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（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 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 Abrhams, pointed out recently that hearts and bodies need proper exercises．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 Paragraph6?

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:本文主要讲现在的人们都愿意出门乘坐汽车，而不愿意步行，即使很近的路，也要自己开车去，其实有时路上堵车不一定比走着快。并且步行可以看到沿途的树木、花草等，享受一下大自然的风光，作者提倡大家要用以前的交通方式----步行。

1. 细节理解题。根据第二段I had merely become one more victim of a national sickness：motorosis.可知国家的通病是太多的人驾车。故选C.

2. 细节理解题。根据第三段for I was bored in the tradition of going to places on my own two legs.可知作者年轻时人们通常步行，故选A.

3. 细节理解题。根据第五自然段可知作者提到Henry Thoreau步行能够丰富人们的知识，故选B.

4. 词义猜测题。根据第六段The car is a convenient means of transport. Many people don’t dare to approach nature any more.可知这里指的是人们出门坐车，街上的车流量很大，就像河流一样，连续不断，故选A.

5. 作者意图。根据短文的最后一段可知作者提倡大家要用以前的交通方式----步行。选项B是干扰最大的选项，推荐人们放弃驾驶。这个短文里没有提到要人们放弃驾驶自己的汽车，而是尽可能做到采用步行的交通方式。故选D.

考点：考查记叙类短文阅读