Give yourself a test. Which way is the wind blowing? How many kinds of wildflowers can be seen from your front door? If your awareness is as sharp as it could be, you’ll have no trouble answering these questions.

 Give yourself a test. Which way is the wind blowing? How many kinds of wildflowers can be seen from your front door? If your awareness is as sharp as it could be, you’ll have no trouble answering these questions.

      Most of us observed much more as children than we do as adults. A child’s day is filled with fascination, newness and wonder. Curiosity gave us all a natural awareness. But distinctions that were sharp to us as children become unclear; we are numb(麻木的)to new stimulation(刺激),new ideas. Relearning the art of seeing the world around us is quite simple, although it takes practice and requires breaking some bad habits.

        The first step in awakening senses is to stop predicting what we are going to see and feel before it occurs. This blocks awareness. One chilly night when I was hiking in the Rocky Mountains with some students, I mentioned that we were going to cross a mountain stream. The students began complaining about how cold it would be. We reached the stream, and they unwillingly walked ahead. They were almost knee-deep when they realized it was a hot spring. Later they all admitted they’d felt cold water at first.

        Another block to awareness is the obsession(痴迷) many of us have with naming things. I saw bird watchers who spotted a bird, immediately looked it up in field guides, and said, a “ruby-crowned kinglet” and checked it off. They no longer paid attention to the bird and never learned what it was doing.

      The pressures of “time” and “destination” are further blocks to awareness. I encountered many hikers who were headed to a distant camp-ground with just enough time to get there before dark. It seldom occurred to them to wander a bit, to take a moment to see what’s around them. I asked them what they’d seen.“ Oh, a few birds,” they said. They seemed bent on their destinations.

        Nature seems to unfold to people who watch and wait. Next time you take a walk, no matter where it is, take in all the sights, sounds and sensations. Wander in this frame of mind and you will open a new dimension to your life.

7-1 According to Paragraph 2,compared with adults, children are more_____.

A、anxious to do wonders

B、sensitive to others’ feelings

C、likely to develop unpleasant habits

D、eager to explore the world around them

答案：

327-2 What idea does the author convey in Paragraph 3?

ATo avoid jumping to conclusions.

BTo stop complaining all the time.

CTo follow the teacher’s advice.

DTo admit mistakes honestly.

答案：

337-3 The bird watchers’ behavior shows that they______.

Aare very patient in their observation

Bare really fascinated by nature

Ccare only about the names of birds

Dquestion the accuracy of the field guides

答案：

347-4 Why do the hikers take no notice of the surroundings during the journey?

AThe natural beauty isn’t attractive to them.

BThey focus on arriving at the camp in time.

CThe forest in the dark is dangerous for them.

DThey are keen to see rare birds at the destination.

答案：

357-5 In the passage, the author intends to tell us we should______.

Afill our senses to feel the wonders of the world

Bget rid of some bad habits in our daily life

Copen our mind to new things and ideas

Dtry our best to protect nature

答案：