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 down-shifters 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 [WTBX]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 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
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 year's time the Star Trek holodeck will be a reality. Direct links between the brain's 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 smell-television, and digital age will have arrived.
According to BT's futurologist, Ian Pearson, these are among the developments scheduled for the first 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 to 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.
