单选题 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 up 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. 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.
"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."
单选题 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 time.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 问题是有关美国大学生的命题下面哪一个不对。B项“他们喜欢骑自行车旅行”，文中第二段的第一句“公路旅行假期的部分乐趣来自开车旅行，这种度假方式在大学生中尤其受欢迎”。由此可以看出他们更喜欢驾车出游，而非骑车旅行。
单选题 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.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 问题是当霍金斯在旅行中看到有趣的东西时他会怎么做，而第四段他提到“you can stop and explore”，所以应该是停下来仔细看看。
单选题 When did motels suddenly appear everywhere?
  • 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.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 问题是汽车旅馆是什么时候突然到处出现的。文章第七段末尾一句说“Motels started appearing outside cities.”而在接下来的段落中提到美国大量修建公路，之后突然涌现出了很多汽车旅馆和连锁餐厅。
单选题 Which of the following words can best describe Hawkins' trip to New Orleans?
  • A. Eventful.
  • B. Colourful.
  • C. Delightful.
  • D. Unforgettable.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 问题是Hawkins到新奥尔良的旅行可以用下面的哪个词描述。倒数第三段讲到了Hawkins和他的好友到新奥尔良的志愿者旅行，用了这个句子“Hawkins' most memorable road trip took place over spring break.”，可见这次旅行对他来说是难忘的，因此选D。
单选题 The word "blizzard" in paragraph 12 means ______.
  • A. snow storm
  • B. hurricane
  • C. mist
  • D. fog
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 本题是词汇题。倒数第2段提到了“lost in a blizzard and shivering in the -25° cold”，从故事发生的时间来看，最恰当的应该是A项。