As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen a washing machine and a microwave oven. Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week.

         Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for. Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the long hours work culture to make more money is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes. Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting is one of them. Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year.

         One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs, leaving their two children with a nanny. Most evenings Daniel wouldn’t get home until eight or nine o’clock and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.

　　Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. “I always wanted to have a farm then,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It’s taken some getting used to, but it’s been worth it. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However, I think it’s made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.

　　Liz, however, is not quite sure. “I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I’m not really a country girl, but I suppose I’m gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all.”

1.The passage tells us that            .

A．people seldom work long hours to make money

B．people hardly buy more things than necessary

C．people are sure everything they own is in the right place

D．people realize there is more to life than just making money

2.When Daniel was a reporter he ___.

A．lived in central London       B．disliked his job

C．missed his children     D．was well paid

3.Daniel and Liz both agree that the move to the farm ____.

A．was easy to organize B．has improved family life

C．was extremely expensive   D．has been a total success

4.What does the author mean by saying"the long hours work culture to make more money is eating up their lives" in the second paragraph ?

A．People work long hours to earn their living.

B．To make more money through hard work is the aim of people's life.

C．Long hours of hard work occupy too much of people's life.

D．People spent too much time and money eating meals.

5.The underlined word "downshifting" in the second paragraph refers to _________.

A．repairing your car by yourself

B．spending money carefully

C．moving out to the countryside to live a simpler and better life

D．living in a big house in the suburbs and dining out once a week

As everyone knows, classroom teaching is one of the most important ways that the students learn English. In English classroom teaching, teachers have to arouse the students’ interest so that they may learn better. There are many ways to arouse the students ‘interest; body language is an effective way in English teaching practice.
　　Nowadays, with the reform of English teaching methods, more and more English teachers organize their teaching process in English. That means teachers have to instruct and explain basically in English, and the students also should use English in class contemporarily. However, the students can’t speak English very well. Besides, their vocabulary is limited and their expressive ability is not good enough, either. These limitations have made it difficult to realize the communicative English in class. According to the students’ present level and practical situation, body language is required. For example, if a teacher gives an instruction “You two, please come to the blackboard”, the students can easily understand it if the teacher looks at or points to some two students. Then, the teacher points to the blackboard. The students will carry out the order without obstacles even if they don’t hear the key word “blackboard” clearly.
In the actual English teaching, teachers frequently use body language to improve both the teaching effect and the students’ characters. In school education, body language plays a positive role in building students ‘characters. This is because teachers are usually respected and what the teachers say and do will be possibly imitated by the students. In a word, teachers’ graceful body language helps to improve students’ artistic appreciation and their characters, especially their morality. If students develop wonderful body language, they will surely have a smooth relation with each other. Teachers reflect their affection of body language on the students not only by setting a good example, but also build a bridge between teachers and students. As a matter of fact, teachers’ friendly appearance can greatly encourage students to study enthusiastically. Body language not only motivates students’ interest but also improves the effect of classroom teaching greatly.
As we know, learning English needs practice. The 45 minutes in class is very precious and should be valued, during which the students should practice as much as possible. To make good use of the limited time, teachers should adopt some effective methods. The use of body language cannot only make the students listen more attentively in class, but can also deepen their impression and imagination. Teachers usually have to explain some language points, and at this time, they can also carry out their teaching task easily with the help of body language in the teaching process.

最近，某中学生英文报开设了"After-class Activities"的栏目，请你根据以下提示，为该栏目写一篇英文稿件，并鼓励同学们积极参加课外活动。
　　1.你校开展课外活动的情况；
　　2.你参加过的课外活动及给你带来的益处；
　　3.为同学选择课外活动提出建议；
　　4.为学校开展课外活动提出建议。
　　注意：
　　1.词数100左右；
　　2.文中不得提及人名、校名及地名'
　　3.稿件的开头已为你写好（不计入总词数）
　                           　After-class Activities
　　Nowadays, after-class activities are becoming more and more popular in high schools.
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