Old age may not sound exciting. But recent findings offer good news for older people and for people who worried about getting older.
Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of 50. In fact, they say by the age of 85, people are happier with their life than they were when they were 18 years old.
The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the US. The Gallup Organization questioned them by telephone in 2008. At that time, the people were between the ages of 18 and 85.
The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, sadness and worry. They also asked about mental or emotional stress.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of 22 and 25.
The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties. Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties.
The study also showed that men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.
The findings appeared in the Proceedings of the National Acadamy of Science.
Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older. One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
Professor Stone says the emotional patterns could be linked to changes in how people see the world, or maybe even changes in brain chemistry.
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.
What does the underlined word “negative” mean?

A．负面的	B．积极的
C．平和的	D．激烈的

What kind of people has the highest stress levels?

A．People were between the ages of 18 and 85.

B．Those in their seventies and eighties.

C．People reached their fifties.

D．Adults between the ages of 22 and 25.

Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older.

B．Researchers know exactly why happiness increases as people get older.

C．Women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.

D．Levels of stress were highest among adults between the age of 22 and 25.

Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

A．The older, the happier.

B．Why elder people feel happier than young men?

C．Different emotional patterns between men and women.

D．What makes the elder happy?