Fear is a fact of life everyone faces from time to time. In most cases fear is a healthy reaction to a dangerous situation. But sometimes fear can be so extreme that it interferes with normal living. That is what happened to me driving cross-country last summer.
I’d agreed to help my brother, Mac, move from the East Coast to California. He would drive a rental truck loaded with his belongings and I would follow him in his car, then fly back. We figured it would be a simple trip, with four or five motel (motorists’ hotel) stops along the way.
Living and working in coastal Georgia for most of my life, I did not have a great deal of long-distance driving experience. Looking back on it today, I can see that I’d always felt a sudden, sharp pain of fear when driving over small bridges and along hilly highways. And as I was getting ready for the trip I had an unclear concern about the steep mountain roads that lay ahead. But I thought I would get used to them.
As we crossed some high bridges near the Blue Ridge Mountains on the first leg of our trip, a kind of breathlessness gripped me, a sinking, rolling feeling in the pit of my stomach. I tended to move slightly away from the edge of the roadway and the drop-off beyond. My knuckles (指关节) whitened from my tense grip on the steering wheel. At the end of each bridge, a great rush of relief would come over me, only to be replaced in short order by fear of the next obstacle.
When we stopped in Nashville the first night, I mentioned my feelings to Mac, who is the practical sort. “Oh, that’s nothing.” he said cheerfully. “Lots of people hale driving on mountain roads and high bridges. Just turn up the music on your radio and focus on that. Keep your mind occupied.”
1.Which is NOT the author’s attitude towards fear?
A. Fear can sometimes disturb your life.
B. It is natural to feel fear in everyday life.
C. In dangerous situations, fear may do good to your body.
D. Whenever you feel fear, you are likely to make a wrong decision.
2.How did the author and his brother go to California?
A. They rented a truck and drove it in turn.
B. The author and his brother drove different vehicles.
C. The author drove while his brother flew to California.
D. The author drove a rented car while his brother drove the truck.
3.To the author the trip is .
A. frightening B. pleasant
C. exciting D. exhausting
4.Mac asked his brother to turn on the radio and focus on that in order to let him .
A. keep using his brains
B. kill time during the long trip
C. think of other things instead of fear
D. enjoy the beautiful music along the way
World travel has moved on to a new level as new websites spring up to enable travelers to plan their trips online. Virtual tourism is the latest name of the game and although relatively new, has seen some tourism websites grow to host over one-million users.
Typically, this development features a website that contains the answers to almost any tourism question. Tips and information are not provided by a single source, such as the website host, butrather from travelers themselves-often in the thousands. This has proven to be exceptionally beneficial for would-be travelers who are seeking information on questions such as where to find the best museum or beach; whether it is better to tour Brussels with a bicycle or on foot; and which exchange rate bureaus are available in Italy. Questions about food and restaurants; tourist spots; safety; accommodation; and others are all answered. In addition, posted tips promote better preparation, such as what to pack when heading for Sicily.
Apart from the useful tips, visual images and virtual tours have also been made available. If you'd like to visit the Eiffel Tower, it's a good idea to view the surrounding areas; to pick a safer train route; or to know that it's very close to the Seine River and that a walk along it would enhance the experience.
Virtual tours have sprung up globally. In South Africa, John Gore established the Virtual Tour Guide in November last year. On his blog, Gore was quoted a saying, "The world is panoramic(全景的). "We are able to tum our heads and look in all directions and get a feel for where we are, but the typical photograph cannot show or describe that experience completely. " However, there is an answer-technology makes it possible to share the world around us in a 360-degree panoramic way, which really makes the viewer feel as though he or she is really there.
1.Why is virtual tourism more and more popular?
A. Online games are more and more attractive
B. Many new websites appear and develop fast.
C. More and more people want to travel abroad.
D. It helps travelers save as much money as possible.
2.From the second paragraph we know_________ .
A. we can solve any problem on websites
B. websites offer all the tips and information
C. we can get all our questions answered online
D. we can get many tips about tourism on websites
3.What does the underlined word "sprung up" in the last paragraph most probably mean?
A. Appeared.
B. Moved.
C. Competed.
D. Reduced.
4.What makes us see the world in a panoramic way?
A. Information.
B. Photograph.
C. Technology.
D. Virtual images.
We should find peaceful ways to settle international disputes rather than military force.
A. burst out B. depend on
C. answer for D. refer to
Upon entering the room, I found the place comforted me even before my eyes the dark.
A. set aside B. turned down
C. adjusted to D. drove away
—It’s a pity that you should let something important your mind.
—Sorry. I am fully busy in taking care of my grandfather recently and get burnt out.
A. occupy B. slip
C. slide D. cross
At the meeting, all the staff have a heated discussion on the most efficient way to ________their plan in limited time.
A. analyze B. assume
C. acknowledge D. accomplish
