D

While the rest of the world carried on cycling during the 1950s and 1960s ,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 (后果)of this earlier drop in cycling in the U.S.A. One is that many people do not to 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 don't 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, a 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 one of these ,you may find that 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.

68.   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

69.   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

70.   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.

When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for a few coppers（铜钱）.The book wasn’t very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip（条）of vellum（牛皮纸）on which was written the secret of the “Touchstone”!

The touchstone was a small pebble（小园石）that could turn any common metal into pure gold. The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.

So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold-throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea.

The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months. One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along, he still threw it away.

So it is with opportunity. Unless we are vigilant（警惕的）, it’s easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it’s just as easy to throw it away.

The book was special to the man because ______.

         A. it was made of vellum

         B. it was the only book that survived the great fire

         C. it was a story about how to tell the touchstone from ordinary stones

         D. it included the secret of the touchstone

He threw pebbles into the sea ______.

         A. to test how far he could throw

         B. to practice throwing pebbles

         C. to avoid picking up the same pebble once again

         D. to express his disappointment at failing to find the touchstone

What message does the story want to convey?

         A. Careful habits can lead to success.

         B. Habits can benefit you but also hold you back.

         C. Never judge a person or a thing by appearances.

         D. Opportunity only visits the ready and watchful mind

When someone says, "Well, I guess I’ll have to go to face the music", it does not mean he is planning to go to a concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this or that, and why you did not do this or that. Sour（剌耳的; 拙劣的）music, indeed, but it has to be faced.

The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. Where did the expression come from?

The first information comes from the American writer James Fennimore Cooper. He said in 1851 that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on stage. After they got their cue（提示，暗示） to go on, they often said, "It’s time to go to face the music." And that is exactly what they did--- face the orchestra (管弦乐队) which was just below the stage.

An actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of the audience that might be friendly or perhaps unfriendly especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. So, “to face the music" came to mean having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.

The other explanation comes from the army. Men had to face inspection(视 察)by their leader. The soldiers worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean--shiny enough to pass inspection? Still, the men had to go out, and face the music of the band, as well as the inspection. What else could they do?

According to the passage, the word “music" means________.

A．your boss’s criticism(批评)              B．your leader’s inspection

C．something unpleasant to be experienced    D．sour pop music

The phrase ‘to face the music" was first used by _______.

A．all the Americans       B．the American writer James Fennimore cooper

C．some American actors   D．the American orchestra

An actor might feel frightened or nervous when going on stage. One of the reasons is that ______.

A．his performance was not good at all

B．he might not remember what he should say on stage

C．he had to face the unfriendly audience

D．most of the audience might be his friends

to face the music" is also used to mean that soldiers were not willing _______.

A．to be examined about their equipment    B．to be found weak

C．to show themselves up in public         D．to be inspected by their leader

The passage is mainly about_______.

A．the meaning of the phrase ‘to face the music"  B．how to deal with something unpleasant

C．how to learn English phrase                D．how to go through difficulty

A couple of years ago,before a trip to China,Nicole Davis and her US women’s volleyball teammates were warned about the prominence (显著、突出) of coach “Jenny” Lang Ping in her native country.

“I was pushed over by Chinese journalists while I was just trying to put my luggage on the bus,”said Davis.

Known as the “Iron Hammer” for her punishing spikes(扣球),Lang made it possible for China to dominate in the sport in the early 1980s.She was a key player on China’s 1984 Olympic gold medal winning team.

When the US team arrived for the Olympics,Lang,48,who is from Beijing,had to take a different route to avoid a crowd of reporters and fans.

Then came the greatest moment to Lang：While the US team was playing in a packed gym,at least 8,000 Chinese fans unfurled an American flag.

“That really says it all,” Davis said.“They look at her as an icon(偶像)．I’m sure it’s hard for them to see her coaching another country,but they love her so dearly that her success is their success.”

The loyalty of the Chinese fans was tested on Friday,when China lost a match to the US.

“It’s a pity that China lost the match,but I’m still glad that Lang Ping’s team won,since she is the pride of China’s volleyball,” said Liu Chengli,a spectator.“We also cheered for

Lang’s victory.”

Lang said she just tried to stay professional when the two teams meet.“It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.It’s the same.” Lang said.

Davis said she and her teammates could not have imagined the passion for volleyball among Chinese because the sport was lack of popularity in the US. The reception from Chinese fans has touched the US players,said US volleyball player Lindsey Berg.

“It’s such an honor to be here and play for our coach here in China,”she said.“The amount of support that the Chinese give to her and us has been tremendous.The whole event has been unbelievable.”

What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Staying professional.                           B．Cheering for the Iron Hammer.

C．A match between China and the US.      D．Lang Ping’s career as a coach.

Lang Ping avoided meeting the reporters and fans probably because she ________.

A．was afraid to be questioned about her strategy

B．didn’t want to be paid much attention to

C．disliked to be with her fans

D．didn’t want to disturb public order

What does the underlined word “unfurled” exactly mean?

A．destroyed completely                           B．tore into pieces

C．spread out to the wind                          D．rolled up

What does Lang Ping mean by saying “It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.”？

A．American Volleyball Team will beat any team.

B．Chinese Volleyball Team is the same as other teams.

C．She just tried to stay professional.

D．The results of each match will be the same.

What impressed the US team players most?

A．The tolerance of Chinese people.

B．The popularity of volleyball in China.

C．Lang Ping’s coaching skills.

D．The loyalty for volleyball of the Chinese.

A week ago, I had the great pleasure of reading an e-book, When Money Talks, Listen! By Rich Ezzo．It took only about an hour to read.

   When I first received a copy, I thought it was a Get Rich Quick type of publication．Nothing is wrong with Get Rich Quick, but my mind just doesn’t chase after dreams of wealth．I think that if God ever wants me to be rich, he knows where to find my purse.

   When I began reading When Money Talks, Listen!, I was overjoyed to find that Rich Ezzo isn’t money hungry either．He, too, is hungry far more important than money．

Since I love this e-book so much, why wait a week to write the review? Simple．I wanted to see if the effect it had on me was a keeper．After reading the last word of the e-book, I totally agreed with the subtitle which promised to forever change the way we thought about money．I had so many thoughts running around my mind that I had to install(安装) a stoplight to stop some while others made their way into the picture, then I yielded(让路) them as a few ones arrived in town．I had a mental traffic jam, which only goes to show how slow the traffic usually is．

   It has been a week and the effect is the same．I truly do look at money differently and have even done a few things differently this week．This is an e-book you’ll want to read, I promise．I often recommend books to my daughter, and this is one that I didn’t just “suggest”---I left it open at the bottom of the computer and told each one, “Read it, you’ll love it.”

   I would never point someone in a direction I wouldn’t go myself．I urge you to visit the author’s website, Myster Money, and to download the e-book．You won’t regret it.

The author wrote this passage to _________　

       A．strongly recommend an e-book.

　    B．show the author's attitude to money.

　    C．introduce the general idea of an e-book.

　    D．point out Rich Ezzo isn't money hungry.

According to the passage, a Get Rich Quick type of publication ______.

       A．is what the author really cares for

       B．deals with how to make money

       C．is also an e-book written by Rich Ezzo

       D．is more popular than e-books

The author didn't write the review as soon as he finished reading the book because________．

　    A．he was too excited to write anything

　    B．he was not sure whether he did well

　    C．he had to wait for Rich Ezzo's permission

　    D．he wondered if the book would have long influence on him

By saying the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4, the author probably __________.

　    A．shows that the book brought him many new thoughts

　    B．shows how bad the traffic is in town

　    C．describes the difficulty in understanding the book

　    D．explains it's hard to change one's attitude to money

Which of the following is supported by the passage?

      A．The author had known Rich Ezzo before.

　    B．The author hasn't dreamed of getting rich immediately.

　    C．The author always prefers e-books to paper books.

　    D．The author likes Get Rich Quick-type of publications.