2012年考研英语阅读理解-人文科学试题

When I decided to quit my fulltime 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 twoandahalf 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 muchpublicized 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: 12hour 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 wellestablished trend. Downshifting—also known in America as “voluntary simplicity”—has, ironically, even bred a new area of what might be termed anticonsumerism. There are a number of bestselling downshifting selfhelp 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 clingfilm 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 middleclass downshifters 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]Fulltime 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 fulltime 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]nonmaterialistic lifestyle

[B]a bit of everything

[C]extreme stress

[D]anticonsumerism

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

核心词汇：

absolute[5AbsElu:t]a.绝对的，完全的;确实的，肯定的(ab不+solute→决不松开→绝对的)

acquaintance[E5kweintEns]n.认识，相识，了解;相识的人，熟人(acquaint告知+ance名词后缀→熟悉)

adventurous[Ed5ventFErEs]a.喜冒险的;充满危险的 (adventur(e)冒险+ous形容词后缀)

alternative[C:l5tE:nEtiv]n.两者择一，抉择(alternate交替+ive形容词后缀→二者择一的)

block[blCk]n.大块木(石)料;街区;障碍物v.阻塞,拦阻

cling[kliN]v.(to)粘住;依附;坚持

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

curious[5kjuEriEs]a.好奇的, 求知的, 古怪的, 爱挑剔的(cur+ious形容词后缀→关心的，好奇的);curiously (ad.好奇地;奇怪地)←curious+ly

deadline[5dedlain]n.最后期限(dead+line)

doctrine[5dCktrin]n.教条，教义;法律原则;声明(doctr教+in+e名词后缀→教的东西→教条)

equivalent[i5kwivElEnt]a.相等的,等价的n.相等物,等价物(equi+val力量+ent→力量平等→相等的)

juggle[5dVQgl]vi.玩戏法, 诓骗, 篡改vt.耍弄, 歪曲, 篡改n.玩戏法, 魔术, 欺骗 “拿扑克牌玩杂耍(juggle)，引得大家咯咯(guggle)笑”，文中juggle引申为“忙忙碌碌”

lateral[5lAtErEl]a.旁边的，侧面的(later+al)later即单词“后来”，al词后缀，“后来者只能靠边站”→旁边的

minister[5ministE]n.部长,大臣(mini+ster→小人→古代大臣称自己是小人→部长，大臣)

passionate [5pAFEnEt]a.充满热情的，即passion+ate，passion(激情;暴怒)，ate此作形容词后缀

preach[pri:tF]v.宣讲(教义),布道;竭力鼓吹,宣传;说教

prompt[prCmpt]a.敏捷的,迅速的,即刻的v.激起,促进,推动

recognition[rekEg5niFEn]n.认出,辨认;承认(recogn+ition名词后缀)

redundancy[ri5dQndEnsi]n.冗余(red+und+ancy)，red(=re)，und词根“多”，ancy名词后缀，“越来越(re)多”→冗余。同根词：abundant(丰富的)←ab加强前缀+und多+ant形容词后缀

resignation[rezig5neiFEn]n.辞职;听天由命(resign+ation名词后缀);resign(v.辞职;顺从)←re+sign，re前缀=away或=again，sign签署，故“签署后离开”→辞职，“再次签署”→顺从

simplify[5simplifai]v.简化,使单纯

strain[5strein]v.拉紧;紧张;扭伤;竭尽全力n.拉紧;负担

thrift[Wrift]a.节约，节俭;繁荣.可记：“节俭”导致“繁荣”;thrifty(节俭的;繁荣的)←thrift+y形容词后缀。thrift→thrive(v.繁荣)，类似变化的单词有theft(n.偷)→thieve(v.偷)

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