1. (2019·昆明) 阅读短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

    Alan Smith is blind. He teaches blind children in his country. To show the world that the blind can also do something amazing, he walked across the world's largest salt desert, Salar de Uyuni, only with the help of a GPS.

    Walking across the desert is not easy for an able-bodied person, let alone (更不用说) a blind man. Before setting off, Alan spent three years training for the journey. He studied everything he could find about the place and asked for advice from other travelers. During his journey, he only took water, food and sleeping bags. He walked about 20 kilometers a day. He showed great perseverance (毅力) and finished the 140-kilometer journey in just seven days.

    The brave teacher thought his week-long journey was wonderful. He said, "The journey was quite good. There were snow storms and winds, but luckily I made it."

1. （1） Why did Alan cross the desert on foot?

   A . To tell children a story. B . To have a wonderful journey. C . To take a risk for money. D . To show the ability of the blind.
3. （2） The underlined phrase "setting off" in the second paragraph probably means ________.

   A . preparing a journey B . starting a journey C . breaking a journey D . finishing a journey
5. （3） What did Alan do during the journey?

   A . He overcame all of the difficulties. B . He asked for advice from other travelers. C . He walked with an experienced tour guide. D . He studied something useful about the place.
7. （4） How long did Alan's journey take?

   A . 140 days. B . One week. C . 20 months. D . 3 years.
9. （5） Which of the following can best describe Alan's journey?

   A . It is a piece of cake. B . It is between a rock and a hard place. C . Nothing is impossible. D . Learning should be a lifelong journey.