第四部分 阅读理解（共六篇）
第四十四篇
Road Trip Vacations
It's summer. In the United States, it's the season of swimming pools, barbeques, camping and road trips.
Road trip vacations where the car journey is part of the fun are especially popular with college students, who like to explore the country on wheels. These budget trips are ideal for students who often have plenty of free time but little money.
"Ever since I went to college, I've been traveling around a lot, exploring the country," said Austin Hawkins, a 19-year-old college student from New York. This summer, Hawkins and his friends have spent weekends traveling in New England.
The best part about car trips, said Hawkins, is that you can be spontaneous. "On a road trip, if you get interested in things you see along the way you can stop and explore."
Matt Roberts, a 20-year-old student from Ohio who drove to Montreal, Canada, agrees. "With road trips you don't have to plan in advance, you can just get into a car and drive."
Even with high gas prices, driving with friends is cheaper than flying. Roberts paid about 40 dollars for gas, but a round trip plane ticket would have cost nearly 400 dollars.
Driving trips first became popular in the 1920s. Newly paved roads and improved, cars made it possible to travel longer distances. Motels started appearing outside cities.
By the 1950s, car ownership became the norm. Construction of the US interstate highway system began in 1956 and motel and restaurant chains popped up1 everywhere making long distance trips easier.
Today, the US has the highest car ownership rate in the world. Only 8 percent of American homes have no car, according to the most recent US census.
Though many college students don't own a car, most have access to one. 2 On many of Hawkins' trips, they used a borrowed van.
Hawkins' most memorable road trip took place over spring break. He and two friends drove from New York to New Orleans to volunteer, helping rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina hit it last July. They crossed the country in two days and slept in their car in church parking lots.
Roberts' road trip to Canada last winter was even more eventful. Upon arriving in Montreal, they were lost in a blizzard and shivering in the -25°cold. To find their hotel, they turned on a laptop and drove around in circles until they found a spot with wireless Internet coverage.3
"I know we should have planned better, but we're young. Now, when I see those guys I always say: 'Remember when we were lost in the snow storm!' I'll never forget that."
词汇：
barbeques n. 户外烤肉
budget adj. 低廉的
motels n. 汽车旅馆
interstate adj. 洲际的
pop v. 突然出现
hurricane n. 风暴
laptop n. 笔记本电脑
注释：
1．popup是“突然冒出”，也可说pop out。
2．Though many college students don’t own a car, most have access to one．虽然许多大学生是没有车的，但是大多数都可以弄到一辆。“to have access t0…”是“可以得到”的意思。
3．To find their hotel，they turned on a laptop(笔记本电脑)and drove around in circles until they found a spot with wireless Internet coverage．为了找旅馆，他们打开笔记本电脑，然后一圈圈地转，最后终于发现了一个无线因特网覆盖的区域。
练习：
1. Which of the following statements is NOT true of American college students?
A) They have little money.
B) They like traveling by bike.
C) They like to explore the country.
D) They often have plenty of free time.
2. What will Hawkins do when he sees something interesting on a road trip?
A) He will turn back.
B) He will drive around.
C) He will stop to explore.
D) He will stop exploring.
3. When did motels suddenly appear?
A) After the work to build the interstate highway system started.
B) When driving trips became popular.
C) After many roads were paved.
D) After new cars were made.
4. Which of the following words can best describe Hawkins' trip to New Orlends?
A) Eventful.
B) Colourful.
C) Delightful.
D) Unforgettable.
5. The word blizzard in paragraph 12 can be replaced by
A) snowstorm.
B) hurricane.
C) mist.
D) fog.
答案与题解：
1．B 问题问的是：下面的哪一个有关美国大学生的命题是不对的。B说“他们喜欢骑自行车旅行”。这个命题是不对的。第二段的第一句是这么说的：路面旅行假期的部分乐趣来自开车旅行，这种通过路面旅行度过假期尤其在大学生中特别盛行。可以看出，大学生还是喜欢开车旅行，而不是骑车旅行。
2．C 问题问的是：当Hawkins在路面旅行中见到有趣的东西时会干什么？第四段Hawkins说了这么一句话：当你在路面旅行中一路上看到有趣的东西时，你可以停下来仔细看看。
3．A 问题问的是：汽车旅馆是什么时候突然出现的?答案在第六段，其中有一句话是这么说的：汽车旅馆开始在城外出现。第七段讲到的是汽车旅馆和菜馆连锁店的突然出现。
4．D 问题问的是：下面的哪个词描写Hawkins去新奥良的旅途最合适？倒数第三段讲到了Hawkins和他的伙伴志愿从纽约去新奥良，帮助重建该城。其中的第一句话是这么说的：Hawkins’ most memorable road trip took place over spring break．Hawkins的最值得记忆的路面旅行发生在春假。“memorable”和“unforgettable”的意思差不多。
5．A 问题问的是：最佳替换第12段的“blizzard”是哪个词？从该段提供的背景我们可以推出“snow storm”应该是最合适的。
