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.

Last Friday a storm tore through two villages and destroyed fourteen homes. Seven others were so badly damaged(损坏)that their owners had to leave them, and fifteen others had broken windows or torn roofs. One person was killed, seven were badly injured and taken to hospital, and a number of other people received smaller injuries. Altogether over two hundred people were homeless as a result of the storm.

  A farmer, Mr. C.Y. Tab said that the storm began early in the morning and lasted for over an hour.

  “I was in the kitchen with my wife and children,” he said, “when we heard a loud noise. A few minutes later our house fell down on top of us. We managed to climb out but then I saw that one of my children was missing. I went back inside and found him, safe but very frightened.”

  Mrs. Fong said that her husband had just left for work when she noticed that her house was shaking. She rushed outside immediately with her children.  “There was no time to take anything,” she said. “A few minutes later, the roof came down.”

  Soldiers helped to bring people out of the flooded area and the Welfare(福利)Department provided food, clothes and shelters.

1．How many houses could no longer be lived in after the storm?

A. Fourteen　　　　  B. Seven　　　　 C. Twenty-one　　   　　  D. Fifteen.

2．When the storm first began,  Mr. Tan　　   .

A. was in bed

B. was inside his house

C. had just gone to work

D. had just gone outside

3．Mrs. Fong and her family were not inured because　　    .

A. her husband had gone to work before the storm came

B. they were all outside the house when the storm began

C. she heard the loud noise the moment the house began to shake

D. she found the house shaking and rushed out with her children at once

4．Which of the following is the nearest in meaning to “shelter” as it is used in the last line of the passage?

A. safety　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. somewhere to stay

C. furniture and things or the house　　　　　　　　　　 D. warmth

5．Which of these would be the best title for the passage?

A. A Terrible Storm

B. Mr. Tan’s Bravery

C. The Work of the Welfare Department

D. A Luck Escape

 

Last Friday a storm tore through two villages and destroyed fourteen homes. Seven others were so badly damaged(损坏)that their owners had to leave them, and fifteen others had broken windows or torn roofs. One person was killed, seven were badly injured and taken to hospital, and a number of other people received smaller injuries. Altogether over two hundred people were homeless as a result of the storm.

  A farmer, Mr. C.Y. Tab said that the storm began early in the morning and lasted for over an hour.

  “I was in the kitchen with my wife and children,” he said, “when we heard a loud noise. A few minutes later our house fell down on top of us. We managed to climb out but then I saw that one of my children was missing. I went back inside and found him, safe but very frightened.”

  Mrs. Fong said that her husband had just left for work when she noticed that her house was shaking. She rushed outside immediately with her children.  “There was no time to take anything,” she said. “A few minutes later, the roof came down.”

  Soldiers helped to bring people out of the flooded area and the Welfare(福利)Department provided food, clothes and shelters.

1．How many houses could no longer be lived in after the storm?

A. Fourteen　　　　  B. Seven　　　　 C. Twenty-one　　   　　  D. Fifteen.

2．When the storm first began,  Mr. Tan　　   .

A. was in bed

B. was inside his house

C. had just gone to work

D. had just gone outside

3．Mrs. Fong and her family were not inured because　　    .

A. her husband had gone to work before the storm came

B. they were all outside the house when the storm began

C. she heard the loud noise the moment the house began to shake

D. she found the house shaking and rushed out with her children at once

4．Which of the following is the nearest in meaning to “shelter” as it is used in the last line of the passage?

A. safety　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. somewhere to stay

C. furniture and things or the house　　　　　　　　　　 D. warmth

5．Which of these would be the best title for the passage?

A. A Terrible Storm

B. Mr. Tan’s Bravery

C. The Work of the Welfare Department

D. A Luck Escape

 

Last Friday a storm tore through two villages and destroyed fourteen homes. Seven others were so badly damaged(损坏)that their owners had to leave them, and fifteen others had broken windows or torn roofs. One person was killed, seven were badly injured and taken to hospital, and a number of other people received smaller injuries. Altogether over two hundred people were homeless as a result of the storm.

　　A farmer, Mr. C.Y. Tan said that the storm began early in the morning and lasted for over an hour. “ I was in the kitchen with my wife and children ,”he said, “when we heard a loud noise. A few minutes later our house fell down on top of us. We managed to climb out but then I saw that one of my children was missing. I went back inside and found him, safe but very frightened.”

　　Mrs. Fong said that her husband had just left for work when she noticed that her house was shaking. She rushed outside immediately with her children. “ There was no time to take anything, ” she said. “ A few minutes later, the roof came down. ”

　　Soldiers helped to bring people out of the flooded area and the Welfare(福利)Department provided food, clothes and shelter.

60 .How many houses could no longer be lived in after the storm?

A. Seven..　　　　　 B. Fourteen　　　　　 C. Fifteen.　　　　　　 D. Twenty-one

61. Mrs Fong and her family were not injured because_______ .

A. her husband had gone to work before the storm came

B. they were all outside the house when the storm began

C. she found the house shaking and rushed out with her children at once

D. she heard the loud noise the moment the house began to shake

62. Which of the following is the nearest in meaning to “ shelter” as it is used in the last line of the passage?

A. “ safety”.　　B. “ somewhere to stay”.C. “ furniture and things or the house”.D. “ warmth”.

63. Which of these would be the best title for the passage?

A. Mr Tan's Bravery　　　　　　　　　　　 B. A Terrible Storm

C. The Work of the Welfare Department　　　 D.A Lucky Escape