Happiness can be described as a positive mood and a pleasant state of mind. According to recent investigations, sixty to seventy percent of Americans consider themselves to be moderately happy, one in twenty persons feel very happy. Psychologists have been studying the factors contributing to happiness. It is not predictable nor is a person in an apparently ideal situation necessarily happy. The ideal situation may have little to do with his actual feelings.
A good education and income are usually considered necessary for happiness. Though both may contribute, they are only chief factors if the person is seriously under - educated or actually suffering from lack of physical needs. The rich are not likely to be happier than the middle-in-come group or even those with very low incomes. People with college education are somewhat happier than those who didn’t graduated from high schools, and it is believed that this is mainly because they have more opportunity to control their lives. Yet people with a very high income and a college education may be less happy than those with the same income and no college education.
It should be noted that people quickly get used to what they have, they are happiest when they feel they are increasing their level, no matter where it stands at a given time. The best formula for happiness is to be able to develop the ability to tolerate frustration, to have a personal involvement and commitment, and to develop selfconfidence and to selfesteem.
The second paragraph is written to tell us that（）。
A. happiness is not necessarily connected to one’s situation
B. well -educated people are not happy
C. happiness lies in a good education and a high income
D. the middle -income group are the happiest people
参考答案：A
解析：
这是一道提炼主旨的题型，题干要求回答第二段的主旨。而第二段的主题句则是该段的首句“A good education and income are usually considered necessary for happiness.”，即良好的教育和收入通常被认为是幸福所必需的。讲述教育和收入与幸福的关系，但在这段最后一句有关键词“Yet..”又否定了第一句，所以选项A，“幸福不一定和一个人所处的环境有关”作为主旨更准确。