四、阅读短文，回答问题
Xu Xiake was an explorer（探险者）of the late Ming Dynasty who travelled to huge mountains and deep valleys in China. He was one of the greatest explorers in Chinese history. He travelled so that he could feel strong winds beating his body; he travelled so that his feet could kiss the soil of the mountains.
After he died, Xu left behind his famous book, Xu Xiake's Travels, which provides meaningful materials to the Chinese geological study. It included a record of what he saw, heard and thought about during his travels and was a personal diary that was not published during his lifetime. It was said that Xu was a filial（孝顺的）son and the beginning purpose of his travel diary was to allow his mother to travel around the world through his eyes at home. He followed the ancient teaching that says, “When one's parents are alive, one must not travel to far places.” For this reason, when his mother was still alive, he mainly travelled the south-eastern half of the country and would not leave home for too long.
The most important part of his travels was his ten thousand-mile journey to the south-west. He travelled from Zhejiang to Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, then Guizhou, and Yunnan. This journey took him four years and he wrote about ten times more than he did in the past. In the morning, he would be climbing the mountains and crossing rivers. At night, he would lay out a piece of paper and record his daily experiences beside an oil lamp.
Xu lived his life visiting mountains and rivers all day long. He was a great person in history. In fact, Xu who lived 400 years ago was more like today's backpackers—very cool!
前3题每题的答案不超过10个词，第4题的答案词数不限。
1. How did Xu Xiake travel?
On foot.
2. What is the work Xu Xiake's Travels about?
What he saw, heard and thought about during his travels. /Xu Xiake's travelling experiences.
3. Who did Xu Xiake write for at first?
His mother.
4. What do you think of Xu Xiake? Why?
He was great and brave. Because it was hard to travel such a long way in ancient times, but he didn't give up.
解析：
【分析】本题为英语阅读理解题，包含细节理解题和主观评价题。解题思路为：先通读短文理解大意，再针对每个问题定位原文对应内容，提取关键信息作答；第4题需结合全文对徐霞客的描述，总结其特点并说明理由。
【解析】1. 定位短文第一段最后一句及第三段“climbing the mountains and crossing rivers”，可知徐霞客是步行旅行，故答案为On foot.；2. 定位短文第二段第二句，《徐霞客游记》包含他旅行中的所见、所闻、所想，故答案为What he saw, heard and thought about during his travels.；3. 定位短文第二段“the beginning purpose of his travel diary was to allow his mother...”，可知最初是为他妈妈写的，故答案为His mother.；4. 结合全文，徐霞客是伟大勇敢的，因为古代长途旅行艰难但他坚持完成，故答案为He was great and brave. Because it was hard to travel such a long way in ancient times, but he didn't give up.
【答案】1. On foot.
2. What he saw, heard and thought about during his travels.
3. His mother.
4. He was great and brave. Because it was hard to travel such a long way in ancient times, but he didn't give up.
【知识点】英语阅读理解、细节信息提取、主旨评价
【点评】本题围绕徐霞客的事迹设题，前3题考查原文细节定位能力，第4题考查综合表达能力，既巩固了阅读技巧，又能让学生了解中国历史人物，兼具知识性与人文性。
【难度系数】0.6
