十二、冰雪路面駕車的經歷

　　Driving through snowstorm on icy roads for long distances is a most nerve-racking experience. It is a paradox that the snow, coming __1__ gently, blowing gleefully in a high wind, all the while __2__ down a treacherous carpet, freezes the windows,__3__ the view. The might of automated man is__4__ . The horses, the powerful electrical systems, the deep-tread tires, all go __5__ nothing. One minute the road feels __6__, and the next the driver is sliding over it, light as a__7__, in a panic, wondering what the heavy trailer trucks coming up__8__the rear are going to do. The trucks are like __9__ when you have to pass them, not at sixty or seventy __10__ you do when the road is dry, but at twenty-five and thirty. __11__ their engines sound unnaturally loud. Snow, slush and__12__ of ice spray from beneath the wheels, obscure the windshield, and rattle __13__your car. Beneath the wheels there is plenty of __14__ for you to slide and get mashed to a pulp. Inch __15__ inch you move up, past the rear wheels, the center wheels, the cab, the front wheels, all__16__too slowly by. Straight ahead you continue,__17__ to cut over sharply would send you into a slip,__18__in front of the vehicle. At last, there is__19__enough, and you creep back over, in front of the truck now, but__20__the sound of its engine still thundering in your ears.

　　1. [A] up [B] off [C] down [D] on

　　2. [A] lies [B] lays [C] settles [D] sends

　　3. [A] blocks [B] strikes [C] puffs [D] cancels

　　4. [A] muted [B] discovered [C] doubled [D] undervalued

　　5. [A] for [B] with [C] into [D] from

　　6. [A] comfortable [B] weak [C] risky [D] firm

　　7. [A] loaf [B] feather [C] leaf [D] fog

　　8. [A] beneath [B] from [C] under [D] beyond

　　9. [A] dwarfs [B] giants [C] patients [D] princesses

　　10. [A] what [B] since [C] as [D] that

　　11. [A] So [B] But [C] Or [D] Then

　　12. [A] flakes [B] flocks [C] chips [D] cakes

　　13. [A] onto [B] against [C] off [D] along

　　14. [A] snow [B] earth [C] room [D] ice

　　15. [A] by [B] after [C] for [D] with

　　16. [A] climbing [B] crawling [C] winding [D] sliding

　　17. [A] meanwhile [B] unless [C] whereas [D] for

　　18. [A] sheer [B] mostly [C] rarely [D] right

　　19. [A] might [B] distance [C] air [D] power

　　20. [A] with [B] like [C] inside [D] upon

　　答案

　　1.C 2.B 3.A 4.A 5.A 6.D 7.B 8.C 9.B 10.C

　　11.D 12.C 13.C 14.C 15.A 16.D 17.D 18.D 19.B 20.A

　　總體分析

　　本文描述了在冰雪覆蓋的路面上開車的經歷。文章首句為主題句，概括了這種經歷的特點是“令人非常緊張”。第二至四句分別介紹了下雪帶來的隱患和機器變得沒有多大用處。從第五句到文章最后則描述了在這種不利條件下和大卡車一同行駛的緊張經歷。

　　全文翻譯

　　在暴風雪中驅車長距離地行駛于冰雪覆蓋的路面上是一種令人非常緊張的經歷。矛盾的是雪一面輕輕地飄落，在強風中愉快地吹著，一面又不斷地吹落可能帶來危險的毯子，封凍窗戶，擋住視線。機器的力量被減弱了。馬、強有力的電子系統、深胎面的輪胎都毫無用處。一分鐘前路面還很結實，下一分鐘司機就在上面打滑，輕飄飄地，處于恐慌之中，想著從后面突然出現的笨重的掛了拖車的卡車會干出什么事情來。當你不得不開車經過這些卡車時，它們就像巨人一般。這時你行駛的速度不是當路面干燥時的60或70，而是25和30。并且它們的引擎聽起來極其刺耳。雪、泥和冰渣滓從輪子下噴灑出來，使擋風玻璃變得模糊不清，然后格格作響地從車上掉下。卡車輪子下的空間很大，足以讓你滑進去并被碾成肉醬。你一點點的往前挪動，經過卡車的后輪，中間的輪子，駕駛室，前輪，所有這一切都是極其緩慢地滑過去的。你繼續筆直地往前開，因為突然超車搶道到卡車前面會使你的車滑倒，正好倒在大卡車的前面。最后終于和卡車有了一段距離了，你才慢慢地往后挪，挪到另外一車道上，現在你行使在卡車的前面了，但是引擎的聲音仍然震耳欲聾。