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 ay 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 Abrhams,pointed out recently that hearts and bodies need proper……is more likely to have illnesses than one who exercises regularly.And wlaking 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.
小题1:What is the national sickness?
A．Walking too much
B．Traveling too much
C．Driving cars too much
D．Climbing stairs too much.
小题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-jhour walk as a hardship.
小题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
小题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
小题5:What is the author’s intention of writing this passage?
A．To tell people to reflect more non 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
答案
小题1:C
小题2:A
小题3:B
小题4:A
小题5:D
解析
【文章大意】本文是一篇记叙文。叙述了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。
小题1:C.考查细节理解。国家的通病是什么？根据I had merely become one more victim of a national sickness：motorosis.故选C。
小题2:A.考查细节理解。当作者年轻的时候生活是什么样子？根据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。
小题3:B.考查细节理解。作者提到Henry Thoreau来证明什么？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。
小题4:A.考查词义猜测。在第6段中把什么比作“a steel river”？根据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。
小题5:D.考查作者意图。作者写这段的意图是什么？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。故选D。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。