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 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.”

1.The passage tells us that            .

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.Daniel and Liz both agree that the move to the farm ____.

A．was easy to organize B．has improved family life

C．was extremely expensive   D．has been a total success

4.What does the author mean by saying"the long hours work culture to make more money is eating up their lives" in the second paragraph ?

A．People work long hours to earn their living.

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.

5.The underlined word "downshifting" in the second paragraph refers to _________.

A．repairing your car by yourself

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

I came to study in the United States a year ago. Yet I did not know the American society until I was injured in a car accident because after the accident I had to see a doctor-and go to court（法庭）.

　　After the accident, my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and determined to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was astonished. He had good reason to charge me, he said. And if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my injury, I'd have to have a good lawyer. Now that he had helped me to find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him.

　　But every time I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time. The final examination report consisted of ten lines, and it cost me $215.

　　My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. he knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to dismiss（解雇）him. And he made me pay him $770.

　　Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Due to my inexperience, I told the insurance the date I was leaving America. Knowing that, they played for time, … and I left without getting a cent.

　　My experiences taught me two things about America: firstly, in a country like America money is everything. It is more important than friendship honour or professional morality（职业道德）. Secondly, foreigners are still being unfairly treated. So when we talk about America, we should see both its good and bad sides.

The author's roommate offered to help him because_____.

    A. he felt sorry for the author

    B. he thought it was a chance to make some money

    C. he knew the doctor was a very good one

    D. he wanted the author to have a good lawyer

A good doctor is essential for the author to____.

    A. be properly treated

    B. talk with the person responsible for the accident

    C. recover before he leaves America

    D. eventually get the responsible party to pay for his injury

The word " charge " in the passage means____.

　　A. be responsible   B. accuse       C. ask as a price       D. claim

Both the doctor and the lawyer in this passage are very___.

　　A. friendly     B. greedy       C. professional     D. busy

What conclusion can you draw from this story?

　　A. Going to court is something every common in America

　　B. One must be very careful while driving a car

　　C. There are more bad sides in America than good sides

　　D. Money is more important than other things in the US

B

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No country in the world has more daily newspapers than the USA. There are almost 2,000 of them, as compared with 180 in Japan, 164 in Argentina and 111 in Britain. The quality of some American papers is extremely high and their views are quoted all over the world. Famous dailies like the Washington Post or the New York Times have a powerful influence all over the country. However, they are not national newspapers in the sense that The Times is in Britain or Le Monde is in France, since each American city has its own daily newspaper. The best of these present detailed description of national and international news, but many tend to limit themselves to state or city news.
　Like the press in most other countries, American newspapers range from the “sensational” which feature crime and gossip(闲谈), to the “serious”, which focus on factual news and the analysis of world events. But with few exceptions, American newspapers try to entertain as well as give information, for they have to compete with the attraction of television.
Just as American newspapers satisfy all tastes, so do they also try to attract readers of all political parties. A few newspapers support extremist(极端主义的) groups on the far right and on the far left, but most daily newspapers try to attract middle-of-the-road Americans who are moderate(中立的). Many of these papers print columns by well-known journalists of different political and social views, in order to present a balanced picture.
As in other countries, American newspapers can be either responsible or irresponsible, but it is generally accepted that the American press serves its country well and that it has more than once courageously exposed political scandals(丑闻) or crimes, for instance, the Watergate Affair(水门事件). The Newspapers drew the attention of the public to the horrors of the Vietnam War.
【小题1】There are fewer national newspapers in          .
　　A. Britain than in the USA.    B. France than in Britain
　　C. the USA than in Britain or France
　　D. France than in the USA or Britain
【小题2】Most American newspapers try hard to entertain their readers because
.　　

Can you communicate with others when you live in a foreign country with no or little knowledge of its language? Of course, it is possible. You can communicate your moods and intentions to one another without words, because all human beings share a lot of common visual（看见的）signals. These signals are as effective as words during communication.
The gestures of the head play a key role in body language. The movements of eyes and eyebrows are as important as head movements in body language.
　　Besides the gestures of the head or the movements of the eyes and eyebrows, the action of arms, hands and legs is also a large part of body language. Extending one's arm and shaking hands with others is a greeting in both formal and informal cases. This part of body language might date back to primary tribes（部落）.
　　Like handshaking, there are still many other forms of body language presented by hands. Raising one's hand and making a circle with his thumb（拇指）and for finger signals, that something is OK. Clasped（握紧的）hands raised above the head, a traditional picture accepted by sportsmen after winning a fight, is a display of triumph that grows out of a kind of feeling following a victory. Waving one's hands, a speaker can make his words more powerful and vigorous（有活力的）.
　　Besides hand gestures, there are times when a person says something with his legs as well as with his head and eyes. The leg gestures often reflect one's attitude towards something or someone that person is with.
　　According to the above facts, body language has offered a more reliable（可靠的）way to understand one's mind by means of gestures. Though it is soundless and wordless, once you understand it, you will feel the world is bigger than you realized.
【小题1】 Which of the following is the proper title for this passage?