Since finishing my studies at Harvard and Oxford, I’ve watched one friend after another land high-ranking, high-paying Wall Street jobs. As executives (高级管理人员) with banks, consulting firms, established law firms, and major corporations, many are now ____ on their way to impressive careers. By society’s ____, they seem to have it made.
On the surface, these people seem to be very lucky in life. As they left student life behind, many had a ____ drink at their cheap but friendly local bar, shook hands with longtime roommates, and ____ out of small apartments into high buildings. They made reservations at restaurants where the cost of a bottle of wine ____ a college year’s monthly rent. They replaced their beloved old cars with expensive new sports cars.
The thing is, a number of them have ____ that despite their success, they aren’t happy. Some ____ of unfriendly coworkers and feel sad for eight-hour workweeks devoted to tasks they ____. Some do not respect the companies they work for and talk of feeling tired and ____. However, instead of devoting themselves to their work, they find themselves working to support the ____ to which they have so quickly become ____.
People often speak of trying a more satisfying path, and ____ in the end the idea of leaving their jobs to work for something they ____ or finding a position that would give them more time with their families almost always leads them to the same conclusion: it’s ____. They have loans, bills, a mortgage (抵押贷款) to ____, retirement to save for. They recognize there’s something ____ in their lives, but it’s ____ to step off the track.
In a society that tends to ____ everything in terms of dollars and cents, we learn from a young age to consider the costs of our ____ in financial terms. But what about the personal and social costs ____ in pursuing money over meaning? These are exactly the kinds of costs many of us tend to ignore — and the very ones we need to consider most.
1.A.much B.never C.seldom D.well
2.A.policies B.standards C.experiments D.regulations
3.A.last B.least C.second D.best
4.A.cycled B.moved C.slid D.looked
5.A.shared B.paid C.equaled D.collected
6.A.advertised B.witnessed C.admitted D.demanded
7.A.complain B.dream C.hear D.approve
8.A.distribute B.hate C.applaud D.neglect
9.A.calm B.guilty C.warm D.empty
10.A.family B.government C.lifestyle D.project
11.A.accustomed B.appointed C.unique D.available
12.A.yet B.also C.instead D.rather
13.A.let out B.turn in C.give up D.believe in
14.A.fundamental B.practical C.impossible D.unforgettable
15.A.take off B.drop off C.put off D.pay off
16.A.missing B.inspiring C.sinking D.shining
17.A.harmful B.hard C.useful D.normal
18.A.measure B.suffer C.digest D.deliver
19.A.disasters B.motivations C.campaigns D.decisions
20.A.assessed B.involved C.covered D.reduced
–– Can you believe Kim’s got fired from work?
–– . She was always late or calling in sick. But I hope she will find a new job.
A.God bless her B.It can’t hurt C.It serves her right D.No worries
There are so many spelling mistakes in the composition, and I have to write the letter out again. It means I will _________.
A.start from scratch B.kill the fatted calf
C.cost an arm and a leg D.give the cold shoulder
According to the bank rules released recently, you have to pay a 25% ________ on each cheque you cash.
A.admission B.pension
C.allowance D.commission
He was trying to write, but the continuous noise outside his window ________ him _______.
A.put; off B.dropped; off C.drew; out D.let; out
Life doesn’t count for much _____ you’re willing to do your small part to leave our children a better world.
A.unless B.when
C.though D.if
