2009年上海英语高级口译证书第一阶段.pdfVIP

/ / / QQ Questions7-10 Josh Corlews grocery bill is zero. The furniture in his Nashville home didnt cost him anything, either. His fridge, TV, and microwave—all free. Its been two years now since he last bought the ingredients for his signature sausage dish. Corlew, a 26-year-old nonprofit manager, has effectively dropped out of Consumer Nation. He goes shopping in the disposable cultures garbage instead. Corlew is part of a growing number of Americans for whom getting stuff for free is next to godliness. Yes, most everyone is cutting back. But these folks take frugality to its extreme. In cities like New York and wealthy suburbs like Grosse Pointe, Mich., and Plano, Tex., it is possible to live like a king (well, a duke anyway) out of a dumpster. Sushi, cashmere sweaters, even Apple (AAPL) computers—all for the taking. Were used to fulfilling most of our needs through the marketplace, says Syracuse University culture professor Robert Thompson. But now with technology there is access to more that is free than in any time in the history of the world. As you might expect, the free movement is heavy on idealism. None more so than the so-called freegans. They believe Americas consumer society is inherently corrupt and wasteful, and they want no part of it. Skeptics might see another motive at work: Freegans dont pay for anything. Corlew, who prefers the term conscious consumer over freegan, insists his bin diving or dumpstering is as much a war on wretched excess as anything else. This is about distancing myself from the consumerism of America, says Corlew. Every time we buy something, were saying we support the system that brought it about. Alexi Ahrens, who lives near Minneapolis, is less idealistic about her secret hobby. Its a little bit of adventure in suburb