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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¡ªalso known in America as ¡°voluntary simplicity¡±¡ªhas, 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¡ªafter the mass redundancies caused by downsizing in the late¡¯80s¡ªand 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¡ªgrowing your own organic vegetables, and risking turning into one¡ªas 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

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