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 21 on their way to impressive careers. By society’s 22 , 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 23 drink at their cheap but friendly local bar, shook hands with Longtime roommates, and 24 out of small apartments into high buildings. They made reservations at restaurants where the cost of a bottle of wine 25 a college year’s monthly rent. They replaced their beloved old car with expensive new sports cars.
The thing is, a number of them have 26 that despite their success, they aren’t happy. Some 27 of unfriendly coworkers and feel sad for eight-hour workweeks devoted to tasks they 28 . Some do not respect the companies they work for and talk of feeling tired and 29 . However, instead of devoting themselves to their work, they find themselves working to support the 30 to which they have so quickly become 31 .
People often speak of trying a more satisfying path, and 32 the end the idea of leaving, their jobs to work for something they 33 or finding a position that would give them more time with their families almost always leads them to the same conclusion; it’ s 34 . They have loans, bills, a mortgage(抵押贷款)to 35 , retirement to save for. They recognize there’s something 36 in their lives, but it’s 37 to step off the track.
In a society that tends to 38 everything in terms of dollars and cents, we learn form a young age to consider the costs of our 39 in financial terms. But what about the personal and social costs 40 in pursuing money over meaning? These are exactly the kinds of us tend to ignore — and the very ones we need to consider most.
21. A. much B. never C. seldom D. well
22. A. policies B. standards C. experiments D. regulations
23. A. last B. least C. second D. best
24. A. cycled B. moved C. slid D. looked
25. A. shared B. paid C. equaled D. collected
26. A. advertised B. witnessed C. admitted D. demanded
27. A. complain B. dream C. hear D. approve
28. A. distribute B. hate C. applaud D. neglect
29. A. calm B. guilty C. warm D. empty
30. A. family B. government C. lifestyle D. project
31. A. accustomed B. appointed C. unique D. available
32. A. yet B. also C. instead D. rather
33. A. let out B. turn in C. give up D. believe in
34. A. fundamental B. practical C. impossible D. unforgettable
35. A. take of B. drop off C. put off D. pay off
36. A. missing B. inspiring C. sinking D. shining
37. A. harmful B. hard C. useful D. normal
38. A. measure B. suffer C. digest D. deliver
39. A. disasters B. motivations C. campaigns D. decisions
40. A. assessed B. involved C. covered D. reduced
【答案】
21.D
22.B
23.A
24.B
25.C
26.C
27.A
28.B
29.D
30.C
31.A
32.A
33.D
34.C
35.D
36.A
37.B
38.A
39.D
40.B
