Today is National Bike-to-Work Day. And on New York City’s jammed streets, people are cycling on hundreds of miles of new bike lanes. But New York’s widespread efforts to make streets safer for bikes have also left some locals complaining about the loss of parking spots and lanes for cars.

When the weather is good, Aaron Naparstek likes to pedal（用踏板踩）his two young kids to school on a special Dutch-made bicycle. Naparstek supports the new lane.

Aaron: The bike lane on Prospect Park West is really introducing a lot of new people to the idea that it’s possible to use a bike in New York City for transportation or to travel around. This is what 21^st century New York City looks like.

Prospect Park West is still a one-way road, but where it used to have three lanes of car traffic, now it has two, plus a protected bike lane. Supporters say that makes the road safer for everyone, including pedestrians, by slowing down cars and taking bikes off the sidewalk. But some longtime residents disagree. Lois Carswell is president of a group called Seniors for Safety. She says the two-way bike lane is dangerous to older residents who are used to one-way traffic.

Lois: We wanted a lane — the right kind of lane that would keep everybody safe, that would keep the bikers safe. But we want it to be done the right way. And it has not been done the right way.

Craig Palmer builds bars and restaurants in Manhattan. I was interviewing him for a different story when he brought up the bike lanes all on his own.

Craig: I think the biggest problem is that Bloomberg put all these bike lanes in. You took what used to be a full street and you’re shrinking it.

Then there are the Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, who forced the city to remove a bike lane through their neighborhood. But polls show that the majority of New Yorkers support bike lanes by a margin of 56% to 39%. Bicycle advocate Caroline Samponaro of Transportation Alternatives calls that a mandate.

Caroline: If this was an election, we would have already had our victory. The public has spoken and they keep speaking. And I think, more importantly, the public is starting to vote with their pedals.

1.What does Aaron mean by saying “This is what 21^st century New York City looks like.”? 

A. There are hundreds of miles of new bike lanes in 21 ^st century New York City.

B. Drivers slow down their cars and bikes are taken off the sidewalk in New York.

C. Bikes are used as a means of transport in 21 ^st century New York City.

D. It’s possible to make the streets safe for pedestrians in New York.

2.According to the passage, which of the following CANNOT support the opponents of these new bike lanes?

A. Drivers lose parking spots and lanes for cars.

B. The two-way bike lane is dangerous to older residents.

C. We took what used to be a full street so the road is broader than before.

D. The removal of one bike lane through a neighbourhood in Brooklyn was not supported by the majority of New Yorkers.

3.“A mandate” in Paragraph 8 was referred to a demand or command from _______.

A. the authority                   B. the public               C. the supporters     D. the government

4.What of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A. Ride on National Bike-to-Work Day     

B. A New Bike Lane Appears in New York 

C. A Bike Lane Divides New Yorkers      

D. Who Wins an Election 

What would you think if someone suggested knocking down St Paul’s Cathedral to widen the road? Or pulling down Big Ben to make way for a car park? It would be ridiculous, right? But when it comes to devastation (毁灭) of the natural world, we aren’t so easily shocked. But we should be…or we’ll be in a lot of trouble.

Nature is shrinking by the day. Ancient forests are destroyed. Wetlands are becoming dry. Woodland is disappearing, and all in the name of progress. This is bad in itself, but it’s devastating for biodiversity.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of plants, animals and other living things that are all interconnected. The ecological services provided by biodiversity are vital to everyday life. The air we breathe is a product of photosynthesis (光合作用) by green plants. Insects, worms and bacteria break down waste and make soils rich. And tiny organisms clean the water in rivers and sea. In fact, all life on the earth exists thanks to the benefits of biodiversity. More than 90 percent of the calories consumed by people worldwide are produced from 80 plant species. And 30 percent of medicines are developed from plants and animals. Maintaining a wide diversity of species in each ecosystem is necessary to preserve all living things.

The loss of biodiversity could be devastating. “It is wrong to think that biodiversity can be reduced indefinitely without threatening humans,” said Harvard University biologist Edward O. Wilson, known as the “father of biodiversity”. He warned, “We are about to reach a critical point beyond which biodiversity loss will become irreversible (不可挽回的).”

But what can we do? The present problem is that the concept of biodiversity is so vague (含糊的). People might care about giant pandas, but it is much harder to excite them about the fate of tiny sea creatures which are being boiled to death in the cooling systems of power stations along coastlines. The Guardian newspaper is trying to help. It has launched the Biodiversity 100 campaign to try to convince governments around the world to take action to deal with the widespread concerns about biodiversity. This includes persuading the UK government to create a series of marine reserves to reserve the decrease in the sea-life caused by industrial fishing, stopping fishing sharks by the Japanese fishermen and banning the killing of dingoes (wild dogs) in Australia, among many other things.

There is a lot to do. And we’d better act quickly if we don’t want to end up with a planet that can’t sustain life!

1.The writer thinks it ________ to pull down Big Ben to make way for a car park.

A．unreasonable      B．necessary         C．difficult           D．reasonable

2.The underlined sentence “Nature is shrinking by the day.” means that ________.

A．nature is badly polluted by humans

B．species are becoming fewer and fewer day by day

C．rainforests are being cut down every day

D．nature is full of mysteries

3.Edward O. Wilson thinks that ________.

A．it doesn’t matter to reduce biodiversity

B．people have done enough to preserve biodiversity

C．the situation of biodiversity is very serious

D．biodiversity loss has become irreversible

4.When it comes to biodiversity, the present problem is that ________.

A．people might not clearly know what is biodiversity and what should be protected

B．people are not aware that giant pandas are endangered

C．people don’t realize that biodiversity is vital to everyday life

D．people hunt sea creatures for food

5.What does the underlined word “It” in paragraph 5 refer to?

A．The UK government.                     B．The concept of biodiversity.

C．The action to deal with the problem.         D．The Guardian newspaper.

信息匹配（每题2分，共10分）

阅读下列材料，从所给的六个选项（A、B、C、D、E和F）中，选出符合各小题要求的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。选项中有一项为多余选项。

The following people are all searching for a university. After the description of these people, there is information about six universities A---F on your answer sheet. There is one extra paragraph about one university which you do not need to use.

_______  1. Bobby is tired of working indoors and wouldn’t like to be too far away from his girlfriend who studies at Simmons.

________ 2. Maria wants to learn modern science and she prefers to stay neither by the ocean nor in the northeast.

_________3. Andrew wishes to study business in a non-state-run(非公立的)university.

_________4. Lucy enjoys taking her further education in a women-only university.

_________5.Scott hopes to play the computer conveniently for fun.

A． SIMMONS  The College of Arts and Sciences and Modern Studies. Simmons educates women to achieve their work and life goals. More than 40 majors. Lies in the heart of Boston, US. News &World Report ranks Simmons among the top state universities in the North and among the best values. 617-521-2051  www.simmons.edu.

B． PAUL SMITH’S COLLEGE   The College of Nature. Experience a different kind of classroom: 15,300 acres of forests, lakes and streams, a hotel and a restaurant, 99% placement upon graduation. Two-and-four-year degree programs. PO Box 265Paul Smith, NY 12970800-421-2605

www.paulsmith.edu.

C． ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY  Personal attention. Powerful programs. Experience the technology of today at our co-educational university. One Camino Santa Utah 78228-8503 800-FOR-STMU  www.stmarytx.edu.

D．NORTHERN UNIVERSITY  A famous private university with 3,200 students in the Colleges of Arts & Sciences, Business and Engineering. Medicine and Law among the top ten by U.S. News & World Report  Old Union 232 CA 94305-3005 650-723-2091 www.stanford.edu.   E． UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX   Adult education course. Earn an online degree with University of Phoenix today. 100% online, fast and convenient. Learn why most working professionals choose University of Phoenix Online. www.Phoenixun.edu.

F． PETER’S COLLEGE   Experienced professors are available. Equipped with a lot of modern facilities, two students a dormitory, two computers, power never fails, PO.356 Peter, 16753800-333-12-2135  。 www.peterun.edu.

February has long been a month of romance. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.
On the 14th day, it is a custom for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals! This is what you see on Valentine’s Day, a day named after Valentine who was a priest(牧师) in the third century Rome. When the emperor (皇帝) decided that single men could become better soldiers than those with wives, he didn’t allow marriage.
But Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, the emperor sentenced him to death. While in prison, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death, he wrote her a letter, which he signed “From your Valentine”, an expression that is still in use today. Valentine died for what he believed in and so he was made a Saint (圣徒), as well as becoming one of history’s most romantic characters.
Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is also popular among Chinese young people. Some students are planning to make Valentine’s cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart-shaped cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share in the spirit of St. Valentine.
【小题1】Why did the emperor in Rome not allow marriage in his country?

When you are in Nanoko, be sure to stay at the Garden Hotel, whether you come on business or on holiday you will find everything as comfortable and convenient as you would expect in a first class international hotel.
Every bedroom has its own bathroom, telephone, and colorful modern materials and furniture in the local style. In the Mistu Restaurant, you can choose your meals from a lot of dishes, both Eastern and European, as you will find anywhere in the country. In the Beach Bar, you can drink with your family and friends in air-conditioned comfort, listen to the music of internationally known artists. Or you can take your drink outside into the beautiful garden that gives the hotel its name, or to the tables that surround the swimming pool. Throughout the motel, you will find the service is both friendly and efficient.
By day the pool is alive with the holiday spirit and the happy shouting of children and by night, soft light and music make it a perfect place for a party, or simply for an after-dinner drink and conversation.
The Garden Hotel has its own minibus service. Give us a ring and we will arrange to collect you at the airport or in the city center.
If you prefer, we can arrange for you to visit the wainiri Islands that lie just off the coast. Here you can swim in peace; or you can fish there. As it is well known, Wainiri is really a good place for people going fishing. The Garden Hotel is right on the beach, only five minutes from Nanoko’s modern shopping center. Here you will find all that money can buy, at prices you can afford.
【小题1】Every bedroom at the Garden Hotel _____.