The only way to travel is on foot

The past ages of man have all been carefully labeled(标记)by anthropologists(人类学家). Descriptions like ‘Palaeolithic(旧石器时代) Man’, ‘Neolithic Man’, etc., neatly(干净地;整洁地) sum up whole periods. When the time comes for anthropologists to turn their attention to the twentieth century, they will surely choose the label ‘Legless Man’. Histories of the time will go something like this: ‘in the twentieth century, people forgot how to use their legs. Men and women moved about in cars, buses and trains from a very early age. There were lifts and escalators(自动电梯,自动扶梯)in all large buildings to prevent people from walking. This situation was forced upon earth dwellers(居民) of that time because of miles each day. But the surprising thing is that they didn’t use their legs even when they went on holiday. They built cable railways, ski-lifts and roads to the top of every huge mountain. All the beauty spots on earth were marred (糟蹋)by the presence of large car parks. ’

The future history books might also record that we were deprived(剥夺) of the use of our eyes. In our hurry to get from one place to another, we failed to see anything on the way. Air travel gives you a bird’s-eye view of the world – or even less if the wing of the aircraft happens to get in your way. When you travel by car or train a blurred image of the countryside constantly smears the windows. Car drivers, in particular, are forever obsessed with the urge to go on and on: they never want to stop.

Is it the lure of the great motorways, or what? And as for sea travel, it hardly deserves mention. It is perfectly summed up in the words of the old song: ‘I joined the navy to see the world, and what did I see? I saw the sea.’ The typical twentieth-century traveler is the man who always says ‘I’ve been there. ’ You mention the remotest, most evocative place-names in the world like El Dorado, Kabul, Irkutsk and someone is bound to say ‘I’ve been there’ – meaning, ‘I drove through it at 100 miles an hour on the way to somewhere else. ’

When you travel at high speeds, the present means nothing: you live mainly in the future because you spend most of your time looking forward to arriving at some other place. But actual arrival, when it is achieved, is meaningless. You want to move on again. By traveling like this, you suspend all experience; the present ceases to be a reality: you might just as well be dead. The traveler on foot, on the other hand, lives constantly in the present. For him traveling and arriving are one and the same thing: he arrives somewhere with every step he makes. He experiences the present moment with his eyes, his ears and the whole of his body. At the end of his journey he feels a delicious physical weariness. He knows that sound. Satisfying sleep will be his: the just reward of all true travellers.

1. Anthropologists label nowadays’ men ‘Legless’ because

       A . people forget how to use his legs.            B  people prefer cars, buses and trains.

       C  lifts and escalators prevent people from walking. D  there are a lot of transportation devices.

2. Travelling at high speed means

       A people’s focus on the future.   B a pleasure.

C satisfying drivers’ great thrill.  D a necessity y of life.

3. Why does the author say ‘we are deprived of the use of our eyes’ ?

       A  People won’t use their eyes.     B In traveling at high speed, eyes become useless.

       C  People can’t see anything on his way of travel.   D  People want to sleep during travelling.

4. What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?

       A Legs become weaker.   B Modern means of transportation make the world a small place.

       C There is no need to use eyes.    D The best way to travel is on foot.

5. What does ‘a bird’s-eye view’ mean?

       A  See view with bird’s eyes.    B  A bird looks at a beautiful view.

C It is a general view from a high position looking down.   D  A scenic place.

Many adults see teens as energetic. Many of us see ourselves as proud. This thinking   1   many adults and us, too, to have the idea that if we can’t handle school or  2  life well, we’re just not trying.

But in my opinion that may not be  3 .

Earlier this school year, I was leaving my class one Friday,  4   suddenly it felt like I had pulled a muscle in my back. I knew I was ill.

After a few days I stopped eating. This meant I lost  5  ; the clothes that I bought two weeks earlier began   6   loose. This time my parents got scared.   7  , I started sleeping less. My eyelids(眼皮)were constantly   8  .

I refused to   9   that I was ill. I kept my job working 25 hours a week in a shop; I didn’t   10   any classes. When I was hurting, I didn’t mind and kept on going.   11   it kills you, it makes you stronger, right?

But now I find myself thinking. Is it   12   it? I’m taking the classes and writing for the newspaper because it looks good   13   college applications. And I’m working 25 hours a week so that, once I get into my dream school, I can   14   it.

Here I am, already sick from the   15   of work I’m doing in and out of school. So, what good is a(n) 16   application if I’m badly ill? What is the  17  of doing this work if I can’t enjoy the results?

In fact, by writing my   18   I’m telling all the people who   19   much about the future and worry about it now. This is my warning: Don’t climb the   20   dive if you don’t like the deep end.

1.A.makes                   B.forces                   C.causes                  D.intends

2.A.still c                     B.even                     C.just                      D.yet

3.A.true                       B.reasonable             C.useful                   D.valuable

4.A.before                   B.after                     C.until                     D.when

5.A.relief y                  B.hope                     C.weight                  D.direction

6.A.hanging                 B.holding                 C.changing               D.dressing

7.A.In fact                   B.In addition             C.In disorder            D.In general

8.A.weak                     B.shut                      C.loose                    D.heavy

9.A.insist                     B.recognize              C.accept                  D.consider

10.A.lose                     B.drop                     C.give                      D.take

11.A.Unless                 B.If                         C.Though                D.Before

12.A.paid                     B.similar to               C.equal to                D.worth

13.A.at                        B.to                         C.on                        D.with

14.A.control                B.manage                 C.support                 D.afford

15.A.amount                B.set                        C.kind                     D.crowd

16.A.suitable                B.impressive             C.believable              D.unusual

17.A.effect                  B.idea                      C.point                    D.tip

18.A.time                    B.effort                    C.feeling                  D.story

19.A.wonder                B.care                      C.miss                     D.realize

20.A.high                    B.deep                     C.hard                     D.far

A few minutes ago, walking back from lunch I started to cross the street when I heard the sound of a coin dropping. It wasn’t much but, as I turned, my eyes caught the heads of several other people turning too. A woman had dropped what appeared to be a dime.

       The tinkling sound of a coin dropping on sidewalk is an attention-getter. It can be nothing more than a penny. Whatever the coin is, no one ignores the sound of it. It got me thinking about sounds again.

       We are surrounded y so many sounds that attract the most attention. People in New York City seldom turn to look when a fire engine, a police car or an ambulance comes screaming along the street.

       When I’m in New York, I’m a New Yorker. I don’t turn either. Like the natives. I hardly hear a siren (警笛) there .

       At home in my little town in Connecticut, it’s different. The distant loud noise of a police car , an emergency vehicle or a fire siren brings me to my feet if I’m seated and brings me to the window if I’m in bed .

       It’s the quietest sounds that have most effect on us, not the loudest. In the middle of the night, I can hear a dripping tap a hundred yards away through three closed doors. I’ve been hearing little creaking noises and sounds which my imagination turns into footsteps in the middle of the night for twenty-five years in our house. How come I never hear those sounds in the daytime?

       I’m quite clear in my mind what the good sounds are and what he bad sounds are

       I’ve turned against whistling, for instance. I used to think of it as the mark of a happy worker but lately I’ve been connecting the whistler with a nervous person making noises.

       The tapping, tapping, tapping of my typewriter as the keys hit the paper is a lovely sound to me. I often like the sound of what I write better than the looks of it.

1.The sound of a coin dropping makes people _________

       A.think of money                                          B.look at each other          

C.pay attention to it                                D.stop crossing the street

2.How does the author relate to sounds at night?

       A.He imagines sounds that do not exist.

B.He thinks taps should be turned off

C.He believes it’s rather quiet at night

D.He overstates quiet sounds

3.He dislikes whistling because __________.

       A.he is tired of it                                           B.he used to be happier

C.it reminds him of tense people               D.he doesn’t like workers

4.What kind of sound does he find pleasant?

       A.Tapping of his typewriter                            B.Clinking sound of keys

C.Tinkling sound  of a coin dropping              D.Creaking sounds

5.How does the writer feel about sounds in general?

       A.They make him feel at home                

B.He thinks they should be ignored

C.He believes they are part of our lives    

D.He prefers silence to loud noises

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