談增勝

難詞探意

1. compassion /kmpn/ n. 憐憫;同情

2. epic /epk/ adj. 史詩(shī)般的;壯麗的

3. paragliding /prɡlad/ n. 滑翔傘運(yùn)動(dòng)

Ive always wanted to travel ever since I was young. The idea of travel， packing my bags and disappearing to someplace new， lives inside my brain all the time. It seems that I can eat a lot of delicious food， explore museums full of worldclass art and capture the perfect scenery on the top of a mountain through traveling. However， I love to travel for deeper personal reasons， too. The experiences go far beyond pretty pictures and a full stomach. I deeply believe travel makes me richer， not in my wallet， but in my intelligence and compassion.

Travel restores my faith in people. In general， I have a very hard time trusting people， mostly because I worry theyll lie or take advantage of me. Yet travel reminds me so many kind

hearted， brave， and intelligent people exist in the world. For example， Ill never forget how complete strangers invited me to lunch in Nazaré and helped me find the way to Stockholm after my train was canceled. Ive also had strangers talk to me on planes to calm my anxiety over flying.

Whats more， exploring the world builds incredible selfconfidence. Im able to accept and embrace my flaws much more readily after traveling somewhere epic and having time to reflect. We all have flaws and insecurities. Travel gives you a chance to push beyond these troublesome traits， which we all have， and even accept them for what they are. Is traveling alone scary？ Absolutely. However， the fear is invaluable， because you need to get out of your comfort zone for personal growth to happen. For example， I was terrified to go paragliding in Slovenia. But when my feet touched the ground again， I realized how much courage I actually possess. As Ive said， we all deal with insecurities. All of us. But these supposed flaws dont have to define us.

Travel forces me to return to nature and foster a deeper appreciation for the earth. My breath was taken away in both clear glacier lakes and massive green mountains. Fresh air fills my lungs. Im even willing to get my hands dirty now！

Travel has made me a stronger person， and I couldnt imagine my life without endless plane tickets and backpacks. Breaking my comfort zone strengthens my selfesteem. Its a precious gift， the best one I can give myself. I feel like I have a deeper appreciation for the world now. Im not as closed off or shallow， and consider myself very receptive to different opinions and ways of life. Travel makes me a better person.

1. Whats the text mainly about？

A. Travel experiences.

B. Reasons for travel.

C. Appreciation for nature.

D. Personal growth.

2. What does the underlined word “foster” in paragraph 4 mean？

A. Promote.

B. Consider.

C. Adopt.

D. Enlarge.