Dave Bruno works as an online marketing manager. Several years ago, one weekend Bruno and his family did a major house cleanup and then donated several bags of unneeded items to the local Goodwill store. “After all were done, I looked around and realized that I still had too much stuff”, says Bruno, “It occurred to me that maybe I wanted to lead a simple life but in reality I behaved differently.” That realization prompted the 39-year-old father of three to try an experiment, “The 100Thing Challenge”.
With the goal of breaking free of what he calls a “bad habit of consumerism(消费主义), Bruno was determined to live for one year with just 100 personal items. He cut down his possessions to 94 items, including a Bible, laptop, guitar, wedding ring, car and clothes. He created some guidelines for the experiment since his wife and daughters did not participate, familyshared and household items did not count as personal items. He also grouped together some basic things such as underwear and socks. Bruno began blogging about his new lifestyle and eventually wrote a book, The 100 Thing Challenge: How I Got Rid of Almost Everything, Remade My Life, and Regained My Soul.
Since completing the experiment, Bruno has continued to live by the motto: reduce, refuse, and rearrange and maintains just 110 personal things. “ Nearly three years of living with a minimal amount of personal possessions, I’m no longer in the habit of consuming for the sake of consumption (消费),” he wrote in his blog last week, “That has freed me up for all sorts of better endeavors (活动) than shopping—like spending time with family and writing a book and planning for business opportunities.”
Bruno’s project has also inspired others to live minimally, many of whom post their own 100 Thing Challenge updates on YouTube. “The reality is that the 100 Thing Challenge is surprisinglyeasy”, says Bruno, “I’m not saying there were no challenges or disappointments. I miss some things, but not that much. Frankly, it’s far easier to live with less stuff than with excessive trash.”
1.What does the underlined sentence mean in Paragraph 1?
A.Bruno regretted to have an easy life.
B.Bruno had a special behavior in reality,
C.Bruno and his family led a happy life.
D.Bruno would have liked a life with fewer items.
2.The things were included in Bruno’s 94 items EXCEPT____________.
A.socks B.a Bible C.cookers D.a wedding ring
3.What is the best title for the passage?
A.Live with 100 Things
B.Defeat 100 Challenges in Life
C.Survive by Your Motto
D.Consume for Consumption’s Sake
I had not seen my parents for a long time. Last Saturday I drove a long way to visit them, 36 neither of them was at home. So I waited patiently at their home 37 their return. Not seeing them made me really 38 .
As I was walking around their bedroom, I 39 little reminders of them. Some Christmas gifts were still 40 in boxes. There were 41 on the wall, which I guess must have a 42 meaning to them. What took my breath away was seeing my dad’s emblems(徽章)from his military service of our country 43 he was young. My father never 44 to us about the Korean Wars. As I looked at those emblems hanging 45 with all the photos that he treasures, I 46 that this was an important part of his life, but I never spent the 47 in talking with him about them. The photos of my mom with her close 48 made me realize her life before she was my mom. I had been so 49 running my business to raise my own family that I 50 the chance to know about their past and experience.
We sometimes don’t realize something is 51 for us until we have lost it, so it’s not too late for us to talk to our parents about their past. I am writing my story to 52 everyone who is fortunate to still have their parents 53 to invest some time to learn about them. I am grateful to have 54 of my parents. So I still have time to talk with them. I hope that readers will 55 from my story and find the time to talk about those things in their life that mean so much to their parents.
1. A.and B.but C.or D.so
2. A.for B.to C.of D.in
3. A.frightened B.embarrassed C.upset D.excited
4. A.sought B.took C.needed D.saw
5. A.kept B.folded C.hidden D.covered
6. A.Santa Claus B.family trees C.family photos D.old clothes
7. A.simple B.real C.past D.special
8. A.if B.when C.though D.until
9. A.talked B.explained C.showed D.referred
10. A.finally B.clearly C.proudly D.openly
11. A.promised B.declared C.admitted D.realized
12. A.courage B.time C.chance D.energy
13. A.friends B.teachers C.students D.children
14. A.strict B.eager C.busy D.blind
15. A.rejected B.avoided C.delayed D.missed
16. A.hopeful B.important C.careful D.original
17. A.encourage B.demand C.require D.warn
18.away B. awake C. around D. alone
19. A.one B.neither C.either D.both
20. A.make B.benefit C.change D.recover
— Do you know Sam didn’t pass the swimming test this time?
—_____________ His coach said he was the best one in his team.
A.So what? B.How come? C.Not at all. D.I don’t think so.
Making mistakes is a part of life. ___________ matters is ___________ you do afterwards.
A.It; what B.All; what C.What; what D.That; what
___________ the past, leaving the sadness behind, ___________ you’ll see the door of a new bright world open before you.
A.Forget; and B.Forgetting; and C.Forget; / D.To forgetting; /
I hope that my father will quit smoking because I want him to live__________ my grandpa does.
A.as a long and healthy life as B.as long and healthy a life as
C.such long and healthy a life as D.so long and healthy a life as