精读文章：

When I decided to quit my full time employment it never occurred to me that I might become a part of a new international trend. A lateral move that hurt my pride and blocked my professional progress prompted me to abandon my relatively high profile career although, in the manner of a disgraces government minister, I cover my exit by claiming “I wanted to spend more time with my family”. Curiously,some two-and-a-half years and two novels later, my experiment in what theAmerican term“downshifting”has turned my tired excuseinto an absolute reality.

长难句解析：

本句是主从复合句，句子的主干是A lateral move prompted meto abandon my relatively high profile career .首先，that hurt my pride and blocked my professional progress是that 引导的定语从句，修饰a lateral move。之后的 although I cover my exitby claiming “I wanted to spend more time with my family是although引导的让步状语从句，在这个状语从句中包含省略连词的宾语从句“I wanted to spend more time with my family，作claiming的宾语。破折号之间的in the manner of a disgraces government minister是方式状语作插入语。

核心词汇：

quit  /kwɪt/ v. 离开；停止做

lateral /'lætərəl/ adj.平级的，同级的

block /blɑk/ v.阻挡 n. 障碍物;街区

prompt  /prɑmpt/ v.促使；引起

disgrace /dɪs'ɡres/ v.给…丢脸；给…带来耻辱

cover v.掩盖；涉及；走完；报道；支付 n.封面

novel  /ˈnɑːvl/  n.小说 adj.新奇的

term /tɝm/ v.把…称为n.条款;术语

high profile 引人注目

it never occurred to me 某人从未想到

in the manner of 以......的方式

参考译文：

当我决定放弃全职工作，我从未想到我竟成为新的国际潮流的一份子。一次平级调动，伤害了我的自尊，阻碍了职业进步，这促使我放弃了相对引人注目的职业。然而，我以一种受到羞辱的政府大臣的方式声称我想花更多的时间来陪伴家人来掩盖我的离开。奇妙的是，大约两年半的时间我写完两部小说之后，我这种被美国人称为“放慢生活节奏”的尝试，已经把我那老掉牙的借口变成了绝对的现实。

考研英语阅读“同义替换词”

1. 塌陷 fall, collapse,crash, tumble

2. 荣誉fame, honor,reputation, glory, prestige

3. 亲近familiar,intimate, close

4. 饥饿famine, hunger, starvation

5. 著名的famous,distinguished, well-known, noted, notorious, prominent, outstanding, eminent, notable

6. 遥远的far, distant, remote,a long way