【題目】I was desperately nervous about becoming car-free. But eight months ago our car was hit by a passing vehicle and it was destroyed. No problem, I thought: we’ll buy another. But the insurance payout didn’t even begin to cover the costs of buying a new car—I worked out that, with the loan we’d need plus petrol, insurance, parking permits and tax, we would make a payment as much as ￡600 a month.

And that’s when I had my fancy idea. Why not just give up having a car at all? I live in London. We have a railway station behind our house, a tube station 10 minutes’ walk away, and a bus stop at the end of the street. A new car club had just opened in our area, and one of its shiny little red Peugeots was parked nearby. If any family in Britain could live without a car, I reasoned, then surely we were that family.

But my new car-free idea, sadly, wasn’t shared by my family. My teenage daughters were horrified. What would their friends think about our family being “too poor to afford a car”? (I wasn’t that bothered what they thought, and I suggested the girls should take the same approach.)

My friends, too, were astonished at our plan. What would happen if someone got seriously ill overnight and needed to go to hospital? (an ambulance) How would the children get to and from their many events? (buses and trains) People smiled as though this was another of my mad ideas, before saying they were sure I’d soon realize that a car was a necessity.

Eight months on, I wonder whether we’ll ever own a car again. The idea that you “have to” own a car, especially if you live in a city, is all in the mind. I live—and many other citizens do too—in a place that has never been better served by public transport, and yet car ownership has never been higher. We worry about rising car costs, but we’d be better off asking something much more basic: do I really need a car? Certainly the answer is no, and I’m a lot richer because I dared to ask the question.

【1】The author decided to live a car-free life partly because ________.

A. most families chose to go car-free B. the cost of a new car was too much

C. he was hurt in a terrible car accident D. the traffic jam was unbearable for him

【2】What is the attitude of the author’s family toward his plan?

A. Disapproving. B. Supportive.

C. Optimistic. D. Unconcerned.

【3】What did the author suggest his daughters do about their friends’ opinion?

A. Argue against it. B. Take their advice.

C. Leave it alone. D. Think it over.

【4】What conclusion did the author draw after the eight-month car-free life?

A. Life cannot go without a car.

B. Life without a car is a little bit hard.

C. His life gets improved without a car.

D. A car-free life does not suit everyone.

【答案】

【1】B

【2】A

【3】C

【4】C

【解析】本文為介紹說(shuō)明文。文章講述了作者在自己的車被撞毀之后，在計(jì)算購(gòu)買新車的費(fèi)用時(shí)發(fā)現(xiàn)一輛車的費(fèi)用太高，于是作者決定利用城市里便捷的交通資源，但這一想法遭到了子女和朋友的強(qiáng)烈反對(duì)，他們認(rèn)為即使生活在城市里也是需要擁有一輛車的。但是作者仍然堅(jiān)持自己的無(wú)車計(jì)劃，最終他的生活質(zhì)量得到了提高。

【1】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段中的But the insurance payout didn’t even begin to cover the costs of buying a new car—I worked out that, with the loan we’d need plus petrol, insurance, parking permits and tax, we would make a payment as much as ￡600 a month.可知，作者不想買車是因?yàn)橘I一輛新車的費(fèi)用太高了。故選B。

【2】推理判斷題。根據(jù)第三段中的But my new car-free idea, sadly, wasn’t shared by my family.可推知，作者的家人并不支持他的這種觀點(diǎn)。故選A。

【3】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第三段中的I wasn’t that bothered what they thought, and I suggested the girls should take the same approach.可知，她們的想法并沒(méi)有影響到我，我反而認(rèn)為女兒們應(yīng)該采取跟我一樣的想法——置之不理。故選C。

【4】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)最后一段中的I live—and many other citizens do too—in a place that has never been better served by public transport, and yet car ownership has never been higher.可知，在車主的花費(fèi)越來(lái)越高的情況下，作者的無(wú)車計(jì)劃反而提高了他的生活質(zhì)量。故選C。

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