题目内容
While the rest of the world carried on cycling during the 1950 s and 1960 s, America forgot how; even high—school children would drive to school．Recently there has been something of a renaissance（复兴）in cycling, and in many areas it is a very useful way of getting around, especially where bike paths or bike routes have been built．You may well want to buy, hire or borrow a bike．
There are two important consequences of this earlier drop in cycling in the USA．One is that many people do not know how to cycle．That is, cyclists often behave more like pedestrians（行人）than motorists :they ride on the sidewalk or on the wrong side of the road; they do not care for stop signs or traffic lights; they ride without lights at night; they give no hand signals．The other consequence is that cycling is regarded by many people not so much as a way of getting from one place to another but as a way of life, a form of exercise, etc．As a result, large number of young Americans have ten-speed racing bikes．These are very high and fast and great if you are cycling long distances, riding up mountains or racing．At first, though, you may find them awkward（使用不便） for cycling in town, Sight-seeing or shopping—they are expensive, uncomfortable and hard to control until you get used to them, and unsuitable for rough stony roads．
There are also ordinary bikes around．If you get hold of one of these, you may find that the brakes work by pedaling（踩踏板）backwards．This is perhaps safer than ordinary brakes when it is wet, but it seems to be less effective．This arrangement also means you can’t pedal backwards in order to get the pedals in the right place for getting on or moving off．
1．The passage gives us a brief introduction to ．
A．advantages of bikes B．cycling in America
C．American transportation D．how to ride a bike
2．Young Americans prefer racing bikes because they ．
A．can help keep fit B．are easy to learn
C．are safer to ride D．are expensive and popular
3．Which of the following does NOT result from the early drop in cycling in the U.S.A?
A．Cyclists do not care for traffic lights.
B．People ride on the wrong side of the roads.
C．Cycling is not considered a way of transportation.
D．People have to pedal backwards to stop the bike.
BAD
考前必练系列答案When I was seven my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven’t had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don’t need one. I have a mobile phone and I’m always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these devices（装置）tell the time — which is why, if you look around, you’ll see lots of empty wrists; sales of watches to young adults have been going down since 2007.
But while the wise have realized that they don’t need them, others—apparently including some distinguished men of our time—are spending total fortunes on them. Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling command shocking prices, up to ￡250,000 for a piece.
This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes. But these days all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Expensive watches come with extra functions — but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole? So why pay that much of five years’ school fees for watches that allow you to do these things?
If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead the Swiss reinvented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds’ worth of advertising, as a message about the man wearing it. Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world.
Watches are now classified as “investments”（投资）. A 1994 Patek Philippe recently sold for nearly ￡350,000, while 1960s Rolexes have gone from ￡15,000 to ￡30,000 plus in a year. But a watch is not an investment. It’s a toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up—they’ve been rising for 15 years. But when fashion moves on, the owner of that ￡350,000 beauty will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Timex.
【小题1】The sales of watches to young people have fallen because they______.
| A．have other devices to tell the time | B．think watches too expensive |
| C．prefer to wear an iPod | D．have no sense of time |
| A．people dive 300 metres into the sea |
| B．expensive clothes sell better than cheap ones |
| C．cheap cars don’t run as fast as expensive ones |
| D．expensive watches with unnecessary functions still sell |
| A．It targets rich people as its potential customers. |
| B．It’s hard for the industry to beat its competitors. |
| C．It wastes a huge amount of money in advertising. |
| D．It’s easy for the industry to reinvent cheap watches. |
| A．Timex or Rolex? | B．My Childhood Timex |
| C．Watches? Not for Me! | D．Watches — a Valuable Collection |
Makoto、Mr. Zheng、Mr. Zhu、Jack 和Xiao Wang 正在广州寻找合适的餐厅，第1--5题是对他们个人情况的介绍。阅读下列餐厅的信息(A、B、C、D、E、F)， 选出符合他们各人需要的最佳选择。选项中有一项是多余的。
1. Makoto is a Japanese tourist who has stayed in Guangzhou for a few days. He wants to make a tour of North China but unfortunately he has no time. So he would like to find a restaurant where he can taste northern food and experience the life in the north.
2. Mr. Zheng was born in Hunan but went to Japan at an early age. This time he came to Guangzhou to deal with some business affairs. Coming back to his homeland after being away for about 20 years, he hopes to find a restaurant serving food of his home town.
3. It is the first time for Mr. Zhu, who comes from the northeast of China, to visit Guangdong Province. He is interested in traditional Ca
ntonese food and Cantonese lifestyle.
4. Jack is a successful businessman. He is flying to Guangzhou to meet some people, who are likely to sign a contract with him. He wants to find a high quality restaurant. Of course, it is the quality rather than the price that he cares about.
5. Xiao Wang, a migrant worker in Guangzhou, plans to hold a party with his 10 friends. All of them are fond of the Sichuan cuisine. Xiao Wang hopes to spend less than 600 yuan for the dinner.
| A Nanhai Yucun Restaurant Founded in 1986, Nanhai Yucun Restaurant has always been one of the gourmets’ choices in Guangzhou. Prices are high, but so is the quality. Just look at the gust list; the King and Queen of Spain, South Korea’ s  Prime Minister and his wife have eaten here, along with lots of local famous people. |
| B Dongbeiren Dongbeiren is meant for northerners. The decoration is basically red—from the paper cuts and the curtains to the Kang (a bed with a table where people can sit comfortably without shoes and with their legs folded). It is perh  aps a way to remind the northerners of home or for other people to get in touch with the north. |
| C Taotaoju Restaurant Taotaoju Restaurant is one of Guangzhou’s most well-known traditional Cantonese restaurants, located in a historic building in the heart of the city’s Xiguan District. You can’t get any more traditional Guangzhou than this, which is a great place for dim sun and seafood. You haven’t lived in Guangzhou until you’ve eaten dim sum in a true local place like Taotaoju. It’s also a popular spot for parties. |
| D Chongqing Xiaodongtian Restaurant It’s one of the top Sichuan cuisine restaurants in Guangzhou, featuring Chongqing flavor. It is a group of chain restaurants in Guangzhou. The food is Sichuan style, but the decoration and surroundings are a bit old. Like most Sichuan restaurants, the pleasant smell of their traditional hot pot spreads throughout the whole place. Food here is medium-priced, around 50 RMB per person. |
| E Maojia Reastaurant Maojia Reastaurant is a local favorite for strong-flavored Hunan dishes. It has a strong cultural atmosphere related to Chairman Mao and also introduces Maojia dishes characteristic of tasty Hunan local flavors, which are a bit softer than the traditional Hunan flavor. |
| F Enmi Japanese Reastaurant The decoration here is beautiful and peaceful. A small “courtyard of bamboo” is refreshing while the space between tables is large and comfortable. The diverse sashimi (raw fish slices) is a must-try here. The food, however, is served slow and the regulated tow hours for ordering is strange. |
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两处为多余选项。
There was once a lonely girl who longed so much for love. One day while she was walking in the woods she found two starving birds._【小题1】____ She cared them with love and the birds grew strong. Every morning they greeted her with a wonderful song. The girl felt the great love from the birds.
__【小题2】___. The larger and the stronger of the two birds flew from the cage. The girl was so frightened that he would fly away. As he flew close, she grasped him wildly. Her heart felt glad at her success in capturing him. _【小题3】_____. She opened her hand and stared in horror at the dead bird. Her desperate love had killed him.
She noticed the other bird moving back and forth on the edge of the cage. She could feel his great need for freedom. He needed to fly into the clear, blue sky. __【小题4】____. The bird circled once, twice, three times.
The girl watched delightedly at the bird’s enjoyment. ____【小题5】______ .She wanted the bird to be happy. Suddenly the bird flew closer and landed softly on her shoulder. It sang the sweetest songs that she had ever heard.
The fastest way to lose love is to hold on it too tight, while the best way to keep love is to give it wings!
| A．She gave them some delicious food and left. |
| B．Suddenly she felt the bird go softly. |
| C．Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss. |
| D．One day she left with the two birds at home alone. |
F. One day the girl left the door of the cage open.
She lifted him from the cage and threw him softly into the air.