[基础英语精读4]英语精读荟萃(基础篇)一

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　　Passage one(The only way to travel is on foot)

　　The past ages of man have all been carefully labeled by anthropologists. Descriptions like‘Palaeolithic 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 marred 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 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、Anthorpologists label nowaday’s 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 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.
　　VOCABULARY

　　1. Palaeolithic旧石器时代的

　　2. Neolithic 新石器时代的

　　3. escalator 自动电梯，自动扶梯

　　4. ski-lift 载送滑雪者上坡的装置

　　5. mar 损坏，毁坏

　　6. blur 模糊不清，朦胧

　　7. smear 涂，弄脏，弄模糊(尤指画面、轮廓等)

　　8. evocative 引起回忆的，唤起感情的

　　9. El Dorado (由当时西班牙征服者想象中的南美洲)黄金国，宝山，富庶之乡

　　10. Kabul 喀布尔(阿富汗首都)

　　11. Irkutsk 伊尔库茨克(原苏联亚洲城市)

　　难句译注与答案详解

　　The only way to travel is on foot 旅游的唯一方法是走路

　　难句译注

　　1.Air travel gives you a bird’s-eye view of the world–or even if the wing of the aircraft happens to get in your way.

　　【参考译文】飞机旅行，你只可俯视世界――如果机翼碰巧挡住了你的视线，就看得更少了。

　　2.When you travel by car or train a blurred image of the country-side constantly smears the windows.

　　【参考译文】如果乘车或火车旅行，郊外模糊朦胧的景象不断地掠过窗口。

　　写作方法与文章大意

　　文章以因果写作方法，写出了由于种种现代化交通设施、人们不需用脚走路，甚至也不需要用眼看景，出门就坐汽车、公交车、地铁、飞机……，车、机速度飞快，外边的景物难以看清，最终导致人们忘记用脚、用眼成为“无脚之人”。一切都经历不到。作者建议最佳的旅游方法是徒步――经历现实。

　　答案详解

　　1.A人们忘了用脚。答案在第一段：人类学家把以往年代的人们分别标上旧石器时代、新石器时代人，等等。干脆利落地总结了一个时期。当他们转向20世纪，他们肯定会标上“无脚的人”。因为在20世纪，人们忘了如何用脚走路。男人女人早年外出就坐车、公共汽车、火车。大楼里由电梯、自动扶梯，不需要人们走路。即使度假期间，他们也不用脚。他们筑有缆车道、滑雪载车和路直通山顶。所有的风景旅游区都有大型的汽车停车场。

　　B人们喜欢汽车、公交车、火车等。

　　C电梯、自动扶梯制止人们走路。

　　D有许多交通运输工具。

　　2.A人们的注意力在未来。见最后一段第一句话：当你高速旅行，现在等于零，你主要生活在未来，因为你大部分时间盯在前面到达的某个地方。真到了，又没有意义了，你还要再向前进。

　　B是一种欢乐。

　　C满足司机强烈的渴望。第二段中提及死机醉心于开车、不停车但不是快速前进着眼于未来。

　　D生活的需要。这一条在第一段中提及这种情况是因为他们那异常的生活方法强加给时代的居民。这是指不用脚走路，而用一切代步器――交通运输工具，不是开快车。
　　
　　3.C人们在旅行途中什么都见不到。答案在第二段，由一地转向另一地，路上你什么都没有见到。乘飞机你只能俯视世界，火车，汽车，只见外界朦胧景象掠过窗子。海上旅游，只见到海。“我到过那里”此话含义就是“我以一小时一百英里在去某某地方时经过那里”。正因为如此，作者指出将来的历史书上会记录下：我们被剥夺了眼睛的应用。

　　A人们不愿用眼睛。　

　　B在高速旅行中，眼睛没有用了。

　　D旅行中，人们想睡觉。

　　4.D旅行的最佳方式是走路。文章第一段、第二段分别讲述了旅行可不用脚、不用眼等情况。第三段，在讲述了人们只知向前向前，一切经历都停滞，现实不再是现实，还不如死的好。而用脚走路的旅行者总是生活再现实，对他来说旅行和到达是一回事，他一步一步走到某地，他用眼睛、耳朵，以至整个身体去体验现在时刻、旅行终点，他感到全身舒坦愉悦的疲劳，美美享受满足的酣睡；一切真正旅行者的真实报偿。这一段就是作者写文章的目的――走路是旅行的最佳方式。

　　A脚变得软弱无力。

　　B现代交通工具把世界变小。

　　C没有必要用眼睛。

　　5.C从高出向下看的景致：俯视。

　　A用鸟的眼睛看景点。

　　B鸟在看美景。

　　D风景点。

　　

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