We all remember seeing hitchhikers, standing by the side of the road, thumb, sticking out, waiting for a lift. But it is getting rare nowadays. What killed hitchhiking? Safety is often mentioned as a reason. Movies about murderous hitchhikers and real-life crime have put many drivers off picking up hitchhikers. That no single women picked me up on my journey to Manchester no doubt reflects the safety fear: a large, strangely dressed man is seen as dangerous.

But the reason may be more complex: hitchhiking happens where people don’t have cars and transport services are poor. Plenty of people still hitchhike in Poland and Romania. Perhaps the rising level of car ownership in the UK means the few people lift hitchhiking are usually considered strange. Why can’t they afford cars? Why can’t they take the coach or the train?

Three-quarters of the UK population have access to a car; many of the remainder will be quite old. The potential hitchhiking population is therefore small. Yet my trip proves it’s still possible to hitchhike. The people who picked me up were very interesting-lawyer, retired surgeon, tank commander, carpenter, man who live in an isolated farmhouse and a couple living up in the mountains. My conclusion is that only really interesting people are mad enough to pick up fat blokes in red, spotted scarves. Most just wanted to do someone a good turn; a few said they were so surprised to see a hitchhiker that they couldn’t help stopping.

The future of hitchhiking most likely lies with car-sharing organized over the Internet, via sites such as hitchhikers.org. But for now, you can still stick your thumb out (actually, I didn’t do much of that, preferring just to hold up my destination sign) and people-wonderful, caring, sharing, unafraid people-will stop.

In the UK, with its cheap coaches and reasonable rail service, I don’t think I’ll make a habit of it. But having enjoyed it so much, I’m ready now to do a big trip across Europe and beyond. In the 1970s a female friend of my wife’s hitchhiked to India. How wonderful it would be to have another go, though Afghanistan might be a challenge. I wish I’d got that tank commander’s mobile number.

1.The author tried to hitchhike but was rejected by single women drivers because          .

A.they were not heading towards Manchester

B.they thought most hitchhikers were dangerous

C.hitchhiking had been handed and they didn’t want to break the law

D.he was a strong man in strange clothes who seemed dangerous

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A.Movies have discouraged people from hitchhiking

B.Car ownership levels are lower in Romania than in the UK.

C.25% of UK people don’t have access to cars.

D.Increased car ownership has reduced the need for hitchhiking.

3.The “fat blokes in red, spotted scarves” in Paragraph 3 most likely means    .

A.murderous hitchhikers

B.friendly and talkative hitchhikers

C.typical hitchhikers

D.strange hitchhikers like the author

4.According to the author, future hitchhikers are more likely to                .

A.visit websites and find people to share cars with

B.stand by roads with their thumbs sticking out

C.stick out signs with their destinations written on

D.wait for some kind people to pick them up

5.From the last paragraph, we know that the author         .

A.frequently hitchhikes in Britain

B.plans to hitchhike across Europe

C.thinks public transport is safer for travel

D.is going to contact the tank commander

 

Luggage

We ask you to keep a medium – sized suitcase per person, but a small holdall can also be taken onto the coach.

Seats

  Requests for particular seats can be made on most coach breaks(巴士旅游)when booking, but since seats are booked on a first come, first serve basic, early booking is advisable. When bookings are made with us, you will be offered the best seats that are available on the coach at that time.

  Travel Documents

  When you have paid your deposit(订金) we will send you all the necessary documents, so that you receive them in good time before the coach break leaving date. Certain documents, for example, air or boat tickets, may have to be reserved and your guide will then give them to you during the break.

  Special Diets

  If you require a special diet, you must inform us at the time of booking with a copy of the diet. This will be told to the hotels on your coach break. The hotels for certain coach breaks are tourist class and they may not have the equipment to deal with special diets. Any extra costs must be paid by yourself before leaving the hotel.

  Accommodation (住宿)

On any coach break there are only a limited number of single rooms. When a single room is available, it may be subject to an extra charge and this will be shown on the brochure page.

Entertainment

  Some of our hotels arrange extra entertainment which could include music, dancing, films, etc. The nature and frequency of the entertainment presented is decided by the hotel and therefore not guaranteed and could be withdrawn if there is a lack of demand or insufficient numbers in the hotel.

1.If you want to choose certain seats of the coach, you should          .

A.take little luggage

B.avoid traveling in holidays

C.book your seats well in advance

D.arrive early on the leaving date

2.What should you do if you need a special diet?

A.Bring your own food with you.

B.Tell the organizer while booking.

C.Inform the hotel when you arrive.

D.Pay extra money with the booking.

3.It may be necessary to pay extra for         .

A.single rooms

B.particular seats

C.entertainment

D.hand luggage

4.Where is the passage mostly taken from?

A.A fashion magazine.

B.A business report.

C.A legal document.

D.A travel brochure.

 

完形填空(共20小题;每小题1. 5分,满分30分)

请阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从36~55各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。

Michael O’her lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship. The father believed in encouragement.

Though Michael was the    36    of the class when he entered high school, his    37    continued to encourage him, but also made it very clear that he did not have to play    38    if he didn’t want to.

However, Michael loved football and was    39    to try his best at every practice. All through high school, he never    40    a practice or a game, but remained a bench warmer(替补队员) all four years. His    41    father was always in the stands, with words of    42    for him.

It was the end of the football season, and as Michael ran slowly onto the practice field shortly    43    the big final game, the coach met him with a telegram. Michael    44    the telegram and became deathly silent—his father died that morning, and the sad man left for    45    immediately.

In the third quarter, when the team was ten points    46   , a silent young man eagerly    47    onto the sidelines. The coach and his players were shocked to see their team-mate back so    48   .

“Coach, please let me    49   . I have to play today,” said Michael. Feeling sorry for him, the coach    50   . Before long, nobody could believe their eyes. This small bench warmer played like a(n)    51   . He helped his team win finally.

When the team was cheering for their    52   , Michael was sitting in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, “You were fantastic! Tell me    53    you did it?”

Tears in eyes, Michael said, “Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know he was blind?” He    54    a smile, “Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could    55    me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!”

1. A. strongest         B. smallest         C. biggest          D. youngest

2. A. coach             B. players          C. classmates           D. father

3. A. football              B. games                C. practices            D. basketball

4. A. required              B. determined           C. satisfied            D. reminded

5. A. failed                B. lost             C. missed               D. won

6. A. sympathetic           B. upset                C. faithful         D. optimistic

7. A. encouragement     B. judgment         C. wisdom           D. amusement

8. A. after             B. since                C. towards          D. before

9. A. went through          B. turned over          C. got over         D. tore up

10. A. school               B. home             C. field                D. class

11. A. ahead                B. beside               C. behind               D. away

12.A. walked                B. ran              C. stepped          D. slipped

13. A. quietly              B. sadly                C. punctually           D. soon

14. A. go                   B. fight                C. work             D. play

15.A. left                  B. refused          C. agreed               D. cried

16. A. star             B. son              C. amateur          D. trainer

17. A. victory              B. award                C. memorial         D. unity

18. A. why              B. when             C. where                D. how

19. A. spread               B. skipped          C. forced               D. stopped

20. A. hear             B. see              C. feel             D. make

 

 

 

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