When a New Yorker was hiking in Europe, his Swiss friend kept saying “Listen to that!” but he didn’t hear anything. His ears were accustomed to loud city noises and it was days before he was able to notice the sound of a bird.For most of us, silence has become a rare experience. There is background music in restaurants, bars, stores, rest rooms, elevators, and when you are waiting on the telephone. Russell Baker blames “society’s determination to entertain you whether you like it or not.”
People may say they yearn for quiet, but in practice they avoid it. They drive with the car radio turned up, switch on the television when they get home, and exercise while listening to music on headphones. The noise suggests that people have a spiritual problem. They can buy things in stores, but they do not have enough human contact. So they fill their lives with sound.
Sometimes the reason for the noise is primitive. Young men play their car stereos loudly in order to create a personal environment around them. Like animals, they are marking a territory to warn rivals away and to attract a mate.
It may also be true that the brain itself wants excitement just as the stomach insists on food. Unlike in the past, we now have modern technology to supply a constant flood of sounds. This seems extreme. Perhaps we would be better off if we sought periods of silence to provide balance.
问题：
1.What was the sound that the New Yorker could not hear?
A.The sayings of the Swiss.
B.The sound of a bird.
C.Background music.
D.The telephone.
【参考答案】B
[考点]事实细节题
【精析】B 文章第一段开头指出“When a New Yorker was hiking in Europe, his Swiss friend kept saying ‘Listen to that!’ but he didn’t hear anything.”结合下文中“sound of a bird”可知，纽约人听不到的是鸟叫声。故选B。
2. Why can’t city people hear very well?
A.They are accustomed to loud sounds.
B.They rarely go out hiking.
C.They spend too much time in elevators and the like.
D.They are determined to be entertained.
【参考答案】A
[考点]事实细节题
【精析】A 根据文章第一段第二句“His ears were accustomed to loud city noises…before he was able to notice the sound of a bird.”可知，纽约人习惯了大城市的喧嚣，所以听不到自然界的声音。故选A。
3. Sound is used to replace _________.
A.human contact
B.shopping in stores
C.avoiding silence
D.their spiritual problems
【参考答案】D
[考点]事实细节题
【精析】D 根据文章第二段最后三句“The noise suggests that people have a spiritual problem…”可知，正确答案为D。
4. Playing a car stereo loudly suggests that the person is _________.
A.very concerned about the environment
B.warning animals not to approach
C.behaving like an animal
D.being a very creative personality
【参考答案】C
[考点]事实细节题
【精析】C 根据文章第三段第二、三句“Young men play their car stereos loudly in order to create a personal environment around them. Like animals, they are marking a territory…”可知，年轻人把车载音响开得很大是为了创造一个私人环境，就像动物一样，标志出一片领域以警告竞争者不要靠近，从而吸引异性。故选C。
5.According to the passage, a good response to this practice would be to _________.
A.balance the noise with moments of silence
B.eat enough food in order to quiet the stomach
C.use our brains to improve modern technology
D.realize that the sounds seem to be extreme, but are not
【参考答案】A
[考点]事实细节题
【精析】A 作者在文章最后指出“Perhaps we would be better off if we sought periods of silence to provide balance.”即最好的做法是能够在喧嚣与宁静中找到平衡。故选A。
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