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The men who race the cars are generally small, with a tight, nervous look.
They range from the early 20s to the middle 40s, and it is usually their nerves
that go first.
Fear is the driver's constant companion, and tragedy can be just a step
behind. Scarcely a man in the 500 does not carry the scars of ancient crashes.
The mark of the plastic surgeon is everywhere, and burned skin is common.
Sometimes a driver's scars are invisible, part of his heritage. Two young
drivers, Billy Vukovich and Gary Bettenhausen, raced in their first 500 in 1968.
Less than 20 years before, their fathers also competed against one another on
the Indy track—and died there.
All this the drivers accept. Over the years, they have learned to trust
their own techniques, reflexes, and courage. They depend, too, on a trusted
servant—scientific engineering. Though they may not have had a great deal of
schooling (an exception is New Zealand's Bruce McLaren, who has an engineering
degree), many drivers are gifted mechanics, with a feeling for their engines
that amount to kinship.
A few top drivers have become extremely wealthy, with six-figure incomes
from prize money, endorsements, and jobs with auto-product manufacturers. Some
have businesses of their own. McLaren designs racing chassis (底盘). Dan Gurney's
California factory manufactured the chassis of three of the first four ears in
the 1968 Indy 500, including his own second place car.
Yet money is not the only reason why men race cars. Perhaps it isn't even
the major reason. Three-time Indy winner(1961, 1964, 1967) A. J. Foyt, for
example, can frequently be found competing on dirty tracks in minor-league
races, where money, crowds and safety features are limited, and only the danger
is not. Why does he do it? Sometimes Foyt answers, "It's in my blood. " Other
times he says, "It's good practice. " Now and then he replies, "Don't ask dumb
questions. "
26. The statement "it is usually their nerves that go first"
means_______.
A. at first they all have a nervous look
B. they often find they can't bear the tension even if they are in good
condition
C. someday they find they can't make responses to any risk
D. they can continue their career at most until the middle 40s
27. It can be inferred that a car accident is often coupled
with_______.
A. a plastic surgeon B. a companion
C. a risk D. a fire
28. The invisible scars of the drivers mentioned in the second paragraph
refers to_______.
A. the regrets left by their fathers B. the fears left by their fathers
C. the cars left by their fathers D. the heritage left by their fathers
29. Bruce McLaren is different from most of the drivers in that_______.
A. he himself designs chassis B. he has an engineering degree
C. he manufactures chassis D. he is a gifted mechanic
30. A. J. Foyt often takes part in minor-league races for_______.
A. prize money B. blood test
C. cheers from the crowd D. enjoyment
答案解析：
26-30 B D A B D
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发表于 2017-11-15 22:33:02