Climbing, I once thought, was a very manly activity, but as I found my way into this activity, I came to see that something quite different happens on the rock.
Like wild swimming, rock climbing involves you into the landscape. On the rock, I am fully present. Eyes pay close attention.ears are alert (警觉的), and hands move across the surface. Unlike walking, where I could happily wander about absent-mindedly, in climbing, attentive observation is essential.
As an arts student studying English literature, I discovered a new type of reading from outdoor climbing. Going out on to the crags (悬崖), I saw how you can learn to read the rocks and develop a vocabulary of physical movements. Good climbers knew how to map their bodies on to the stone. Watching them, I wanted to possess that skillful language.
My leap happened when I worked for the Cairngorms National Park Authority. Guiding my explorations into this strange new landscape was Nan Shepherd. Unlike the goal-directed mindset of many mountaineers, she is not concerned with peaks or personal beats. Shepherd sees the mountain as a total environment and she celebrates the Caingorms as a place alive with plants, rocks, animals and elements. Through her generous spirit and my own wanderings, I saw that rock climbing need not be a process of testing yourself against anything. Rather, the intensity of focus could release you into another way of being.
Spending so much time in high and stony places has changed my view on the world and our place in it. I have come into physical contact with processes that go way beyond the everyday. Working with gravity, geology (地质学), rhythms of weather and deep time, I gain an actual relationship with the earth. This connection lies at the heart of my passion for rock climbing. I return to the rocks, because this is where I feel in touch — with our land.
24. Why does the author like climbing?
A.It challenges her to compete with men. |
B.Ir allows her a urique attitude toward rock. |
C.It teaches her how to possess a new language. |
D.It makes her feel connected with the world. |
25. What does the writer find important in climbing?
A.Balance. | B.Concentration. | C.Determination. | D.Curiosity. |
26. What does the writer learn from Nan Shepherd?
A.Climbing goes together with nature. |
B.Every mountain top is within reach. |
C.The best climber is the one having fun. |
D.You cannot achieve high unless you change. |
27. What does the underlined word “it” in paragrap 5 refer to?
A.Time. | B.Contact. | C.The world. | D.My view. |