．They liked the author and wanted her to move into their apartment. |
| D．They were nice and gave her gifts of tea or clothes. |
| A．They are newly married. | B．They are nice and easy to get along with. |
| C．They love drinking tea. | D．They live together with their two sons. |
