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 I had thought myself immune, for I was bred in the tradition of going to places on my own two legs. At that time, we regarded 25 miles as good day’s walk and the ability to cover such a distance in ten hours as 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 Stature 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 illnesses 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, flower, 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 a 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 road. And much of their thinking takes place while waiting for the traffic light 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

5.What is the author’s intention of writing this passage?

A. To tell people to reflect more on life.

B. To recommend people to give up driving

C. To advise people to do outdoor activities

D. To encourage people to return to walking

 

Answer 1

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.A

5.D

【解析】

试题分析：文章主要从作者自身的角度来呼吁人们更多地用步行来代替汽车等交通工具，鼓励人们回归大自然，减少汽车等的使用。

1.The journey is a matter of 281 steps. But I used the car. And I wasn’t in any hurry, either.”可知，只有281步的距离，作者却习惯性地开车前往，作者认为自己也成了motorosis的一名受害者。A步行过度；B旅行过度；C开车过度；D爬楼过度。故选C。

2.At that time, we regarded 25 miles as good day’s walk...”可知，年轻时候，作者认为步行25里是很有好处的，但没有提到每天步行25里，排除B；C项未提及；根据“It did not occur to us that walking was a hardship.”可知，D项错误，故选A。

3.The man walking can learn the trees, flower, insects, birds and animals, the significance of seasons, the very feel of himself as a living creature in a living world.”可知，步行的时候，可以了解树木、花草、昆虫、鸟儿、动物等，从而丰富自己的内心世界，故选B。

4.but we have made it our way of life. ...To them security is a steel river thundering on a concrete road.”可知，人们过于依赖汽车，以至于变得不敢接触大自然。一辆辆的汽车在道路上排成一条钢铁般的长河，而对于他们来说，安全感就是坐在自己的车里。故选A。

5.

考点：环保类短文阅读