Cities in Europe and around the world may be growing “bike trees” in the near future. Invented by Japan’s JFE Engineering Corp, the invention proved useful in the busiest parts of this nation’s crowded cities.

Local governments of Japan have struggled for ways to encourage people to park their bikes considerably, particularly close to big stations, but that may block some roads and entrances to homes and businesses. “Our cities do not have a lot of space for any kind of parking, including bicycles.” said Mitsuharu Oshima, a spokesman for JFE Engineering. The bike tree comes in two types: one in a tower that is above ground and on the contrary, the other in an underground structure.

A cyclist registers with the operator of the equipment, pays a monthly fee and pushes the wheels of his bicycle into restraints(管理处) at the base of the bike tree. Each bicycle is fitted with an electronic card with the owner’s details. A mechanical arm then pulls the bike into the base of the tower and moves it to a free location inside. To collect the bike later, the cyclist puts his card through a reader and his bike is automatically returned to him in seconds. “The science of the equipment has been difficult —— even though they may look quite simple —— because bikes come in many different shapes and sizes.” said Oshima.

 As well as clearing away the road, bicycles cannot be stolen from a bike tree. There are presently versions at seven sites in Japan and two others are under construction, while work is under way on an even larger version —— with room for 9400 bicycles —— in Thailand. And Oshima believes that the idea could catch on in Europe, particularly in countries such as France, Holland and Denmark , where cycling is so popular.

1. Cities build this kind of “bike trees” so that they can _______.

A. ask more people to ride bikes      B. provide more jobs for people

C. make more money than before     D. save more room for people

2.Which is the right order of the following things when you use the bike tree?

① the wheels of the bicycle are put into restraints at the base .

② the card is read and the bike is automatically returned .

③ an electronic card with the owner’s details is given

④ the bike is pulled and moved to a free location inside .

A. ③②①④     B. ③①④②       C. ②①④③        D. ②④③①

3. What made it difficult to design “bike trees”?

A. The location of “bike trees”.         B. The method of finding enough bikes.

C. The differences of the bikes.         D. The importance of traffic safety

4. From the passage, we can know that _______.

A. countries with many cyclists in Europe will like the idea of “bike trees”

B. there are seven “bike trees” used for holding bikes in Japan

C. local government of Japan encourage people to ride bikes

D. cyclists can use “bike trees” for free in Japan.

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）

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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

WHAT can help you make a fortune in the future? Graduating from a top university might not be enough．A new study from the University of Essex in Britain has shown that the more friends you have in school, the more money you'll earn later．

The idea that popularity could have a serious influence on one's earning potential shouldn't come as too much of a surprise．The researchers noted that if you want to get ahead in life, social skills and networking are easily as powerful as talent and hard work．

"If a person has lots of friends, it means that he or she has the ability to get along with others in all kinds of different situations," said Xu Yanchun, 17, from Nantou High School in Shenzhen, who totally agreed with the recent finding．" Also, friends always help each other．They not only create wider social circles for you but lift your mood when you are occasionally in low spirits," said Xu．She believed that all this helps you “earn a higher salary”．

Maybe that's why some people think the younger generations are in the age of Friendalholism （交友狂症）?A woman even complained that the networking website Facebook's 5,000-friend limit was too low for her large reserve of social contacts．

But what does a friend mean? Should friends be regarded as a form of currency?

" Call me uncool, but I think of a friend as an actual person with whom I have an actual history and whom I enjoy actually seeing．It seems, however, ．that this is no longer the definition of ' friend'," said Meghan Daum, who works with The Los Angeles Times in the US．

Daum dislikes the idea that quantity trumps quality in the age of friendaholism．She thought the idea of friendship, at least among the growing population of Internet social networkers, was to get as many of not-really -friends as possible．For example, a friend might be someone you might know personally but who could just as easily be the friend of a friend of some other Facebook friend you don't actually know．Although she agreed that social ties grease （润滑） the wheels of life, she also warned, "Too bad one thing money can't buy is a real friend．"

56．What can friends do in the eyes of Xu Yanchun?

         A．They can help you with your schoolwork．

         B．They teach you how to make more money．

         C．They introduce their friends to you．

         D．They help you to get rid of sadness and cheer up．

57．What will be needed if you are to achieve success according to the researchers?

         A．Social skills, friends, good mood and fortune．

         B．Social skills, talent, hard work and the facebook．

         C．Social skills, networking, potential and fortune．

         D．Social skills, networking, talent and hard work．

58．We learn that Meghan Daum's attitude towards friends-is somewhat____．

         A．up-to-date             B．traditional        C．confused    D．optimistic

59．What does the word "trumps" in the last paragragh mean?

         A．is worse than          B．is equal to C．is better than        D．is similar to

Hidden passengers traveling in ships, trams, or even cars can be a terrible trouble — especially when they are insects. As for this, there is a great    1   between human beings and insects. The    2   take every possible effort to avoid being discovered, while the latter quickly    3   attention to themselves.
We can only show mercy to the    4   man who had to stop his car soon after setting out from a country village to drive to London. Hearing a strange noise from the
   5   of the car, he naturally got out to examine the wheels carefully, but he found nothing wrong, so he    6   his way. Again the noise began,   7   and became even louder. Quickly turning his head, the man saw what appeared to be a great   8      cloud following the car. When he stopped at a village further on, he was told that a queen bee must be hidden in his car as there were thousands of bees    9  .
On learning this, the man drove away as quickly as possible. After an hour's    10  driving, he arrived safely in London, where he parked his car outside a    11   and went in. It was not long before a customer who had seen him arrive    12   in to inform him that his car was    13   with bees. The poor driver was    14   that the best way should be to call a    15  .In a short time the man arrived. He found the unwelcome passenger hidden near the wheels at the back of the car. Very thankful to the driver for this unexpected gift, the bee-keeper took the queen and her thousands of followers home in a large box. 

When Alice started to cycle home from Jenny’s house, she wasn’t nervous. She was certainly not afraid of the dark. __21___, it was only a 15-minute ride home. But halfway there, she began to wish that she hadn’t been so ___22___.
As she rounded a sharp bend, it suddenly___23__ cold — very cold. Alice’s breath became puffs of white cloud and her legs were so cold that it became hard to ride.
With her heart beating fast, she struggled so hard to move __24__ that she didn’t hear the car which suddenly appeared beside her. She stopped by the road. The big black car also ___25___. Slowly, the passenger-window began to slide down. Alice held her breath. In the soft light inside the car, something _26__. Then, the light brightened and Alice was staring at a sweet, grey-haired old lady. “Hello, dear,” said the old lady. “I need ___27___. I’m afraid I’m lost. I need to find the nearest airport. I must be there in the next five minutes. ”
“Airport? You ___28___ are lost,” Alice said. “You need to go back five kilometers ___29___ you reach the T-junction. Turn left and ___20___ for about another 10 kilometers to the main highway. From there, just follow the ___31___ to the airport. But I’m afraid there’s no ___32__ you’ll get there in five minutes!”
“Thank you very much, dear,” replied the old lady. “Don’t worry — I’ll _33__ in time.”
The ___34___ moved up and the car started off. A little way ahead, it ___35___ and with headlights flashing, it drove past Alice. But then, something ___36___ happened. The car began changing. First, its color __37___from black to silvery-grey. Then, the wheels began disappearing, but the car continued to move forward, __38___ just above the ground. As the car ___39___ into the dark sky, the big red tail-lights grew larger and larger and glowed more and more brightly. With a faint whistling ___40___, the car was gone in seconds, leaving Alice shaking her head in disbelief…
【小题1】

In-line skating（滚轴溜冰）is a fun sport that everyone can enjoy. Follow these safety tips to keep skating safe and fun.

Step 1: Gear up!

Even before you put on your skates, put on all your safety gear（护具）.

Step 2: Buckle up!

Strap（绑紧）on your skates. Make sure they fit well and are snugly（紧贴）around your ankles. This helps your ankles stay strong and straight.

Step 3: Fall down!

You probably do not usually try to fall. But it is good to practice falling on skates. Fall forward onto your knee pads. Put out your hands and let your wrist guards hit the ground. See? Are you surprised that it doesn’t hurt?

Practice falling until it is easy to fall forward and get up again. If you are not afraid to fall, you will try new things. Knowing how to fall will help you be a better skater and find your balance. When you can stay balanced, you won’t fall as much.

Step 4: Stop!

Make sure you can stop on your skates. The quickest and safest is probably the brake stop. The brake is usually on the back of the right skate.

The brake stop:

Roll forward with your skates pointing the same way. Let your right skate roll a little forward. Bend your knees as if you are sitting down. Then press your right heel down hard. This will make your brake pad drag on the ground until you stop.

The T stop:

Roll forward with your skates pointing the same way. Then turn your right foot out so the toes are pointing to your right. Drag your right skate. Let the wheels drag on the ground until you come to a stop.

Another way to stop is to run or jump onto the grass.

Step 5: Roll around!

Find a flat, smooth place to practice. Do not skate in streets. Parks and playgrounds are good places to practice. Look for “No skating” signs to make sure you can skate there.

1.According to the article, which of these steps are most important for a new skater?

A. Learn to fall and stop safely.                         B. Find a class and skate fast.

C. Relax and have fun.                                         D. Buy expensive gear and skates.

2.In the step right after “Buckle up!” you should practice how to _____________.

A. skate fast                       B. brake                      C. fall safely                        D. put on gear

3.How is the passage organized?

A. It tells stories about skating.                        B. It gives descriptions of skates.

C. It uses a question-and-answer form.        D. It gives step-by-step instructions.