For years children in the industrial areas of Europe and America seldom left their smoky cities to see the beauty of the countryside.Not that the woods and fields were always far away, but they were too far from the city to permit people to make a round trip between morning and nightfall.What's more, factory workers did not have enough money to send their children on country holidays away from home.
In 1907 a young German schoolmaster had an idea which changed this state of affairs.He decided to turn his little schoolhouse into a dormitory for the summer holidays.Anyone who brought his sleeping bag and cooking equipment along could stay there for a very small amount of money.The idea was a success.A few years later the schoolhouse was far too small to hold so many young people who wanted to stay there.So, a dormitory was set up in an old castle nearby.This was the first Youth Hostel.
Today young students and workers of every country can meet in the hostels and get to know each other.Some spend a week or more in the same hostel, seeing the surrounding sights and meeting the people of the area.Other youths go on foot or by bicycle from place to place, spending a night or two in one hostel, then going to the next.
Sometimes an informal program will be organized after the meal, with dances, songs, or short talks followed by a question period.One can learn a lot about other places, just by meeting people who come from these places.For this reason, a few weeks spent "hostelling" can be just as useful a part of one's education as classes in school.
1. The reason why children in the industrial areas seldom left their smoky cities was that ________.
A. they didn't like the beauty of the countryside at all
B. their parents' income was not high enough to pay for the cost
C. they couldn't make a round trip between morning and nightfall because of the distance
D. Both B & C
2. Paragraph 2 mainly tells us ________.
A. how the first Youth Hostel began
B. how to turn little schoolhouse into a dormitory for the summer holidays
C. what the students should carry when spending summer holidays in the countryside
D. the reason why spending summer holidays in the countryside
3. According to the passage,, the following are the mentioned advantages of hostelling EXCEPT________.
A. enjoying the beauty of the countryside
B. broadening their outlook and knowledge
C. making new friends
D. avoiding doing their homework
4. 用30詞左右概括文章大意
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