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Text 5

¡¡¡¡When I decided to quit my fullª²time 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 twoª²andª²aª²half 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 “having it all”, preached by Linda Kelsey for the past seven years in the page 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 muchª²publicized 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: 12ª²hour 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 wellª²established trend. Downshifting—also known in America as “voluntary simplicity”—has, ironically, even bred a new area of what might be termed antiª²consumerism. There are a number of bestª²selling downshifting selfª²help 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 clingª²film to making their own soap; there are even support groups for those who want to achieve the midª²’90s equivalent of dropping out.

¡¡¡¡While in America the trend started as a reaction to the economy 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 middleª²class downª²shifters 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 midª²’90s 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?

£ÛA£ÝFullª²time employment is a new international trend.

£ÛB£ÝThe writer was compelled by circumstances to leave her job.

£ÛC£Ý“A lateral move”means stepping out of fullª²time employment.

£ÛD£ÝThe writer was only too eager to spend more time with her family.

68£®The writer’s experiment shows that downshifting.

£ÛA£Ýenables her to realize her dream

£ÛB£Ýhelps her mold a new philosophy of life

£ÛC£Ýprompts her to abandon her high social status

£ÛD£Ýleads her to accept the doctrine of She magazine

69. “Juggling one’s life” probably means living a life characterized by .

£ÛA£Ýnonª²materialistic lifestyle£ÛB£Ýa bit of everything

£ÛC£Ýextreme stress£ÛD£Ýantiª²consumerism

70£®According to the passage, downshifting emerged in the U.S. as a result of .

£ÛA£Ýthe quick pace of modern life£ÛB£Ýman’s adventurous spirit

£ÛC£Ýman’s search for mythical experiences£ÛD£Ýthe economic situation