Traveling is more important than reading books to understand people and the world. A book about another country tells you about things such as the country’s history, its people and its culture in a very general way. When meeting foreigners, I found that books can’t be trusted totally. For example, when I was visiting Wisconsin University, many people were rigid(保守的), uneducated, had no sense of humor, and they all wore blue suits. Even the picture in some people’s minds was that Chinese still wore pigtails(辫子)as they did in the Qing Dynasty. Though the videotapes shown by me, they were surprised to find that these facts were not true at all and the Chinese people are outgoing and have great intelligence, dress well and have an equally strong sense of humor.

Reading a book about another country makes me interested in traveling. Then I make plans to go and see what I have read about.

In addition, people who go out and experience things themselves are likely to be open-minded, and are really interested in making things happen. A friend of mine, Chen Ming, went to a backward rural area(落后的农村地区) and experienced the sufferings of the children there firsthand.  Then he organized a medical team to give them treatment. Just reading about these children’s situation would not have had the same effect as seeing them in person.

More and more Chinese travel at home or abroad.  Especially the children who travel more will see the important landscapes（风景） and will truly be full of knowledge about their own country. I have always felt enriched by the experience. It is only by “getting into action” that one can make a mark in this world, and truly live a meaningful life.

1．The author gives the example in Wisconsin University to show that ____.

       A．Chinese are often misunderstood by foreigners

       B．Books never tell the truth

       C．Chinese people have changed their life style a lot

       D．Seeing is believing

2．The underlined word “outgoing” means ____.

       A．facing danger, pain, or difficult situations with courage and confidence

       B．behaving or speaking in a correct way for the social situation you are in

       C．being nervous about talking to other people, especially to strangers

       D．liking to meet and talk to new people and make friends with them

3．The author believes that the more you experience things, ____.

A．the more you want to try something

B．the more you want to travel

C．the more interested you will be in reading books

D．the less you think you know

4．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．If you want to know the world, you can only travel.

B．If you read about some place from a book, you must go and see it.

C．Traveling can make a person like his life even more.

D．Traveling can certainly make a mark in the world.

5．The best title for this passage should be “____”.

A．What’s Good for Travel                       B．Experience by Reading

C．Reading about the Outside World           D．Prefer Traveling to Reading

Taking the train is a wonderful way to see America. In the 19th century, train routes appeared from coast to coast, carrying both people and goods Today, a long-distance Amtrak train trip is a different way to experience the United States.

The long-distance Amtrak trains have lots of room. Coach seats have lots of leg room and wide aisles(走廊),sightseeing lounges(休闲室) have large windows, and sleeping areas can provide a good night’s rest. On a train trip, there’s time to talk, play cards or board games, and read to one another. On a car trip, parents have to drive while on a train, parents can sit back and watch the scenery go by. Unlike an airplane, traveling by train is not the quickest way to arrive at your destination; the train is the destination in itself.

Amtrak manages long-distance trains that run through the United States. Routes have different names, such as Empire Builder, California Zephyr, Sunset Limited and Southwest Chief. The long-distance trains have double-decker cars(Superliners), sightseeing lounges, and a real dining car. On shorter trains, such as from New York to Washington. DC, the cars are single level and only have a snack bar. In the Superliner trains, the sightseeing lounge is lined with windows on the second level while on the lower level a snack bar and tables can be found. In the evening, videos are shown in the lounge car—either entertaining movies or documentaries.

Tip: As delays are common on Amtrak trains, always call the station before you go there. Otherwise, you may be cooling your heels(脚后跟) for hours.

What’s the advantage of seeing America by train?

  A. There are more services on the train than any other

  B. Traveling by train is the quickest way to reach your destination.

  C. Traveling by train gives people more time to see and do things.

  D. The trains like Amtrak allow people to enjoy the journey cheaply.

Which of the following can be found on short-distance Amtrak trains?

  A. Sleeping areas.    B. Snack bars.     C. Sightseeing lounges.  D. Coach seats.

What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

  A. You will have to wait.

  B. You make your heel cool.

  C.You will have no place to stand on the train.

  D. Your feet will be hurt on the train.

Which of the following about Superliners is true?

  A. There are lines of windows on the lower level.

  B. The snack bar is on the higher level.

  C.A sightseeing lounge is on the upper level.

  D. Both levels are equipped with videos.

Taking the train is a wonderful way to see America.In the 19th century,train routes appeared from coast to coast,carrying both people and goods Today,a long-distance Amtrak train trip is a different way to experience the United States.

The long-distance Amtrak trains have lots of room.Coach seats have lots of leg room and wide aisles(走廊),sightseeing lounges(休闲室) have large windows,and sleeping areas can provide a good night’s rest.On a train trip,there’s time to talk,play cards or board games,and read to one another.On a car trip,parents have to drive while on a train,parents can sit back and watch the scenery go by.Unlike an airplane,traveling by train is not the quickest way to arrive at your destination;the train is the destination in itself.

Amtrak manages long-distance trains that run through the United States.Routes have different names,such as Empire Builder,California Zephyr,Sunset Limited and Southwest Chief.The long-distance trains have double-decker cars(Superliners), sightseeing lounges, and a real dining car.On shorter trains,such as from New York to Washington.DC,the cars are single level and only have a snack bar.In the Superliner trains,the sightseeing lounge is lined with windows on the second level while on the lower level a snack bar and tables can be found.In the evening,videos are shown in the lounge car—either entertaining movies or documentaries.

Tip:As delays are common on Amtrak trains,always call the station before you go there.Otherwise,you may be cooling your heels(脚后跟) for hours.

What’s the advantage of seeing America by train?

  A.There are more services on the train than any other

  B.Traveling by train is the quickest way to reach your destination.

  C.Traveling by train gives people more time to see and do things.

  D.The trains like Amtrak allow people to enjoy the journey cheaply.

Which of the following can be found on short-distance Amtrak trains?

  A.Sleeping areas.               B.Snack bars.    

C.Sightseeing lounges.           D.Coach seats.

.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

  A.You will have to wait.                       B.You make your heel cool.

  C.You will have no place to stand on the train.      D.Your feet will be hurt on the train.

.Which of the following about Superliners is true?

  A.There are lines of windows on the lower level.     B.The snack bar is on the higher level.

  C.A sightseeing lounge is on the upper level.        D.Both levels are equipped with videos.

I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my profession stand in the way of being a good parent.

     I no longer consider myself the center of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows(誓约) mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends, and they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today.

     So here's what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a desire of the next promotion(提升), the bigger paycheck, the larger house.

     Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure(空闲), it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Write a letter. And realize that life is the best thing and that you have no business taking it for granted.

      It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, our minutes. It is so easy to exist instead of to live. I learned to live many years ago. Something really, really bad happened to me, something that changed my life in ways that, if I had my choice, it would never have been changed at all. And what I learned from it is what, today, seems to be the hardest lesson of all.

      I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and totally. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned. By telling them this: Read in the backyard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a deadly illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion(热情) as it ought to be lived.

The best title of this passage probably is            

      A. Love your friends                        B. Live a real life

      C. Don't waste time                         D. Be a good mother and wife

The underlined sentence "It is so easy to exist instead of to live" in the fifth paragraph probably has the same meaning as               

      A. it is so easy to keep alive but not to live a real life

      B. it is very hard to live a real life

      C. it is so easy to make a living

      D. it is more difficult to exist than to live a happy life

What's the author's attitude toward work?

      A. Do it well to serve others.

      B. To earn enough money to make life better.

      C. Try your best to get higher position and pay.

      D. Don't let it affect your real life.

It can be inferred from the passage that          

     A. the author is a success in personal life

     B. the author didn't try her best to work well

     C. the author spent all her time caring for her children

     D. the author likes traveling very much

Taking the train is a wonderful way to see America.In the 19th century,train routes appeared from coast to coast,carrying both people and goods Today,a long-distance Amtrak train trip is a different way to experience the United States.
The long-distance Amtrak trains have lots of room.Coach seats have lots of leg room and wide aisles(走廊),sightseeing lounges(休闲室) have large windows,and sleeping areas can provide a good night’s rest.On a train trip,there’s time to talk,play cards or board games,and read to one another.On a car trip,parents have to drive while on a train,parents can sit back and watch the scenery go by.Unlike an airplane,traveling by train is not the quickest way to arrive at your destination;the train is the destination in itself.
Amtrak manages long-distance trains that run through the United States.Routes have different names,such as Empire Builder,California Zephyr,Sunset Limited and Southwest Chief.The long-distance trains have double-decker cars(Superliners), sightseeing lounges, and a real dining car.On shorter trains,such as from New York to Washington.DC,the cars are single level and only have a snack bar.In the Superliner trains,the sightseeing lounge is lined with windows on the second level while on the lower level a snack bar and tables can be found.In the evening,videos are shown in the lounge car—either entertaining movies or documentaries.
Tip:As delays are common on Amtrak trains,always call the station before you go there.Otherwise,you may be cooling your heels(脚后跟) for hours.
【小题1】What’s the advantage of seeing America by train?

A．Sleeping areas.	B．Snack bars.
C．Sightseeing lounges.	D．Coach seats.