2014高考英语阅读理解培优二轮精品题16.docVIP

2014高考英语阅读理解 阅读理解 To hitch-hike successfully in any country you must be able to do two things：attract attention and at the same time convince the driver at a glance that you do not intend to rob or murder him. To fulfill the first requirement you must have some marks to let drivers distinguish you at once from all other hikers. A serviceman，for instance，should wear his uniform，a student his scarf. In a foreign country an unmistakable indication of your own nationality will also arrest a drivers attention. When I hitch-hiked 9,500 miles across the United States and back recently I wore a well-tailored suit，a bowler hat and a trench coat，and carried a pencil-thin rolled black umbrella. My suitcase was decorated with British flags. Having plenty of luggage，moreover，I was not likely to be suspected of being a dangerous lunatic (精神病患者)．I then had to get across to the driver the idea that I was a real traveler，and needed to get somewhere cheaply. But even with careful preparation，you must not assume that the task will be easy. You should be prepared to wait a little，for there are drivers who confess to a fierce prejudice against，(not to say hatred of)，hitch-hikers，and would no more pick up a hiker than march from Aldermaston to London. In America，my average wait was half an hour，and my longest two hours，but I have heard of people waiting all day—they probably took less pains to make themselves easy to notice. Nor must you assume that all the drivers who stop for you are nice，normal people. On one occasion I found myself was with two boys of about nineteen who turned out to be on the run from the police，and were hoping to use me as an alibi(不在犯罪现场的证人)．There are also lesser(较小的)risks：you may find yourself in the car of a Fascist fanatic，a Mormon missionary(传教士)，or just a bad driver. You cannot tell，of course until you are in the car. But you soon learn the art of the quick excuse that gets you out again. If the hitch-hiker in the U．S. remembers that he is seeking the willi