Minimalism (简约主义) is a term that describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is reduced to its most basic features.

As for me, minimalism functions well not in art or design, but in my daily life.

When I was packing for university, I found it extremely difficult to let go of some of the things I owned. I knew I couldn’t take everything with me, but I kept asking myself “how could I possibly throw this away?”, “what if I need it one day?”, and “what about all of the memories?” Now that I’ve moved, and left that stuff behind, I don’t even miss it. Whether or not I got rid of it, it barely makes a bit of difference to me now.

I’ve learned that over time people forget, or their need for a particular object eventually disappears. Either they store it away or they get rid of it.

You might think nostalgically（怀旧的） about the toys you cared about when you were a child, but what is making you smile now is not the thing itself but the memory of it. 1’ve heard it a hundred times, “you don’t need things to make you happy.” It takes something life-changing like moving across the country to realize how true this is.

Speaking of which, for a lot of people, minimalism is about able to move. It’s about being able to go almost anywhere at any time because you don’t have many possessions to carry. When you keep things you don’t need they become a burden that ties you to a place. Moving to university was a good time to let go of a lot of stuff. And when I visit for the holidays, I’ll probably get rid of even more, to lighten the burden.

Of course there are exceptions. There are some things that are irreplaceable, very rare or expensive or we simply love and cherish for some reason or another, since we are humans. But after we keep those, how much is left that we don’t really need?

Hence, minimalism. And why does minimalism bring happiness? That was a bit of a roundabout way of saying that, it’s because what really makes me happy is freedom. And the key to freedom is minimalism because minimalism reduces our attachment to things.

Attachment to too many objects creates a great mess and can severely hold back our freedom to do whatever we want, while minimalism helps us start new projects, move, travel, learn new things, work, expand, be debt-free, be healthy – really living life to our full potential.

I left the nest to fly onwards and upwards, I can’t do it with old things weighing me down. And that is why I have adopted minimalism with open arms.

1.In paragraph l, the writer gives the definition of minimalism to      .

A．introduce a topic                       B．present his own idea

C．describe a scene                        D．offer an argument

2.Many people don’t want to let go of some of their belongings because       .

A．they haven’t had any life-changing experiences

B．they fear their memories will be gone with the thrown-away stuff

C．they hope to live life to their full potential by storing things away

D．they may have to change their lifestyle because of the loss of them

3.Which of the following is NOT the reason why the writer favors “minimalism” in life?                          

A．It takes the burden off her while she is moving.

B．It reduces her attachment to her personal things.

C．It enables her to gain the freedom that she desires.

D．It helps her to realize how true life is.

4.By saying “there are exceptions”, the writer means       

A．little is left if we keep what we cherish most in our life

B．minimalism should be practised accordingly in different situations

C．minimalism is a method difficult to employ in reality

D．life is full of exceptions so it’s difficult to preserve what we value

5.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Minimalism brings happiness.

B．Minimalism is applied in many fields.

C．Minimalism makes people think nostalgically.

D．Minimalism is about able to move.

BIG things were happening in my life the summer after I turned 13. In the middle of that summer, my parents     my entire world when they told me they were getting divorced. I couldn’t believe that our family was going to     . Though I always knew my parents weren’t very happy and they often fought, I still wanted my family to stay       .

My life changed completely after the divorce. My mother and I moved into a small apartment       town, while my father and brother, Bill, stayed in our house. I now became a visitor       I went to see my Dad and Bill on the weekends. And immediately I had my stepfather, Dan,        I showed no interest in. I was clearly sad, especially after Dan and my mother married       I realized that there was no way that things could change       the way they were.

Even though I refuse all Dan’s trying to get to know me and wasn’t very nice to him, he never gave      on me. Gradually, I began to trust him. I realized that we actually had some things in common, especially when     came to movies and TV shows. We spent a lot of time together     out to watch movies. That gave us a chance to talk and get to know each other     .

Better still, Dan showed an interest in me that I had       experienced from my own father. Dan was always around when I needed       on school or friends. Once I began to         Dan, the three of us began spending a lot of time together. We often went out to eat and       short trips. Eventually, I discovered that I finally had the happy family that I had always      .

I now realize my parents were       about getting the divorce. Their breakup was the best thing to happen for all of us. My father also found happiness—he       and had another child, my half-sister, Michelle.

At 13, I       an important truth –change is not always the worst thing that can happen. Sometimes, it is just what we need most.

1.A. shook                            B. broke                      C. hurt                         D. changed

2.A. break down        B. break up                 C. break in                  D. break out

3.A. a same                 B. same                        C. the same                 D. at same

4.A. at                                   B. from                        C. across            D. over

5.A. when                   B. while                       C. that                          D. whenever

6.A. whoever             B. which             C. whom             D. that

7.A. but                       B. and                          C. however                 D. also

8.A. back                     B. back to           C. into                          D. for

9.A. up                         B. in                    C. out                           D. off

10.A. that                    B. it                               C. he                            D. we

11.A. go                       B. went                        C. to go                        D. going

12.A. more deeply    B. much deeply          C. more deeper         D. very deeper

13.A. either                         B. too                           C. before           D. never

14.A. suggestion                 B. advices          C. advice            D. tip

15.A. receive             B. accept            C. recognize               D. know

16.A. went                           B. began             C. took                         D. go for

17.A. wished              B. hoped            C. dreamed                 D. wanted

18.A. right                            B. wrong            C. necessary               D. good

19.A. divorced           B. united            C. married                   D. remarried

20.A. found                          B. discover                  C. learned                   D. Understand

Mariah Evans at the University of Nevada, Reno, led a 20-year study which asked adults in 27 countries to tell the number of books that were in their home while they were growing up. Their answers showed that children raised around books spend more years in school, even if their parents are poor and illiterate (没文化的).
Mariah Evans said, “What we found was that there is a very big effect of growing up in a bookish home on children’s success in school. Children who grow up in homes where there are more books go further in education. And additional(额外的) books are especially important for children who come from families where the parents aren’t terribly highly educated. The books can be stories, sports, travels and anything. But there, we’re seeing that the books that have the most effect are history and science.”
“It says that there really is a contribution that parents can make to their children’s education. And it doesn’t mean that you have to turn into somebody like me whose walls are lined with books. “But it really does mean that if you spend a few minutes most days a week reading to your children, and if they see you reading from time to time, and if you talk about books with them from time to time, and when somebody asks a question, say ‘let’s look it up’ instead of discussing it as a matter of opinion—that all those things can actually make quite a great difference to children in their education.”
56. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. it is more difficult for children raised around books to finish school
B. highly educated parents prevent a child going further in education
C. more books are needed by children from poor and illiterate families
D. children with poor parents don’t spend as many years in school
57. According to the author, the books most important for the children are _______.
A. history and science                               B. sports and education
C. stories and travels                              D. all kinds of subjects
58. Wise parents can make quite a great difference to children in their education by_______.
A. turning themselves into somebody whose walls are lined with books
B. spending some minutes most days a week playing with their children
C. discussing them rather than looking up questions with their children
D. talking about books with their children from time to time
59. This passage mainly talks about_______.
A. the effect of bookish home on children     B. the importance of parents
C. the necessity of reading more books              D. the interest of children in books

Minimalism (简约主义) is a term that describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is reduced to its most basic features.
As for me, minimalism functions well not in art or design, but in my daily life.
When I was packing for university, I found it extremely difficult to let go of some of the things I owned. I knew I couldn’t take everything with me, but I kept asking myself “how could I possibly throw this away?”, “what if I need it one day?”, and “what about all of the memories?” Now that I’ve moved, and left that stuff behind, I don’t even miss it. Whether or not I got rid of it, it barely makes a bit of difference to me now.
I’ve learned that over time people forget, or their need for a particular object eventually disappears. Either they store it away or they get rid of it.
You might think nostalgically（怀旧的） about the toys you cared about when you were a child, but what is making you smile now is not the thing itself but the memory of it. 1’ve heard it a hundred times, “you don’t need things to make you happy.” It takes something life-changing like moving across the country to realize how true this is.
Speaking of which, for a lot of people, minimalism is about able to move. It’s about being able to go almost anywhere at any time because you don’t have many possessions to carry. When you keep things you don’t need they become a burden that ties you to a place. Moving to university was a good time to let go of a lot of stuff. And when I visit for the holidays, I’ll probably get rid of even more, to lighten the burden.
Of course there are exceptions. There are some things that are irreplaceable, very rare or expensive or we simply love and cherish for some reason or another, since we are humans. But after we keep those, how much is left that we don’t really need?
Hence, minimalism. And why does minimalism bring happiness? That was a bit of a roundabout way of saying that, it’s because what really makes me happy is freedom. And the key to freedom is minimalism because minimalism reduces our attachment to things.
Attachment to too many objects creates a great mess and can severely hold back our freedom to do whatever we want, while minimalism helps us start new projects, move, travel, learn new things, work, expand, be debt-free, be healthy – really living life to our full potential.
I left the nest to fly onwards and upwards, I can’t do it with old things weighing me down. And that is why I have adopted minimalism with open arms.
【小题1】In paragraph l, the writer gives the definition of minimalism to      .

Mariah Evans at the University of Nevada, Reno, led a 20-year study which asked adults in 27 countries to tell the number of books that were in their home while they were growing up. Their answers showed that children raised around books spend more years in school, even if their parents are poor and illiterate (没文化的).

Mariah Evans said, “What we found was that there is a very big effect of growing up in a bookish home on children’s success in school. Children who grow up in homes where there are more books go further in education. And additional(额外的) books are especially important for children who come from families where the parents aren’t terribly highly educated. The books can be stories, sports, travels and anything. But there, we’re seeing that the books that have the most effect are history and science.”

“It says that there really is a contribution that parents can make to their children’s education. And it doesn’t mean that you have to turn into somebody like me whose walls are lined with books. “But it really does mean that if you spend a few minutes most days a week reading to your children, and if they see you reading from time to time, and if you talk about books with them from time to time, and when somebody asks a question, say ‘let’s look it up’ instead of discussing it as a matter of opinion—that all those things can actually make quite a great difference to children in their education.”

56. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

   A. it is more difficult for children raised around books to finish school

B. highly educated parents prevent a child going further in education

   C. more books are needed by children from poor and illiterate families

D. children with poor parents don’t spend as many years in school

57. According to the author, the books most important for the children are _______.

A. history and science                               B. sports and education

C. stories and travels                               D. all kinds of subjects

58. Wise parents can make quite a great difference to children in their education by_______.

A. turning themselves into somebody whose walls are lined with books

B. spending some minutes most days a week playing with their children

   C. discussing them rather than looking up questions with their children

D. talking about books with their children from time to time

59. This passage mainly talks about_______.

   A. the effect of bookish home on children     B. the importance of parents

C. the necessity of reading more books              D. the interest of children in books