考研英語三層遞進攻尅閲讀理解01年試題(五)

Text 5

　　When I decided to quit my fulltime employment it never occurred to me that I might become a part of a new international trend. A lateral move that hurt my pride and blocked my professional progress prompted me to abandon my relatively high profile career although, in the manner of a disgraced government minister, I covered my exit by claiming “I wanted to spend more time with my family”.
　　Curiously, some twoandahalf years and two novels later, my experiment in what the Americans term “downshifting” has turned my tired excuse into an absolute reality. I have been transformed from a passionate advocate of the philosophy of “having it all”, preached by Linda Kelsey for the past seven years in the page of She magazine, into a woman who is happy to settle for a bit of everything.

　　I have discovered, as perhaps Kelsey will after her muchpublicized resignation from the editorship of She after a build up of stress, that abandoning the doctrine of “juggling your life”, and making the alternative move into “downshifting” brings with it far greater rewards than financial success and social status. Nothing could persuade me to return to the kind of life Kelsey used to advocate and I once enjoyed: 12hour working days, pressured deadlines, the fearful strain of office politics and the limitations of being a parent on “quality time”.

　　In America, the move away from juggling to a simpler, less materialistic lifestyle is a wellestablished trend. Downshifting—also known in America as “voluntary simplicity”—has, ironically, even bred a new area of what might be termed anticonsumerism. There are a number of bestselling downshifting selfhelp books for people who want to simplify their lives; there are newsletters, such as The Tightwad Gazette, that give hundreds of thousands of Americans useful tips on anything from recycling their clingfilm to making their own soap; there are even support groups for those who want to achieve the mid’90s equivalent of dropping out.

　　While in America the trend started as a reaction to the economy decline—after the mass redundancies caused by downsizing in the late’80s—and is still linked to the politics of thrift, in Britain, at least among the middleclass downshifters of my acquaintance, we have different reasons for seeking to simplify our lives.

　　For the women of my generation who were urged to keep juggling through the’80s,downshifting in the mid’90s is not so much a search for the mythical good life—growing your own organic vegetables, and risking turning into one—as a personal recognition of your limitations.

67．Which of the following is true according to paragraph 1?

［A］Fulltime employment is a new international trend.

［B］The writer was compelled by circumstances to leave her job.

［C］“A lateral move” means stepping out of fulltime employment.

［D］The writer was only too eager to spend more time with her family.

68．The writer’s experiment shows that downshifting.

［A］enables her to realize her dream

［B］helps her mold a new philosophy of life

［C］prompts her to abandon her high social status

［D］leads her to accept the doctrine of She magazine

69. “Juggling one’s life” probably means living a life characterized by .

［A］nonmaterialistic lifestyle［B］a bit of everything

［C］extreme stress［D］anticonsumerism

70．According to the passage, downshifting emerged in the U.S. as a result of .

［A］the quick pace of modern life［B］man’s adventurous spirit

　　［C］man’s search for mythical experiences［D］the economic situation

核心詞滙：

absolute［5AbsElu:t］a.絕對的，完全的；確實的，肯定的（ab不 solute→決不松開→絕對的）

acquaintance［E5kweintEns］n.認識，相識，了解；相識的人，熟人（acquaint告知 ance名詞後綴→熟悉）

adventurous［Ed5ventFErEs］a.喜冒險的；充滿危險的 (adventur（e）冒險 ous形容詞後綴）

alternative［C:l5tE:nEtiv］n.兩者擇一，抉擇(alternate交替＋ive形容詞後綴→二者擇一的)

block［blCk］n.大塊木（石）料;街區;障礙物v.阻塞,攔阻

cling［kliN］v.(to)粘住;依附;堅持

compel［kEm5pel］v.強迫,迫使(com共同 pel推→一起推→強迫)

curious［5kjuEriEs］a.好奇的, 求知的, 古怪的, 愛挑剔的（cur ious形容詞後綴→關心的，好奇的）；curiously (ad.好奇地；奇怪地）←curious ly

deadline［5dedlain］n.最後期限（dead line）

doctrine［5dCktrin］n.教條，教義；法律原則；聲明（doctr教 in e名詞後綴→教的東西→教條）

equivalent［i5kwivElEnt］a.相等的,等價的n.相等物,等價物（equi val力量 ent→力量平等→相等的）

juggle［5dVQgl］vi.玩戯法, 誆騙, 篡改vt.耍弄, 歪曲, 篡改n.玩戯法, 魔術, 欺騙 “拿撲尅牌玩襍耍（juggle），引得大家咯咯（guggle）笑”，文中juggle引申爲“忙忙碌碌”

lateral［5lAtErEl］a.旁邊的，側麪的（later al）later即單詞“後來”，al詞後綴，“後來者衹能靠邊站”→旁邊的

minister［5ministE］n.部長,大臣（mini ster→小人→古代大臣稱自己是小人→部長，大臣）

passionate ［5pAFEnEt］a.充滿熱情的，即passion ate，passion（激情；暴怒），ate此作形容詞後綴

preach［pri:tF］v.宣講(教義),佈道;竭力鼓吹,宣傳;說教

prompt［prCmpt］a.敏捷的,迅速的,即刻的v.激起,促進,推動

recognition［rekEg5niFEn］n.認出,辨認;承認（recogn ition名詞後綴）

redundancy［ri5dQndEnsi］n.冗餘(red und ancy)，red（=re），und詞根“多”，ancy名詞後綴，“越來越（re）多”→冗餘。同根詞：abundant（豐富的）←ab加強前綴 und多 ant形容詞後綴

resignation［rezig5neiFEn］n.辤職；聽天由命（resign ation名詞後綴）；resign（v.辤職；順從）←re sign，re前綴=away或=again，sign簽署，故“簽署後離開”→辤職，“再次簽署”→順從

simplify［5simplifai］v.簡化,使單純

strain［5strein］v.拉緊;緊張;扭傷;竭盡全力n.拉緊;負擔

thrift［Wrift］a.節約，節儉；繁榮.可記：“節儉”導致“繁榮”；thrifty（節儉的；繁榮的）←thrift y形容詞後綴。thrift→thrive（v.繁榮），類似變化的單詞有theft（n.媮）→thieve（v.媮）