B

   For those who make journeys across the world. the speed of travel  today has rHglJhfij turned the countries into a series of villages. gg^gj^ Distances between them appear no greater to a modern traveller than those which once faced men as they walked from village to village. Jet planes fly people from one end of the earth to the other, allowing them a freedom of movement undreamt of a hundred years ago.

Yet some people wonder if the revolution in travel has gone too far. A price has been paid, they say, for the con?quest (征月8) of time and distance. Travel is something to be enjoyed, not endured (忍受).The boat offers enough leisure and time to appreciate the ever-changing sights and sounds of a journey. A journey by train also has a special charm about it. Lakes and forests and wild, open plains sweeping past your carriage window create a grand view in which time and distance mean nothing. On board a plane, however, there is just the blank blue of the sky filling the narrow windows of the airplane. The soft lighting.in-flight films and gentle music make up the only world you know, and the hours progress slowly.

Then there is the time spent being " processed" at a modern airport. People are conveyed like robots along walkways; baggage is weighed,tickets produced,examined and produced yet again before the passengers move to an?other waiting area. Journeys by rail and sea take longer, yes,but the hours devoted to being "processed"at depar?ture and arrival in airports are luckily absent. No wonder, then,that the modern high-speed trains are winning back passengers from the airlines.

Man, however, is now a world traveller and cannot turn his back on the airplane. The working lives of too many people depend upon it; whole new industries have been built around its design and operation. The holiday-maker ,too? with limited time to spend, patiently endures the busy airports and the limited space of the flight to gain those extra hours and even days,relaxing in the sun. Speed controls people's lives; time saved, in work or play, is the important thing―or so we are told. Perhaps those first horsemen, riding free across the wild, open plains, were enjoying a better world than the one we know today. They could travel at will,and the clock was not their master. 

20.  What does the writer try to express in Paragraph 1 ?

A.  Travel by plane has speeded up the growth of vil?lages.

B.  The speed of modern travel has made distances relatively short.

C.  The freedom of movement has helped people realize their dreams.

D. Man has been fond of travelling rather than staying in one place.

21.  How does the writer support the underlined state?ment in Paragraph 2?

   A.  By giving instructions.

B.  By analysing cause and effect.

C.  By following the order of time.

D.  By giving examples.

22.  What does the last sentence of the passage mean?

   A.  They could enjoy free and relaxing travel.

B.  They needed the clock to tell the time.

C.  They preferred travelling on horseback.

D.  They could travel with their master.

23.  What is the main idea of the passage?

  A.  Air travel benefits people and industries.

B.  Train travel has some advantages over air travel.

C.  Great changes have taken place in modern travel.

   D.  The high speed of air travel is gained at a cost.

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