Question

【题目】People aren’t walking any more--- if they can figure out a way to avoid it.

I felt superior about this matter until the other day I took my car to mail a small parcel. The journey is a matter of 281 steps. But I used the car. And I wasn’t in any hurry, either, I had merely become one more victim of a national sickness: motorosis.

It is an illness to which I had thought myself immune, for I was bred in the tradition of going to places on my own two legs. At that time, we regarded 25 miles as good day’s walk and the ability to cover such a distance in ten hours as a sign of strength and skill. It did not occur to us that walking was a hardship. And the effect was lasting. When I was 45 years old I raced –and beat—a teenage football player the 168 steps up the Stature of Liberty.

Such enterprises today are regarded by many middle-aged persons as bad for the heart. But a well-known British physician, Sir Adolphe Abrhams, pointed out recently that hearts and bodies need proper exercise. A person who avoids exercise is more likely to have illnesses than one who exercises regularly. And walking is an ideal form of exercise--- the most familiar and natural of all. It was Henry Thoreau who showed mankind the richness of going on foot. The man walking can learn the trees, flower, insects, birds and animals, the significance of seasons, the very feel of himself as a living creature in a living world. He cannot learn in a car.

The car is a convenient means of transport, but we have made it our way of life. Many people don’t dare to approach Nature any more; to them the world they were born to enjoy is all threat. To them security is a steel river thundering on a concrete road. And much of their thinking takes place while waiting for the traffic light to turn green.

I say that the green of forests is the mind’s best light. And none but the man on foot can evaluate what is basic and everlasting.

【1】What was life like when the author was young?

A. people often walked 25 miles a day

B. People usually went around on foot.

C. People used to climb the Statue of Liberty.

D. people considered a ten-hour walk as a hardship.

【2】The author mentions Henry Thoreau to prove that ________.

A. middle-aged people like getting back to nature

B. people need regular exercise to keep fit

C. walking in nature helps enrich one’s mind

D. going on foot prevents heart disease

【3】What is compared to “a steel river” in Paragraph6?

A. A ray of traffic light B. A queue of cars

C. A flash of lightning D. A stream of people

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】C

【3】B

【解析】

试题分析：作者在本文中批评了现代人步行太少，出行靠汽车的生活方式。并叙述了步行的好处。目的在于鼓励人们多步行，有健康的生活方式。

【1】B 推理判断题。根据第三段2,3句At that time, we regarded 25 miles as good day’s walk and the ability to cover such a distance in ten hours as a sign of strength and skill. It did not occur to us that walking was a hardship.可知在我年轻的时候，我们认为步行是一种很好的锻炼形式，人们并不认为步行是很困难的事情。也就是说当作者年轻的时候，人们经常步行。故B正确。

【2】C 推理判断题。根据文章第4段倒数2,3句It was Henry Thoreau who showed mankind the richness of going on foot. The man walking can learn the trees, flower, insects, birds and animals, the significance of seasons, the very feel of himself as a living creature in a living world.可知Henry Thoreau说明步行对人们有很多好处，可以让他们接触自然，丰富自己的情感世界。故C正确。

【3】B 推理判断题。根据文章倒数第二段The car is a convenient means of transport, but we have made it our way of life. 和To them security is a steel river thundering on a concrete road. 可知现代人认为汽车是一种生活方式，对他们来说汽车就意味着安全。故B正确。