There is a saying in France that states: “The government could fall, the Louvre could be broken into, or aliens could land on Earth, but if any of the these things happened during the Tour de France (环法自行车赛), no one would notice.”
The Tour de France, held in July every year, consists of twenty one-day stages, plus several rest days. The course follows a clockwise route around France, and often neighboring countries, including Luxembourg, Belgium, and Italy. The winner is the rider who completes all twenty stages of the race in the shortest overall time.
The Tour de France first started on July 1, 1903, when sixty cyclists left from in front of The Alarm Clock Café, just outside of Paris, and rode 467 kilometers to Lyon. Maurice Garin, the most popular cyclist in France at that time, won the first race and received 2,000 francs. It took him 94 hours and 33 minutes to ride all 2,428 kilometers of the race. Over the weeks during the race, the idea of the Tour de France slowly caught on with the people of France. The race has been held every year since that time, except during the years of World Wars I and Ⅱ.
The Tour de France has developed several special honors for which racers compete. The yellow jersey is given to the leading racer each day of the Tour de France. Each day, the officials who keep track of the all of the rider’s time compare each rider’s total time up to that point. The racer with the lowest overall time wears the yellow jersey during the following day’s race. Green jersey is for the best racer in a fixed short distance, and the white jersey with read dots for the best rider in the mountains along the route.
Over the years of the race, the competitors have gained more than a medal. If a lead rider falls off his bike, the following riders would slow down to allow the fallen rider to catch up. German rider Jan Ullrich, who came in runner-up in.2002 after waiting for winner Lance Armstrong, says, “Of course I would wait. If I would have won this race by taking advantage of someone’s bad luck, then the race was not worth winning.”
8. What can we infer from the saying?
A.Strange things often happen in France. | B.The Louvre is attractive for thieves. |
C.The Tour de France enjoys great popularity. | D.Aliens come for the Tour de France. |
9. What can we learn about the Tour de France in Paragraphs 2 and 3?
A.The cyclist ride along the borders of France. |
B.The winner is the first cyclist to finish all stages of the race. |
C.The Tour de France has been an annual event since 1903. |
D.It took French people several years to accept the race. |
10. Who would be given a yellow jersey?
A.The best racer of two days. | B.The fastest cyclist over short distances. |
C.The fastest cyclist up to a point in a day. | D.The best racer in the valleys. |
11. What is the last paragraph mainly about?
A.Some interesting stories in the race. | B.Sportsmanship in the race. |
C.Great cyclists in the race. | D.Strict rules about the race. |