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, 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 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 Abrahams, 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.What is the national sickness?
| A．Walking too much |
| B．Traveling too much |
| C．Driving cars too much |
| D．Climbing stairs too much. |
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. |
The author mentions Henry Thoreau to prove that________.
| 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 |
What is compared to “a steel river” in Paragraph 6?
| A．A queue of cars | B．A ray of traffic light |
| C．A flash of lightning | D．A stream of people |
What is the author’s intention of writing this passage?
| 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 |
Sydney Airport International Terminal-Arrivals Area
SPECIALTY RETAIL
Newslink: Two separate Newslink stores cater to all your reading needs including newspapers, magazines and the latest bestsellers.
Downtown Duty Free: Make sure you shop at Downtown Duty Free for great savings on a range of items including perfume, alcohol, skincare and cigarettes. It’s your last chance before customs.
Beach Culture: A must for those who go into the Latest in beach clothing. Top surf, street and fashion labels including Mambo, Stussy and Quicksilver, including children’s sizes.
DINING
Blue Sky Care: Speedy service leaves you time to keep an eye on the arrivals gate. Morning pastries, fresh juice, breakfast rolls and coffee while you wait.
McDonald’s: hamburgers, fries, drinks, muffins and shakes—all your family favorites. Breakfast served until 10:30 a. m.
SERVICES
ATM: ATMs are conveniently located throughout Arrival and Departures. Dollars, pounds, francs and RMB are all available.
Vodafone Rentals: This communication center offers the very latest technology for mobile phone rentals, sales and servicing.Where is this passage likely to appear?
| A．A morning newspaper. |
| B．A monthly magazine. |
| C．A geography book. |
| D．An official guide. |
The underlined phrase “cater to” probably means ______.
| A．satisfy | B．afford | C．support | D．help |
If you want to have some coffee while waiting for your flight, you can go to ______.
| A．Vodafone Rentals | B．Blue Sky Cafe |
| C．Downtown Duty Free | D．McDonald’s |
At Beach Culture you can buy ______.
| A．newspapers and magazines |
| B．skincare and cigarettes |
| C．Mambo and Stussy |
| D．fresh juice and breakfast rolls |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．You can have breakfast at McDonald’s at 11:00 a. m.. |
| B．You’ll save money if you buy alcohol or perfume at Downtown Duty Free. |
| C．You’ll not find any beach clothing for your seven-year-old boy in Beach Culture. |
| D．There is only one ATM throughout Arrivals and Departure. |
More perhaps than any other European nation, the Swiss are accustomed to looking after foreign travelers. As early as the 18th century, wealthy French, Germans and Italians were treating the country as a amusement center while, in the 19th century, it became the major holiday playground for the British nobles. Today, it attracts visitors from all over the world.
The Swiss are clear about the importance of tourism to their economy, which contributes about eight percent of Gross National Product, and helps the industry greatly. Managers of hotels the world over go to Switzerland to learn how to do the job, and a generally high standard can be expected from the great majority of the country’s hotels, most of which are small and pride themselves on a personalized service. Public transport is the best in Europe. Both the Swiss Federal railways and the private railways are fully electrified, and the total network is made up of about 5000 kilometers of track.
Under the Fly Baggage system passengers can check luggage in at 116 railway stations and have it automatically carried to their flight. The national highway system is equally well planned, and the mountain roads offer views of some of the country’s most breathtaking scenery. Also serving the mountains is an effective system of railways and cable ways, while more than 160 passenger cars cross the lakes and rivers to and fro. Hiking in the mountains is equally popular with Swiss nationals and foreign visitors. For those who want to view the country from a height without having to climb the mountain themselves, it is always possible to take in the view from a balloon. Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Most of the hotels in Switzerland are big in size. |
| B．The hotels in Switzerland offer exactly the same service. |
| C．Most of the hotels in Switzerland offer first class service. |
| D．The hotels in Swizerland are accustomed to learn from the world. |
The Fly Rail Baggage system is service to carry your luggage between the railway station and ___________.
| A．the airport | B．the hotel | C．the motorway station | D．the cable ways |
According to the passage, Switzerland is now often visited by ________.
| A．wealthy French | B．rich Germans and Italians |
| C．noble British | D．people from various countries |
The best title for this passage is _______.
| A．Scenery in Switzerland | B．Life in Switzerland |
| C．Tourism in Switzerland | D．Transportation in Switzerland |
As you can see in the following list, there is a rainbow of colors in the sky represented by the planets.
| Planet |
Color |
| Mercury（水星） |
Orange |
| Venus（金星） 0） |
Yellow |
| Earth |
Blue, brown, green |
| Mars |
Red |
| Jupiter（木星） |
Yellow, red, brown, white |
| Saturn（土星） |
Yellow |
| Uranus（天王星） |
Green |
| Neptune（海王星） |
Blue |
| Pluto（冥王星） |
Yellow |
The color of a star is an indication (标示) of its brightness, temperature, and age. Stars are classified into groups. From oldest to youngest and from hottest to coolest, the types of stars are:
| Temperature |
|||
| Type |
Color |
Fahrenheit |
Celsius |
| O |
Blue |
45,000-75,000 |
25,000-40,000 |
| B |
Blue |
20,800-45,000 |
11,000-20,000 |
| A |
Blue-white |
13,500-20,000 |
7,500-11,000 |
| F |
White |
10,800-13,500 |
6,000-7,500 |
| G |
Yellow |
9,000-10,800 |
5,000-6,000 |
| K |
Orange |
6,300-9,000 |
3,500-5,000 |
| M |
Red |
5,400-6,300 |
3,000-3,500 |
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all have rings. Jupiter's rings were discovered by Voyager 1 in March 1979. The rings extend 80,240 miles from the center of the planet. They are about 4,300 miles wide and less than 20 miles thick.
Saturn has the largest, most wonderful rings in the solar system. Saturn's rings are about 41,168 miles wide and 169,800 miles in diameter, but less than 10 miles thick.
In 1977, when Uranus passed in front of a star, scientists found that the light from the star winked several times before the planet totally blocked the star from view. It was due to the rings around Uranus. The rings are thin, narrow, and very dark.
Voyager 2 discovered a series of at least five very faint rings around Neptune in 1989. The rings are made up of particles, some of which are greater than one mile in diameter.
A day, the period of time it takes a planet to make one complete turn, varies from planet to planet. A day on Venus, Mercury, and Pluto is several times longer than a day on Earth. A Martian day is closest in length to our own. The rest of the planets have shorter days than we do.
Length of Day
| Planet |
Earth Days |
Hours |
Minutes |
| Mercury |
58 |
15 |
30 |
| Venus |
243 |
32 |
|
| Earth |
23 |
56 |
|
| Mars |
24 |
37 |
|
| Jupiter |
9 |
50 |
|
| Saturn |
10 |
39 |
|
| Uranus |
17 |
14 |
|
| Neptune |
16 |
3 |
|
| Pluto |
6 |
9 |
18 |
Among the nine planets, how many may show yellow color?
A. Four. B. Five. C Six. D. Seven.What is the type of Mars?
A. Type A. B.Type F. C. Type K. D. Type M. Whose rings are made up of particles around one mile in diameter?
| A．Jupiter's. | B．Saturn's. | C．Neptune's. | D．Uranus's. |
How long is a day on Mars?
| A．Fifteen hours and thirty minutes. |
| B．Seventeen hours and fourteen minutes. |
| C．Twenty-three hours and fifty-six minutes. |
| D．Twenty-four hours and thirty-seven minutes. |
People are always talking about "the problem of youth". If there is one—which I take leave to doubt—then it is older people who create it, not the young themselves. Let us get down to something basic and agree that the young are after all human beings—people just like their elders. There is only one difference between an old man and a young one: the young man has a beautiful future before him and the old one has a splendid future behind him and maybe that is where the rub is.
When I was a teenager, I felt that I was just young and unknown—that I was a new boy in a huge school, and I would have been very pleased to be regarded as something so interesting as a problem. For one thing, being a problem gives you a certain identity, and that is one of the things the young are busily engaged in seeking.
I find young people exciting. They have an air of freedom, and they have not a dull promise to mean ambitions(卑鄙的野心) or love of comfort. They are not anxious social climbers, and they have no devotion to important things. All these seem to me to link them with life, and the origins of things. It is as if they were in some sense from outside space and lovely contrast with us suburban people. All that is in my mind when I meet a young person. He may be ill-mannered, self-confident, but I do not turn for protection to boring clichés(陈腔烂调) about respect for elders as if the age is a reason for respect. I accept that we are equals, and I will argue with him, as an equal, if I think he is wrong.From the text we can see the writer’s attitude towards the young is ______.
| A．kind and satisfied | B．considerate and understanding |
| C．angry and unpleased | D．hopeless and boring |
The word "rub" in the last sentence of paragraph 1 is closest to the meaning of the following ________.
| A．polishing | B．difficulty | C．future | D．age |
One of the things the young are engaged in seeking is that ________.
| A．they want people to notice them |
| B．they want to make great troubles |
| C．they want to excite people around |
| D．they want to make some interesting events |
The combined sales of the 100 largest foreign investing companies in the U.S. increased by 40% in the two years between 1987 and 1989, and the number has continued to increase steadily. In 1990, South Africa proved to be the largest financial investor in the U.S., controlling about $19.2 billion in sales. The Netherlands and the U.K. follow as second largest investors—and Germany next. New of the list of the top 100 foreign investors are 12 banking and finance and insurance companies—the largest, the Hong Kong-Shanghai Banking Corp from Hong Kong. The number of Latin American companies engaged in business here is growing steadily, often through third country holding companies.
Why are so many firms coming to the U.S.? There are many reasons. One of the greatest attractions, of course, is a market of over 200 million consumers with a high average per capital income. In addition, with the devalued dollar the cost of American labor has declined markedly, relative to many foreign labor costs. Some firms seeking to avoid bureaucratic and/or political pressures at home find the U.S. a politically stable environment in which to work. Many hope they may be able to continue selling to the American market even if the U.S. Government restricts imports further, or if major price changes occur due to currency fluctuations (波动). Many foreigners are attracted by U.S. technology, its modern management methods, its labor saving and mass production techniques.All the following statements are mentioned in the passage except ______.
| A．South Africa controlled about $19.2 billion in sales in 1990 |
| B．in 1989 Hong Kong was the largest foreign investor in the U.S. |
| C．more and more Latin American companies were engaged in business in the U.S. |
| D．the combined sales of the top 100 foreign investing companies increased steadily |
The most important reason why so many companies come to the U.S. is that _______.
| A．the U.S. technology is advanced |
| B．the environment is politically stable |
| C．the labor cost there has been reduced |
| D．the market in the U.S. is very attractive |
Which of the following reasons for many firms coming to the U.S. is not mentioned in the passage?
| A．Skillful labor force in the U.S. |
| B．Modern management method. |
| C．Mass production techniques. |
| D．Rich American consumers. |
The best title for this passage would probably be________.
| A．Foreign Investors in the U.S. |
| B．Why Foreign Investors Like the U.S. |
| C．Foreign Business Is Growing in the U.S. |
| D．The 100 Top Largest Companies in the U.S. |