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1、英语100篇精读汇粹(基础篇)Passageone(Theonlywaytotravelisonfoot)Thepastagesofmanhaveallbeencarefullylabeledbyanthropologists.Descriptionslike‘PalaeolithicMan’,‘NeolithicMan’,etc.,neatlysumupwholeperiods.Whenthetimecomesforanthropologiststoturntheirattentiontothetwentiethcentury,theywillsurelychooseth
2、elabel‘LeglessMan’.Historiesofthetimewillgosomethinglikethis:‘inthetwentiethcentury,peopleforgothowtousetheirlegs.Menandwomenmovedaboutincars,busesandtrainsfromaveryearlyage.Therewereliftsandescalatorsinalllargebuildingstopreventpeoplefromwalking.Thissituationwasforceduponearthdwellersofth
3、attimebecauseofmileseachday.Butthesurprisingthingisthattheydidn’tusetheirlegsevenwhentheywentonholiday.Theybuiltcablerailways,ski-liftsandroadstothetopofeveryhugemountain.Allthebeautyspotsonearthweremarredbythepresenceoflargecarparks.’Thefuturehistorybooksmightalsorecordthatweweredeprivedo
4、ftheuseofoureyes.Inourhurrytogetfromoneplacetoanother,wefailedtoseeanythingontheway.Airtravelgivesyouabird’s-eyeviewoftheworld–orevenlessifthewingoftheaircrafthappenstogetinyourway.Whenyoutravelbycarortrainablurredimageofthecountrysideconstantlysmearsthewindows.Cardrivers,inparticular,aref
5、oreverobsessedwiththeurgetogoonandon:theyneverwanttostop.Isitthelureofthegreatmotorways,orwhat?Andasforseatravel,ithardlydeservesmention.Itisperfectlysummedupinthewordsoftheoldsong:‘Ijoinedthenavytoseetheworld,andwhatdidIsee?Isawthesea.’Thetypicaltwentieth-centurytraveleristhemanwhoalwayss
6、ays‘I’vebeenthere.’Youmentiontheremotest,mostevocativeplace-namesintheworldlikeElDorado,Kabul,Irkutskandsomeoneisboundtosay‘I’vebeenthere’–meaning,‘Idrovethroughitat100milesanhouronthewaytosomewhereelse.’Whenyoutravelathighspeeds,thepresentmeansnothing:youlivemainlyinthefuturebecauseyouspe
7、ndmostofyourtimelookingforwardtoarrivingatsomeotherplace.Butactualarrival,whenitisachieved,ismeaningless.Youwanttomoveonagain.Bytravelinglikethis,yoususpendallexperience;thepresentceasestobeareality:youmightjustaswellbedead.Thetraveleronfoot,ontheotherhand,liv