The only way to travel is on foot

The past ages of man have all been carefully labeled by anthropologists.

escriptions like 'Paleolithic Man', 'Neolithic Man', etc., neatly 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 in all large buildings to prevent people from walking. This situation was forced upon earth dwellers 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 mangled by the presence of large car parks. '

The future history books might also record that we were deprived 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 is 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 travelers.

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.

Traveling at high speed means                .

    A people's focus on the future.

    B  a pleasure.

    C satisfying drivers' great thrill.

    D a necessity of life.

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 traveling.

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.

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.

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.

PHUKET, Thailand—— Narkis Koral, 23, and Oren Mesika, 24, had no sense of the terrible tsunami that hit Southeast Asia: They were having “a good time ”on the island of Koh Chang in Thailand and only learned of their present situation hours later, through friends who received phone calls from home.

Even though the pair, both from Arad, escaped the tsunami’ s anger, it did not change the fact that their parents were worried  

“Our mothers worried a lot, ”says Koral. “They asked us to leave immediately and return to Israel. They offered to arrange flights, anything we wanted, just return. ”

Dana Kuchansky’ s father is also worried. Kuchansky, 28, and her partner were in Kofun, a small island hit hard by the tsunami. After a night spent on the top of the mountain in the center of the island, the two were taken for free to Bangkok, where they were expected to fly to Israel.

On the telephone, the worried father made sure his daughter received the replacement tickets lost in the tsunami 15 minutes later, he called her again, to remind her of the flight number.

Most of the Israelis visiting Thailand are young and on a limited budget. Their parents are used to having insufficient contact with their children. In most cases, this contact is when the phone call or the use of the Internet is cheap, even if the difference between "expensive" and "cheap" is less than 50 agorot, or cents.

In one case this past week, a mother called the mobile telephone of each of the six embassy（大使馆）staff in Thailand, one after the other. The same duty officer answered all six.

The common reaction of both parents and children, once telephone contact was made, was sobbing with relief that the ordeal（严峻考验）had left them unharmed.

According to the text, Narkis and Oren________.

A . called their friends to tell them what had happened

B . had great fun even if they knew the tsunami had come

C . knew nothing about the tsunami until their friends rang them up

D . turned out calm in face of the tsunami

Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?

A. Kuchansky and her partner had their tickets missing in the tsunami.

B. All the parents mentioned are worried about their children’ s safety.

C. Most embassy staff were too busy in their work to answer mobile phone calls.

D. The parents of the young Israelis don’ t have enough time to contact their kids.

The underlined word “insufficient” in Paragraph 6 probably means________.

A. unsuitable         B. not enough              C. unnecessary             D. irregular

It can be inferred that ________.

A . 50 agorot is too little an amount for the ordinary Israelis

B . as an official in charge, the mother made so many calls

C . the writer may come from Israel rather than from some other country

D . all the young couples traveling in Thailand remained safe and sound