Years ago, a cigarette commercial asked if you were smoking more, but enjoying it less. That describes the way many of us live today. We are doing more, but enjoying it less. And when that doesn’t work, we compound the problem. In our frantic search for satisfaction, we try stuffing still more into our days, never realizing that we are taking the wrong approach.
The truth is simple; so simple it is hard to believe. Satisfaction lies with less, not with more. Yet, we pursue the myth that this thing, or that activity, will somehow provide the satisfaction we so desperately seek.
Arthur Lindman, in his devastating book, “The Harried Leisure Class,” described the futility of pursuing more. His research focused on what people did with their leisure time. He found that as income rose, people bought more things to occupy their leisure time. But, ironically, the more things they bought, the less they valued any one of them. Carried to an extreme, he predicted massive boredom in the midst of tremendous variety. That was more than twenty years ago, and his prediction seems more accurate every year.
Lindman, of course, is not the first to discover this. The writer of Ecclesiastes expressed the same thought thousands of years ago. It is better, he wrote, to have less, but enjoy it more.
If you would like to enjoy life more, I challenge you to experiment with me. How could you simplify your life? What could you drop? What could you do without? What could you stop pursuing? What few things could you concentrate on?
The more I learn, the more I realize that fullness of life does not depend on things. The more I give up, the more I seem to gain. But words will never convince you. You must try it for yourself.
1．Arthur Lindman predicted twenty years ago that ______.
A. more things brought more value B. the more people had, the less they valued them
C. people didn’t like to pursue more D. massive boredom came from less variety
2．What does the article suggest to make our life happier?
A. To enjoy more things. B. To buy more things.
C. To sell things we do not need. D. To get rid of useless things.
3．The passage is probably written to ___________.
A. introduce Arthur Lindman and his book B. tell the readers what is satisfaction
C. introduce how to simplify people’s life D. persuade people to simplify their life
三、阅读理解（共20小题，满分40分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A, B, C, 和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
As one approaches some crossroads, one comes to a sign which says that drivers have to stop when they come to the main road ahead. At other crossroads, drivers have to go slow, but they do not actually have to stop (unless, of course, there is something coming along the main road); and at still others, they do not have either to stop or to go slow, because they are themselves on the main road.
Mr. Williams, who was always a very careful driver, was driving home from work one evening when he came to a crossroads. It had a “Slow” sign, so he slowed down when he came to the main road, looked both ways to see that nothing was coming, and then drove across without stopping completely.
At once he heard a police whistle, so he pulled in to the side of the road and stopped. A policeman walked over to him with a notebook and pencil in his hand and said, “You didn’t stop at the crossing.” “But the sign there doesn’t say “Stop”,” answered Mr. Williams. “It just says “Slow”, and I did go slow.” The policeman looked around him, and a look of surprise came over his face. Then he put his notebook and pencil away, scratched his head and said, “Well, I’ll be blowed. I am in the wrong street!”
1. Which of the following statements is correct?
A. Stop signs can be found at every crossroads.
B. At crossroads with a “Slow” sign, drivers never have to stop.
C. At crossroads with a “Slow” sign, drivers have to stop and then go slow.
D. At some crossroads, drivers needn’t stop or go slow.
2. What do you think the policeman would do in the end?
A. Fine Mr. Williams. B. Take him to the police station.
C. Apologize to Mr. Williams. D. Give Mr. Williams his notebook and pencil.
3. Which might be the best title for this passage?
A. Signs at the crossroads B. A careful driver
C. A policeman and a driver D. Policeman in the wrong street
I was told that by 1990 things were beginning to improve, _________ quickly enough.
|
A．even if not |
B．even I didn’t improve |
|
C．if not improved |
D．if even to improve not |
What _______ weather! Getting into the _______ makes no difference!
|
A．wet …. shadow |
B．damp …. shadow |
|
C．wet …. shade |
D．damp …. shade |
VIII．书面表达（共1小题；满分10分）
假设你是李华，你的英国笔友Alice给你来信说她最近身体发胖，经常感冒，并询问你是如何保持苗条身材和健康身体的。请根据以下提示给她写一封回信，向她介绍你的饮食习惯，并提出建议。
1．多吃富含纤维素的水果、蔬菜，少吃含糖和脂肪的奶油、巧克力等；
2．参加多种形式的锻炼，适量的运动是健康的保证。
注意：1. 词数80左右 2. 开头语及结尾已为你写好。
Dear Alice,
I am glad to receive your letter. And I am sorry to hear that you are putting on weight and often get cold these days.
…
I hope this will give you some help.
Looking forward to hearing from you.____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li
VII．短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，要求你在错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（^），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写上修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词。
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
During the summer holidays in this year, I thought I shall do something meaningfully instead of staying at home, but I got a job at a KFC fast-food restaurant and worked there as a cleaner. I worked seven hours a day for three weeks. The job was hard and bored and seemed endless, that made me very tired that I nearly gave it up half way. After all, I stick to it with determination. Every day I started off for work early in the morning and got home lately in the evening. Finally I finished the job before the new term began. Now, I understand what labor means. I think it is really successful experience.
