What's the furthest you have ever cycled? Perhaps you cycle to school or to work, or maybe at most a short cycling trip with friends? How would you feel about spending months on the road travelling on your own from the UK to China, by bike?
For the British cyclist Pete Jones, camping in the wild and cycling long distances through inhospitable terrain are his second nature. An experienced explorer through places such as the Tianshan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau, Mr. Jones is currently taking a great journey across the Eurasian continent from Britain to China.
Having lived on and off(断断续续地) in Xinjiang for three years, and having visited the country many times since 1992, Pete Jones is no stranger to China. But he says many people there are puzzled by his strong love for cycling, asking why he would choose to cycle when he can afford a car. Indeed, while there are about 400 million bicycles in China, where it has long been the preferred means of transport, rapid economic growth has caused an rapid development in car ownership.
Edward Genochio, another British cyclist who completed a 41,000km trip to China and back, said one of his goals was to "tell people cycling is a safe, sustainable and environmentally friendly means of getting about."
In the UK, the last few years have seen a rise in the number of people choosing two wheels over four, with some estimates(估计) saying the number of people cycling to work has almost doubled in the last five years.
Politicians also see cycling as a way to prove that they are concerned about the environment, with people such as London mayor Boris Johnson often riding to work by himself. But we may have to wait some time before we see him emulating(效仿) Pete Jones in attempting to cycle all the way to China.
68. From this passage we can know the following EXCEPT that _____.
A. Pete Jones has travelled through the Tianshan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau
B. in the past few years more UK people have changed their means of transport to work
C. most Chinese people can understand why Pete Jones is so crazy about cycling
D. Edward Genochio is a cyclist from Britain who has been to China by riding a bike
69. We can infer from the passage that _____.
A. Pete Jones’s desire for cycling led to his staying in China for three years
B. now the number of Chinese people owning cars is larger than those owning bikes
C. London mayor Boris Johnson will emulate Pete Jones to cycle to China in the future
D. Both British common people and politicians see riding bikes as a good means of transport
70. The underlined phrase “inhospitable terrain” in the second paragraph most probably means
______.
A. places where you can find modern cities     B. places that are unsuitable for people to live in
C. places where there are many people            D. places that are far away from modern cities
71. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Pete Jones has come to China many times by riding the bicycle.
B. More Chinese people own private cars as a result of economic growth.
C. More British people prefer bicycles as they can’t afford to drive now.
D. Before long, more people will ride bicycles to China following Pete and Edward.   

What's the furthest you have ever cycled? Perhaps you cycle to school or to work, or maybe at most a short cycling trip with friends? How would you feel about spending months on the road travelling on your own from the UK to China, by bike?

For the British cyclist Pete Jones, camping in the wild and cycling long distances through inhospitable terrain are his second nature. An experienced explorer through places such as the Tianshan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau, Mr. Jones is currently taking a great journey across the Eurasian continent from Britain to China.

 Having lived on and off(断断续续地) in Xinjiang for three years, and having visited the country many times since 1992, Pete Jones is no stranger to China. But he says many people there are puzzled by his strong love for cycling, asking why he would choose to cycle when he can afford a car. Indeed, while there are about 400 million bicycles in China, where it has long been the preferred means of transport, rapid economic growth has caused an rapid development in car ownership.

Edward Genochio, another British cyclist who completed a 41,000km trip to China and back, said one of his goals was to "tell people cycling is a safe, sustainable and environmentally friendly means of getting about."

In the UK, the last few years have seen a rise in the number of people choosing two wheels over four, with some estimates(估计) saying the number of people cycling to work has almost doubled in the last five years.

Politicians also see cycling as a way to prove that they are concerned about the environment, with people such as London mayor Boris Johnson often riding to work by himself. But we may have to wait some time before we see him emulating(效仿) Pete Jones in attempting to cycle all the way to China.

68. From this passage we can know the following EXCEPT that _____.

       A. Pete Jones has travelled through the Tianshan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau

       B. in the past few years more UK people have changed their means of transport to work

       C. most Chinese people can understand why Pete Jones is so crazy about cycling

       D. Edward Genochio is a cyclist from Britain who has been to China by riding a bike

69. We can infer from the passage that _____.

A. Pete Jones’s desire for cycling led to his staying in China for three years

       B. now the number of Chinese people owning cars is larger than those owning bikes

       C. London mayor Boris Johnson will emulate Pete Jones to cycle to China in the future

      D. Both British common people and politicians see riding bikes as a good means of transport

70. The underlined phrase “inhospitable terrain” in the second paragraph most probably means

______.

A. places where you can find modern cities  B. places that are unsuitable for people to live in

C. places where there are many people         D. places that are far away from modern cities

71. Which of the following statements is true?

       A. Pete Jones has come to China many times by riding the bicycle.

       B. More Chinese people own private cars as a result of economic growth.

       C. More British people prefer bicycles as they can’t afford to drive now.

       D. Before long, more people will ride bicycles to China following Pete and Edward.   

 Mr. Jones is on time for everything. How ______ it be that he was late for the opening ceremony?

A. may                         B. should               C. can                   D. must

阅读理解

　　It is said that in the United States many have been told that anyone can become rich and successful if he works hard and has some good luck.

　　Yes, when one becomes rich he wants people to know it. And even he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That's what “Keeping up with the Joneses” is about. The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American by the name of Arthur Momand. Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things to keep up with their neighbours: they try to look as rich and as successful as their neighbours. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it “Keeping Up with the Joneses”, because “Jones” is a very common name in the United States. “Keeping up with the Joneses” came to mean keeping up with the people around you. Momand's series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.

　　People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. That is one reason why they read the “right” books, go to the “right” universities and eat in the “right” restaurants.

　　Every city has an area where people want to live because others will think better of them if they do. And there are “Joneses” in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses, because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.

1．Why, according to the passage, do many people try to keep up with the Joneses?

[　　]

A．Because they want to be as rich as their neighbours.

B．Because they feel proud to be taken for the Joneses.

C．Because they want others to know or think they are rich.

D．Because they are afraid that others will know they are rich.

2．Why did Arthur Momand use the name “Jones” in his stories?

[　　]

A．Because many rich people in the U.S. are named Jones.

B．Because few rich people in the U.S. are named Jones.

C．Because the name sounds funny and impressive.

D．Because there are many people in the U.S. whose family name is Jones.

3．What does the author mean when he says the “right” books?

[　　]

A．Books that other people around are reading.

B．Books that teach people how to get rich and successful.

C．Books by famous and successful writers.

D．Very expensive books.

4．What does the author mean by “Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead”?

[　　]

A．It seems Mr. Jones is always walking ahead of others.

B．It seems one can never keep up with all people around.

C．It seems Mr. Jones is a very rich man.

D．It seems one has to work very hard to get rich.

5．What is the author's opinion?

[　　]

A．It is funny to try to keep up with the Joneses.

B．It is necessary to keep up with the Joneses.

C．It is hard to keep up with the people around you.

D．It is senseless (无意义) to try to keep up with the people around you.