Happy people work differently. They’re more productive, more creative, and willing to take greater risks. And new research suggests that happiness might influence (1) _____ firms work, too.

    Companies located in places with happier people invest more, according to a recent research paper. (2) _____ , firms in happy places spend more on R&D (research and development). That’s because happiness is linked to the kind of longer-term thinking (3) _____ for making investments for the future.

    The researchers wanted to know if the (4) _____ and inclination for risk-taking that come with happiness would (5) _____ the way companies invested. So they compared U.S. cities’ average happiness (6) _____ by Gallup polling with the investment activity of publicly traded firms in those areas.

    (7) _____ enough, firms’ investment and R&D intensity were correlated with the happiness of the area in which they were (8) _____ . But is it really happiness that’s linked to investment, or could something else about happier cities (9) _____ why firms there spend more on R&D? To find out, the researchers controlled for various (10) _____ that might make firms more likely to invest—like size, industry, and sales—and for indicators that a place was (11) _____ to live in, like growth in wages or population. The link between happiness and investment generally (12) _____ even after accounting for these things.

    The correlation between happiness and investment was particularly strong for younger firms, which the authors (13) _____ to “less codified decision making process” and the possible presence of “younger and less (14) _____ managers who are more likely to be influenced by sentiment.” The relationship was (15) _____ stronger in places where happiness was spread more (16) _____. Firms seem to invest more in places where most people are relatively happy, rather than in places with happiness inequality.

    (17) _____ this doesn’t prove that happiness causes firms to invest more or to take a longer-term view, the authors believe it at least (18) _____ at that possibility. It’s not hard to imagine that local culture and sentiment would help (19) _____ how executives think about the future. “It surely seems plausible that happy people would be more forward-thinking and creative and (20) _____ R&D more than the average,” said one researcher.

答案精析：空格处所在句为修饰indicators的同位语从句，说明“指标”的具体内容。空格处需要填的词修饰a place，用于说明某居住地的特点，根据空格后的growth in wages or population可知，空格处应填入表示积极意义的形容词。再由前文提到的happiness of the area可知，居住地的特点应和幸福感有关。空格所在句句意为：……还控制了____居住地方的指标，比如工资或人口增长。A项desirable意为“令人满意的”，a desirable place意为“宜居地”，故A项正确。

错项排除：B项sociable一般用于形容人，不能形容地方。一个地区工资和人口的增长不能证明该地方是“有名望的”，故排除C项。D项填入空中不符合文意，故排除。

长难句分析：To find out, the researchers controlled for various factors that might make firms more likely to invest—like size, industry, and sales—and for indicators that a place was desirable to live in, like growth in wages or population.

本句的主干为the researchers controlled for…，To find out为不定式短语作目的状语。句中两个that都是引导定语从句，分别修饰various factors和indicators。其中两个like引导的介词短语都是插入语，分别对前面的factors和indicators作举例说明。

句意为：为了找到答案，研究者们控制了各种使公司更愿意投资的因素，比如规模、行业以及销售，还控制宜居地的指标，比如工资或人口增长。