Robert F. Kennedy once said that a country’s GDP measures “everything except that which makes life worthwhile.” With Britain voting to leave the European Union, and GDP already predicted to slow as a result, it is now a timely moment to assess what he was referring to.

    The question of GDP and its usefulness has annoyed policymakers for over half a century. Many argue that it is a flawed concept. It measures things that do not matter and misses things that do. By most recent measures, the UK’s GDP has been the envy of the Western world, with record low unemployment and high growth figures. If everything was going so well, then why did over 17 million people vote for Brexit, despite the warnings about what it could do to their country’s economic prospects?

    A recent annual study of countries and their ability to convert growth into well-being sheds some light on that question. Across the 163 countries measured, the UK is one of the poorest performers in ensuring that economic growth is translated into meaningful improvements for its citizens. Rather than just focusing on GDP, over 40 different sets of criteria from health, education and civil society engagement have been measured to get a more rounded assessment of how countries are performing.

    While all of these countries face their own challenges, there are a number of consistent themes. Yes, there has been a budding economic recovery since the 2008 global crash, but in key indicators in areas such as health and education, major economies have continued to decline. Yet this isn’t the case with all countries. Some relatively poor European countries have seen huge improvements across measures including civil society, income equality and the environment.

    This is a lesson that rich countries can learn: When GDP is no longer regarded as the sole measure of a country’s success, the world looks very different.

    So, what Kennedy was referring to was that while GDP has been the most common method for measuring the economic activity of nations, as a measure, it is no longer enough. It does not include important factors such as environmental quality or education outcomes—all things that contribute to a person’s sense of well-being.

    The sharp hit to growth predicted around the world and in the UK could lead to a decline in the everyday services we depend on for our well-being and for growth. But policymakers who refocus efforts on improving well-being rather than simply worrying about GDP figures could avoid the forecasted doom and may even see progress.

答案精析：根据题干中的the recent annual study定位至第三段第一句，该句指出，年度报告sheds light on that question，其中that question指代前文所说的英国民众执意脱欧，也就是说年度报告对此有启发作用。D选项中的enlightening与原文sheds light on为同义表达。此题答案为D。

错项排除：该研究调查了163个国家，但并没有说得到了163个国家的赞助，A错。第三段第三句说到，该研究没有单单把GDP列为参考标准（Rather than just focusing on GDP），与B选项的意思相反，B错。第三段最后一句说到，该报告测量了超过40个标准，目的是为了获取更加全面的评估（to get a more rounded assessment），C错误。

长难句分析：Rather than just focusing on GDP, over 40 different sets of criteria from health, education and civil society engagement have been measured to get a more rounded assessment of how countries are performing.

本句的主干为... over 40 different sets of criteria have been measured...，其中from health, education and civil society engagement为后置定语，修饰criteria，对其进行补充说明。of how countries are performing为介词短语作后置定语，修饰assessment。句末的宾语从句how countries are performing为介词of的宾语。

句意为：该研究不仅关注GDP，它还衡量了有关健康、教育和公民社会参与等40多项不同的标准，旨在对接受调查的国家的表现作出更全面的评估。