Passage 1
From 2007 to 2010, American households lost $11 trillion in real estate, savings, and stocks More than half of all U. S. workers either lost their jobs or were forced to take cuts in hours or pay during the recession. The worst may be behind them now, but the shocking losses of the past few years have reshaped nearly every facet of their lives—how they live, work, and spend—even the way they think about the future.
For Cindy, the recession began when her husband was relocated to Rhinelander, Wisconsin, by his company forcing the family to move in a hurry. The couple bought a new house but were unable to sell their twobedroom home in Big Lake, Minnesota. With two mortgages(抵押借款) and two young children to care for, Cindy couldn't imagine how to stretch her husband's paycheck to keep her family fed.
Then she stumbled upon an online community called Blotanical, a forum for gardeners, many with an interest in sustainability. “The more I read and discussed these practices, the more I realized this would help not only our budget but also our health,” she says.
Cindy admits that before the recession, she was a city girl with no interest in growing her own dinner. “I grew flowers mostly—I didn't think about plants that weren't visually interesting.” But to stretch her budget, she began putting in vegetables and fruit—everything from strawberry beds to apple trees—and as her first seedlings grew, her spirits lifted. She no longer thinks of gardening and making her own jams as just a money saver; they're a genuine pleasure. “It's brought us closer together as a family, too” she says. Her kids voluntarily pitch in with(主动帮助) the garden work, and the family cooks together instead of eating out. The food tastes better—it's fresher and organic—and the garden handily fulfills its original purpose: cost cutting. Now she spends about $200 to $300 a month on groceries, less than half of the $650 a month that she used to lay out.
After discovering how resourceful she can be in tough times, Cindy is no longer easily discouraged. “It makes me feel proud to be able to say I made it myself,” she says. “I feel accomplished, and I'm more confident about attempting things I've never done before.” Now she avoids convenience stores and has begun learning to knit, quilt, and make her own soap. “I don't think I would have ever begun this journey if it weren't for the recession,” she says, “I have a feeling that from now on, it will affect my family's health and happiness for the better.”
We learn from the first paragraph that the recession ________.
文章开篇第一段便说明了故事发生的社会背景，即21世纪初的世界性经济大危机。作者概括性地描述了经济不景气对美国人民的影，包括：资产贬值、失业、工资降低等。由此可总结出，经济衰退对美国民众的工作和生活都带来巨大冲击，选B。
What made the family's financial situation even worse was that they ________.
从第二段可知，Cindy一家因丈夫工作调度的缘由，举家搬往威 斯康星州的Rhinelander，并新购置了一套房子。但是由于经济低迷， 房产业不景气，原住址的老房子卖不掉，在抚养两个孩子的基础上， 他们还要还两套房贷，家庭生活一度拮据。因此，给他们本就困难的 生活雪上加霜的是“房产贷款”，选D。
Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
第三段最后一句话中Cindy说“The more I read and discussed these practices, the more I realized this would help not only our budget but also our health”，她意识到（园艺）不仅能为家庭节省开支，而且对人体 健康也大有裨益。Cindy看到了园艺对身体健康方面的好处，所以A 项中的“seen the benefits of gardening in a different way”正确。
In addition, Cindy views gardening as a genuine pleasure because gardening ________.
由题干中的genuine pleasure可定位到第四段的中间部分。Cindy 最初认为摆弄园艺十分无聊，但后来视园艺为人生中的一大“乐事”， 此转变是因为她发现了gardening对促进家庭和睦，增进感情方面的积 极作用。与C选项中的“family ties”以及“kids' enthusiasm”吻合。
What does Cindy think of the difficult times she has gone through?
文章最后一段中Cindy提到“I feel accomplished and I'm more confident attempting things I've never done before.”。由此可推断出，困 难时期的经历让Cindy更加自信和乐观。