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When milk arrived on the doorstep

　　When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep．His name was Mr．Basille．He wore a white cap and drove a white truck．As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt．He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer．

　　Of course, he delivered more than milk．There was cheese, eggs and so on．If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note-“Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery”-and place it in the box along with the empty bottles．And then, the buttermilk would magically appear．

　　All of this was about more than convenience．There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen．Mr．Basille even had a key to out house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze．And I remember Mr．Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery．

　　There is sadly no home milk delivery today．Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete．Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service．

　　Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories．I took it home and planted it on the back porch(门廊)．Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is．So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk．

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　　As the saying goes, once you’ve learnt to ride a bike, you’ll never forget．The next step is to feel confident; our quick guide below will help, but a bit of training can be invaluable．When you’re confident about what you’re doing, you get a lot more pleasure out of it．

　　Although you can get started with remarkably little in the way of knowledge, equipment and skills, you’ll find a little of each will be extremely helpful．Search around on this　website and you’ll pick up a lot quickly．If you already have a bike and it’s been lying around for a few years, you need to make sure it is still safe to ride．Start with the following checks：

　　Both brakes work well．

　　Both tires are pumped up．

　　The saddle is at the correct height(as a rough guide, when sitting on the saddle your heel should rest on the pedal with your knee very slightly bent)．

　　The handle bars are tightened so they do not move when pressure is applied from the top．

　　The gears(齿轮)work smoothly．

　　If you are unsure you should take it to your nearest bike shop for a quick service．

　　Once you have a bike, the next thing is to ride it safely and that means with confidence．There are a few principles though that will help when you start out．

　　Off road routes and trails are a good way to increase your bike handling skills, especially if you have not ridden a bike for a few years, so find your nearest national cycle network route, former railway cycle path, local park which allows cycling．If you are specifically looking to learn the finer skills of mountain biking, then a mountain bike training course could well help you on your way, whether you’re a complete beginner, or someone with more experience．

　　Once you have gained confidence in cycling, you may want to venture(冒险)further and this normally means that you will need to cycle on the road, see our SKILLS OF THE ROAD page for more information．

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　When milk arrived on the doorstep

　　When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep．His name was Mr．Bastille．He wore a white cap and drove a white truck．As a 5－year－old boy, I couldn't take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt．He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer．

　　Of course, he delivered more than milk．There was cheese, eggs and so on．If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note－“Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery”－and place it in the box along with the empty bottles．And then, the buttermilk would magically appear．

　　All of this was about more than convenience．There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen．Mr．Bastille even had a key to out house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn't freeze．And I remember Mr．Bastille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery．

　　There is sadly no home milk delivery today．Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete．Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service．

　　Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories．I took it home and planted it on the back porch(门廊)．Every so often my son's friends will ask what it is．So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk．