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1、www.topsage.comPassageone（Theonlywaytotravelisonfoot）Thepastagesofmanhaveallbeencarefullylabeledbyanthropologists.Descriptionslike‘PalaeolithicMan’,‘NeolithicMan’,etc.,neatlysumupwholeperiods.Whenthetimecomesforanthropologiststoturntheirattentiontothetwen
2、tiethcentury,theywillsurelychoosethelabel‘LeglessMan’.Historiesofthetimewillgosomethinglikethis:‘inthetwentiethcentury,peopleforgothowtousetheirlegs.Menandwomenmovedaboutincars,busesandtrainsfromaveryearlyage.Therewereliftsandescalatorsinalllargebuildings
3、topreventpeoplefromwalking.Thissituationwasforceduponearthdwellersofthattimebecauseofmileseachday.Butthesurprisingthingisthattheydidn’tusetheirlegsevenwhentheywentonholiday.Theybuiltcablerailways,ski-liftsandroadstothetopofeveryhugemountain.Allthebeautysp
4、otsonearthweremarredbythepresenceoflargecarparks.’Thefuturehistorybooksmightalsorecordthatweweredeprivedoftheuseofoureyes.Inourhurrytogetfromoneplacetoanother,wefailedtoseeanythingontheway.Airtravelgivesyouabird’s-eyeviewoftheworld–orevenlessifthewingofth
5、eaircrafthappenstogetinyourway.Whenyoutravelbycarortrainablurredimageofthecountrysideconstantlysmearsthewindows.Cardrivers,inparticular,areforeverobsessedwiththeurgetogoonandon:theyneverwanttostop.Isitthelureofthegreatmotorways,orwhat?Andasforseatravel,it
6、hardlydeservesmention.Itisperfectlysummedupinthewordsoftheoldsong:‘Ijoinedthenavytoseetheworld,andwhatdidIsee?Isawthesea.’Thetypicaltwentieth-centurytraveleristhemanwhoalwayssays‘I’vebeenthere.’Youmentiontheremotest,mostevocativeplace-namesintheworldlikeE
7、lDorado,Kabul,Irkutskandsomeoneisboundtosay‘I’vebeenthere’–meaning,‘Idrovethroughitat100milesanhouronthewaytosomewhereelse.’Whenyoutravelathighspeeds,thepresentmeansnothing:youlivemainlyinthefuturebecauseyouspendmostofyourtimelookingforwardtoarrivingatsom
8、eotherplace.Butactualarrival,whenitisachieved,ismeaningless.Youwanttomoveonagain.Bytravelinglikethis,yoususpendallexperience;thepresentceasestobeareality:youmightjustaswellbedead.Thetraveleronfoot,ontheotherhand,liv
