历年考研英语真题及答案

全国硕士研究生入学统一考试——英语试题及答案

PartIStructureandVocabulary

SectionA

Directions:

Beneatheachofthefollowingsentences,therearefourchoicesmarked[A],[B],

[C]and[D].Choosetheonethatbestcompletesthesentence.Markyouransweron

ANSWERSHEET1byblackeningthecorrespondingletterinthebracketswithapencil.(5

points)

Example:

IhavebeentotheGreatWallthreetimes1979.

[A]from[B]after[C]for[D]since

Thesentenceshouldread,“IhavebeentotheGreatWallthreetimessince1979/'

Therefore,youshouldchoose[D]

SampleAnswer[A][B][C][a]

l.IfIwereinamovie,thenitwouldbeabouttimethatImyheadinmyhands

foracry.

[A]bury[B]amburying[C]buried[D]wouldbury

2,Goodnewswassometimesreleasedprematurely,withtheBritishrecaptureofthe

porthalfadaybeforethedefendersactuallysurrendered.

[A]toannounce[B]announced[C]announcing[D]wasannounced

3.Accordingtoonebelief,iftruthistobeknownitwillmakeitselfapparent,soone

waitinsteadofsearchingforit

[A]wouldrather[B]hadto[C]cannotbut[D]hadbest

4.Shefeltsuitablyhumblejustasshewhenhehadfirsttakenagoodlookat

hercityself,hairwavedandgolden,nailsredandpointed.

[A]had[B]hadhad[C]wouldhavehad[D]hashad

5.TherewasnosignthatMrJospin,whokeepsafirmcontrolonthepartydespite

fromleadershipofit,wouldintervenepersonally.

[A]beingresigned[B]havingresigned[C]goingtoresign[D]resign

6.S0involvedwiththeircomputersthatleadersatsummercomputercaps

oftenhavetoforcethemtobreakforsportsandgames.

[A]becamethecildren[B]becomethechildren[C]hadthechildrenbecome[D]

dothechildrenbecome

7.TheindividualTVviewerinvariablysensesthatheorsheisananonymous,

statisticallyinsignificantpartofahugeanddiverseaudience.

[A]everythingexcept[B]anythingbut[C]nolessthan[D]nothingmorethan

8.0nedifficultyintranslationliesinobtainingaconceptmatch.thisismeant

thataconceptinonelanguageislostorchangedinmeaningintranslation.

[A]By[B]In[C]Nolessthan[D]Nothingmorethan

9.Conversationbecomesweakerinasocietythatspendssomuchtimelisteningand

beingtalkedtoithasallbutlostthewillandtheskilltospeakforitself.

[A]as[B]which[C]that[D]what

lO.Churchasweusethewordreferstoallreligiousinstitutions,theyChristian,

Islamic,Buddhist,Jewish,andsoon.

[A]be[B]being[C]were[D]are

SectionB

Directions:

Beneatheachofthefollowingsentences,therearefourchoicesmarked[A],[B],

[C]and[D].Choosetheonethatbestcompletesthesentence.Markyouransweron

ANSWERSHEET1byblackeningthecorrespondingletterinthebracketswithapencil.

(10points)

Example:

ThelostcaroftheLeeswasfoundinthewoodsoffthehighway.

[A]vanished[B]scattered[C]abandoned[D]rejected

Thesentenceshouldread,“ThelostcaroftheLeeswasfoundabandonedinthe

woodsoffthehighway,"Therefore,youshouldchoose[C].

SampleAnswer[A][B][«][D]

ll.Heistooyoungtobeabletobetweenrightandwrong.

[A]discard[B]discern[C]disperse[D]disregard

12.ltwasnothathiscarwasseennearthebankatthetimeoftherobbery.

[A]coincidence[B]convention[C]certainty[D]complication

13.0neoftheresponsibilitiesoftheCoastGuardistomakesurethatallships

followtrafficrulesinbusyharbors.

[A]cautiously[B]dutifully[C]faithfully[D]skillfully

14.TheEskimoisperhapsoneofthemosttrustingandconsiderateofallIndiansbut

seemstobethewelfareofhisanimals.

[A]criticalabout[B]indignantat[C]indifferentto[D]subjectto

15.Thechairmanoftheboardonmetheunpleasantjobofdismissinggood

workersthefirmcannolongeraffordtoemploy.

[A]compelled[B]posed[C]pressed[D]tempted

16.ltisnaivetoexpectthatanysocietycanresolveallthesocialproblemsitisfaced

with.

[A]forlong[B]inandout[C]onceforall[D]bynature

17.Usingextremelydifferentdecoratingschemesinadjoiningroomsmayresultin

andlackofunityinstyle.

[A]conflict[B]confrontation[C]disturbance[D]disharmony

18.TheTimberrattlesnakeisnowontheendangeredspecieslist,andisextinctintwo

easternstatesinwhichitonce.

[A]thrived[B]swelled[C]prospered[D]flourished

19.However,growthinthefabricatedmetalsindustrywasabletosomeofthe

declineintheironandsteelindustry.

[A]overturn[B]overtake[C]offset[D]oppress

2O.Becauseofitsintimacy,radioisusuallymorethanjustamedium;itis.

[A]firm[B]company[C]corporation[D]enterprise

21.Whenanynonhumanorganistransplantedintoaperson,thebody

immediatelyrecognizesitas.

[A]novel[B]remote[C]distant[D]foreign

22.MyfavoriteradiosongistheoneIfirstheardonathick1923EdisondiscI

atagaragesale.

[A]trifledwith[B]scrapedthrough[C]stumbledupon[D]thirstedfor

23.Somedaysoftwarewilltranslatebothwrittenandspokenlanguagesowellthat

theneedforanycommonsecondlanguagecould.

[A]descend[B]decline[C]deteriorate[D]depress

24.Equipmentnotofficialsafetystandardshasallbeenremovedfromthe

workshop.

[A]conformingto[B]consistentwith[C]predominantover[D]providingfor

25.Asanindustry,biotechnologystandstoelectronicsindollarvolumeand

perhapssurpassitinsocialimpactby2020.

[A]contend[B]contest[C]rival[D]strive

26.TheauthorsoftheUnitedStatesconstitutionattemptedtoestablishaneffective

nationalgovernmentwhilepreservingforthestatesandlibertyforindividuals.

[A]autonomy[B]dignity[C]monopoly[D]stability

27.ForthreequartersofitsspanonEarth,lifeevolvedalmostas

microorganisms.

[A]precisely[B]instantly[C]initially[D]exclusively

28.Theintroductionofgunpowdergraduallymadethebowandarrow,

particularlyinWesternEurope.

[A]obscure[B]obsolete[C]optional[D]overlapping

29.Whoeverformulatedthetheoryoftheoriginoftheuniverse,itisjustand

needsproving.

[A]spontaneous[B]hypothetical[C]intuitive[D]empirical

3O.Thefutureofthiscompanyis:manyofitstalentedemployeesareflowing

intomoreprofitablenetbasedbusinesses.

[A]atodds[B]introuble[C]invain[D]atstake

PartIIClozeTest

Direction:

Foreachnumberedblankinthefollowingpassage,therearefourchoicesmarked

[A],[B],[C]and[D].ChoosethebestoneandmarkyouransweronANSWERSHEET

1byblackeningthecorrespondingletterinthebracketswithapencil.(10points)

Thegovernmentistobanpaymentstowitnessesbynewspapersseekingtobuyup

peopleinvolvedinprominentcases31thetrialofRosemaryWest.

Inasignificant32oflegalcontrolsoverthepress,LordIrvine,theLordChancellor,

willintroducea33billthatwillproposemakingpaymentstowitnesses34andwillstrictly

controltheamountof35thatcanbegiventoacase36atrialbegins.

InalettertoGeraldKaufman,chairmanoftheHouseofcommonsmedia

selectcommittee,LordIrvinesaidhe37withacommitteereportthisyearwhichsaidthat

selfregulationdidnot38sufficientcontrol.

39ofthelettercametwodaysafterLordIrvinecauseda40ofmediaprotestwhen

hesaidthe

41ofprivacycontrolscontainedinEuropeanlegislationwouldbelefttojudges42to

Parliament.

TheLordChancellorsaidintroductionoftheHumanRightsBill,which43the

EuropeanConventiononHumanRightslegally44inBritain,laiddownthateverybody

was45toprivacyandthatpublicfigurescouldgotocourttoprotectthemselvesand

theirfamilies.

"Pressfreedomswillbeinsafehands46ourBritishjudges,"hesaid.

Witnesspaymentsbecamean47afterWestwassentencedto10lifesentencesin

1995.Upto19witnesseswere48tohavereceivedpaymentsfortellingtheirstoriesto

newspapers.Conernswereraised49witnessesmightbeencouragedtoexaggeratetheir

storiesincourtto50guiltyverdicts.

31.[A]asto[B]forinstance[C]inparticular[D]suchas

32.[A]tightening[B]intensifying[C]focusing[D]fastening

33.[A]sketch[B]rough[C]preliminary[D]improper

34.[A]illogical[B]illegal[C]improbable[D]improper

35.[A]publicity[B]penalty[C]popularity[D]peculiarity

36.[A]since[B]if[C]before[D]as

37.[A]sided[B]shared[C]complied[D]agreed

38.[A]present[B]offer[C]manifest[D]indicate

39.[A]Release[B]Publication[C]Printing[D]Exposure

40.[A]storm[B]rage[C]flare[D]flash

41.[A]translation[B]interpretation[C]exhibition[D]demonstration

42.[A]betterthan[B]otherthan[C]ratherthan[D]soonerthan

43.[A]changes[B]makes[C]sets[D]turns

44.[A]binding[B]convincing[C]restraining[D]sustaining

45.[A]authorized[B]credited[C]entitled[D]qualified

46.[A]with[B]to[C]from[D]by

47.[A]impact[B]incident[C]inference[D]issue

48.[A]stated[B]remarked[C]said[D]told

49.[A]what[B]when[C]which[D]that

50.[A]assure[B]confide[C]ensure[D]guarantee

PartHIReadingComprehension

Directions:

Eachofthepassagesbelowisfollowedbysomequestions.Foreachquestionthere

arefouranswers[A],[B],[C]and[D].Readthepassagescarefullyandchoosethe

bestanswertoeachofthequestions.ThenmarkyouransweronANSWERSHEET1by

blackeningthecorrespondingletterinthebracketswithapencil.(40points)

Passage1

Specialisationcanbeseenasaresponsetotheproblemofanincreasing

accumulationofscientificknowledge.Bysplittingupthesubjectmatterintosmaller

units,onemancouldcontinuetohandletheinformationanduseitasthebasisfor

furtherresearch.Butspecialisationwasonlyoneofaseriesofrelateddevelopmentsin

scienceaffectingtheprocessofcommunication.Anotherwasthegrowing

professionalisationofscientificactivity.

Noclearcutdistinctioncanbedrawnbetweenprofessionalsandamateurs

inscience:exceptionscanbefoundtoanyrule.Neverthelss,theword'amateur'does

carryaconnotationthatthepersonconcernedisnotfullyintegratedintothescientific

communityand,inparticular,maynotfullyshareitsvalues.Thegrowthofspecialisation

inthenineteenthcentury,withitsconsequentrequirementofalonger,morecomplex

training,impliedgreaterproblemsforamateurparticipationinscience.Thetrendwas

naturallymostobviousinthoseareasofsciencebasedespeciallyonamathematicalor

laboratorytraining,andcanbeillustratedintermsofthedevelopmentofgeologyinthe

UnitedKingdom.

AcomparisonofBritishgeologicalpublicationsoverthelastcenturyandahalf

revealsnotsimplyanincreasingemphasisontheprimacyofresearch,butalsoa

changingdefinitionofwhatconstitutesanacceptableresearchpaper.Thus,inthe

nineteenthcentury,localgeologicalstudiesrepresentedworthwhileresearchintheir

ownright;but,inthetwentiethcentury,localstudieshaveincreasinglybecome

acceptabletoprofessionalsonlyiftheyincorporate,andreflecton,thewidergeological

picture.Amateurs,ontheotherhand,havecontinuedtopursuelocalstudiesintheold

way.Theoverallresulthasbeentomakeentrancetoprofessionalgeologicaljournals

harderforamateurs,aresultthathasbeenreinforcedbythewidespradintroductionof

refereeing,firstbynationaljournalsinthenineteenthcenturyandthenbyseverallocal

geologicaljournalsinthetwentiethcentury.Asalogicalconsequenceofthis

development,separatejournalshavenowappearedaimedmainlytowardseither

professionaloramateurreadership.Arathersimilarprocessofdifferentiationhasledto

professionalgeologistsconningtogethernationallywithinoneortwospecificsocieties,

whereastheamateurshavetendedeithertoremaininlocalsocietiesortocome

togethernationallyinadifferentway.

Althoughtheprocessofprofessionalisationandspecialisationwasalreadywell

underwayinBritishgeologyduringthenineteenthcentury,itsfullconsequenceswere

thusdelayeduntilthetwentiethcentury.Insciencegenerally,however,thenineteenth

centurymustbereckonedasthecrucialperiodforthischangeinthestructureof

science.

51.Thegrowthofspecialisationinthe19thcenturymightbemoreclearlyseenin

scien

-cessuchas.

[A]sociologyandchemistry

[B]physicsandpsychology

[C]sociologyandpsychology

[D]physicsandchemistry

52.Wecaninferfromthepassagethat.

[A]thereislittledistinctionbetweenspecialisationandprofessionalisation

[B]amateurscancompetewithprofessionalsinsomeareasofscience

[C]professionalstendtowelcomeamateursintothescientificcommunity

[D]amateurshavenationalacademicsocietiesbutnolocalones

53.Theauthorwritesofthedevelopmentofgeologytodemonstrate.

[A]theprocessofspecialisationandprofessionalisation

[B]thehardshipofamateursinscientificstudy

[C]thechangeofpoliciesinscientificpublications

[D]thediscriminationofprofessionalsagainstamateurs

54.Thedirectreasonforspecialisationiso

[A]thedevelopmentincommunication

[B]thegrowthofprofessionalisation

[C]theexpansionofscientificknowledge

[D]thesplittingupofacademicsocieties

Passage2

Agreatdealofattentionisbeingpaidtodaytothesocalleddigitaldivide—the

divisionoftheworldintotheinfo(information)richandtheinfopoor.Andthatdivide

doesexisttoday.MywifeandIlecturedaboutthisloomingdangertwentyyearsago.

Whatwaslessvisiblethen,however,werethenew,positiveforcesthatworkagainstthe

digitaldivide.Therearereasonstobeoptimistic.

Therearetechnologicalreasonstohopethedigitaldividewillnarrow.Asthe

Internetbecomesmoreandmorecommercialized,itisintheinterestofbusinessto

universalizeaccess—afterall,themorepeopleonline,themorepotentialcustomers

thereare.Moreandmoregovernments,afraidtheircountrieswillbeleftbehind,wantto

spreadInternetaccess.Withinthenextdecadeortwo,onetotwobillionpeopleonthe

planetwillbenettedtogether.Asaresult,Inowbelievethedigitaldividewillnarrow

ratherthanwidenintheyearsahead.AndthatisverygoodnewsbecausetheInternet

maywellbethemostpowerfultoolforcombatingworldpovertythatwe'veeverhad.

Ofcourse,theueoftheInternetisn'ttheonlywaytodefeatpoverty.Andthe

Internetisnottheonlytoolwehave.Butithasenormouspotential.Totakeadvantageof

thistool,someimpoverishedcountrieswillhavetogetovertheiroutdatedanticolonial

prejudiceswithrespecttoforeigninvestment.Countriesthatstillthinkforeign

investmentisaninvasionoftheirsovereigntymightwellstudythehistoryof

infrastructure(thebasicstructuralfoundationsofasociety)intheUnitedStates.When

theUnitedStatesbuiltitsindustrialsinfrastructure,itdidn'thavethecapitaltodoso.And

thatiswhyAmerica'sSecondWaveinfrastructure—includingroads,barbors,highways,

protsandsoon—werebuiltwithforeigninvestment.TheEnglish,theGermans,the

DutchandtheFrenchwereinvestinginBritain'sformercolony.Theyfinancedthem.

ImmigrantAmericansbuiltthem.Guesswhoownsthemnow?TheAmericans.Ibelieve

thesamethingwouldbetrueinplaceslikeBraziloranywhereelseforthatmatter.The

moreforeigncapitalyouhavehelpingyoubuildyourThirdWaveinfrastructure,which

todayisanelectronicinfrastructure,thebetteroffyou'regoingtobe.Thatdoesn'tmean

lyingdownandbecomingfooled,orlettingforeigncorporationsrununcontrolled.Butit

doesmeansrecognizinghowimportanttheycanbeinbuildingtheenergyandtelecom

infrastructuresneededtotakefulladvantageoftheInternet.

55.Digitaldivideissomething

[A]gettingworsebecauseoftheInternet

[B]therichcountriesareresponsiblefor

[C]theworldmustguardagainst

[D]consideredpositivetoday

56.GovernmentsattachimportancetotheInternetbecauseit

[A]offerseconomicpotentials

[B]canbringforeignfunds

[C]cansoonwipeoutworldpoverty

[D]connectspeopleallovertheworld

57.ThewritermentionedthecaseoftheUnitedStatestojustifythepolicyof

[A]providingfinancialsupportoverseas

[B]preventingforeigncapital'scontrol

[C]buildingindustrialinfrastructure

[D]acceptingforeigninvestment

58.ltseemsthatnowacountry'seconomydependsmuchon.

[A]howwelldevelopeditiselectronically

[B]whetheritisprejudicedagainstimmigrants

[C]whetheritadoptsAmerica'sindustrialpattern

[D]howmuchcontrolithasoverforeigncorporations

Passage3

WhydosomanyAmericansdistrustwhattheyreadintheirnewspapers?The

AmericanSocietyofNewspaperEditorsistryingtoanswerthispainfulquestion.The

organizationisdeepintoalongselfanalysisknownasthejournalismcredibility

project.

Sadtosay,thisprojecthasturnedouttobemostlylowlevelfindingsaboutfactual

errorsandspellingandgrammarmistakes,combinedwithlotsofheadscratching

puzzlementaboutwhatintheworldthosereadersreallywant.

Butthesourcesofdistrustgowaydeeper.Mostjounalistslearntoseetheworld

throughasetofstandardtemplates(patterns)intowhichtheyplugeachclay'sevents.In

otherwords,thereisaconventionalstorylineinthenewsroomculturethatprovidesa

backboneandareadymadenarrativestructureforotherwiseconfusingnews.

Thereexistsasocialandculturaldisconnectbetweenjournalistsandtheirreaders,

whichhelpsexplainwhythe"standardtemplates"ofthenewsroomseemalientomany

readers.Inarecentsurvey,questionnairesweresenttoreportersinfivemiddlesize

citiesaroundthecountry,plusonelargemetropolitanarea.Thenresidentsinthese

communitieswerephonedatrandomandaskedthesamequestions.

RepliesshowthatcomparedwithotherAmericans,journalistsaremorelikelytolive

inupscaleneighborhoods,havemaids,ownMercedeses,andtradestocks,andthey're

lesslikelytogotochurch,dovolunteerwork,orputdownrootsinacoummunity.

Reporterstendtobepartofabroadlydefinedsocialandculturalelite,sotheirwork

tendstoreflecttheconventionalvaluesofthiselite.Theastonishingdistrustofthenews

mediaisn'trootedininaccuracyorpoorreportorialsskillsbutinthedailyclashofworld

viewsbetweenreportersandtheirreaders.

Thisisanexplosivesituationforanyindustry,particularlyadecliningone.Hereisa

troubledbusinessthatkeepshiringemployeeswhoseattitudesvastlyannoythe

customers.Thenitsponsorslotsofsymposiumsandacredibilityprojectdedicatedto

wonderingwhycustomersareannoyedandfleeinginlargenumbers.Butitneverseems

togetaroundtonoticingtheculturalandclassbiasesthatsomanyformerbuyersare

complainingabout.Ifitdid,itwouldopenupitsdiversityprogram,nowfocusednarrowly

onraceandgender,andlookforreporterswhodifferbroadlybyoutlook,values,

education,andclass.

59Whatisthepassagemainlyabout?

[A]needsofthereadersallovertheworld

[B]causesofthepublicdisappointmentaboutnewspapers

[C]originsofthedecliningnewspaperindustry

[D]aimsofajournalismcredibilityproject

6O.Theresultsofthejournalismcredibilityprojectturnedouttobe.

[A]quitetrustworthy

[B]somewhatcontradictory

[C]veryilluminating

[D]rathersuperficial

61.Thebasicproblemofjournalistsaspointedoutbythewriterliesintheir

[A]workingattitude

[B]conventionallifestyle

[C]worldoutlook

[D]educationalbackground

62.Despiteitsefforts,thenewspaperindustrystillcannotsatisfythereadersowing

to

its.

[A]failuretorealizeitsrealproblem

[B]tendencytohireannoyingreporters

[C]likelinesstodoinaccuratereporting

[D]prejudiceinmattersofraceandgender

Passage4

Theworldisgoingthroughthebiggestwaveofmergersandacquisitionsever

witnessed.TheprocesssweepsfromhyperactiveAmericatoEuropeandreachesthe

emergingcountrieswithunsurpassedmight.Manyinthesecountriesarelookingatthis

processandworrying:"Won'tthewaveofbusinessconcentrationturnintoan

uncontrollableanti-competitiveforce?"

There'snoquestionthatthebigaregettingbiggerandmorepowerful.Multinational

corporationsaccountedforlessthan20%ofinternationaltradein1982.Todaythefigure

ismorethan25%andgrowingrapidly.Internationalaffiliatesaccountforafastgrowing

segmentofproductionineconomiesthatopenupandwelcomeforeigninvestment.In

Argentina,forinstance,afterthereformsoftheearly1990s,multinationalswentfrom

43%toalmost70%oftheindustrialproductionofthe200largestfirms.This

phenomenonhascreatedseriousconcernsovertheroleofsmallereconomicfirms,of

nationalbusinessmenandovertheultimatestabilityoftheworldeconomy.

IbelievethatthemostimportantforcesbehindthemassiveM&Awaveare

thesamethatunderlietheglobalizationprocess:fallingtransportationand

communicationcosts,lowertradeandinvestmentbarriersandenlargedmarketsthat

requireenlargedoperationscapableofmeetingcustomers'demands.Alltheseare

beneficial,notdetrimental,toconsumers.Asproductivitygrows,theworld'swealth

increases.

Examplesofbenefitsorcostsofthecurrentconcentrationwavearescanty.Yetitis

hardtoimaginethatthemergerofafewoilfirmstodaycouldrecreatethesame

threatstocompetitionthatwerefearednearlyacenturyagointheU.S.,whenthe

StandardOiltrustwasbrokenup.Themergersoftelecomcompanies,suchasWorld

Com,hardlyseemtobringhigherpricesforconsumersorareductioninthepaceof

technicalprogress.Onthecontrary,thepriceofcommunicationsiscomingdownfast.In

cars,too,concentrationisincreasing—witnessDaimlerandChrysler,RenaultandNissan

—butitdoesnotappearthatconsumersarebeinghurt.

Yetthefactremainsthatthemergermovementmustbewatched.Afewweeksago,

AlanGreenspanwarnedagainstthemegamergersinthebankingindustry.Whoisgoing

tosupervise,regulateandoperateaslenderoflastresortwiththegiganticbanksthat

arebeingcreated?Won'tmultinationalsshiftproductionfromoneplacetoanother

whenanationgetstoostrictaboutinfringementstofaircompetition?Andshouldone

countrytakeuponitselftheroleof"defendingcompetition"onissuesthataffectmany

othernations,asintheU.S.vs.Microsoftcase?

63.Whatisthetypicaltrendofbusinessestoday?

[A]totakeinmoreforeignfunds

[B]toinvestmoreabroad

[C]tocombineandbecomebigger

[D]totradewithmorecountries

64.Accordingtotheauthor,oneofthedrivingforcesbehindM&Awaveis.

[A]thegreatercustomerdemands

[B]asurplussupplyforthemarket

[C]agrowingproductivity

[D]theincreaseoftheworld'swealth

65.Fromparagraph4wecaninferthat.

[A]theincreasingconcentrationiscertaintohurtconsumers

[B]WorldComservesasagoodexampleofbothbenefitsandcosts

[C]thecostsofthegobalizationprocessareenormous

[D]theStandardOiltrustmighthavethreatenedcompetition

66.Towardthenewbusinesswave,thewriter'sattitudecanbesaidtobe.

[A]optimistic

[B]objective

[C]pessimistic

[D]biased

Passage5

WhenIdecidedtoquitmyfulltimeemploymentitneveroccurredtomethatI

mightbecomeapartofanewinternationaltrend.Alateralmovethathurtmyprideand

blockedmyprofessionalprogresspromptedmetoabandonmyrelativelyhighprofile

careeralthough,inthemannerofadisgracedgovernmentminister,Icoveredmyexitby

claiming“Iwantedtospendmoretimewithmyfamily".

Curiously,sometwoandahalfyearsandtwonovelslater,myexperimentin

whattheAmericansterm"downshifting"hasturnedmytiredexcuseintoanabsolute

reality.Ihavebeentransformedfromapassionateadvocateofthephilosophyof”have

itall",preachedbyLindaKelseyforthepastsevenyearsinthepagesofShe

magazine,intoawomanwhoishappytosettleforabitofeverything.

Ihavediscovered,asperhapsKelseywillafterhermuchpublicizedresignation

fromtheeditorshipofSheafterabuildupofstress,thatabandoningthedoctrine

of"jugglingyourlife",andmakingthealternativemoveinto"downshifting"brings

withitfargreaterrewardsthanfinancialsuccessandsocialstatus.Nothingcould

persuademetoreturntothekindoflifeKelseyusedtoadvocateandIonceenjoyed:

12-hourworkingdays,pressureddeadlines,thefearfulstrainofofficepoliticsandthe

limitationsofbeingaparenton"qualitytime".

InAmerica,themoveawayfromjugglingtoasimpler,lessmaterialisticlifestyleis

a-well-establishedtrend.Downshifting—alsoknowninAmericaas"voluntary

simplicity”—has,ironically,evenbredanewareaofwhatmightbetermed

anti-consumerism.Thereareanumberofbestsellingdownshiftingselfhelpbooksfor

peoplewhowanttosimplifytheirlives;therearenewsletters,suchasTheTightwad

Gazette,thatgivehundredsofthousandsofAmericansusefultipsonanythingfrom

recyclingtheirclingfilmtomakingtheirownsoap;thereareev