living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen a washing machine and a microwave
oven. Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You
almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat
out at least once a week.
Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for.
Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that
the long hours work culture to make more money is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or
energy for family or pastimes. Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting is one of them.
Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year.
One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank. They would go to work by train every day
from their large house in the suburbs, leaving their two children with a nanny. Most evenings Daniel wouldn"t get home until eight or nine o"clock and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for
meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.
Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. "I always wanted to have a farm then," says
Daniel, "and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It"s taken some getting used to,
but it"s been worth it. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However, I think it"s made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.
Liz, however, is not quite sure. "I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I"m not really a country girl, but I suppose I"m gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the
same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all."
B.people hardly buy more things than necessary
C.people are sure everything they own is in the right place
D.people realize there is more to life than just making money
B.disliked his job
C.missed his children
D.was well paid
B.has improved family life
C.was extremely expensive
D.has been a total success
B.To make more money through hard work is the aim of people"s life.
C.Long hours of hard work occupy too much of people"s life.
D.People spent too much time and money eating meals.
B.spending money carefully
C.moving out to the countryside to live a simpler and better life
D.living in a big house in the suburbs and dining out once a week
Personal computers and the Internet give people new choices about how to spend their time.
Some may use this freedom to share less time with certain friends or family members, but new
technology will also let them stay in closer touch with those they care most about. I know this from
personal experience.
E-mail makes it easy to work at home, which is where I now spend most weekends and evenings.
My working hours aren"t necessarily much shorter than they once were but I spend fewer of them at
the office. This lets me share more time with my young daughter than I might have if she"d been
born before electronic mail became such a practical tool.
The Internet also makes it easy to share thoughts with a group of friends. Say you do something
fun see a great movie perhaps-and there are four or five friends who might want to hear about it. If
you call each one, you may tire of telling the story.
With E-mail, you just write one note about your experience, at your convenience, and address it
to all the friends you think might be interested. They can read your message when they have time, and
read only as much as they want to. They can reply at their convenience, and you can read what they
have to say at your convenience.
E-mail is also an inexpensive way stay in close touch with people who live far away. More than
a few parents use E-mail to keep in touch, even daily touch, with their children off at college.
We just have to keep in mind that computers and the Internet offer another way ofstaying in touch.
They don"t take the place of any of the old ways.
B. describe the writer"s joy of keeping up with the latest technology
C. tell the merits(价值) and usefulness of the Internet
D. introduce the reader to basic knowledge about personal computers and the Internet
B. have more free time with his child
C. work at home on weekends
D. work at a speed comfortable to him
B. keep one"s communication as personal as possible
C. pass on much more information than the later
D. get in touch with one"s friends faster than the later
three female backpackers visits more than three countries during a year out and travels alone, according
to new research.
By contrast, the majority of their male counterparts(对手方) visit only one country and tend to travel
in groups, says a survey by the Gap Year company, which provides information and services for students
considering taking a year out.
More women than men say that their prime reason for taking time off is to see the world and
experience different cultures.Men were more likely to rank "having fun" higher on their list of priorities.Women were more likely to value the challenge of a foreign trip, and many cited reasons such as learning
a language and meeting new people.
The more adventurous gap years taken by women seem to work to their benefit; more than three
quarters of those surveyed reported increased confidence, self-reliance and independence, whereas only
half of the men had that experience.
The research also showed that women were more likely to do voluntary work while travelling, with
more than one in ten helping with teaching or development projects.One of the reasons given for this is
a wish to see the country in an authentic(真正的) light.
A greater proportion(比率) of women than men faced objections or criticism from their families over
their gapyear plans.Among the men surveyed, lack of money was the main barrier to travel.
Carolyn Martin, a doctor from London, was a typically confident female traveller.Starting in Cape
Town, she travelled around southern Africa and Australia with a string of unusual and sometimes
dangerous jobs.
"I had one job chasing elephants off the runway in Africa by banging a stick against a pan," she re
called."It was OK but one day I did get chased by one."
She said that she had travelled alone because "you meet more people".
B.one third of the women students will travel abroad in a year
C.women students are more likely to travel abroad alone in gap years
D.women students are willing to travel abroad in a group
B. to have fun
C. to see the world and experience different cultures
D. to do voluntary work
B.Women students will travel more but face more objections.
C.The article suggests that women travelling alone will have dangerous experiences.
D.Men students prefer to travel inside their own country to going abroad.
B.Boys Lack Courage in Gap Years
C.For Fun or for Adventure?
D.Young Women Are More Adventurous
about the life of some young people 2 flock (群集) to Beijing after 3 university,describes the
graduates,like ants,as smart but 4 as individuals,drawing strength from living together in communities.
The book,which is based 5 two years of interviews with about 600 low-income college
graduates in Beijing, 6 in mid-September,about a month ahead of an announcement by the Ministry
of Human Resources and Social Security that 74% of the 6.11 million new graduates from universities
and colleges had been 7 by Sept.1.
The book"s chief editor,Lian Sir,tells that piece of statistic says 8 about the real situation for
many of these graduates. "I am always 9 how many of these employed college graduates are
leading a happy life," Lian said. "I hope this book could offer a window on these graduates,whose
stories are 10 known."
The setting of the book is several so-called "settlement villages for college students" in the
outskirts (市郊) of Beijing,where a large 11 of college graduates 12 .Most of these graduates work
for 13 or medium-sized businesses, 14 less than 2,000 Yuan a month. They live together because it"s
15: The rent in these communities is only around 350 Yuan a month. Many of them travel several
hours a day for short-term jobs or job interviews.
Tangjialing,a small 16 20 kilometers from Tian"anmen Square,has around 3,000 17 villagers,but
has become a 18 for more than 50,000 migrants (移民),most of whom 19 from universities or
colleges all over the country. Lian describes the students" 20 as five or six-story buildings built by
local farmers with 12 rooms on each floor and two or three people crammed (挤) together in each
room of about 10 square meters. Up to 70 or 80 people share the same toilet and kitchen.
( ) 1. A. film ( ) 2. A. who ( ) 3. A. leaving ( ) 4. A. necessary ( ) 5. A. in ( ) 6. A. came up ( ) 7. A. fired ( ) 8. A. much ( ) 9. A. wondering ( )10. A. seldom ( )11. A. deal ( )12. A. work ( )13. A. small ( )14. A. earning ( )15. A. expensive ( )16. A. city ( )17. A. original ( )18. A. school ( )19. A. come ( )20. A. lives | B. story B. what B. entering B. meaningless B. on B. came on B. interviewed B. little B. researching B. well B. plenty B. go B. big B. thinking B. comfortable B. town B. young B. hotel B. differ B. dormitories | C. book C. which C. visiting C. important C. at C. came along C. employed C. some C. studying C. always C. amount C. relax C. famous C. shopping C. cheap C. community C. rich C. home C. graduate C. buildings | D. magazine D. whose D. enjoying D. strong D. for D. came out D. trained D. more D. telling D. often D. number D. live D. unknown D. paying D. convenient D. village D. poor D. company D. suffer D. restaurants |
阅读理解。 | |||
Although Paris is often considered the city of romance, close to a million adults who call it home are single. Many single people say that France"s capital is one of the most difficult places to meet people. The complaints(抱怨)of this lonely group have inspired a new phenomenon known as "supermarket dating."At Galerie Lafayette Gourmet,singles can shop for more than just the items on their grocery list. They can look for someone who has blue eyes, brown hair, and is 1.8 meters tall,or whatever may be on their romantic shopping list. At this paris location,single people of all ages can schedule their shopping for Thursday nights between 6:30 and 9:00 p.m. When they walk through the door,they pick up a purple basket to advise that they are looking for love. They try to arrive early because the baskets disappear quickly,and then they have to wait in line for their turn to wander the store aisles(过道). With purple baskets in hand, shoppers can consider their romantic options while they pick out their groceries. When they are ready to pay, they can go to the checkout line for singles who want to chat. Most of the people who look for love in the supermarket are skeptical of Internet dating. They know that it is easy to embellish(美化)one"s appearance or to lie about one"s age over the Internet. The supermarket, on the other hand,is considered a safe and casual environment in which to meet a potential match. In addition, what one finds in another"s grocery basket can say a thing or two about that person"s character or intentions. Buying pet food can be a man"s way of showing a potential match that he has a sensitive side. Women who fill their baskets with low-fat food show their healthy style of living. These days it"s possible to find much more than food at a grocery store. | |||
l. What do many single people in Pairs complain about? | |||
A. The difficulty in meeting people. B. The idea of supermarket dating. C. The items on their grocery list. D. The inconvenience in shopping. | |||
2. Which of the following can be inferred(推断)but is not clearly stated in the second paragraph? | |||
A. The dating supermarket is located in Paris. B. The dating supermarket is open only on Thursday evenings. C. People looking for love must get a basket of a particular colour D. The dating supermarket has very good business. | |||
3. How do love shoppers meet one another? | |||
A. They schedule their meeting in advance. B. They go through a special checkout. C. They pick out their groceries with great care. D. They dial the phone numbers on their shopping items. | |||
4. According to the writer,a possible way to win a woman"s heart is to . | |||
A. pick up a purple basket B. Buy low-fat food C. embellish your appearance D. buy pet food | |||
5. Why do the people prefer the supermarket dating to Internet dating? | |||
A. The supermarket dating is more convenient. B. The supermarket dating is more casual. C. The supermarket dating can be trusted more. D. The supermarket dating is less expensive. | |||
阅读理解。 | |||
People in China are among the most fearful of getting old, a new global survey suggests. | |||
1. Which of the following can be best title of the passage? ________. | |||
A. the Aging problem of China B. Who is to look after the elders C. Chinese are afraid of getting old D. Old Home Is Popular in China | |||
2. Many factors EXCEPT _______ have a great impact on informal care network. | |||
A. structural changes to the population B. the increase of women in employment C. the development of economy D. the rise in divorce rates | |||
3. According to the passage, most Chinese people are ________ to guarantee the late life. | |||
A. putting away some money B. giving birth to more children C. hiring a nurse D. turning to a rest home | |||
4. What can be inferred from the last four paragraphs? ________ | |||
A. Chinese government put forward family planning policy in the late 1970s. |