Minimalism (简约主义) is a term that describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is reduced to its most basic features.
As for me, minimalism functions well not in art or design, but in my daily life.
When I was packing for university, I found it extremely difficult to let go of some of the things I owned. I knew I couldn’t take everything with me, but I kept asking myself “how could I possibly throw this away?”, “what if I need it one day?”, and “what about all of the memories?” Now that I’ve moved, and left that stuff behind, I don’t even miss it. Whether or not I got rid of it, it barely makes a bit of difference to me now.
I’ve learned that over time people forget, or their need for a particular object eventually disappears. Either they store it away or they get rid of it.
You might think nostalgically（怀旧的） about the toys you cared about when you were a child, but what is making you smile now is not the thing itself but the memory of it. 1’ve heard it a hundred times, “you don’t need things to make you happy.” It takes something life-changing like moving across the country to realize how true this is.
Speaking of which, for a lot of people, minimalism is about able to move. It’s about being able to go almost anywhere at any time because you don’t have many possessions to carry. When you keep things you don’t need they become a burden that ties you to a place. Moving to university was a good time to let go of a lot of stuff. And when I visit for the holidays, I’ll probably get rid of even more, to lighten the burden.
Of course there are exceptions. There are some things that are irreplaceable, very rare or expensive or we simply love and cherish for some reason or another, since we are humans. But after we keep those, how much is left that we don’t really need?
Hence, minimalism. And why does minimalism bring happiness? That was a bit of a roundabout way of saying that, it’s because what really makes me happy is freedom. And the key to freedom is minimalism because minimalism reduces our attachment to things.
Attachment to too many objects creates a great mess and can severely hold back our freedom to do whatever we want, while minimalism helps us start new projects, move, travel, learn new things, work, expand, be debt-free, be healthy – really living life to our full potential.
I left the nest to fly onwards and upwards, I can’t do it with old things weighing me down. And that is why I have adopted minimalism with open arms.
【小题1】In paragraph l, the writer gives the definition of minimalism to      .

Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father, “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead.”

    Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt—a mistake 75% of the US population make every day. The big question is why.

    There have been many myths about safety belts ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.

    Myth Number One: It’s best to be “thrown clear” of a serious accident.

    Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to “throw you clear” is also going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are that you’ll have traveled through a wind shield(挡风玻璃) or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times greater in cases where people are “thrown clear".

    Myth Number Two: Safety belts “trap” people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.

    Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious(昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situations, not to be trapped in them.

    Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren’t needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour.

    Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 meters.

1. Why did Elizabeth say to her father, “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead”?

A. He was driving at great speed.

B. He was running across the street.

C. He didn’t have his safety belt on.

D. He didn’t take his medicine on time.

2. According to the text, the “thrown clear” of a serious accident is very dangerous because you _____.

A. may be knocked down by other cars

B. may get seriously hurt being thrown out of the car

C. may find it impossible to get away from the seat

D. may get caught in the car door

3.One of the reasons that some people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt is that____.

A. the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident

B. they will be unable to think clearly in an accident

C. they will be caught when help comes

D. cars catch fire easily

Minimalism (简约主义) is a term that describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is reduced to its most basic features.

As for me, minimalism functions well not in art or design, but in my daily life.

When I was packing for university, I found it extremely difficult to let go of some of the things I owned. I knew I couldn’t take everything with me, but I kept asking myself “how could I possibly throw this away?”, “what if I need it one day?”, and “what about all of the memories?” Now that I’ve moved, and left that stuff behind, I don’t even miss it. Whether or not I got rid of it, it barely makes a bit of difference to me now.

I’ve learned that over time people forget, or their need for a particular object eventually disappears. Either they store it away or they get rid of it.

You might think nostalgically（怀旧的） about the toys you cared about when you were a child, but what is making you smile now is not the thing itself but the memory of it. 1’ve heard it a hundred times, “you don’t need things to make you happy.” It takes something life-changing like moving across the country to realize how true this is.

Speaking of which, for a lot of people, minimalism is about able to move. It’s about being able to go almost anywhere at any time because you don’t have many possessions to carry. When you keep things you don’t need they become a burden that ties you to a place. Moving to university was a good time to let go of a lot of stuff. And when I visit for the holidays, I’ll probably get rid of even more, to lighten the burden.

Of course there are exceptions. There are some things that are irreplaceable, very rare or expensive or we simply love and cherish for some reason or another, since we are humans. But after we keep those, how much is left that we don’t really need?

Hence, minimalism. And why does minimalism bring happiness? That was a bit of a roundabout way of saying that, it’s because what really makes me happy is freedom. And the key to freedom is minimalism because minimalism reduces our attachment to things.

Attachment to too many objects creates a great mess and can severely hold back our freedom to do whatever we want, while minimalism helps us start new projects, move, travel, learn new things, work, expand, be debt-free, be healthy – really living life to our full potential.

I left the nest to fly onwards and upwards, I can’t do it with old things weighing me down. And that is why I have adopted minimalism with open arms.

1.In paragraph l, the writer gives the definition of minimalism to      .

A．introduce a topic                       B．present his own idea

C．describe a scene                        D．offer an argument

2.Many people don’t want to let go of some of their belongings because       .

A．they haven’t had any life-changing experiences

B．they fear their memories will be gone with the thrown-away stuff

C．they hope to live life to their full potential by storing things away

D．they may have to change their lifestyle because of the loss of them

3.Which of the following is NOT the reason why the writer favors “minimalism” in life?                          

A．It takes the burden off her while she is moving.

B．It reduces her attachment to her personal things.

C．It enables her to gain the freedom that she desires.

D．It helps her to realize how true life is.

4.By saying “there are exceptions”, the writer means       

A．little is left if we keep what we cherish most in our life

B．minimalism should be practised accordingly in different situations

C．minimalism is a method difficult to employ in reality

D．life is full of exceptions so it’s difficult to preserve what we value

5.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Minimalism brings happiness.

B．Minimalism is applied in many fields.

C．Minimalism makes people think nostalgically.

D．Minimalism is about able to move.

Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father, “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead.”
Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt—a mistake 75% of the US population make every day. The big question is why.
There have been many myths about safety belts ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.
Myth Number One: It’s best to be “thrown clear” of a serious accident.
Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to “throw you clear” is also going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are that you’ll have traveled through a wind shield(挡风玻璃) or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times greater in cases where people are “thrown clear".
Myth Number Two: Safety belts “trap” people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.
Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious(昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situations, not to be trapped in them.
Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren’t needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour.
Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 meters

1. 1.

   Why did Elizabeth say to her father, “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead”?

   1. A.
      He was driving at great speed
   2. B.
      He was running across the street
   3. C.
      He didn’t have his safety belt on
   4. D.
      He didn’t take his medicine on time
2. 2.

   According to the text, the “thrown clear” of a serious accident is very dangerous because you _____

   1. A.
      may be knocked down by other cars
   2. B.
      may get seriously hurt being thrown out of the car
   3. C.
      may find it impossible to get away from the seat
   4. D.
      may get caught in the car door
3. 3.

   One of the reasons that some people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt is that____

   1. A.
      the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident
   2. B.
      they will be unable to think clearly in an accident
   3. C.
      they will be caught when help comes
   4. D.
      cars catch fire easily

Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father, “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead.”

    Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt- a mistake 75% of the US population make every day. The big question is why.

    There have been many myths about safety belts ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.

    Myth Number One: It’s best to be “thrown clear” of a serious accident.

    Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to “throw you clear” is also going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are that you’ll have traveled through a wind shield （挡风玻璃）or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times greater in cases where people are “thrown clear".

    Myth Number Two: Safety belts “trap” people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.

    Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious（昏迷）due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situations, not to be trapped in them.

   Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren’t needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour.

   Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 meters.

71. Why did Elizabeth say to her father, “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead”?

A. He was driving at great speed.   

B. He was running across the street.

C. He didn’t have his safety belt on.  

D. He didn’t take his medicine on time.

72. The reason Father was in a hurry to get home was that he __________,

A. wasn’t feeling very well       

B. hated to drive in the dark

C. wanted to take some exercise   

D. didn’t want to be caught by the police

73. According to the text, the “thrown clear” of a serious accident is very dangerous because you _________.

    A. may be knocked down by other cars

B. may get seriously hurt being thrown out of the car

C. may find it impossible to get away from the seat

D. may get caught in the car door

74. Some people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt because they believe ________.

    A. the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident

B. they will be unable to think clearly in an accident

C. they will be caught when help comes

D. cars catch fire easily

75. what is the advice given in the text?
　　A. Never drive faster than 30 mile an hour.
　　B. Try your best to save yourself in a car accident.
　　C. Never forget to wear the safety belt while driving.
　　D. Drive slowly while you're not wearing a safety belt.