Meanness(beingnotgenerousandunkind)isoneofhumannature’s...

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Meanness (being not generous and unkind) is one of human nature’s less attractive personality. But few people are completely, __41__ mean. Keith Waterhouse, a journalist, explains why he’s thrifty (economical).

I am thrifty, you are careful, he is mean. I am generous, you are extravagant (奢侈的), he seems to have money to burn. More probably we are each a bit of all these types. I know I am. I am a very generous present-giver. I love buying presents – __42__ I hate buying wrapping paper. Whenever my own __43__ come in, I collect and save the wrappings and __44__ them from one year to the next.

The same __45__ to stationery. I have never written on both sides of a sheet of paper in my life. I waste writing paper as if it __46__ on trees, and I cannot go into a stationer’s without buying up most of their envelopes in five different sizes. __47__, I will not buy paperclips, rubber bands or ballpoint pens. I assume that __48__ numbers of these will appear all by themselves.

Some of my best friends are mean about string. They carefully save every piece that comes into their __49__. I don’t know why, since hardly anyone uses string these days and certainly no one has a need for 150 meters of it, which is what one lady I know has saved up.

There are also people who are much too __50__ with their money. They are those who get off the bus a stop early to avoid paying a higher fare, or wander supermarkets looking for special __51__ and discounts. This is fine, as long as these economies are not __52__ on others.

It is when thrift(节俭) __53__ one’s social life that it becomes meanness. The famous American multimillionaire J. Paul Getty __54__ billions but is remembered for the pay phone he __55__ for the use of his guests. A psychiatrist friend of mine maintains that mean people are insecure. But then he says that about overgenerous people too. Mean people fear that their money will run out on them; overgenerous ones that their friends will.

41. A. totally B. deeply C. hardly D. fairly111]

42. A. anyhow B. so C. for D. but

43. A. presents B. parcels C. baggage D. wrappings

44. A. unfold B. recycle C. repeat D. replace

45. A. applies B. adapts C. acknowledges D. adopts

46. A. appeared B. bore C. grew D. stroke

47. A. In that case B. As a result C. What’s more D. On the other hand

48. A. sufficient B. efficient C. scarce D. strange

49. A. position B. possession C. potential D. proposal

50. A. crazy B. careful C. free D. anxious

51. A. offer B. gift C. bargain D. goods

52. A. recorded B. imposed C. entitled D. supposed