As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your 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 yon 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 to buy more things 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 hen," 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."
1.What do the first two paragraphs tell us?
A. People seldom work long hours to make money.
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.
2.When Daniel was a reporter he _________________.
A. lived in central London B. disliked his job
C. missed his children D. was well paid
3.People who downshifts probably means the ones _________.
A. repairing their car by themselves
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.
4.According to the last paragraph, Liz thinks the downshifting__________.
A. disapproving B. comfortable
C. acceptable D. Discouraging
The search for beauty spans centuries and continents. Paintings of Egyptians dating back over 4,000 years show both men and women painting their nails and wearing makeup. In 8th-centuryFrance, wealthy noblemen wore large wigs (假发）of long, white hair to make themselves attractive. Today, people continue to devote a lot of time and money to their appearance.
There is at least one good reason for the desire to be attractive：beauty is power. Studies suggest that good-looking people make more money, get called on more often in class, and are regarded as friendlier.
But what exactly is beauty? It's difficult to describe it clearly, and yet we know it when we see it. And our awareness of it may start at a very early age. In one set of studies, six-month-old babies were shown a series of photographs. The faces on the pictures had been rated for attractiveness by a group of college students .In the studies, the babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones.
The idea that even babies can judge appearance makes perfect sense to many researchers. In studies by psychologists, men consistently showed a preference for women with larger eyes, fuller lips, and a smaller nose and chin while women prefer men with large shoulders and narrow waist.
According to scientists, the mind unconsciously tells men and women that these traits —the full lips, clear skin , strong shoulders —equal health and genetic well-being.
Not everyone thinks the same way, however. " Our hardwiredness can be changed by all sorts of expectations —mostly cultural, " say C. Loring Brace, an anthropologist at the University of Michigan. What is considered attractive in one culture might not be in another. Look at most Western fashion magazines：the women on the pages are thin. But is this "perfect" body type for women worldwide? Scientists' answer is no; what is considered beautiful is subjective and varies around the world. They found native peoples in southeast Peru preferred shapes regarded overweight in Western cultures.
For better or worse, beauty plays a role in our lives. But it is extremely difficult to describe exactly what makes one person attractive to another. Although there do seem to be certain physical traits considered universally appealing, it is also true that beauty does not always keep to a single, uniform standard. Beauty really is, as the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder.
1.People's ideas about beauty __________
A. have existed since ancient times
B. can be easily described
C. have little influence on a person's success
D. are based upon strict criteria
2.In Paragraph 3, the babies in the study __________.
A. were rated for their appearance
B. were entered in a beauty contest
C. were shown photos of a group of college students
D. were able to tell attractive faces from unattractive ones
3.A skinny woman in southeast Peru is more likely to be considered as _______ by the locals
A. unattractive B. charming
C. unknown D. ordinary
4.We can learn from the passage that __________
A. the ideas of beauty vary as people grow up
B. the search for beauty is rooted in lack of confidence
C. the standards for beauty are based on scientific researches
D. the understanding of beauty depends on cultural backgrounds
At age 14, 15 and 16, the way we looked was the most important thing in the world to us. My friends and I wanted nothing less than perfection.
In high school, we joined the gymnastics team, and our became even more important to us. We had no fat, only muscle. On the weekends, we would go to the beach, of our flat stomachs.
One summer day, all my friends were at my house . At one point, I was running back to the pool. I on a bee, and while it was dying under my foot, it stung (蛰) me. I instantly started to feel . That night, I began to run a high fever and my leg and foot were red, hot and swollen. I couldn’t walk. I could barely .
When my foot started to go numb, everyone became more . My foot was not getting enough blood. I had to go to the , and my leg hurt as if it were badly broken. I couldn’t move. All I could do was think about how soft my middle was becoming. That me more than any concern over my leg.
That would all when I heard the doctors mention possibly cutting off my foot. It was still not getting the supply it needed. The doctors would have to speed up their treatment.
Never before did I have such great for my foot. And walking seemed like a from the gods. Less and less would I want to hear my friends talk about and who was wearing what. More and more I expected visits from other kids in the hospital, who were quickly becoming my friends.
One girl came to visit me . Every time she came, she brought flowers. She was recovering from cancer and felt she should come back and the other patients.
She still had no hair, and she was swollen from medications she had been taking. I would not have given this girl a second before. I now loved every inch of her and looked forward to her .
Finally, I was improving and soon I went home. My leg was still swollen, I was walking, and I had my foot! When I would go back to the hospital, I often saw my friend. She was still visiting people and good cheer. I thought if even there was an angel on this earth, it had to be her.
1.A. grades B. brains C. bodies D. clothes
2.A. ashamed B. proud C. sure D. tired
3.A. dancing B. chatting C. jogging D. swimming
4.A.stepped B. focused C. held D. took
5.A. upset B. fearful C. sick D. anxious
6.A. jump B. run C. stand D. rest
7.A. concerned B. relieved C. surprised D. interested
8.A. beach B. hospital C. gym D. school
9.A. blamed B. impressed C. shocked D. troubled
10.A. change B. bother C. help D. happen
11.A. nutrition B. blood C. time D. air
12.A. observation B. devotion C. appreciation D. evaluation
13.A. gift B. hand C. promise D. treat
14.A. homework B. appointment C. movies D. gymnastics
15.A. suddenly B. regularly C. eventually D. recently
16.A. advise B. encourage C. serve D. instruct
17.A. choice B. thought C. glance D. chance
18.A. words B. ideas C. flowers D. visits
19.A. but B. then C. so D. for
20.A. enjoying B. gaining C. discovering D. spreading
In 2001, she was awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize in Literature, one of Spain’s most important distinctions, for her brilliant works ________ freedom and Third World causes.
A．in celebration of B．in face of
C．in memory of D．in defense of
Tomorrow there will be _______ sunshine with cloudy intervals so he has made a plan for a picnic with his family.
A．mainly B．occasionally C．roughly D．Extremely
Compared with Mary, Jerry is even more________ to, and more easily troubled by, emotional and relationship problems.
A．skeptical B．addicted C．sensitive D．Available
