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 any 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(免疫的), 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 a 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 exercise. A person who avoids exercise is more likely to have illnesses than one who exercises regularly. And walking 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.
1. 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-hour walk as a hardship. |
| 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 |
| A．A queue of cars |
| B．A ray of traffic light |
| C．A flash of lightning |
| D．A stream of people |
| A．To tell people to reflect more on 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 |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Forced by the COVID﹣19 outbreak， Pooja Chandrashekar spoke to mobile health﹣clinic （卫生所） workers across the city about their needs during the pandemic（大流行病）． The first﹣year Harvard Medical School student discovered that most information about the widespread virus was only available in English and a small number of other languages， leaving those who do not speak those languages in the dark．
"This makes it very difficult for immigrants（外来移民） and non﹣English﹣speaking communities to seek care for COVID﹣19，" Chandrashekar said． "We know from past epidemics like the swine flu（猪流感） that the lack of accessible information in one's native language places these populations at a higher risk of infection．"
She decided to take action， creating the COVID﹣19 Health Literacy Project． Chandrashekar brought together a group of students from more than 30 universities to create fact sheets in languages not commonly represented in the American health care system． She tweeted about her effort on March 14 and included an interest form in a following tweet that collected more than 500 responses． From there， she formed a still﹣growing team of over 175 medical students． Together， the students created seven fact sheets， in 35 languages．
"Our goal is to make sure we're producing accurate， evidence﹣based information，" Chandrashekar said． "When you're putting information out to the public and health care organizations are distributing it to their patients， you really want to make sure the information you're providing is correct．"
Going forward， Chandrashekar plans to keep building the network of partners and expanding the languages offered to serve the greatest number of people．
1. What does "their needs" in paragraph 1 probably mean？| A．The information about the the COVID﹣19． |
| B．The care for people in the dark． |
| C．The medical students coming from other countries． |
| D．The accessible information about the COVID﹣19 in more languages． |
| A．More than 30 universities． |
| B．Followers of Chandrashekar's tweet． |
| C．Students in medical teams． |
| D．Health care providers all over the world． |
| A．Providing correct and evidence﹣based information． |
| B．Offering accessible information in different languages to the people in need． |
| C．Working with health care providers around the world． |
| D．Displaying and distributing fact sheets to patients in their care． |
| A．Entertainment． |
| B．Lifestyle． |
| C．Community． |
| D．Advertisements． |
【推荐2】What is geocaching?
Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting activity using GPS-enabled devices. Participants make an attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.
How did geocaching start?
It’s a very cool Story, actually. So cool that it deserves its own page.
How is teaching played?
At its simplest level, Reaching requires these steps:
1. Register for a free Basic Membership.
2. Visit the “Hide & Seed a Cache” page.
3. Enter your postal code and click “search”.
4. Choose any geocache from the list and click on its name.
5. Use your GPS device to assist you in finding the hidden geocache.
6. Sign the logbook and return the geocache to its original location.
7. Share your geocaching stories and photos online.
There are many other levels to the geocaching. Keep reading the guide to learn more!
What are the rules of geocaching?
1. If you take something from, the geocache (or “cache”), leave something of equal or greater value.
2. Write about your find in the cache logbook.
3. Log your experience at www. geocaching. com.
What do I need to go geocaching?
The only necessities are a GPS device or a GPS-enabled mobile phone so that you can navigate to the cache, and a Geocaching. com Membership.
Where are geocaches located?
Geocaches can be found all over the world. It is common for geocachers to hide caches in locations that are important to them, reflecting a special interest or skill of the cache owner. These locations can be quite diverse. They may be at your local park, at the end of a long hike, underwater or on the side of a city street.
1. The author’s purpose of writing the text is to ________.| A．introduce a game |
| B．advertise a mobile phone |
| C．suggest a Journey |
| D．recommend a website |
| A．be good at hungting |
| B．own a membership card |
| C．get a GPS enabled mobile phone |
| D．share your information online |
| A．return what you take from the cache |
| B．put in the logbook about your find |
| C．tell about the skill of geocaching |
| D．avoid GPS mistakes in the activity |
【推荐3】My younger daughter, Lauren, has a new car and she has managed to keep it spotlessly clean since she bought it in July.
Lauren’s old car was messy. It was essentially a large garbage dump on wheels. I must admit that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree because until I got my present car, all of my many automobiles had been messy too.
The worst thing about her car was that it took on water every time it rained. No one could ever find the source of the leak (漏洞), which created a pool on the floor of the front passenger side.
Four years ago, I got a new car. I turned over a new leaf and, for the first time since I got my driver’s license, cleaned up my act. I gave my old car, which contained old leaves, to my wife, who in turn gave her car to Lauren. It’s the one Lauren was driving – and filling with so much stuff that there was barely enough room in the back seat for her little dog, Maggie – until she got her new car.
A few weeks ago, Lauren decided to go car shopping. She went to a Volkswagen dealership because she had her eye on a Jetta. She had her other eye on my wallet.
Anyway, she saw a 2005 model, which was shown to her by an automotive associate named Anthony. He spent a lot of time with Lauren each of the three or four times she visited the dealership, let me test-drive the car when I went to see it, and didn’t put any pressure on any of us. In short, Anthony gave used car salesmen a good name.
But he was no match for Lauren when it came to negotiating the price, which he lowered to what she said she could afford and not a penny more.
So now, at 25, which is half the age I was when I cleaned up my act, Lauren has done the same. Her car has been clean for almost three months. Even the dog is impressed.
The downside is that my wife’s car is messy. And she wants a new one, too.
1. Which of the following best explains the saying “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” underlined in paragraph 2?| A．An apple fell somewhere near from the tree, making Lauren’s car dirty. |
| B．Until 50, the author treated his cars the way Lauren treated her old car. |
| C．The author didn’t know why Lauren’s car was always so messy. |
| D．It’s common for many people not to keep their cars tidy and clean. |
| A．Problems would be created by the leak in the car on rainy days. |
| B．There was something wrong with the front passenger side. |
| C．It was given to her by the author when he was 50 years old. |
| D．It was always over-packed and had no room for her little dog. |
| A．Lauren bought her new car with her own money. |
| B．Anthony was a good automotive associate who sells new cars. |
| C．Anthony didn’t put any pressure on Lauren when she visited the dealership. |
| D．In the end, Lauren picked up her new car for a good price. |
| A．The author’s daughter resembled him in all aspects of life. |
| B．The author taught his daughter how to keep her car clean. |
| C．The author’s family’s attitudes toward their old and new cars. |
| D．How the author’s family hungered for new cars. |
