学位英语

TV Shows and Long Bus Trips

Long bus rides are like television shows1 .They have a beginning, a middle, and an end一with commercials2 thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window.3 "Buy Super Clean Toothpaste." "Drink Good'n Wet Root Beer." "Fill up with Pacific Gas."Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of"You Need It! Buy It Now!"4

The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you've traveled that way before. Usually some things have changed一new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. The bus driver has a style of driving and it's fun to try to figure it out5 the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly reckless or daring, the ride can be as thrilling as a suspense story.6 Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the right or the left-hand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides mcre interesting. But you've got to be carful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.

The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning7. You know it will soon be over and there's a kind of expectation and excitement in that. The seat, of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. By now you've sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the arm rests一even with your hands crossed behind your head. The end comes just at the right time. There are just no more ways to sit.

注释：

1. Long bus rides are like television shows. like在此句中是介词，意思是“像，如；跟……一样”。例如：He is like an athlete．他像个运动员。

2. commercials：商业广告，特别指电台、电视台播出的商业广告。

3. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window．每隔几分钟就会有一块广告牌从车窗外闪过。

4. Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of "You Need It! Buy It Now!”只有当你睡着的时候，就和关掉电视一样，才会免受那些没完没了的“你需要它，现在就来买吧！”的干扰。

5. figure it out：计算出；解决

6. …the ride can be as thrilling as a suspense story. ……乘车就像读悬念故事一样令人兴奋。此句中的as... as结构是比较结构的一种，常称之为同级比较，表示与……一样。在as与as之间的形容词或副词必须是原级。

7. The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning．旅程的最后倒有点儿像刚开始。此句中的somewhat是副词，意思是“一点儿，有几分”。

练习：

1 According to the passage, what do the passengers usually see when they are on a long bus trip?

A) Buses on the road.

B) Films on television.

C) Advertisements on billboards.

D) Gas stations.

2. What is the purpose of this passage?

A) To talk about the similarities between long bus trips and TV shows.

B) To persuade you to take a long bus trip.

C) To display the differences between long bus trips and TV shows.

D) To describe the billboards along the road.

3. The writer of this passage would probably favor______.

A) bus drivers who weren't reckless

B) driving alone

C) a television set on the bus

D) no billboards along the road

4. The writer feels long bus rides are like TV shows because______.

A) the commercials both on TV shows and on the billboards along the road are fun

B) they both have a beginning, a middle, and an end, with commercials in between

C) the drivers are always reckless on TV shows just as they are on buses

D) both traveling and watching TV are not exciting

5. The writer thinks that the end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning because both are______.

A) exciting

B) comfortable

C) tiring

D) boring

答案与题解：

1.C 第一段中一开始就讲乘长途汽车旅行就像看电视。随着汽车往前开，路两边的广告不断地从窗旁滑过。

2.A 文章第一段说乘公共汽车长途旅行与看电视一样，有开始、中间和结尾，每隔三四分钟都会看到商业广告。文章下面的部分紧接着描述了旅途中的这三部分及作者的感受，所以该文是写对坐公共汽车长途旅行的看法。故此题答案为A。

3.D 此题答案的依据在第一段。第一段说：The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not.“这些商业广告是不可避免的，不管你想要还是不想要。”最后一句说：Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of "You Need It! Buy It Now!”只有当你睡着的时候，就和关掉电视一样，才会免受那些没完没了的“你需要它，现在就来买吧！”的干扰。从这些句子中可以看出，作者更喜欢沿途没有那些广告牌。至于A选项错是因为文中说the ride can be as thrilling as a suspense story，意为“坐车就像读悬念故事一样令人心惊肉跳”，作者并没有明确表示不喜欢鲁莽的司机，相反还暗示喜欢不同风格的司机。B、C选项文中都未涉及。故D为正确选项。

4. B 此题答案在第一段前两句：Long bus rides are like television shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end一with commercials thrown in every three or four minutes.“乘长途汽车旅行与看电视一样，有开始、中间和结尾，每隔三四分钟都会看到各种商业广告。”此句话明确地指出了B为正确选项。

5. A 此题答案可以从第二段的第一句和第三段的第二句的相互呼应关系中得出。第二段中的第一句说：The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting,…“旅途刚开始是蛮舒服的，甚至有点令人兴奋”；第三段第二句说：You know it will soon be over and there's" kind of expectation and excitement in that. “知道自己快下车了，你满怀期望和兴奋。”由此看出旅途的开始和结束都令人兴奋，故A为正确选项。kind of：某种程度上。又如：I'm feeling kind of tired．我觉得有点累。

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