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:

J  Both brakes work well.

J  Both tires are pumped up.

J  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).

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

J  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.  

61. What is the text mainly about?

A. Service for riding.                            B. Advice for riding.   

C. Training in riding.                              D. Confidence in riding.

62. Which of the following shows the steps of preparing check according to the text?

A. tires → pedal → brakes → gears → handle bars

B. tires → brakes → saddle → handle bars → gears

C. brakes → tires → saddle → handle bars → gears

D. brakes → pedal → gears → brakes → handle bars

63. According to the text, how can you gain confidence in cycling?  

A. By increasing bike handling skills.

B. By taking mountain biking courses.

C. By cycling in the field.

D. By cycling on the road.

64. Which of the following can be found on the page SKILLS OF THE ROAD?

A. Always buy a specially made bike for you.

B. Never go cycling in pairs or in a group.

C. Decide what type of cycling is right for you.    

D. Get more enjoyment by riding with others.

65. The text is most probably _________.

A. an online ad                                             B. a school course

C. a travel schedule                                       D. a news report

It seems as if cell phone could be the protection that parents expecting the kids to have freedom and be safe have been looking for. Let’s   1   your 11-year-old son is going on a long bike ride with a friend, so they take along your cell phone     2   they need help. Not only could they call you if necessary, but    3  Global Positioning Systems (GPS) equipped on many mobile phones today, your son and his friend could also be   4  easily. Plus, with a special service, you could track the boy’s  5  location. Or consider this: If your daughter is   6   herself and three friends to a concert, she could   7  out exactly how to locate the concert  and get back home by using her equipped cell phone. And through a(n)  8  software package, you could  9 __her whereabouts (行踪).

  10  tracking devices as we all consider useful, however, have   11  . If the boys urgently needed help during the ride,   12  might be too late by the time someone found them. And if they wanted to, the concert-going girls could deviate (偏离) from the  13   route and go to a night club after the   14   —they could turn off the phone or leave it in their own car and drive with someone else.

Cell phones and their accompanying programs are tools for    15  children safety today, but all of them are   16  extremely reliable. Under no circumstances does   17  else replace a well-established parent-child relationship   18  love and trust.

If you do decide to let your kids use these devices, don’t rely  19  on them for protection. Your children need you to watch them, but  20  will never take the place of your time, attention, eyes, and ears when overseeing your child’s whereabouts.

1．A．pretend                B．see                     C．prove                 D．say

2．A．even if                  B．only if                 C．in case                D．so that

4．A．called                    B．observed             C．contacted            D．located

5．A．obvious                 B．clear                   C．exact                  D．safe

6．A．leading                  B．driving                C．heading               D．guiding

7．A．point                     B．make                   C．turn                    D．get

8．A．additional              B．universal              C．international         D．exceptional

9．A．learn                     B．know                  C．follow                 D．search

10．A．These                 B．Such                   C．Some                  D．Few

11．A．faults                  B．shortages             C．difficulties           D．disadvantages

12．A．parents                B．it                        C．policemen            D．we

13．A．considered           B．established           C．designed              D．planned

14．A．drive                   B．ride                     C．show                  D．party

15．A．guaranteeing        B．providing             C．making                D．finding

16．A．never                  B．always                C．usually                D．merely

17．A．everything           B．nothing                C．anything              D．something

18．A．relied on              B．based on              C．laid on                 D．kept on

19．A．specifically          B．believably            C．only                    D．particularly

20．A．relationship          B．science                C．protection            D．technology