In 1974, the price of petrol in Britain rose by 120 percent; cars became expensive to run and train and bus fares increased. People who hadn't used a bicycle since they were children decided that they would buy bicycles.They discovered that cycling could be enjoyable and cheap.

Bicycle sales had been falling for many years but suddenly everything changed.In 1975, British people spent more than one million on bicycles. Bicycle traffic increased by 11 percent.

Bicycle fans compare the cost of running a car with the cost of running a bicycle.They also say bicycle-riding is a good form of exercise.In towns bicycles can often be faster than cars or buses.The bicyclists can ride through traffic jams and at the end of his journey he doesn't have to look for a parking space.Cycling through the countryside is a real pleasure; the cyclist has time to see things that the motorist, driving at over 100 kilometers an hour, never sees.

But in the cities, cycling can be dangerous.You need good concentration(专心)and strong nerves, especially when a truck or a bus is trying to pass you.Since cycling became popular again, there has been an increase in the number of accidents.

Cyclists say the answer to the problem is to separate bicycles from other traffic.Stevenage, a new town near London, has a system of “bikeways”, where only bicycles are allowed to travel.However, in most towns, cyclists say, the needs of the bicycle riders are overlooked.Cyclists have formed into “action groups” in many towns in Britain.They want to persuade local councils-who are in charge of the roads and traffic in their areas-to make sure there are safe facilities(设施)for cyclists.Or, they say, interest in cycling will die.

1.Today the Britain want to ride bikes because _________.

A.trains and buses are too crowded

B.the cost of riding bikes is much cheaper than that of taking trains or buses

C.there are a lot of thieves on the trains or in the buses

D.the traffic accidents easily happen while people go to work by train or by bus

2.What is special about traffic in Britain today?

A. More and more people ride bikes.

B. More and more people like to take trains.

C. Taking trains is much safer than taking buses.

D. No people like to take buses.

3.The main reason for so many people’s riding bikes in England is that _______.

A. bike-riding does good to people

B. a bike is easy to take care of

C. a bike is much cheaper than a car

D. there is no need of a parking place for a bike

4.Riding bikes has many strong points, but when it becomes popular _______.

A. a lot of bikes will be crowded in the public places

B. a lot of bus-drivers and trainmen are out of work

C. fewer and fewer people will take a train

D. there will easily be more and more traffic accidents[来

When Luca first heard of the Island of Inventions, he was still very young. But its wonders sounded so incredible that they were forever burned in his memory. From that moment, he never stopped searching for clues which might lead him to the island. He read hundreds of adventure books, histories, volumes of physics and chemistry, even music.

Over time, he pieced together his idea of what the Island of Inventions was like. It was a secret place, where all the great wise men of the world would meet to learn and invent together. Access to the island was totally restricted. To join, you had to have created some great invention for humanity. Only then could you receive the special invitation — which came with directions to the island.

So Luca spent his youth studying and inventing. Every new idea he got, he made it into an invention, and if there were something he didn't understand, he’d seek others to help him. Soon he met other young inventors and he told them about the Island of Inventions. They too dreamed of one day receiving an invitation letter.

As years passed, the disappointment of not receiving their invitation made Luca and his friends work harder and co-operate more. They would meet in Luca's house, share their ideas and build new machines. Their inventions became known throughout the world, and improved the lives of millions.

But still, no invitation came.

They didn’t lose heart. They continued learning and inventing every day, trying to come up with more and better ideas. Fresh young talent joined their group, as more inventors dreamed of getting to the island.

One day many years later, Luca, already very old, was speaking with a brilliant young man named Roberts, who had written to him, asking him to join the group. Luca started telling the man of the wonderful Island of Inventions, and of how he was sure that some day they would receive an invitation. Surprised, the young inventor interrupted: “You mean this place isn’t the Island of Inventions? Isn't the letter you sent me the real invitation?”

It was only then that Luca realised that his dream had become true in his very own house. No island could exist which would be better than where he was now. No place of invention would be better than what he and his friends had created. Luca felt happy to know that he had always been on the island, and that his life of invention and study had been a truly happy one.

1.Why did Luca and his colleagues probably never receive an invitation to the island?

A. Their ideas were not considered worthy enough.

B. They were too concerned with acquiring fame.

C. The organization had already broken up.

D. The island was not a real place.

2.What did Luca learn at the end of the story?

A. The island of inventions did not exist.

B. He had wasted most of his life.

C. He had unknowingly built his own dreamland.

D. He finally would receive his invitation.

3.Which of the following best describes Luca?

A. Aggressive. B. Trusting.

C. Creative. D. Easy-going.

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