passage 5

　　When I decided to quit my full time 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 two-and-a-half 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 "have it all", preached by Linda Kelsey for the past seven years in the pages 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 much-publicized 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: 12-hour 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 well-established trend. Downshifting — also known in America as "voluntary simplicity" — has, ironically, even bred a new area of what might be termed anti-consumerism. There are a number of bestselling downshifting self-help 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 cling-film 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 economic 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 middle class 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] Full-time 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 full-time 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] non-materialistic lifestyle

　　[B] a bit of everything

　　[C] extreme stress

　　[D] anti-consumerism

　　70. According to the passage, downshifting emerged in the US 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

　　Part Ⅳ English-Chinese Translation Directions: Read the following passage carefully and then translate the underlined sentences into Chinese.Your translation must be written neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2.(15 points)

　　In less than 30 years time the Star Trek holodeck will be a reality.Direct links between the brain餾 nervous system and a computer will also create full sensory virtual environments,allowing virtual vacations like those in the film Total Recall. (71) There will be television chat shows hosted by robots,and cars with pollution monitors that will disable them when they offend. (72) Children will play with dolls equipped with personality chips,computers with in-built personalities will be regarded as workmates rather than tools,relaxation will be in front of smelltelevision,and digital age will have arrived.

　　According to BT餾 futurologist,Ian Pearson,these are among the developments scheduled for the firsr few decades of the new millennium (a period of 1,000 years),when supercomputers will dramatically accelerate progress in all areas of life.(73) Pearson has pieced together the work of hundreds of researchers around the world to produce a unique millennium technology calendar that gives the latest dates when we can expect hundreds of key breakthroughs and discoveries to take place.Some of the biggest developments will be in medicine,including an extended life expectancy and dozens of artificial organs coming into use between now and 2040. Pearson also predicts a breakthrough in computer瞙uman links.“By linking directly to our nervous system,computers could pick up what we feel and,hopefully, simulate feeling too so that we can start to develop full sensory environments,rather like the holidays in Total Recall or the Star Trek holodeck,”he says.(74) But that,Pearson points out,is only the start of man瞞achine integration:“It will be the beginning of the long process of integration that will ultimately lead to a fully electronic human before the end of the next century.”

　　Through his research,Pearson is able to put dates to most of the breakthroughs that can be predicted.However,there are still no forecasts for when faster瞭han瞝ight travel will be available,or when human cloning will be perfected,or when time travel will be possible.But he does expect social problems as a result of technological advances.A boom in neighborhood surveillance cameras will,for example,cause problems in 2010,while the arrival of synthetic lifelike robots will mean people may not be able to distinguish between their human friends and the droids.(75) And home appliances will also become so smart that controlling and operating them will result in the breakout of a new psychological disorder瞜itchen rage.

　　Part ⅤWriting(共20分) 76.Directions:

　　Among all the worthy feelings of mankind, love is probably the noblest,but everyone has his/her own understanding of it.

　　There has been a discussion recently on the issue in a newspaper.Write an essay to the newspaper to

　　1)show your understanding of the symbolic meaning of the picture below,

　　2)give a specific example,and

　　3)give your suggestion as to the best way to show love.

　　You should write about 200 words on ANSWER SHEET 2.(20 points)

　　以上就是2001年考研英语真题，希望考生能够对每一道真题都吃透，这样再碰到类似题型时即可知道如何解答，最后文都教育预祝各位考生2018考研成功。

　　文都考研会及时为考生们推送新鲜、有效且实用复习资料以及资讯类信息，来帮助征战2018考研的考生。关注文都考研网【kaoyan.wendu.com】，了解更多有关考研英语的相关内容。2018考研路，有你有文都。