Passage 5

浙江卷

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　 1 　on their way to impressive careers. By society’s　 2 　, 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　 3 　drink at their cheap but friendly local bar, shook hands with longtime roommates, and　 4 　out of small apartments into high buildings. They made reservations at restaurants where the cost of a bottle of wine　 5 　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　 6 　that despite their success, they aren’t happy. Some　 7 　of unfriendly coworkers and feel sad for eight-hour workweeks devoted to tasks they　 8 　. Some do not respect the companies they work for and talk of feeling tired and　 9 　. However, instead of devoting themselves to their work, they find themselves working to support the　 10 　to which they have so quickly become　 11 　.

People often speak of trying a more satisfying path, and　 12 　in the end the idea of leaving their jobs to work for something they　 13 　or finding a position that would give them more time with their families almost always leads them to the same conclusion; it’s　 14 　. They have loans, bills, a mortgage（抵押贷款）to　 15 　, retirement to save for. They recognize there’s something　 16 　in their lives, but it’s　 17 　to step off the track.

In a society that tends to　 18 　everything in terms of dollars and cents, we learn from a young age to consider the costs of our　 19 　in financial terms. But what about the personal and social costs　 20 　in pursuing money over meaning? These are exactly the kinds of us tend to ignore—and the very ones we need to consider most.

1. A. much　B. never　C. seldom　D. well

2. A. policies　B. standards　C. experiments　D. regulations

3. A. last　B. least　C. second　D. best

4. A. cycled　B. moved　C. slid　D. looked

5. A. shared　B. paid　C. equaled　D. collected

6. A. advertised　B. witnessed　C. admitted　D. demanded

7. A. complain　B. dream　C. hear　D. approve

8. A. distribute　B. hate　C. applaud　D. neglect

9. A. calm　B. guilty　C. warm　D. empty

10. A. family　B. government　C. lifestyle　D. project

11. A. accustomed　B. appointed　C. unique　D. available

12. A. yet　B. also　C. instead　D. rather

13. A. let out　B. turn in　C. give up　D. believe in

14. A. fundamental　B. practical　C. impossible　D. unforgettable

15. A. take off　B. drop off　C. put off　D. pay off

16. A. missing　B. inspiring　C. sinking　D. shining

17. A. harmful　B. hard　C. useful　D. normal

18. A. measure　B. suffer　C. digest　D. deliver

19. A. disasters　B. motivations　C. campaigns　D. decisions

20. A. assessed　B. involved　C. covered　D. reduced