In the UK we often equate life experience, especially amongst younger generations, with the number of stamps in your passport. Travel is not simply a pursuit of leisure but also “character-building”, “defining” and potentially, “career-boosting”.
Most of the people I know here at university experience that same itch to get in a plane, train, bus or car and escape the hectic stress of deadlines and seminars that usually surrounds us. But I don’t think, as UK student, we can blame our addiction to international travel simply on a stressful life. Yes, I have a lot to handle and it’s a fine balancing act managing my part-time job, my degree and my social life to a perfect level. But really I think we are the first generation in a truly open world, where we can get anywhere, see anything and experience every culture under the sun, at the click of a button, the purchase of a ticket.
Many people I met while working in China were surprised at the number of countries I’d travelled to, which came as a surprise. Compared to friends and family I consider myself vastly under-travelled. I’ve yet to even set foot across the pond in the U. S. A and Canada. let alone South America and even within Europe, my checklist of destinations is far from complete. But more eye opening for me, I was also met by astonishment at how little geographical traversing I had done within my own borders. This was something I had not really considered before and as I left Beijing I felt an overwhelming appreciation not just for the rich culture of China but also for the diverse localities within the UK. How much of my own country had I really seen and experienced? To those from a place as vast and varied as China, Britain was really so small in comparison and so to have spent 20 years there and not seen every nook and cranny of it was quite surprising.
I spent a while engaged in a convention with a Chinese colleague over the difference in building style, in architecture from the Highlands of Scotland to the Cornish const. Now for most people this sounds dreary and dull, and I guess I am biased as a student of history who finds anything remotely historical fascinating. However it was not the geological variety of stone within British cities I found interesting. We continued our discussion, yet I was left embarrassed that I could not provide a concrete answer to her question. In China, as well as a wealth of new culture that fascinated me, I discovered that there were parts of the UK’s culture, history, the very structure of my identity that were so different, so unique from China that I also gained a new found interest in my own heritage.
In this respect, travelling enables you with two things. Firstly, you develop an overwhelming fascination with new cultures, understanding customs, experiencing cuisines and absorbing the sights and smells of every new city. For many employers this adaptability to new locations is seen as a tremendous asset to your personal resume. But alongside increased employ ability, through international, cross-cultural conversations, you develop an interest in your own history, culture, and customs. You return to your home filled with an understanding of other people’s fascination with it and imbued with your own sense of love for its peculiarities.
1. What information can we get from Paragraph 1 in the UK?| A．The number of stamps shows someone’s life experience. |
| B．Travel experience is a important criterion in selecting applicants. |
| C．Travel is regarded as an enriching life experience that will make your C.V. stand out. |
| D．Travel is simply a way of gaining relaxation. |
| A．British university students travel for getting rid of busy life. |
| B．The author is an experienced traveller who has been to diverse localities and completed her checklist of destinations. |
| C．It’s not surprising that 20 more years’ living in UK makes the author walk around every part of it. |
| D．Travelling can enable you to be competent in employ ability. |
| A．Inadequate travelling experience restricted her sights at work. |
| B．Her colleague had a prejudice on her for she was a student of history. |
| C．Not answering the question in detail embarrassed her so much. |
| D．She got interested in Chinese culture by comparing it with that of UK. |
| A．Travel, a self-finding tour |
| B．Travel, a home coming tour |
| C．Travel, a leisure-pursuing tour |
| D．Travel, a cultural recognition tour |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Recently I was watching a talk show hosted by a comedian called Trevor Noah from South Africa. The part which struck me most was his advice about travelling. He said, “The one thing you will never waste your money on is travelling. Travel broadens the mind. It is the antidote to ignorance (无知).” In my opinion this statement should be everyone’s life motto (座右铭).
This year I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of travelling around Europe and it has shown me first hand how much you can learn and develop by visiting different places. It is so wonderful to be able to go to a different country, listen to the different languages, try local food and experience the different culture.
I’ve personally noticed how different I am since I started exploring more. It involves being able to find good train or plane tickets, getting yourself to the airport, not to mention trying to find your way around a completely new city. While it can be scary at first, after a few trips you realize that Google Maps is your best friend and it really isn’t that difficult to figure out public transport. Travelling also helps you develop your organization skills! It is basic to figure out how to get to different tourist attractions and plan your time wisely. However, it is also nice to learn to relax. On top of that, hotels are a great way to meet new people from all around the world. It is fantastic when young people from different parts of the world come together; I’ve met so many strange and wonderful people this way.
As far as I can see, travel as much as possible, because the experiences you will gain from travelling can’t be taught at school and they will change your life.
1. What do the underlined words “antidote to” mean in the first paragraph?| A．Replacement of. | B．Development of. |
| C．Treatment for. | D．Agreement to. |
| A．Busy. | B．Hard. | C．Rich. | D．Costly. |
| A．He has become more confident and independent. |
| B．He has developed a skill to select tourist attractions. |
| C．He has found it hard to figure out public transport. |
| D．He has made many friends from all over the world. |
| A．News. | B．Education. | C．Opinions. | D．Health. |
Day 1 Los Angeles.( Sun.Dec.30)
Welcome to Los Angeles! This evening mixes with your traveling friends at the welcome reception.
Day 2 Los Angeles.( Mon.Dec.31)
Head to Pasadena for the always colorful ROSE BOWL FAMILY FESTIVAL and watch the floats (彩车)decorated with tens of thousands of flowers.This afternoon, you can take the included visit to the GETTY MUSEUM.This evening, join your travelling friends at a special New Year’s Eve DINNER AND DANCE GALA (盛会), complete with hats, party favors and live music.You’ll toast the New Year a little early tonight to consider an early morning departure (离开) to the Rose Parade.
Day 3 Los Angeles.Tournament of Roses Parade ( Tue.Jan.1)
Happy New Year! Get ready for one of the world’s most popular parades, and you’ll see it live! Globus has booked the GRANDSTAND SEATS at the beginning of the parade route for a good view.See the wonderful colorful floats, marching bands from around the world, and the famous people.
Day 4 Los Angeles.( Wed.Jan.2)
This morning view the individual floats in the POST PARADE VIEWING AREA.For many this is the most exciting part of the entire event.Be sure to bring your camera and plenty of film! Another special dinner tonight—a special GLOBUS FAREWELL CELEBRATION DINNER.
Day 5 Los Angeles.( Thu.Jan.3)
The tour ends today, with tour guests departing on individual schedules.
1. What activity can visitors enjoy on Dec.31?
| A．Tournament of Rose Parade. |
| B．A farewell celebration dinner. |
| C．Post parade viewing area. |
| D．A dinner and dance gala. |
| A．the travel agency | B．the local government |
| C．Los Angeles | D．Roses Parade |
| A．Day 2. | B．Day 4 | C．Day 3 | D．Day 5 |
| A．textbook | B．news report |
| C．travel guide | D．history magazine |
【推荐3】Hong Kong Science Museum
You might really like this museum if you are interested in science. Hong Kong Science Museum wants to teach kids science and give them a place to have fun with computers. Kids like running around and playing with the equipment there. However, adults can learn some knowledge, too.
Since its opening in April, 1991, Hong Kong Science Museum has presented itself to be a good place for science learning. Through having better exhibits and fun science programs in an enjoyable environment, the museum wants to popularize science to the public and support science education in schools. Visitors at the science museum can visit the exhibition in their own way and enjoy the fun of discovery learning.
The museum is 6,500 m’ and has over 500 exhibits and nearly 70 percent of them are suitable for visitors of all ages. Among them, the best exhibit is the largest equipment of its kind in the world: the Energy Machine. Another attraction is the DC-3 airplane which is the first local airliner and the first exhibit moved into the museum building. The museum also has a 745 m’ Special Exhibition Hall, a 295-seat Lecture Hall, a Classroom, a Computer Classroom, a Laboratory and a Resource Centre. Other ancillary facilities(附属设施) include a Gift Shop and a Bookshop.
Apart from permanent(永久的) exhibitions, the museum regularly presents some temporary exhibitions on all kinds of topics related to science and modern technology. The museum also organizes and develops lots of extension activities and educational programs for the public. lf you want to have a visit, you’d better read the following information carefully.
Opening hours
Monday to Wednesday and Friday: 10:00 am-7:00 pm
Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays: 10:00 am-9:00 pm
Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve: 10:00am-5:00pm
Closed on Thursday and the two days before the
Chinese New Year’s Eve
Ticket information:
Standard Ticket: $30
Concessionary(特惠的)Ticket: $15
Free for kids under 4 years old
Free on Wednesday
1. What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Hong Kong Science Museum aims at offering happy holidays to adults. |
| B．Both adults and kids can learn things in Hong Kong Science Museum. |
| C．Kids in Hong Kong Science Museum are encouraged to help others. |
| D．Hong Kong Science Museum offers free lunch to kids under 4 years old. |
| A．Helping poor kids learn about real science. |
| B．Making all exhibits suitable for visitors of all ages. |
| C．Setting up all kinds of ancillary facilities. |
| D．Making science popular among the public. |
| A．Visitors cannot visit the science museum at 8 pm on weekends. |
| B．The concessionary ticket is prepared for people with disabilities. |
| C．Visitors cannot visit Hong Kong Science Museum on Thursday. |
| D．People can buy the museum’s concessionary tickets on Wednesday. |
【推荐1】Ludwig van Beethoven is undoubtedly one of the greatest musicians that ever lived. He completed 722 musical works. Unfortunately, the great musician died while still working on his 10th Symphony. Now, a team of musicians and scientists have used artificial intelligence(Al)to complete the artist's final master piece. Dr. Matthias Roder, the director of the Karajan Institute in Austria, who respects Beethoven very much, wanted to do something for the musician's 250th birthday in December 2020. He enlisted an international team of music experts to help him with the big task. They included music composer Walter Werzowa and Dr. Ahmed Elgammal, the creator of an AI technology for the art market.
Elgammal and his colleagues started the process by familiarizing the Al software initially with a broad range of classical music, and then, narrowed it to just Beethoven's works. Mean-while, Werzowa and his group tried to understand the rough sketches(草图)and the handful of notes that detailed Beethoven's plans for the 10th Symphony.
The team then began the task of feeding the Al software musical notes from the unfinished composition. Elgammal says that since music is very structured and mathematical, AI can predict the next note reasonably and accurately. However, it starts to go off the central theme after a few notes. To stay true to Becthoven's original composition, Elgammal's team sent Werzowa hundreds of AI-generated musical note variations every evening. Werzowa would listen to them and then select the one that he thought was closest to what the artist would have written. The Al team would add the music and rerun the software to generate the next suggestions. And piece by piece, the team was able to complete Beethoven's 10th Symphony!
The composition appeared at the Telekom Forum in Beethoven's birthplace of Bonn, Germany, on October 9,2021. Not surprisingly, the AI-generated masterpiece is causing some argument. Critics believe technology should not be used to replace the human creative process. Elgammal and his team agree with their viewpoint and say their Al software is not out to replace humans-it is just a tool to help artists to express themselves in new ways.
1. Why does Matthias Roder start the project?| A．To explore AI in a new way. | B．To be in memory of Beethoven. |
| C．To start a new way of creating music. | D．To study the relationships between music and AI. |
| A．The challenges the team face. | B．The way the team carry out the task. |
| C．The reason why they start the project. | D．The team's achievement in the project. |
| A．Not all the people are for the project. | B．AI provides great help in music creating. |
| C．AI will replace humans in music creative process. | D．The AI-generated masterpiece proves to be great successful. |
【推荐2】The secret to eating less and being happy about it may have been cracked years ago-by McDonald’s. According to anew study from Comnell University’s Food and Brand Lab, small non-food rewards-like the toys in McDonald’s Happy Meals-stimulate the same reward centers in the brain as food does.
The researchers, led by Martin Reimann, carried out a series of experiments to see if people would choose a smaller meal if it was paired with a non-food item.
They found that the majority of both kids and adults opted for a half-sized portion when combined with a prize. Both options were priced the same.
Even more interesting is that the promise of a future reward was enough to make adults choose the smaller portion. One of the prizes used was a lottery ticket, with a S10, $50 or $100 payout, and this was as effective as a tangible gift in persuading people to eat less.
“The fact that participants were willing to substitute part of a food item for the mere prospect of a relatively small monetary award is interesting,” says Reimann.
He theorizes that it is the emotional component of these intangible prizes that make them effective. In fact, vaguely-stated possibilities of winning a prize were more effective than options with hard odds included.
“One explanation for this finding is that possible awards may be more emotionally provoking than certainty awards,” says Reimann. “The uncertainty of winning provides added attraction and desirability through emotional ‘thrills.’ The possibility of receiving an award also produces a state of hope-a state that is in itself psychologically rewarding. “In other words, there’s a reason why people like to gamble.
How might this knowledge be used to help people eat more healthily?
One possibility is a healthy option that offers the chance to win a spa weekend. Or maybe the reward of a half-sized portion could be a half-sized dessert to be claimed only on a future date. That would get you back in the restaurant and make you eat a little less.
1. What do we learn about McDonald’s inclusion of toys in its Happy Meals?| A．It may shed light on people’s desire to crack a secret. |
| B．It has proved to be key to McDonald’s business success. |
| C．It appeals to kid’s curiosity to find out what is hidden inside. |
| D．It may be a pleasant way for kids to reduce their food intake. |
| A．Reducing food intake is not that difficult if people go to McDonald’s more. |
| B．Most kids and adult s don’t actually feel hungry when they cat half of their meal. |
| C．Eating a smaller portion of food does good to the health of kids and adults alike. |
| D．Most kids and adults would choose a smaller meal that came with a non-food item. |
| A．Kids preferred an award in the form of money to one in the form of a toy. |
| B．Adults chose the smaller portion on the mere promise of a future award. |
| C．Both kids and adults felt satisfied with only half of their meal portions. |
| D．Neither children nor adults could resist the temptation of a free toy. |
| A．People should eat much less if they wish to stay healthy and happy. |
| B．More fast food restaurants are likely to follow McDonald’s example. |
| C．We can lead people to eat less while helping the restaurant business. |
| D．More studies are needed to find out the impact of emotion on behavior. |
【推荐3】Fluid(流体) intelligence is a decisive factor of human cognition(认知) . Studies show that high fluid intelligence predicts professional success, social mobility, health, and longevity, and also relates to stronger additional cognitive capacities like memory. Now, new research has mapped the parts of the brain that support our ability to think quickly.
“Our findings indicate for the first time that the right frontal regions of the brain are critical to the high-level functions involved in fluid intelligence, such as problem solving and reasoning,” says lead study author Professor Lisa Cipolotti of the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology.
Despite modern science largely agreeing that fluid intelligence is a key aspect of what makes us human, it’s quite difficult for scientists to study these matters. In order to establish which parts of the brain are necessary for a certain ability, researchers must study patients in whom that part is either missing or damaged. So, earlier studies have mainly made use of functional imaging techniques, which are not entirely accurate and sometimes can be misleading.
This latest project, led by Professor Lisa Cipolotti, included a total of 227 patients who had experienced brain injuries, like a brain tumor or stroke. The team completed this using the Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM): the best-established test of fluid intelligence.
The APM features multiple-choice visual pattern problems of increasing difficulty. Each of the problems shows an incomplete pattern of geometric figures and asks participants to select the missing piece from a set of multiple possible choices.
Next, researchers introduced a novel lesion-deficit mapping(损伤缺陷映射)approach that helped to make out the complex patterns of common brain injuries, such as stroke.
Results show fluid intelligence-damaged performance was mostly limited to patients with right frontal damage, as opposed to a wide set of regions distributed across the brain.
“Our approach of combining novel lesion-deficit mapping with detailed investigation of APM performance in a large sample of patients provides crucial information about the neural basis of fluid intelligence,”Professor Cipolotti concludes.
1. What have the researchers newly found?| A．The function of fluid intelligence. |
| B．The importance of fluid intelligence. |
| C．The link between cognition and memory. |
| D．The position involving fluid intelligence. |
| A．Make full use of functional imaging techniques. |
| B．Establish the structures of each part of the brain. |
| C．Research people with the disability of the brain. |
| D．Analyse the difference between brain loss and damage. |
| A．To list the result of the study. | B．To explain the feature of APM. |
| C．To praise the researchers’ efforts. | D．To offer solutions to brain injuries. |
| A．Fruitful. | B．Perfect. | C．Time-consuming | D．Labor-saving. |
【推荐1】Just how much does the Constitution protect your digital data? The Supreme Court will now consider whether police can search the contents of a mobile phone without a warrant(执行令)if the phone is on or around a person dur
ing an arrest.
California has asked the justices to restore the practice that the police may search through the possessions of suspects at the time of their arrest. It is hard, the state argues, for judges to assess the implications of new and rapidly changing technologies.
The court would be careless if it followed California's advice. Enough of the implications are recognizable, even obvious, so that the justice can and should provide updated guidelines to police, lawyers and defendants.
They should start by casting away California's lame argument that exploring the contents of a smartphone-- a vast storehouse of digital information is similar to say, going through a suspect's purse .The court has ruled that police don't violate the Fourth Amendment when they go through the wallet or pocketbook, of an arrestee without a warrant. But exploring one's smartphone is more like entering his or her home. A smartphone may contain an arrestee's reading history, financial history, medical history and comprehensive records of recent correspondence. The development of “cloud computing,” meanwhile, has made that exploration so much the easier.
Americans should take steps to protect their digital privacy. But keeping sensitive information on these device
s is increasingly a requirement of normal life. Citizens still have a right to expect private documents to remain private and protected by the Constitution’s prohibition on unreasonable searches.
As so often is the case, stating that principle doesn’t ease the challenge of line-drawing. In many cases, it would not be very difficult for authorities to obtain a warrant to search through phone contents. They could still ignore Fourth Amendment protections when facing severe, urgent circumstances, and they could take reasonable measures to ensure that phone data are not erased or altered while a warrant is pending. The court, though, may want to allow room for police to cite situations where they are entitled to more freedom.
But the justices should not swallow California's argument whole. New, destructive technology sometimes demands novel applications of the Constitution's protections. Orin Kerr, a law professor, compares the explosion and accessibility of digital information in the 21st century with the establishment of automobile use as a virtual necessity of life in the 20th: The justices had to specify novel rules for the new personal domain of cars; similarly, they must sort out how the Fourth Amendment applies to digital information now.
1. The Supreme Court, will work out whether, during an arrest, it is legal to ____.| A．search for suspects' mobile phones without a warrant |
| B．check suspects' phone contents without being authorized |
| C．prevent suspects from deleting their phone contents |
| D．prohibit suspects from using their mobile phones |
| A．tolerance. | B．indifference | C．disapproval | D．cautiousness |
| A．principles are hard to be clearly expressed |
| B．the court is giving police less room for action |
| C．phones are used to store sensitive information |
| D．citizens' privacy is not effective protected |
| A．the Constitution should be carried out flexibly |
| B．New technology requires reinterpretation of the Constitution |
| C．California's argument violates principles of the Constitution |
| D．Principles of the Constitution should never be changed |
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1. Which of the following books save you the most?| A．Furiously Happy. |
| B．Make Your Bed. |
| C．The Silent Wife. |
| D．Magpie Murders. |
| A．The Silent Wife. |
| B．Make Your Bed. |
| C．Furiously Happy. |
| D．Magpie Murders. |
| A．They are all best sellers of the same year. |
| B．They all have hardcover and paperback. |
| C．They are all mystery stories. |
| D．They all have discounted prices. |
【推荐3】Many people all over the world speak English as their second language and it is not too much to say that it has become an international language.
Studying English can make life fun. It enables you to watch American movies, read English books and listen to English songs. Moreover, as English is an international language, you will be able to communicate with foreigners when you are on a trip abroad. Traveling will be more interesting that way.
It is a good idea to make friends with foreigners. In my opinion, it is the best way to improve your English. In addition, it will bring you a lot of fun and expand your view of the world. If you make friends with a native speaker, you can practice your spoken English more often, and then you can communicate with people around the world. You can also become familiar with the customs and habits of different cultures.
There are some people who are afraid to make friends with foreigners, because they are not confident about their English. However, many foreigners do not care about grammar. They will get your key words in the sentence and know the whole meaning. Therefore, it is unnecessary to be afraid; just go ahead..
In brief, English is so useful to us that we should all learn it.
1. Why does the writer think it necessary for us to learn English?| A．Because English has become an international language. |
| B．Because he uses it as a second language |
| C．Because you can’t make foreign friends if you can’t speak English. |
| D．Because it will be difficult for you to travel if you can’t speak English. |
| A．enjoying British or American music |
| B．traveling abroad |
| C．attending English parties |
| D．reading English novels or poems |
| A．they are afraid of making grammar mistakes |
| B．they become shy when they meet foreigners |
| C．they know little English |
| D．they seldom speak English with foreigners |
| A．improve | B．deepen |
| C．raise | D．enlarge |
【推荐1】I feel ashamed to admit this, but in much of my past life, I pretended I knew what was going on when I didn’t, for fear of being “caught out”. In the school cafeteria, when people talked about TV shows, which I didn’t have the channels for, or on MSN Messenger, when I read unfamiliar song lyrics my friends had shared, I felt upset and I’d pretend to be calm and recognize what they were talking about, like everyone else.
I did this, as I didn’t want to be seen not to understand some things that people, I respected were good at. I thought that if I didn’t know what was going on, it betrayed a moral failing and exposed me as a boy who was deeply uncool and actually, a bit stupid.
And so I nodded along silently. I prayed I wouldn’t be found out what I really was, or I would feel embarrassed. I would follow up each incident with some diligent homework on the subject, trying to disguise myself. Unsurprisingly, it all became far too much and recently I’ve found myself overwhelmed by the number of things I didn’t know about. From politics to pop culture—even Micro Electro Mechanical Systems. I just felt exhausted by it all.
And so I made a decision. I decided to stop nodding frequently at the pub while crazily searching the relative information under the table. Instead, now I’m embracing saying what is really true when I don’t know what the other person is talking about. Instead of hurrying to make up some funny opinion about a show I’ve never seen, I’ll say something like: “I’ve heard of that show but I haven’t watched it yet” Saying “I don’t know” is such a simple thing. I’m sorry that it took me so long to start saying that. I’ve changed my attitude towards something I don’t know in life. I’ll never get caught in an embarrassing lie again.
1. What does the author tell us in paragraph 1?| A．His fear of making mistakes. | B．The ways to make friends in the past. |
| C．School activities he and his friends loved. | D．His sense of shame about lying in the past. |
| A．Confused. | B．Anxious and awkward. |
| C．Unconcerned. | D．Calm and relaxed |
| A．Hide. | B．Beat. |
| C．Expose. | D．Fool. |
| A．To show disadvantages of being ignored. |
| B．To show some embarrassing learning experiences. |
| C．To tell us what to do with the case of being “caught out”. |
| D．To tell us how saying “I don’t know” changed his life attitude. |
【推荐2】I was diagnosed(诊断)with cancer last June. Finding out that I had breast cancer felt like I’d been locked up in a prison cell, but I later found something unexpected: freedom.
Tests and procedures followed. Once the daily treatments started, I was tired out. The tiredness that came with cancer was not like any kind of tiredness I’d known before.
Then the magic happened.
I started to realize that this life change had brought an unexpected gift. The usual pressures of life gave way to a different kind of stress, but it came with self-discovery. I do what I can and don’t care about the rest. With the disease, decisions come more easily, and things that I’d previously weighted more heavily no longer matter as much. I don’t need a perfect home. What does matter now is having family and friends and a husband who can shoulder this new responsibility with me.
The doctor says my situation is very good and there’s a 91 percent chance that I’ll still be alive in 10 years. I look forward to simple things like my garden this spring, and going back to work when I’m healthy again. I’m also imagining the joy of getting my quiet and modest life back. It’s inspiring and there are lots of people there with me. And the professionals are really good at what they do.
I used to wonder how it would feel to be told I had cancer. Sure, my first reaction was fear, panic, sorrow, and anger. Then I found my strength. The fear is still there, but to my amazement, I am handling it. “You got this,” people say encouragingly.
1. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．She felt as if she had lost her freedom. | B．She was unable to walk out of the cell. |
| C．Cancer gave her something unexpected. | D．Cancer cost her the ability to move freely. |
| A．was too tired to bear the treatment any more | B．found that she could handle the treatment easily |
| C．grew more peaceful and valued her family more | D．learned to be in a good state and free of pressure |
| A．Positive. | B．Hopeless. | C．Doubtful. | D．Concerned. |
| A．To help people learn to let go of stress in life. | B．To remind people to take care of their bodies. |
| C．To encourage people to shoulder responsibilities. | D．To inspire people to learn from her experiences. |
【推荐3】A radio report caught my attention the other day, as it spoke straight to my heart: Cadets(学员) at the US Naval Academy are now required to revisit and potentially revive the ancient skill of steering a ship by the stars.
By the stars – imagine that: looking up at the sky, not down at a screen, so many years after the heavens’ critical role in guiding mariners has fallen by the wayside, first replaced by radio waves, then by modern GPS. Much is gained – but something also lost – in such progress, I think.
It reminded me of my love of 18th and 19th century seafaring(航海的) tales (reading them is one of my coping mechanisms for uneventful life in the landlocked Midwest), when sailors had only celestial(天空的) maps for navigation and still miraculously managed to sail the planet’s vast oceans and even circumnavigate the globe.
Recent cybersecurity concerns have triggered renewed interest in backup navigational strategies such as stargazing, and simple hand-held technologies like the sextant(六分仪), so often mentioned in Richard Henry Dana’s Two Years Before the Mast, a tale that chronicles a mid-19th-century merchant ship’s endlessly adventurous voyage from Boston to California and back.
I wouldn’t wish the harsh conditions of that trip on modern sailors, but I am all for anything that help people find their compass bearings(方位) and travel routes without high-tech and often mindless guidance.
“Is that north or south of here?” I’ve asked motel clerks and gas station attendants about a particular address I’m seeking in my GPS-less travels.
“Well, it’s that way,” comes the most frequent reply, accompanied by a pointed finger, and I realize that north, south, east, and west are not familiar coordinates(坐标) to many people.
To be fair, I haven’t always been used to compass points either. In fact it was not until I was a young adult, lying on a float in my parents’ pool on a late summer’s visit home, and watching the sun set below the roofline, that I first realized that my childhood home faced due west. I was shocked that I’d been oblivious to this simple fact, especially since I’d begun to be schooled in geology and in compass work. But like so many, I’d grown up thinking and navigating using other coordinates, based on familiar streets, rights and lefts, and reference points such as my school, the homes of friends, the nearest playground, and the local shopping plaza.
I’ve going since become accustomed to finding my bearings on travels in unfamiliar territory by the sun’s position. And now I’d love to sit in on a class at the academy to learn to navigate by the moon and stars. It’s a skill I’ll probably never need to draw upon. Yet it feels good to know how it would connect me, in a new and profound way, to the historical trace of human experience on this planet.
As for modern sailors, it might just bring them safely home one day, if all else fails.
1. What kind of role do 18th and 19th century seafaring tales play in the author’s life?| A．Enriching his dull inland life. |
| B．Triggering his concern for cyber security. |
| C．Arousing his interest in modern navigational strategies. |
| D．Strengthening his resolve to revive an ancient skill. |
| A．the importance of modern technology such as GPS in travels |
| B．that it’s essential to learn geography and compass work well at school |
| C．that many people don’t navigate in terms of coordinates such as north and south |
| D．the convenience of navigating based on familiar streets, rights and lefts and reference points |
| A．obvious to | B．familiar with | C．unconcerned about | D．unaware of |
| A．Because he expects to experience the harsh conditions on the voyage in the past. |
| B．Because he is required to revisit this ancient skill as a cadet at the U.S. Naval Academy. |
| C．Because the skill can make him feel connected to the historical heritage of human beings. |
| D．Because the skill can bring sailors home, safe and sound, if modern technology fails. |
