历年考研英语阅读真题

考研英语阅读理解电子教材

（历年考研阅读真题）

千磨万击铁杵磨针

Unit7(2000)

Passage1

Ahistoryoflongandeffortlesssuccesscanbeadreadfulhandicap,but,ifproperlyhandled,it

maybecomeadrivingforce.WhentheUnitedStatesenteredjustsuchaglowingperiodafterthe

endoftheSecondWorldWar,ithadamarketeighttimeslargerthananycompetitor,givingits

industriesunparalleledeconomiesofscale.Itsscientistsweretheworld'sbest,itsworkersthemost

skilled.AmericaandAmericanswereprosperousbeyondthedreamsoftheEuropeansandAsians

whoseeconomiesthewarhaddestroyed.

Itwasinevitablethatthisprimacyshouldhavenarrowedasothercountriesgrewricher.Just

asinevitably,theretreatfrompredominanceprovedpainful.Bythemid1980sAmericanshad

foundthemselvesatalossovertheirfadingindustrialcompetitiveness.SomehugeAmerican

industries,suchasconsumerelectronics,hadshrunkorvanishedinthefaceofforeigncompetition.

By1987therewasonlyoneAmericantelevisionmakerleft,Zenith.(Nowthereisnone:Zenithwas

boughtbySouthKorea'sLGElectronicsinJuly.)Foreignmadecarsandtextilesweresweeping

intothedomesticmarket.America'smachine-toolindustrywasontheropes.Forawhileitlooked

asthoughthemakingofsemiconductors,whichAmericahadinventedandwhichsatattheheart

ofthenewcomputerage,wasgoingtobethenextcasualty.

Allofthiscausedacrisisofconfidence.Americansstoppedtakingprosperityforgranted.

Theybegantobelievethattheirwayofdoingbusinesswasfailing,andthattheirincomeswould

thereforeshortlybegintofallaswell.Themid-1980sbroughtoneinquiryafteranotherintothe

causesofAmerica'sindustrialdecline.Theirsometimessensationalfindingswerefilledwith

warningsaboutthegrowingcompetitionfromoverseas.

Howthingshavechanged!In1995theUnitedStatescanlookbackonfiveyearsofsolid

growthwhileJapanhasbeenstruggling.FewAmericansattributethissolelytosuchobvious

causesasadevalueddollarortheturningofthebusinesscycle.Selfdoubthasyieldedtoblind

pride.nAmericanindustryhaschangeditsstructure,hasgoneonadiet,haslearnttobemore

quickwitted,"accordingtoRichardCavanagh,executivedeanofHarvard'sKennedySchoolof

GovernmentMItmakesmeproudtobeanAmericanjusttoseehowourbusinessesareimproving

theirproductivity,MsaysStephenMooreoftheCatoInstitute,athinktankinWashington,DC.

AndWilliamSahlmanoftheHarvardBusinessSchoolbelievesthatpeoplewilllookbackonthis

periodasnagoldenageofbusinessmanagementintheUnitedStates.0

Passage2

Beingamanhasalwaysbeendangerous.Thereareabout105malesbornforevery100

females,butthisratiodropstonearbalanceattheageofmaturity,andamong70-year-oldsthere

arehviceasmanywomenasmen.Butthegreatuniversalofmalemortalityisbeingchanged.Now,

boybabiessurvivealmostaswellasgirlsdo.Thismeansthat,forthefirsttime,therewillbean

excessofboysinthosecrucialyearswhentheyaresearchingforamate.Moreimportant,another

chancefornaturalselectionhasbeenremoved.Fiftyyearsago,thechanceofababy(particularly

aboybaby)survivingdependedonitsweight.Akilogramtoolightortooheavymeantalmost

certaindeath.Todayitmakesalmostnodifference.Sincemuchofthevariationisduetogenes,one

moreagentofevolutionhasgone.

Thereisanotherwaytocommitevolutionarysuicide:stayalive,buthavefewerchildren.Few

peopleareasfertileasinthepast.Exceptinsomereligiouscommunities,veryfewwomenhave15

children.Nowadaysthenumberofbirths,liketheageofdeath,hasbecomeaverage.Mostofus

haveroughlythesamenumberofoffspring.Again,differencesbetweenpeopleandtheopportunity

fornaturalselectiontotakeadvantageofithavediminished.Indiashowswhatishappening.The

countryofferswealthforafewinthegreatcitiesandpovertyfortheremainingtribalpeoples.The

grandmediocrityoftoday—everyonebeingthesameinsurvivalandnumberofoffspring-

meansthatnaturalselectionhaslost81%ofitspowerinuper-middle-classIndiacomparedtothe

tribes.

Forus,thismeansthatevolutionisover;thebiologicalUtopiahasarrived.Strangely,ithas

involvedlittlephysicalchange.Nootherspeciesfillssomanyplacesinnature.Butinthepast

100,000year—eventhepast100years—ourliveshavebeentransformedbutourbodieshave

not.Wedidnotevolve,becausemachinesandsocietydiditforus.Darwinhadaphrasetodescribe

thoseignorantofevolution:they"lookatanorganicbeingasasavagelooksataship,asat

somethingwhollybeyondhiscomprehension."Nodoubtwewillremembera20thcenturywayof

lifebeyondcomprehensionforitsugliness.Buthoweveramazedourdescendantsmaybeathow

farfromUtopiawewere,theywilllookjustlikeus.

Passage3

Whenanewmovementinartattainsacertainfashion,itisadvisabletofindoutwhatits

advocatesareaimingat,for;howeverfarfetchedandunreasonabletheirprinciplesmayseemtoday,

itispossiblethatinyearstocometheymayberegardedasnormal.WithregardtoFuturistpoetry,

however,thecaseisratherdifficult,forwhateverfuturistpoetrymaybe—evenadmittingthat

thetheoryonwhichitisbasedmayberight-itcanhardlybeclassedasLiterature.

This,inbrief,iswhattheFuturistsays:foracentury,pastconditionsoflifehavebeen

conditionallyspeedingup,tillnowweliveinaworldofnoiseandviolenceandspeed.

Consequently,ourfeelings,thoughtsandemotionshaveundergoneacorrespondingchange.This

speedingupoflife,saystheFuturist,requiresanewformofexpression.Wemustspeedupour

literaturetoo,ifwewanttointerpretmodernstress.Wemustpouroutalargestreamofessential

words,unhamperedbystops,orqualifyingadjectives,orfiniteverbs.Insteadofdescribingsounds

wemustmakeupwordsthatimitatethem;wemustusemanysizesoftypeanddifferentcolored

inksonthesamepage,andshortenorlengthenwordsatwill.

Certainlytheirdescriptionsofbattlesareconfused.Butitisalittleupsettingtoreadinthe

explanatorynotesthatacertainlinedescribesafightbetweenaTurkishandaBulgarianofficeron

abridgeoffwhichtheybothfallintotheriver-andthentofindthatthelineconsistsofthe

noiseoftheirfallingandtheweightsoftheofficers:Tluff!Pluff!Ahundredandeighty-five

kilograms/

This,thoughitfulfillsthelawsandrequirementsofFuturistpoetry,canhardlybeclassedas

Literature.Allthesame,nothinkingmancanrefusetoaccepttheirfirstproposition:thatagreat

changeinouremotionallifecallsforachangeofexpression.Thewholequestionisreallythis:have

weessentiallychanged?

Passage4

AimlessnesshashardlybeentypicalofthepostwarJapanwhoseproductivityandsocial

harmonyaretheenvyoftheUnitedStatesandEurope.ButincreasinglytheJapaneseareseeinga

declineofthetraditionalwork-moralvalues.Tenyearsagoyoungpeoplewerehardworkingand

sawtheirjobsastheirprimaryreasonforbeing,butnowJapanhaslargelyfulfilleditseconomic

needs,andyoungpeopledon'tknowwheretheyshouldgonext.

Thecomingofageofthepostwarbabyboomandanentryofwomenintothemaledominated

jobmarkethavelimitedtheopportunitiesofteenagerswhoarealreadyquestioningtheheavy

personalsacrificesinvolvedinclimbingJapan'srigidsocialladdertogoodschoolsandjobs.Ina

recentsurvey,itwasfoundthatonly24.5percentofJapanesestudentswerefullysatisfiedwith

schoollife,comparedwith67.2percentofstudentsintheUnitedStates.Inaddition,farmore

Japaneseworkersexpresseddissatisfactionwiththeirjobsthandidtheircounterpartsinthe10

othercountriessurveyed.

Whileoftenpraisedbyforeignersforitsemphasisonthebasics,Japaneseeducationtendsto

stresstesttakingandmechanicallearningovercreativityandself-expression.MThosethingsthat

donotshowupinthetestscores—personality,ability,courageorhumanity—arecompletely

ignored/*saysToshikiKaifu,chairmanoftherulingLiberalDemocraticParty'seducation

committee.nFrustrationagainstthiskindofthingleadskidstodropoutandrunwild."Lastyear

Japanexperienced2,125incidentsofschoolviolence,including929assaultsonteachers.Amidthe

outcry,manyconservativeleadersareseekingareturntotheprewaremphasisonmoraleducation.

LastyearMitsuoSetoyama,whowastheneducationministei;raisedeyebrowswhenheargued

thatliberalreformsintroducedbytheAmericanoccupationauthoritiesafterWorldWarIIhad

weakenedthe"Japanesemoralityofrespectforparents.11

ButthatmayhavemoretodowithJapaneselife-styles.nInJapan/'sayseducatorYokoMuro,

"it'sneveraquestionofwhetheryouenjoyyourjobandyourlife,butonlyhowmuchyoucan

endure."Witheconomicgrowthhascomecentralization;fully76percentofJapan's119million

citizensliveincitieswherecommunityandtheextendedfamilyhavebeenabandonedinfavorof

isolated,hvo-generationhouseholds.UrbanJapanesehavelongenduredlengthycommutes

(travelstoandfromwork)andcrowdedlivingconditions,butastheoldgroupandfamilyvalues

weaken,thediscomfortisbeginningtotell.Inthepastdecade,theJapanesedivorcerate,while

stillwellbelowthatoftheUnitedStates,hasincreasedbymorethan50percent,andsuicideshave

increasedbynearlyone-quarter.

Passage5

Ifambitionistobewellregarded,therewardsofambition—wealth,distinction,control

overone*sdestiny—mustbedeemedworthyofthesacrificesmadeonambition'sbehalf.Ifthe

traditionofambitionistohavevitality,itmustbewidelyshared;anditespeciallymustbehighly

regardedbypeoplewhoarethemselvesadmired,theeducatednotleastamongthem.Inanodd

way,however,itistheeducatedwhohaveclaimedtohavegivenuponambitionasanideal.What

isoddisthattheyhaveperhapsmostbenefitedfromambition-ifnotalwaystheirownthen

thatoftheirparentsandgrandparents.Thereisaheavynoteofhypocrisyinthis,acaseofclosing

thebarndoorafterthehorseshaveescaped—withtheeducatedthemselvesridingonthem.

Certainlypeopledonotseemlessinterestedinsuccessanditssignsnowthanformerly.

Summerhomes,Europeantravel,BMWs-thelocations,placenamesandnamebrandsmay

change,butsuchitemsdonotseemlessindemandtodaythanadecadeortvvoyearsago.Whathas

happenedisthatpeoplecannotconfessfullytotheirdreams,aseasilyandopenlyasoncethey

could,lesttheybethoughtpushing,acquisitiveandvulgar.Instead,wearetreatedtofine

hypocriticalspectacles,whichnowmorethaneverseeminamplesupply:thecriticofAmerican

materialismwithaSouthamptonsummerhome;thepublisherofradicalbookswhotakeshis

mealsinthree-starrestaurants;thejournalistadvocatingparticipatorydemocracyinallphasesof

life,whoseownchildrenareenrolledinprivateschools.Forsuchpeopleandmanymoreperhaps

notsoexceptional,theproperformulationis,"Succeedatallcostsbutavoidappearing

ambitious.”

Theattacksonambitionaremanyandcomefromvariousangels;itspublicdefendersarefew

andunimpressive,wheretheyarenotextremelyunattractive.Asaresult,thesupportforambition

asahealthyimpulse,aqualitytobeadmiredandfixedinthemindoftheyoung,isprobablylower

thanithaseverbeenintheUnitedStates.Thisdoesnotmeanthatambitionisatanend,that

peoplenolongerfeelitsstirringsandpromptings,butonlythat,nolongeropenlyhonored,itisless

openlyprofessed.Consequencesfollowfromthis,ofcourse,someofwhicharethatambitionis

drivenunderground,ormadesly.Such,then,isthewaythingsstand:ontheleftangrycritics,on

therightstupidsupporters,andinthemiddle,asusual,themajorityofearnestpeopletryingtoget

oninlife.

Unit8(2001)

Passage1

Specialisationcanbeseenasaresponsetotheproblemofanincreasingaccumulationof

scientificknowledge.Bysplittingupthesubjectmatterintosmallerunits,onemancouldcontinue

tohandletheinformationanduseitasthebasisforfurtherresearch.Butspecialisationwasonly

oneofaseriesofrelateddevelopmentsinscienceaffectingtheprocessofcommunication.Another

wasthegrowingprofessionalisationofscientificactivity.

Noclear-cutdistinctioncanbedrawnbehveenprofessionalsandamateursinscience:

exceptionscanbefoundtoanyrule.Nevertheless,theword'amateur'doescarryaconnotation

thatthepersonconcernedisnotfullyintegratedintothescientificcommunityand,inparticular,

maynotfullyshareitsvalues.Thegrowthofspecialisationinthenineteenthcentury,withits

consequentrequirementofalonger,morecomplextraining,impliedgreaterproblemsforamateur

participationinscience.Thetrendwasnaturallymostobviousinthoseareasofsciencebased

especiallyonamathematicalorlaboratorytraining,andcanbeillustratedintermsofthe

developmentofgeologyintheUnitedKingdom.

AcomparisonofBritishgeologicalpublicationsoverthelastcenturyandahalfrevealsnot

simplyanincreasingemphasisontheprimacyofresearch,butalsoachangingdefinitionofwhat

constitutesanacceptableresearchpaper.Thus,inthenineteenthcentury,localgeologicalstudies

representedworthwhileresearchintheirownright;but,inthetwentiethcentury,localstudies

haveincreasinglybecomeacceptabletoprofessionalsonlyiftheyincorporate,andreflecton,the

widergeologicalpicture.Amateurs,ontheotherhand,havecontinuedtopursuelocalstudiesin

theoldway.Theoverallresulthasbeentomakeentrancetoprofessionalgeologicaljournals

harderforamateurs,aresultthathasbeenreinforcedbythewidespreadintroductionofrefereeing,

firstbynationaljournalsinthenineteenthcenturyandthenbyseverallocalgeologicaljournalsin

thehventiethcentury.Asalogicalconsequenceofthisdevelopment,separatejournalshavenow

appearedaimedmainlytowardseitherprofessionaloramateurreadership.Arathersimilar

processofdifferentiationhasledtoprofessionalgeologistscomingtogethernationallywithinone

ortwospecificsocieties,whereastheamateurshavetendedeithertoremaininlocalsocietiesorto

cometogethernationallyinadifferentway.

Althoughtheprocessofprofessionalisationandspecialisationwasalreadywellunderwayin

Britishgeologyduringthenineteenthcentury,itsfullconsequenceswerethusdelayeduntilthe

twentiethcentury.Insciencegenerally,however;thenineteenthcenturymustbereckonedasthe

crucialperiodforthischangeinthestructureofscience.

Passage2

Agreatdealofattentionisbeingpaidtodaytotheso-calleddigitaldivide—thedivisionof

theworldintotheinfo(information)richandtheinfopoor.Andthatdividedoesexisttoday.My

wifeandIlecturedaboutthisloomingdangerhventyyearsago.Whatwaslessvisiblethen,

however,werethenew,positiveforcesthatworkagainstthedigitaldivide.Therearereasonstobe

optimistic.

Therearetechnologicalreasonstohopethedigitaldividewillnarrow.AstheInternet

becomesmoreandmorecommercialized,itisintheinterestofbusinesstouniversalizeaccess一

afterall,themorepeopleonline,themorepotentialcustomersthereare.Moreandmore

governments,afraidtheircountrieswillbeleftbehind,wanttospreadInternetaccess.Withinthe

nextdecadeortwo,onetotwobillionpeopleontheplanetwillbenettedtogether.Asaresult,I

nowbelievethedigitaldividewillnarrowratherthanwidenintheyearsahead.Andthatisvery

goodnewsbecausetheInternetmaywellbethemostpowerfultoolforcombatingworldpoverty

thatwe'veeverhad.

Ofcourse,theuseoftheInternetisn'ttheonlywaytodefeatpoverty.AndtheInternetisnot

theonlytoolwehave.Butithasenormouspotential.

Totakeadvantageofthistool,someimpoverishedcountrieswillhavetogetovertheir

outdatedanti-colonialprejudiceswithrespecttoforeigninvestment.Countriesthatstillthink

foreigninvestmentisaninvasionoftheirsovereigntymightwellstudythehistoryofinfrastructure

(thebasicstructuralfoundationsofasociety)intheUnitedStates.WhentheUnitedStatesbuiltits

industrialinfrastructure,itdidn'thavethecapitaltodoso.AndthatiswhyAmerica'sSecond

Waveinfrastructure-includingroads,harbors,highways,portsandsoon-werebuiltwith

foreigninvestment.TheEnglish,theGermans,theDutchandtheFrenchwereinvestingin

Britain'sformercolony.Theyfinancedthem.ImmigrantAmericansbuiltthem.Guesswhoowns

themnow?TheAmericans.IbelievethesamethingwouldbetrueinplaceslikeBrazilor

anywhereelseforthatmatter.ThemoreforeigncapitalyouhavehelpingyoubuildyourThird

Waveinfrastructure,whichtodayisanelectronicinfrastructure,thebetteroffyou'regoingtobe.

Thatdoesn*tmeanlyingdownandbecomingfooled,orlettingforeigncorporationsrun

uncontrolled.Butitdoesmeanrecognizinghowimportanttheycanbeinbuildingtheenergyand

telecominfrastructuresneededtotakefulladvantageoftheInternet.

Passage3

WhydosomanyAmericansdistrustwhattheyreadintheirnewspapers?TheAmerican

SocietyofNewspaperEditorsistryingtoanswerthispainfulquestion.Theorganizationisdeep

intoalongself-analysisknownasthejournalismcredibilityproject

Sadtosay,thisprojecthasturnedouttobemostlylow-levelfindingsaboutfactualerrorsand

spellingandgrammarmistakes,combinedwithlotsofhead-scratchingpuzzlementaboutwhatin

theworldthosereadersreallywant.

Butthesourcesofdistrustgowaydeeper.Mostjournalistslearntoseetheworldthrougha

setofstandardtemplates(patterns)intowhichtheyplugeachday'sevents.Inotherwords,thereis

aconventionalstorylineinthenewsroomculturethatprovidesabackboneandaready-made

narrativestructureforotherwiseconfusingnews.

Thereexistsasocialandculturaldisconnectbetweenjournalistsandtheirreaders,which

helpsexplainwhythe“standardtemplates*,ofthenewsroomseemalientomanyreaders.Ina

recentsurvey,questionnairesweresenttoreportersinfivemiddle-sizecitiesaroundthecountry,

plusonelargemetropolitanarea.Thenresidentsinthesecommunitieswerephonedatrandomand

askedthesamequestions.

RepliesshowthatcomparedwithotherAmericans,journalistsaremorelikelytolivein

upscaleneighborhoods,havemaids,ownMercedeses,andtradestocks,andthey'relesslikelytogo

tochurch,dovolunteerwork,orputdownrootsinacommunity.

Reporterstendtobepartofabroadlydefinedsocialandculturalelite,sotheirworktendsto

reflecttheconventionalvaluesofthiselite.Theastonishingdistrustofthenewsmediaisn'trooted

ininaccuracyorpoorreportorialskillsbutinthedailyclashofworldviewsbebveenreportersand

theirreaders.

Thisisanexplosivesituationforanyindustry,particularlyadecliningone.Hereisatroubled

businessthatkeepshiringemployeeswhoseattitudesvastlyannoythecustomers.Thenitsponsors

lotsofsymposiumsandacredibilityprojectdedicatedtowonderingwhycustomersareannoyed

andfleeinginlargenumbers.Butitneverseemstogetaroundtonoticingtheculturalandclass

biasesthatsomanyformerbuyersarecomplainingabout.Ifitdid,itwouldopenupitsdiversity

program,nowfocusednarrowlyonraceandgender,andlookforreporterswhodifferbroadlyby

outlook,values,education,andclass.

Passage4

Theworldisgoingthroughthebiggestwaveofmergersandacquisitionseverwitnessed.The

processsweepsfromhyperactiveAmericatoEuropeandreachestheemergingcountrieswith

unsurpassedmight.Manyinthesecountriesarelookingatthisprocessandworrying:"Won'tthe

waveofbusinessconcentrationturnintoanuncontrollableanticompetitiveforce?”

There*snoquestionthatthebigaregettingbiggerandmorepowerful.Multinational

corporationsaccountedforlessthan20%ofinternationaltradein1982.Todaythefigureismore

than25%andgrowingrapidly.Internationalaffiliatesaccountforafast-growingsegmentof

productionineconomiesthatopenupandwelcomeforeigninvestment.InArgentina,forinstance,

afterthereformsoftheearly1990s,multinationalswentfrom43%toalmost70%oftheindustrial

productionofthe200largestfirms.Thisphenomenonhascre-atedseriousconcernsovertherole

ofsmallereconomicfirms,ofnationalbusinessmenandovertheultimatestabilityoftheworld

economy.

IbelievethatthemostimportantforcesbehindthemassiveM&Awavearethesamethat

underlietheglobalizationprocess:fallingtransportationandcommunicationcosts,lowertrade

andinvestmentbarriersandenlargedmarketsthatrequireenlargedoperationscapableof

meetingcustomers'demands.Allthesearebeneficial,notdetrimental,toconsumers.As

productivitygrows,theworld'swealthincreases.

Examplesofbenefitsorcostsofthecurrentconcentrationwavearescanty.Yetitishardto

imaginethatthemergerofafewoilfirmstodaycouldre-createthesamethreatstocompetition

thatwerefearednearlyacenturyagointheU.S.,whentheStandardOiltrustwasbrokenup.The

mergersoftelecomcompanies,suchasWorldCom,hardlyseemtobringhigherpricesfor

consumersorareductioninthepaceoftechnicalprogress.Onthecontrary,thepriceof

communicationsiscomingdownfast.Incars,too,concentrationisincreasing-witnessDaimler

andChrysler,RenaultandNissan-butitdoesnotappearthatconsumersarebeinghurt.

Yetthefactremainsthatthemergermovementmustbewatched.Afewweeksago,Alan

Greenspanwarnedagainstthemegamergersinthebankingindustry.Whoisgoingtosupervise,

regulateandoperateaslenderoflastresortwiththegiganticbanksthatarebeingcreated?Won't

multinationalsshiftproductionfromoneplacetoanotherwhenanationgetstoostrictabout

infringementstofaircompetition?Andshouldonecountrytakeuponitselftheroleofndefending

competition*'onissuesthataffectmanyothernations,asintheU.S.vs.Microsoftcase?

Passage5

WhenIdecidedtoquitmyfulltimeemploymentitneveroccurredtomethatImightbecome

apartofanewinternationaltrend.Alateralmovethathurtmyprideandblockedmyprofessional

progresspromptedmetoabandonmyrelativelyhighprofilecareeralthough,inthemannerofa

disgracedgovernmentminister,IcoveredmyexitbyclaimingnIwantedtospendmoretimewith

myfamily0.

Curiously,sometow-and-a-halfyearsandtwonovelslater,myexperimentinwhatthe

Americansterm“downshifting”hasturnedmytiredexcuseintoanabsolutereality.Ihavebeen

transformedfromapassionateadvocateofthephilosophyof“havingitall",preachedbyLinda

KelseyforthepastsevenyearsinthepagesofShemagazine,intoawomanwhoishappytosettle

forabitofeverything.

Ihavediscovered,asperhapsKelseywillafterhermuch-publicizedresignationfromthe

editorshipofSheafterabuild-upofstress,thatabandoningthedoctrineof"jugglingyourlife”,

andmakingthealternativemoveinto"downshifting“bringswithitfargreaterrewardsthan

financialsuccessandsocialstatus.NothingcouldpersuademetoreturntothekindoflifeKelsey

usedtoadvocateandIonceenjoyed:12-hourworkingdays,pressureddeadlines,thefearfulstrain

ofofficepoliticsandthelimitationsofbeingaparenton“qualitytime”.

InAmerica,themoveawayfromjugglingtoasimpler,lessmaterialisticlifestyleisa

well-establishedtrend.Downshifting——alsoknowninAmericaas"voluntarysimplicity”—has,

ironically,evenbredanewareaofwhatmightbetermedanti-consumerism.Thereareanumber

ofbestsellingdownshiftingself-helpbooksforpeoplewhowanttosimplifytheirlives;thereare

newsletters,suchasTheTightwadGazette,thatgivehundredsofthousandsofAmericansuseful

tipsonanythingfromrecyclingtheircling-filmtomakingtheirownsoap;thereareevensupport

groupsforthosewhowanttoachievethemid190sequivalentofdroppingout.

WhileinAmericathetrendstartedasareactiontotheeconomicdecline-afterthemass

redundanciescausedbydownsizinginthelate'80s-andisstilllinkedtothepoliticsofthrift,in

Britain,atleastamongthemiddle-classdownshiftersofmyacquaintance,wehavedifferent

reasonsforseekingtosimplifyourlives.

Forthewomenofmygenerationwhowereurgedtokeepjugglingthroughthe’80s,

downshiftinginthemid-'90sisnotsomuchasearchforthemythicalgoodlife-growingyour

ownorganicvegetables,andriskingturningintoone—asapersonalrecognitionofyour

limitations.

Unit9(2002)

Text1

Ifyouintendusinghumorinyourtalktomakepeoplesmile,youmustknowhowtoidentify

sharedexperiencesandproblems.Yourhumormustberelevanttotheaudienceandshouldhelpto

showthemthatyouareoneofthemorthatyouunderstandtheirsituationandareinsympathy

withtheirpointofview.Dependingonwhomyouareaddressing,theproblemswillbedifferent.If

youaretalkingtoagroupofmanagers,youmayrefertothedisorganizedmethodsoftheir

secretaries;alternativelyifyouareaddressingsecretaries,youmaywanttocommentontheir

disorganizedbosses.

Hereisanexample,whichIheardatanurses'convention,ofastorywhichworkswell

becausetheaudienceallsharedthesameviewofdoctors.Amanarrivesinheavenandisbeing

sh