Reading Test 8 (part 2)
11. Read the text. Fill in the gaps with
parts of the sentences listed below.
HAPPINESS
What is happiness? In many industrialised countries, it is often equated with money. But the small Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has been trying a different idea. In 1972, concerned about the problems afflicting other developing countries (A) _______
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. Bhutan's leader, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, decided to make his nation's priority its GNH, or Gross National Happiness. Bhutan, the King said, needed to ensure that prosperity was shared across society and that it was balanced against preserving cultural traditions, protecting the environment and maintaining a responsive government. The King instituted policies (B) _______
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Now. Bhutan's example is serving as a catalyst for broader discussions of national well-being. A growing number of economists, social scientists, corporate leaders and bureaucrats around the world are trying to develop systems (C) _______
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but also access to health care, time with family, conservation of natural resources and other non-economic factors. The goal is partly to obtain a broader definition of the word happiness. 'We have to think of human well-being in broader terms.' said Bhutan's Home Minister. 'Material well-being is only one component. That doesn't ensure that you're at peace with your environment (D) _______
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In the early stages of a climb out of poverty, for a household or a country, incomes and contentment grow together. But various studies show that beyond certain points, (E) _______
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. happiness does not keep up. And some countries, studies found, were happier than they should be. One study found that Latin American countries, for example, registered far more subjective happiness than their economic status would suggest. But researchers have had great difficulty in developing measuring techniques (F) _______
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. And some experts question whether national well-being can really be defined. Just the act of trying to quantify happiness could destroy it. said one expert. 'The most important things in life are not prone to measurement - like love.'
1. aimed at accomplishing these goals
2. that can capture this broader sense of well-being
3. and in harmony with each other
4. whose focus was only on economic growth
5. but there is not necessarily a relationship between wealth and happiness
6. as annual income passes certain levels
7. that measure not just the flow of money
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