Today, bicycles are elegantly simple machines that are common around the world. Many people ride bicycles for recreation, whereas others use them as a means of transportation. The first bicycle was invented in Germany in 1818. Because it was made of wood, it wasn’t very strong nor did it have pedals (脚踏板).Riders moved it by pushing their feet against the ground.

In 1839, Kirkpatrick Macmillan, a Scottish blacksmith, invented a much better bicycle. Macmillan’s machine had iron-covered wheels to keep them from getting worn down. He also used foot-operated levers, similar to pedals, so his bicycle could be ridden at a quick pace. It didn’t look much like the modem bicycle, though, because its back wheel was substantially larger than its front wheel. Although Macmillan’s bicycles could be ridden easily, they were never produced in large numbers.

In 1861, Frenchman Pierre Michaux and his brother Ernest invented a bicycle with an improved pedal mechanism. They called their bicycle a velocipede,but most people called it a “bone shaker” because of the effect of the wood and iron frame. Despite the impolite nickname, the velocipede was a hit. After a few years, the Michaux family was making hundreds of the machines annually, mostly for fun-seeking young people.

Ten years later, James Starley , an English inventor, made several innovations that revolutionized bicycle design. He made the front wheel many times larger than the back wheel, put a gear on the pedals to make the bicycle more efficient,and lightened the wheels by using wire spokes. Although this bicycle was much lighter and less tiring to ride, it was still clumsy, extremely top-heavy,and ridden mostly for entertainment.

It wasn’t until 1874 that the first truly modern bicycle appeared on the scene. Invented by another Englishman, H. J. Lawson, the safety bicycle would look familiar to today’s cyclists. The safety bicycle had equal-sized wheels, which made it easier to ride. Lawson also attached a chain to the pedals to drive the back wheel. By 1893,the safety bicycle had been further improved with air-filled rubber tires, a diamond-shaped frame, and easy braking. With the improvements provided by Lawson; bicycles became extremely popular and useful for transportation. Today, they are built, used, and enjoyed all over the world.

1.This passage was most likely written in order to _____.

A.compare bicycles used for different purposes

B.describe the problems early bicycle makers experienced

C.persuade readers to use bicycles for transportation

D.tell readers about the early history of the bicycle

2.Macmillan covered the wheels of his bicycle with iron to _____

A.add weight to the bicycle

B.make the bicycle easier to ride

C.allow the wheels to last longer

D.let the bicycle be more comfortable

3.Which of the following bicycle types was invented by James Starley?

4.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A.Two hundred years ago,bicycles did not exist.

B.The first bicycle could be ridden at a very quick pace.

C.The Michaux brothers called their bicycle a “bone shaker”.

D.Macmillan’s machine had wheels with rubber tires.

5.The information about bicycles in this passage is arranged according to _____.

A.importance        B.time              C.place             D.Interest

 

Directions; Complete the following passage by using the words in the box.Each word can only be used once.Note that there is one word more than you need.

A.survey      B.off          C.better      D.care     E.conducted

F.differed.   G.personal     H.prepared    I.contrast    J.differences,

GAN Xiaolin, 18, only gets half a day __1.__ school every week since the Hubei student started senior high school.Every day, he takes core (核心的) courses from 7:10 am to 10:30 pm.

Sometimes, Gan feels extremely stressed from the heavy workload.But he hopes that his three

years of hard work toward the college entrance examination will change his life for the _2._.

Gan is a typical Chinese student, as shown m a recently released survey.The new survey, which was __3.__ by the China Youth and Children Research Center and other foreign institutions, polled(调整) about 4,000 high school and vocational school students in China, Japan, the United States and South Korea.

The five biggest frustrations listed by all the young people were: an over-busy school life, an empty_4.__ life, dissatisfaction with their appearance, a lack of time for exercise and friends, and no spare money.

Although some of the teenage problems were y-niversai, there were big _ _5._ between the students when it came to the time they spent on sehoolwork.

For example, Chinese students spent the most time at school and on homework.Nearly 80 percent of them spent at least eight hours a week in school, and 56.7 percent spent two or more hours on their homework.By_6., only about 25 percent of US students, 20,5 percent of Japanese students, and 15 percent of Korean students had more than two hours of homework each night.

The responses from the Chinese students also _7._ significantly from their peers (同龄人)

in the other three countries when asked about their life goals.

Only 16.7 percent of Chinese students said that they didn't __8._ much about their future, while the figure for that category was 72.4 percent for US students, 59.1 percent for the Japanese and 58.2 percent for the South Koreans.The _9. found that Chinese students were more motivated than the other students to work hard for a better life.

 

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