话题12 旅游与交通
主题语篇阅读
Ⅰ.[2019·海淀一模] 完形填空
It was the middle of July. I had spent two days exploring a bat cave in the desert in southern New Mexico. The cave was part of an ancient flow of lava (熔岩流), now hardened into rocks. I had left the cave and was driving my pickup truck on a rough (高低不平的) track across the 1 surface of the lava flow. Suddenly, the truck came to a stop, caught on a black lava rock.
A quick check of the underside 2 the worst: the truck’s axle (车轴) was bent, nearly broken in two. I couldn’t 3 help in such a faraway country. I put the food and cans of water into my backpack and set off on foot, going north, the direction of the main highway. I was low on water. Too little food did not matter much, but hiking across the desert in July without water could be dangerous. As I set out, unreasonable 4 came over my mind. I was afraid of everything around me. Each creature made my heart jump. In my mind, every movement was a scary animal about to strike and kill me.
I walked for hours and cried until I 5 that nobody was around to hear me. Complaining was useless. A change came over me. I began to feel less afraid. Fear was replaced by curiosity. I went on, and slowly but surely began to see the desert world differently, through 6 eyes, not frightened ones.
That night I lay on the warm sand, using my backpack as a pillow. The sky went dark. The stars began to shine in the hugeness of the heavens. With a smile I thought how little there was to fear, after all. By noon the following day I 7 north. I began to think how lucky I was to see the wild desert world. A wrecked truck and a forced hike across the desert gave me an/a 8 to see what few others ever saw.
Late in the day, I came to a farmhouse. I drank all the lemonade that the farmer and his wife had in their refrigerator. “I liked it out there,” I told them when we got to talking. “I just wish I had been less frightened. I would have noticed more that way.” “I know what you mean,” the man said thoughtfully. “It’s a rare sight, that desert wilderness, a rare sight.”
( )1.A.clean B.flat C.hard D.smooth
( )2.A.proved B.ordered C.thought D.imagined
( )3.A.choose B.explain C.suggest D.expect
( )4.A.pride B.fears C.pains D.surprise
( )5.A.wondered B.remembered C.described D.realized
( )6.A.tired B.nervous C.interested D.satisfied
( )7.A.continued B.searched C.improved D.increased
( )8.A.change B.opportunity C.attention D.responsibility
Ⅱ.[2018·西城一模] 阅读理解
Cities are taking interest in electric scooter-share systems as an affordable transportation to cut down on pollution and traffic jams. The electric scooters, which weigh between 30 and 40 pounds, reach speeds of about 15 mph.
In September 2017,Santa Monica, California, became the first U.S. city to have an electric scooter-share service. Users find and unlock one of the more than 1,000 scooters with a smartphone app. A ride costs $1,and then 0.15 cents for each minute of riding throughout the beach town.
Bird, the startup operating the scooter-share, picks up the scooters every night, and places them around Santa Monica each morning ready for people’s use. The company was created by Travis Vander Zanden, who once worked in Uber and Lyft, after he realized ridesharing services failed to help with traffic jams and air pollution. Since its September 2017 beginning, Bird’s system has served more than 50,000 riders who have taken 250,000 trips—more than half of which have been in the last month. It’s since expanded(扩张) to Venice, California, and some neighborhoods in Los Angeles and San Diego. Bird plans to expand to lots of markets by the end of 2018.
Competitors, backed by millionaires, are appearing. Two bike-share startups Lime Bike and Spin, have spoken of plans to provide electric scooters in cities this year.
Electric scooters have also gotten the attention of Mayor Pete Buttigieg from South Bend, Indiana. The city is interested in using them as a way to improve public transportation. South Bend was one of the first to use bike-share systems, which allow people to park ridesharing bikes on public land. “We love to be early pioneers,” said Buttigieg. “If we work out the safety problem, we would be open to welcoming the technology.”
