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  3. In this age of consumerism, many people are finding themselves overloaded wit

In this age of consumerism, many people are finding themselves overloaded wit

游客2024-08-20  9
问题    In this age of consumerism, many people are finding themselves overloaded with possessions and a desire for even more, probably as a result of the countless advertisements we are exposed to. With advertisers finding new ways to get people to buy their products, a movement towards living a simpler non-consumer life is taking root.

   US newspaper columnist Craig Wilson spent all of 2003 spending the least amount of money possible. He allowed himself to purchase books, music and gifts. Otherwise, he would not permit himself to buy anything new. Although he had to avoid certain stores, he was able to achieve his goal. He claims the experience was beneficial, and he continues to keep shopping to a minimum. Popular author Judith Levine came up with the idea and also found the experiment worthwhile. In 2006, a group of ten friends in San Francisco took the idea and made a pledge to live as cheaply as possible for a year. They posted their agreement online and attracted thousands of supporters, many of whom promised to join. An appearance on US TV led to global publicity and more members joined them.
   The pledge followed two rules: 1)Don’t buy new products of any kind, and 2)either borrow or buy used merchandise. They allowed several exceptions to the rules. Although a few members failed to follow the rules at times, they generally succeeded and most of them continue their pledge to this day. Says Rachel, " It makes you change the way you look at things and appreciate what you have. " She estimates that she saved $4,000 that year.
   There are critics of the simplicity movement. Author Ted Nordhaus warns that this movement is unlikely to be successful on a large scale. Developing nations need markets for what they produce. He says, "To live is to consume, and only technology and innovation can begin to address these global issues. "
   Though living more simply may not solve all of the world’s problems, many of us could reconsider our consumption practices that are putting a strain on our natural resources and add to rising levels of pollution. Indeed, in times when money is short, more people will be reducing their spending out of necessity, rather than out of concern for the environment. Regardless of the motivation, radically rethinking the ways we spend money and value possessions may be just what the world needs.
Questions 71—75
Complete the summary with a maximum of two words from the passage, changing the form where necessary.
Due to the negative effects of【R1】______, many people are making an effort to reduce their amount of spending. They try to make their lives【R2】______by shopping less for new products they may not really need. A group of friends attracted so much【R3】______with their plan to avoid buying new products. They did allow for some【R4】______ to their no-shopping rules. There are some critics, however, who don’t believe the movement will【R5】______ on a large scale. But many people still think it is necessary to rethink the ways we spend money and the value of new possessions. [br] 【R3】
选项
答案 (global)publicity／support
解析 (原文第二段最后两句提到“They posted their agreement online and attracted thousands of supporters，many of whom promised to join．An appearance on US TV led to global publicity and more members joined them．”，说明这群人的做法吸引了很多支持者，而他们在美国电视上的亮相更是引起了全球性的关注。)
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