Question

People aren’t walking any more-if they can figure out a way to avoid it.

I felt superior about this matter until the other day I took my car to mail a small parcel. The journey is a matter of 281 steps. But I used the car. And I wasn’t in any hurry, either. I had merely become one more victim of a national sickness: motorosis.

It is an illness to which T had thought myself immune(免疫的), for I was bred in the tradition of going to places on my own two legs. At that time, we regarded 25 miles as a good day’s walk and the ability to cover such a distance in ten hours as a sign of strength and skill. It did not occur to us that walking was a hardship. And the effect was lasting. When I was 45 years old I raced—and beat-a teenage football player the 168 steps up the Statue of Liberty.

Such enterprises today are regarded by many middle-aged persons as bad for the heart. But a well-known British physician, Sir Adolphe Abrahams, pointed out recently that hearts and bodies need proper exercise. A person who avoids exercise is more likely to have illness than one who exercises regularly. And walking is an ideal form of exercise-the most familiar and natural of all.

It was Henry Thoreau who showed mankind the richness of going on foot. The man walking can learn the trees, flowers, insects, birds and animals, the significance of seasons, the very feel of himself as a living creature in a living world. He cannot learn in a car.

The car is convenient means of transport, but we have made it our way of life. Many people don’t dare to approach Nature any more; to them the world they were born to enjoy is all threat. To them security is a steel river thundering on a concrete (混凝土) road. And much of their thinking takes place while waiting for the traffic to turn green.

I say that the green of forests is the mind’s best light. And none but the man on foot can evaluate what is basic and everlasting.

1.What is the national sickness?

A. Walking too much.

B. Traveling too much.

C. Driving cars too much.

D. Climbing stairs too much.

2.What was life like when the author was young?

A. People usually went around on foot.

B. People often walked 25 miles a day.

C. People used to climb the Statue of Liberty.

D. People considered a ten-hour walk as a hardship.

3.The author mentions Henry Thoreau to prove that       .

A. middle-aged people like getting back to nature

B. walking in nature helps enrich one’s mind

C. people need regular exercise to keep fit

D. going on foot prevents heart disease

4.What is compared to “a steel river” in Paragraph 6?

A. A queue of cars.

B. A ray of traffic light.

C. A flash of lightning.

D. A stream of people.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.A

【解析】这篇文章主要讲了随着现代化的发展，多数人摈弃了最初的步行出行，不管路途的远近，都开车出行。事实上，步行不仅有益于身体健康，还帮助充实心灵。

1.推理判断题。由第二自然段I felt superior about this matter until the other day I took my car to mail a small parcel. The journey is a matter of 281 steps. But I used the car. And I wasn’t in any hurry, either.可知作者去邮寄一个包裹，只需要走281步，作者却不愿意走路，而是开车去，由此推断国民的通病是开车太多，选C。

2.推理判断题。由第三自然段for I was bred in the tradition of going to places on my own two legs. At that time, we regarded 25 miles as a good day’s walk and the ability to cover such a distance in ten hours as a sign of strength and skill.可推断出在作者年轻时，人们通常采用步行的方式从一个地方到另一个地方，选A。

3.推理判断题。由第五自然段The man walking can learn the trees, flowers, insects, birds and animals, the significance of seasons, the very feel of himself as a living creature in a living world. He cannot learn in a car.可知Henry Thoreau认为人们在走路的过程中了解了树、花、昆虫、鸟和动物，季节的意义，而在车里无法感受这些。所以作者提到Henry Thoreau是为了证明走路实际上帮助充实心灵，选B。

4.词义猜测题。找到“a steel river”所在的句子，To them security is a steel river thundering on a concrete (混凝土) road.这句话的意思是对于他们来说，安全就是在混凝土的路上，一排排的汽车在咆哮，故选A。