1 . People traveling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea, or air. Hardly can anyone positively enjoy sitting in a train for mort than a few hours. Train compartments soon get cramped and stuffy. Reading is only a partial solution for the monotonous rhythm of the wheels clicking on the rails soon lulls you to sleep. During the day, sleep comes in snatches. At night when you really wish to go to sleep you rarely manage to do so. Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted.
Long car journey are even less pleasant for it is quite impossible even to read. On motorways you can at least, travel fairly safely at high speeds, but more often than not, the greater pan of the journey is spent on narrow bumpy roads which are crowded wich traffic.
By comparison, trips by sea offer a great variety of civilized comforts. You can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, play games, swim, meet interesting people and enjoy good food-always assuming, of course, that the sea is calm. If it is not and you are likely to get seasick; no form of transport could be worse. Even if you travel in ideal weather, sea journeys take a long time. Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice up to a third of their holidays for the pleasure of traveling on a ship.
Airplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and expensive. But nothing can match them for speed and comfort. Traveling at a height of 30,000 feet far above the clouds, and at over 500 miles an hour is an exhilarating experience. For a few hours, you settle back in a deep armchair to enjoy the flight. The real escapist can watch a free film show and sip champagne on some services. But even when such refinements are not available, there is plenty to keep you occupied. An airplane offers you an unusual and breathtaking view of the world. You soar effortlessly over high mountains and deep valleys. You really see the shape of the land. If the landscape is hidden from the view. you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken cloud plains that stretch om for miles before you, while the sun shines brilliantly in a clear sky. The journey is so smooth that there is nothing to prevent you from reading or sleeping. However you decide to spend your time, one thing is certain: you will arrive at your destination fresh and uncrumpled.
1. According to the author, reading help lessen .| A．The boredom of being in the train | B．The tiresome clicking of the wheels |
| C．The sleeplessness during the journey | D．The poor ventilation of the compartment |
| A．It is safe because the car usually goes at high speeds. |
| B．It is unpleasant because reading is quite impossible. |
| C．It is exhausting because you seldom manage to sleep. |
| D．It is dangerous because the traffic is always too dense. |
| A．The weather is terrible | B．The traveler has little time |
| C．The traveler feels seasick | D．The sea is not calm |
| A．Introduce diverse ways of traveling. |
| B．Points out the best mode of traveling. |
| C．Emphasize the advantages of traveling by air. |
| D．Compare the means of relaxing when traveling. |
2 . At thirteen, I was diagnosed with a kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.
In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write about it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it.
She glanced down at me through her glasses, “You are not different from your classmates, young man.”
I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.
In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots, which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.
Wasn’t I the “blind” one in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts flowed and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was not different from others; I just needed a quieter place. Now that Louis could find his way out of his problems, why should I ever give up? I didn’t expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day —with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words: “See what you can do when you keep tying.”
1. Why did the author fail to finish class reading?| A．He had poor reading skills. | B．He was tired of literature. |
| C．He had an attention disorder. | D．He wanted to take the task home. |
| A．He was poor. | B．He was very creative. |
| C．He was near-sighted. | D．He was well-educated. |
| A．Angry. | B．Impatient. | C．Supportive. | D．Negative. |
| A．The blind should be treated with respect. |
| B．Teachers can open up a new world to students. |
| C．Everyone needs a hand when faced with challenges. |
| D．One can find his way out of difficulties with efforts. |
3 . Alexis, 17, sat quietly in the passenger seat of her dad's car. She let her eyes lazily scan, the field for wildlife. Then a deer came into sight about 200 yards in front of them. "Dad, there's a deer there!" Alexis said. It was a male deer with sharp antlers(角)on each side of its head.
As the car moved closer, Alexis saw that the deer's head was bent toward the ground. Then she heard a scream and saw an arm fly up near the deer's head. Alexis realized the deer was attacking a woman. Sue, a 44-year-old mother, had been out for her morning run. The deer followed her and edged closer. "I knew I was in trouble," Sue says. She went to pick up a stone for self-protection, and the deer attacked. It lifted her with its antlers and threw her into the air. Sue could feel blood flew down her leg. Within seconds, the deer had pushed her off the road.
When Alexis and her father pulled up, the deer was throwing Sue like a doll. Alexis looked into the woman's frightened eyes, and before her father had even stopped the car, the teenager jumped quickly out of the car and ran toward the deer. "I was kicking it to get its attention," she says. Then her father, who had followed his daughter, pushed the deer away from the women.
Alexis helped Sue into the car, and then applied a piece of cloth to Sue's injured leg. "We're going to take you to a hospital," Alexis said. Then she heard her father shout loudly. He had been knocked to the ground. Alexis took hold of a hammer from the car and ran to where her father lay on his back. She beat the deer's head and neck, but it didn't scare it away. "I was losing faith," she says. "More strikes, Alexis," said her father. "You can do it." Turning the hammer around. Alexis closed her eyes and beat the deer's neck with all her strength. When she opened her eyes, the deer was running away. Alexis got in the driver's seat and sped toward the nearest hospital.
After Sue was treated, she tearfully thanked the teenager and her father. "You expect a teenage girl to get on the phone and call for help," she says, "not to beat up a deer."
1. What was Sue doing when she was attacked by the deer?| A．She was driving home. | B．She was resting on the road. |
| C．She was taking exercise. | D．She was feeding wild animals. |
| A．changed | B．cut | C．attacked | D．moved |
| A．She pushed the deer away. | B．She hit the deer with her feet. |
| C．She drove the car to hit the deer. | D．She beat the deer with a hammer. |
| A．Strong. | B．Well-educated. |
| C．Energetic. | D．Brave. |
