1 . Many people want to buy the newest gadget (小玩意儿), the fastest car and the most expensive watch, but what are these things really worth?

For some people, these things _______ them to achieve status (社会地位). They are cool because they have a cool car, or they are _______ at the newest Xbox game. Lots of people say that _______ new things makes them happy. They _______ having new, pretty, impressive things. _______, the problem is that people can’t remain _______ and the feeling you get when you buy something new fades . There’ll always be another _______ iPhone. You’ll stop liking your car. Your friend will get Beats headphones in a more _______ colour and they’ll look so much nicer! Things get old and out of _______, and someone else will always have something better.

So, what can you buy and stay happy with? The research ________ that the best thing to spend your extra ________ on is doing things like travelling, learning to cook or learning a language. What about going to the theatre or climbing a mountain?

In the long term, people are happier with money they spend on ________ than on things. You forget what shoes you wore, but you ________ running a marathon! When you do new things or things you enjoy, you ________ life experience and memories. You can share adventures with people and tell stories. Furthermore, it is always ________ when you meet someone who has done the ________ thing as you can swap stories. You have an instant ________with this person and can have an amazing time ________ the things you’ve done. Even if you don’t enjoy the experience, you can ________ something and often a little while later you see the positives of it. At the very least, it’s a story to tell — maybe even an amusing one.

So forget about designer clothes and fancy gadgets — a new skill or ________ lasts longer!