It had been a long，hard，wonderful day.The two of us had walked from the sea’s edge through the length of a beautiful valley，climbed a superb mountain，travelled its narrow，rocky ridge(山脊)，and now stood on its final peak，tired，happy and looking for the perfect campsite.

The experienced backpacker has a natural feeling for such things，and our eyes were drawn to a small blue circle on the map，like an eye winking at us.We could not see it from where we were，but we followed our judgement and went down steeply until it came into view.

We were right.It was a calm pool，with flat grass beside it.Gently taking our packs off，we made the first of many cups of tea before pulling up our tent.Later that evening，over another cup of tea and after a good meal，we sat outside the tent watching the sunset over a sea dotted with islands，towards one of which a ferry was slowly moving.It is not always so perfect，of course.On another trip，with a different companion，a thoroughly wet day had ended at a lonely farm.Depressed at the thought of camping，we had knocked and asked if we could use a barn(谷仓) as a shelter.

Backpacking could be defined as the art of comfortable，self?sufficient(自给自足的) travel on foot.Everything you need is in the pack on your back，and you become emotionally_as_well_as_physically_attached_to_it.I once left my pack hidden in some rocks while I made a long trip to a peak I particularly wanted to climb.I was away for nearly three hours and ended up running the last stretch in fear that my precious pack would not be there.It was，of course.

The speed at which the backpacker travels makes this the perfect way to see any country.You experience the landscape as a slow unfolding scene，almost in the way it was made；and you find time to stop and talk to people you meet.I’ve learned much local history from simply chatting to people I met while walking through an area.At the end of a trip，whether three days or three weeks，there’s a feeling of achievement，of having got somewhere under your own power.

After years of going out walking just for the day，many people start backpacking simply through wanting to stay out rather than cut short a trip.

1.The writer and his companion knew there was a pool because ________.

A．they had been told about it

B．they could see it on the map

C．they had seen it earlier in the day

D．they could see it from the top of the mountain

2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The map.? B．The pool.

C．The mountain.? D．The campsite.

3.How did the writer and his companion feel at the end of the day?

A．They were too tired to put up their tent.

B．They wished they could have found a farm.

C．They were anxious about the coming weather.

D．They were delighted with the spot they’d found.

4.What does the writer mean by being “emotionally as well as physically attached to it ” in Paragraph 4?

A．It is more than just a practical aid.

B．He walks better when he is wearing it.

C．It is not a good idea to leave it anywhere.

D．He might die on the mountains without it.

I had been rather proud of myself when my friends and family got the ticket，whether it was for speeding，parking or stop sign violations (违反)．It was something that happened to others. But last Friday I joined the club.
I was asked to do a new project last week. On Friday morning on my way to work，I suddenly remembered that I had spent the past six weeks without considering that I had a week’s vacation planned during that time. I was very disappointed with myself for not remembering it. The fact  is that I was not paying enough attention to my driving and I did not come to a complete stop at the stop sign in front of a school. I was so distracted (思想不集中的)that I didn’t even notice I had a policeman on my tail with his lights flashing. Finally I looked in my mirror and caught on.
The policeman was rude and took my papers. Fortunately，I had everything up to date and since I had never had a ticket before，there was nothing for him to do but write me a ticket. While I was sitting there in the seat of “shame”，I felt bad. If I had been that distracted and a child had run onto the road，perhaps I would have not reacted as well as I could have. It was a wake-up call.
People at work asked me if I tried to talk my way out of it. Frankly，it never occurred to me. I felt guilty. Now I no longer have a clean driving record. Please be careful out there，as a moment’s distraction can lead to tragedy.
【小题1】What is this passage mainly about?

It’s been claimed that playing a musical instrument makes you smarter．
New research suggests that regularly playing a musical instrument changes the shape and power of the brain, and may be used in therapy (疗法) to improve cognitive (认知) skills．
Experts say there is growing evidence that musicians have brains that are structurally and functionally different from those of non-musicians, especially in the areas of the brain used in processing (处理信息)
The parts of the brain that control motor skills, the storage of audio information, hearing and memory become larger and more active when a person learns how to play an instrument and can apparently improve the alertness (警觉) and planning．
Lutz Jancke, a psychologist at the University of Zurich, said, “Leaning to play a musical instrument has great benefits and can increase IQ by seven points in both children and adults．We found that even people over the age of 65, after four or five months of playing an instrument for an hour a week, had strong changes in the brain.” The parts of the brain that control hearing and memory, and the part that controls the hands, among others, all become more active.
“Of course music isn’t the only answer, but I do believe that it should be used in addition to other things.”
Mr．Jancke also said that learning a musical instrument could also make it easier to learn foreign languages and make one more sensitive to understanding the emotions of others．“So not only does this make it easier to pick up other languages and have a better memory of one’s own, we have also seen musicians are able to pick out exactly what others are feeling just by the tones of their voices—sympathy, disappointment, that kind of things.”
He added, “Several studies indeed show that playing music increases memory and language skills, but more research is needed.”
1．What is the passage mainly about?
A．How to use musical instruments.
B．How music affects the brain.
C．How playing music makes people smarter.
D．The development of research into music.
2．Compared with non-musicians, __________.
A．musicians are better at foreign languages
B．musicians are more active in sports
C．musicians have stronger emotions
D．musicians’ brains work differently in processing
3．Which of the following is NOT a benefit of playing an instrument?
A．It makes it easier for one to pick up foreign languages.
B．It allows one to show his feelings more exactly to others．
C．It gives one a better memory in one’s own language．
D．it makes one understand others’ feelings better．
4．From Luz Jancke we lean that _________．
A．playing an instrument benefits children more than adults
B．playing an instrument has no benefits for people over 65
C．some studies show playing music can increase memory
D．he will do more research into brain development and music

It’s been claimed that playing a musical instrument makes you smarter．

New research suggests that regularly playing a musical instrument changes the shape and power of the brain, and may be used in therapy (疗法) to improve cognitive (认知) skills．

Experts say there is growing evidence that musicians have brains that are structurally and functionally different from those of non-musicians, especially in the areas of the brain used in processing (处理信息)

The parts of the brain that control motor skills, the storage of audio information, hearing and memory become larger and more active when a person learns how to play an instrument and can apparently improve the alertness (警觉) and planning．

Lutz Jancke, a psychologist at the University of Zurich, said, “Leaning to play a musical instrument has great benefits and can increase IQ by seven points in both children and adults．We found that even people over the age of 65, after four or five months of playing an instrument for an hour a week, had strong changes in the brain.” The parts of the brain that control hearing and memory, and the part that controls the hands, among others, all become more active.

“Of course music isn’t the only answer, but I do believe that it should be used in addition to other things.”

Mr．Jancke also said that learning a musical instrument could also make it easier to learn foreign languages and make one more sensitive to understanding the emotions of others．“So not only does this make it easier to pick up other languages and have a better memory of one’s own, we have also seen musicians are able to pick out exactly what others are feeling just by the tones of their voices—sympathy, disappointment, that kind of things.”

He added, “Several studies indeed show that playing music increases memory and language skills, but more research is needed.”

1．What is the passage mainly about?

       A．How to use musical instruments.

       B．How music affects the brain.

       C．How playing music makes people smarter.

       D．The development of research into music.

2．Compared with non-musicians, __________.

       A．musicians are better at foreign languages

       B．musicians are more active in sports

       C．musicians have stronger emotions

       D．musicians’ brains work differently in processing

3．Which of the following is NOT a benefit of playing an instrument?

       A．It makes it easier for one to pick up foreign languages.

       B．It allows one to show his feelings more exactly to others．

       C．It gives one a better memory in one’s own language．

       D．it makes one understand others’ feelings better．

4．From Luz Jancke we lean that _________．

         A．playing an instrument benefits children more than adults

       B．playing an instrument has no benefits for people over 65

       C．some studies show playing music can increase memory

       D．he will do more research into brain development and music