Andrew Ritchie, inventor of the Brompton folding bicycle, once said that perfect portable bike would be “like a magic carpet... You could fold it up and put it into your pocket or handbag". Then he paused: “But you'll always be limited by the size of the wheels. And so far no one has invented a folding wheel."

It was a rare --- indeed unique --- occasion when I was able to put Ritchie right. A 19th-century inventor, William Henry James Grout, did in fact design a folding wheel. His bike, predictably named the Grout Portable, had a frame that split into two and a larger wheel that could be separated into four pieces. All the bits fitted into Grout's Wonderful Bag, a leather case.

Grout's aim: to solve the problems of carrying a bike on a train. Now doesn't that sound familiar? Grout intended to find a way of making a bike small enough for train travel: his bike was a huge beast. And importantly, the design of early bicycles gave him an advantage: in Grout's day, tyres were solid, which made the business of splitting a wheel into four separate parts relatively simple. You couldn't do the same with a wheel fitted with a one-piece inflated(充气的)tyre.

So, in a 21^st-century context, is the idea of the folding wheel dead? It is not. A British design engineer, Duncan Fitzsimons , has developed a wheel that can be squashed into something like a slender ellipse(椭圆) . Throughout, the tyre remains inflated.

Will the young Fitzsimons's folding wheel make it into production? I haven’t the foggiest idea. But his inventiveness shows two things. First, people have been saying for more than a century that bike design has reached its limit, except for gradual advances. It’s as silly a concept now as it was 100 years ago: there's plenty still to go for. Second, it is in the field of folding bikes that we are seeing the most interesting inventions. You can buy a folding bike for less than £1,000 that can be knocked  down so small that can be carried on a plane ―― minus wheels, of course ―― as hand baggage.

Folding wheels would make all manner of things possible. Have we yet got the magic carpet of Andrew Ritchie's imagination? No. But it's progress.

69 We can infer form Paragraph 1 that the Brompton folding bike____.

A. was portable

B. had a folding wheel.

C. could be put in a pocket.

D. looked like a magic carpet

70. We can learn from the text that the wheels of the Group Portable_______.

A. were difficult to separate.

B. could be split into 6 pieces.

C. were fitted with solid tyres.

D. were hard to carry on a train.

71. We can learn from the text that Fitzsimons`s invention_______.

A. kept the tyres as whole piece.

B. was made into production soon.

C. left little room for improvement.

D. changed our views on bag design.

72Which of following would be best title for the text?

A. Three folding bike inventors.

B. The making of a folding bike

C. Progress in folding bike design

D. Ways of separating a bike wheel

Andrew Ritchie, inventor of the Brompton folding bicycle, once said that the perfect portable bike would be “like a magic carpet…You could fold it up and put it into your pocket or handbag”. Then he paused: “But you’ll always be limited by the size of the wheels. And so far no one has invented a folding wheel.”

It was a rare — indeed unique — occasion when I was able to put Ritchie right. A 19th-century inventor, William Henry James Grout, did in fact design a folding wheel. His bike, predictably named the Grout Portable, had a frame that split into two and a larger wheel that could be separated into four pieces. All the bits fitted into Grout’s Wonderful Bag, a leather case.

Grout’s aim: to solve the problems of carrying a bike on a train. Now doesn’t that sound familiar? Grout intended to find a way of making a bike small enough for train travel: his bike was a huge beast. And importantly, the design of early bicycles gave him an advantage: in Grout’s day, tyres were solid, which made the business of splitting a wheel into four separate parts relatively simple. You couldn’t do the same with a wheel fitted with a one-piece inflated （充气的） tyre.

So, in a 21st-century context, is the idea of the folding wheel dead? It is not. A British design engineer, Duncan Fitzsimons, has developed a wheel that can be squashed into something like a slender ellipse （椭圆）. Throughout, the tyre remains inflated.

Will the young Fitzsimons’s folding wheel make it into production? I haven’t the foggiest idea. But his inventiveness shows two things. First, people have been saying for more than a century that bike design has reached its limit, except for gradual advances. It’s as silly a concept now as it was 100 years ago: there’s plenty still to go for. Second, it is in the field of folding bikes that we are seeing the most interesting inventions. You can buy a folding bike for less than £1,000 that can be knocked down so small that it can be carried on a plane — minus wheels, of course — as hand baggage.

Folding wheels would make all manner of things possible. Have we yet got the magic carpet of Andrew Ritchie’s imagination? No. But it’s progress.

1.We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the Brompton folding bike        .

2.We can learn from the text that the wheels of the Grout Portable        .

3.We can learn from the text that Fitzsimons’s invention        .

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

I usually doubt about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago.While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, 1 was struck by a report which concluded that today’s children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children between 9 and 17 have a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.
Why are America’s kids so stressed? The report cites two main causes: increasing physical isolation (孤独) brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place.
Given that we can’t turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation to cope.
At the top of the list,nurturing (培育) is a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against stress.
To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later.They will then have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep.
Limit the amount of virtual (虚拟的) violence your children are exposed to. It’s not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news.
Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale.
Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you deal with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable,but it doesn’t have to ruin your life.
【小题1】What does the author thinks of the conclusion that people in America are unhappier than 50 years ago?

I usually doubt about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago.While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, 1 was struck by a report which concluded that today’s children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children between 9 and 17 have a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.

Why are America’s kids so stressed? The report cites two main causes: increasing physical isolation (孤独) brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place.

Given that we can’t turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation to cope.

At the top of the list,nurturing (培育) is a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against stress.

To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later.They will then have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep.

Limit the amount of virtual (虚拟的) violence your children are exposed to. It’s not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news.

Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale.

Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you deal with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable,but it doesn’t have to ruin your life.

1.What does the author thinks of the conclusion that people in America are unhappier than 50 years ago?

A．Surprising         B．Confusing         C．Illogical           D．Questionable

2.What does the author mean by saying “ we can’t turn the clock back(Para. 3)?

A．It’s impossible to slow down the pace of the change.

B．The social reality children are facing cannot be changed.

C．Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.

D．It’s impossible to forget the past.

3.According to an analysis, compared with normal children today, children 50 years ago __________.

A．were less isolated physically

B．were probably less self-centered

C．probably suffered less from anxiety

D．were considered less individualistic

4.What is the first and most important thing parents should do to help their children?

A．To provide them with a safer environment.

B．To lower their expectations for them.

C．To get them more involved socially.

D．To set a good model for them to follow.

5.What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?

A．Anxiety, though always unavoidable, can be coped with.

B．Children’s anxiety has been enormously exaggerated(夸大).

C．Children’s anxiety can be removed with more parental care.

D．Anxiety, if properly controlled, may help children become mature.