2019高考牛津英语二轮练习专题训练卷(五) <br />(1) <br />(原创)In cities, the everpresent dull background roar (轰鸣) of planes, cars, machinery and voices is a fact of life. There is no escape from it and I was beginning to be driven mad by it. In an attempt to recapture some peace, I travelled to a temple, a small poor house and a mine 2km underground — all very quiet but not the holy place of silence. The one place I was most excited about visiting was the anechoic (无回声旳) hall. <br />Ironically, far from being peaceful, most people find its perfect quiet upsetting. Being deprived of the usual sounds can result in fear. The presence of sound means things are working; it's business as usual — when sound is absent, that signals dangers. A violinist tried it and knocked on the door after a few seconds, demanding to be let out because he was so disturbed by the silence. <br />I booked a 45minute period — no one had managed to stay in for that long before. I felt anxious for two reasons: would I go mad and tear off my clothes? Or would I simply be disappointed because it wasn't as enjoyable as I'd hoped? <br />When the heavy door shut behind me, I was thrown into darkness. For the first few seconds, being in such a quiet place made me feel nervous. I tried to hear something and heard…nothing. Then, after a minute or two, I became aware of the sound of my breathing, so I held my breath. The sound of my heartbeat became apparent — nothing I could do about that. As the minutes went by, I started to hear the blood rushing in my body. Your ears become more sensitive as a place gets quieter, and mine were going overtime. I heard my skin moving over my head, which was a strange noise I couldn't explain. The feeling of peace was spoiled by a little disappointment — this place wasn't quiet at all. <br />I didn't feel afraid and came out only because my time was up; I would happily have spent longer in there. Everyone was impressed that I'd beaten the record, but having spent so long searching for quiet, I was comfortable with the feeling of absolute stillness. Afterwards I felt wonderfully rested and calm. <br />I found that making space for moments of quiet in my day is the key to happiness — they give you a chance to think about what you want in life. How can you really focus on what's important if you're distracted by constant background noise? If you can occasionally become master of your own sound environment — from turning off the TV to moving to the country, as I did — you become a lot more accepting of the noises of everyday life. <br /> 1. Why did the writer love to travel everywhere? <br />A. To find a place to enjoy himself. <br />B. To study the customs of other countries. <br />C. To discover whether absolute silence exists. <br />D. To escape from the background roar of vehicles. <br /> 2. It is implie...
