I live in Hollywood. You may think people in such an attractive, fun-filled place are happier than others. If so, you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness.
Many intelt people still equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is a deeper, more abiding emotion.
Going to an amusement park or ball , watching a movie or television, are fun activities that help us relax, temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends.
I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun. These rich, beautiful individuals have constant access to glamorous parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells “happiness”.
But in memoir(回忆录) after memoir, celebrities reveal the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken marriages, troubled children and profound loneliness.
The way people stick to the belief that a fun-filled, pain-free life equates happiness actually reduces their chances of ever obtaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equated with happiness, then pain must be equated with unhappiness. But, in fact, the opposite is true: More times than not, things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very endeavors that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment, civic or charitable work, and self-improvement.
小题1:What does the author want to tell us? He wants to tell us.A.he lives in Hollywood, so he feels not happyB.the true meaning of happinessC.in fact, famous people are not very happyD.happiness is not equal to fun小题2:What is many intelt people’s viewpoint about happiness?A.Happiness just means having fun.B.Happiness is not equal to fun.C.Happiness means doing what you like.D.Happiness means being rich.小题3:What does the underlined word “equate” in the second paragraph mean? It means.A.compareB.thinkC.similar or connectedD.match小题4:According to the passage, the author may agree.A.amusement park can bring us happinessB.fun will bring some happiness to usC.pain will bring us happinessD.efforts can bring us happiness