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We all remember seeing hitchhikers, standing by the side of the road, thumb sticking out, waiting for a
lift. But it is getting rare nowadays. What killed hitchhiking? Safety is often mentioned as a reason. Movies
about murderous hitchhikers and real-life crime have put many drivers off picking up hitchhikers. That no
single women picked me up on my journey to Manchester no doubt reflects the safety fear: a large, strangely
dressed man is seen as dangerous.
But the reason may be more complex: hitchhiking happens where people don't have cars and transport
services are poor. Plenty of people still hitchhike in Poland and Romania. Perhaps the rising level of car
ownership in the UK means the few people left hitchhiking are usually considered strange. Why can't they
afford cars? Why can't they take the coach or the train?
Three-quarters of the UK population have access to a car; many of the remainder will be quite old. The
potential hitchhiking population is therefore small. Yet my trip proves it's still possible to hitchhike. The
people who picked me up were very interesting-lawyer, retired surgeon, tank commander, carpenter, man
who lived in an isolated farmhouse and a couple living up in the mountains. My conclusion is that only really
interesting people are mad enough to pick upfat blokes in red, spotted scarves. Most just wanted to do
someone a good turn; a few said they were so surprised to see a hitchhiker that they couldn't help stopping.
The future of hitchhiking most likely lies with car-sharing organised over the Internet, via sites such as
hitchhikers, org. But for now, you can still stick your thumb out (actually, I didn't do much of that, preferring
just to hold up my destination sign) and people-wonderful, caring, sharing, unafraid people-will stop.
In the UK, with its cheap coaches and reasonable rail service, I don't think I'll make a habit of it. But having
enjoyed it so much, I'm ready now to do a big trip across Europe and beyond. In the 1970s a female friend of
my wife's hitchhiked to India. How wonderful it would be to have another go, though Afghanistan might be a
challenge. I wish I'd got that tank commander's mobile number.
1. The author tried to hitchhike but was rejected by single women drivers because _____.
A. they were not heading towards Manchester
B. they thought most hitchhikers were dangerous
C. hitchhiking had been banned and they didn't want to break the law
D. he was a strong man in strange clothes who seemed dangerous
2. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Movies have discouraged people from hitchhiking.
B. Car ownership levels are lower in Romania than in the UK.
C. 25% of UK people don't have access to cars.
D. Increased car ownership has reduced the need for hitchhiking.
3. The "fat blokes in red, spotted scarves" in Paragraph 3 most likely means _____.
A. murderous hitchhikers
B. friendly and talkative hitchhikers
C. typical hitchhikers
D. strange hitchhikers like the author
4. According to the author, future hitchhikers are more likely to _____.
A. visit websites and find people to share cars with
B. stand by roads with their thumbs sticking out
C. stick out signs with their destinations written on
D. wait for some kind people to pick them up
5. From the last paragraph, we know that the author _____.
A. frequently hitchhikes in Britain
B. plans m hitchhike across Europe
C. thinks public transport is safer for travel
D. is going to contact the tank commander

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