A bicycle may be seen by most people as just another vehicle (交通工具), but for many Londoners, cycling is a way of life. According to an official UK government survey in 2017, about 570,000 bike journeys are made every day in London. In fact, almost half of the vehicles that pass over London Bridge each day are bikes.
London introduced a public bike-sharing system in 2010. “There can be no doubt that our trusty bicycles have changed the way people get around our great city,” Johnson told the Guardian in 2015.
In London, bikes are used for more than just taking short trips to and from the subway. No matter where you want to go in the city, taking a bike is usually the quickest and easiest choice.
And it’s not just shared bikes that the government is encouraging people to ride. In many companies across the UK, the UK government’s Cycle to Work scheme (骑行倡议) allows employees to buy a brand new bike without having to pay any tax (税). This means that it’s common to see many people cycling to and from work, and some employers even provide workplace showers and lockers (储物柜) for their workers. More importantly, a cycle-friendly boss may let you off for being late if you rode a bike to work. Not only is it great for the environment and our body, cycling is also good for the mind. According to National Geographic Magazine, “Bike riding can improve people’s happiness.”
1. How does the author show the popularity of cycling in London?| A．By making comparisons (做比较). | B．By using numbers. |
| C．By giving examples。 | D．By using famous sayings. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Disappointed. | D．Uninterested. |
| A．Free bike-sharing services. | B．A tax-free bike. |
| C．Shorter working hours. | D．Workplace showers and lockers. |
| A．不惩罚 | B．解雇 | C．请假 | D．释放 |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】As the coronavirus outbreak continues, many Americans are fearful of using public transportation.They are also looking for ways to get exercise without going to a gym.So, it may not be surprising that the pandemic has led to a major increase in bicycle sales.
In the US, bicycles at big stores have sold out.And small bicycle stores cannot keep up with demand for “family-style” bicycles: the low-cost, easy-to-ride models.“The bicycle industry is seeing its biggest sales increase since the oil crisis of the 1970s,” said Jay Townley, an industry expert.He compared the sale of bicycles to the rush to buy products like toilet paper at the start of the pandemic.
The rise in bicycle sales is not happening just in the US. Italy has created bicycle paths for the growing number of people who want to avoid public transportation.In London, city officials plan to ban cars from some central roads.Bike shop owners in Manila say demand is even stronger than what they see at Christmas time.
Of course, you can only buy a bicycle if you can find one.In the US, the shortages now mean it may take many months to get a bicycle. High demand is not the only reason for the shortage. Many bicycle factories were shut down to stop the spread of COVID-19.The increase in bicycle demand began in March as countries began to close down.In April, the sale of bicycles increased 200 percent in the US.
Joe Minutolo is the co-owner of Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop in Maine.He said he hoped the increased sales meant a change in the way people think about transportation.“People are having a chance to rethink things,” he said, “Maybe we’ll all learn something out of this, and something really good will happen.”
1. What causes the increase in bicycle sales?| A．Outbreak of the coronavirus. | B．Shortage of public transportation |
| C．People’s desire to defeat disease. | D．People’s fear of natural disasters. |
| A．More bikes are sold than at Christmas time. | B．“Family-style” bicycles are in great need. |
| C．New bicycle paths have been built. | D．Cars are banned from some central roads. |
| A．It’s impossible to buy a bike. | B．High demand for bikes began in March. |
| C．Bike factories were closed in April. | D．It takes many months to produce a bike. |
【推荐2】Now cities are full of cars. Some families even have two or more cars. Parking (停车) is a great problem, and so is the traffic in and around the cities. Something will have to be done to change it. What will the cars of tomorrow be like?
Little cars may some day take the place of today’s big cars. If everyone drives little cars in the future (将来) there will be less pollution (污染) in the air. There will also be more space for parking cars in cities, and the streets will be less crowded. Three little cars can fit (适合) in the space now needed for one car of the usual size.
The little cars will cost much less to own and to drive. Driving will be safer, too. What is more, these little cars can go about 65 kilometers per (每) hour.
Little cars of the future will be fine for getting around a city, but they will not be useful for long trips. If big cars are still used along with the small ones, two sets of roads will be needed in the future. Some roads will be used for the big, fast cars, and other roads will be needed for the slower small ones.
1. is the big problem for those people who have cars.| A．Money | B．Parking | C．Driver | D．Waiting |
| A．more | B．much | C．less | D．no |
| A．one third of | B．two thirds of | C．as big as | D．as small as |
| A．long trips | B．journeys | C．everyday life | D．sport |
【推荐3】London and Paris are two of Europe’s biggest tourist destinations, just a few hours away from each other by road or rail and an hours’ distance by air. What about the train-ferry combination that many recall fondly from their childhoods? Well, though it’s budget-saving, this option is too time-consuming today, so better leave it to your memories. Since the UK is not part the Schengen Area, passengers need to go through passport control prior to boarding.
Air trips:
Though flying between London and Paris is by no means recommended, there are still a few people traveling between the two dynamic cities by air. A very low one-way fare (车费) is possible through advanced booking, but of course it’s rare, and that doesn’t include the taxi and rail fares traveling to and from the airports.
*One-way fares from Paris can be as low as €49;
*From London, Air France flies with fares as low as £39(€46), and British Airways as low as £48(€56).
Rail trips:
The only direct train between London and Paris is the Eurostar, which travels 15-17 times per weekday. Eurostar’s 2015 edition trains can make the journey in two hours at speeds of up to 320 km/h. Besides, they offer good seating space.
* Fares begin at a reasonable £58(€68), round trip;* The earlier you book, the more you save.
Bus trip
The bus is by far the least expensive and longest way to travel between Paris and London. Eurolines and OUIBUS are two major bus lines traveling between the two capitals. The journey takes between seven and nine hours. Both lines advertise free Wi-Fi.
* One-way Eurolines fares begin at €15;
*One-way OUIBUS fares begin at €15 too, but early bird sales can even lower the fare.
1. Which of the following sayings is Not True about train-ferry combination?| A．It is budget-saving. | B．It is time-consuming. |
| C．It is the fastest means of transport. | D．Many people take it in their childhood. |
| A．By train-ferry. | B．By rail. | C．By air. | D．By bus. |
| A．Good seating space. | B．Free Wi-Fi. |
| C．Passport-free boarding. | D．Taxi pickup. |
【推荐1】Being the cat's whiskers(胡须)is a humorous and positive way of noting that something is considered to be very near perfect. The humorous and cute pictures that this term brings to mind have to do with the use of the whiskers of the cat, including expressing feelings, sensing changes in the environment, and helping catch small animals and measure distance(测量距离).
Different views are held on the exact origin of the English saying “cat's whiskers”. Some believe that the beginning of the term, along with the similar “cat's meow”, has something to do with girls' boarding(寄宿制)schools of the 19th century. Others believe that the term was first brought to life by Thomas Dorgan, an artist who was active during the early years of the 20th century. What is generally agreed is that by the 1920s, both “cat's whiskers” and “cat's meow” were often used in the United States, and commonly used as a term among young people of college age.
Unlike other sayings that may sometimes carry positive or negative(消极的)meanings depending on the setting, "cat's whiskers" is always used in a positive way. A boss may use the term to describe a worker who produces wonderful work. Proud parents may say this to their children when they do well in a school play or win some type of competition. In each situation, “cat's whiskers” is used to show warm feelings for another person.
While not used as commonly as before, being the cat's whiskers is still generally understood to be a good thing. Younger people may sometimes have to receive an explanation of what the term means, which can lead to seeing the use of the saying in a funny way. Even those who consider the saying to be out of date and not worthy of use in public may still use the term to show love and respect(尊重)in private settings.
1. The expression “cat's whiskers” can be used to describe something that________.| A．will never happen | B．needs to be measured |
| C．causes wide disagreements | D．is better than everything else |
| A．Goal. | B．Source. | C．Style. | D．Creator. |
| A．It is different from “cat's meow”. | B．It is used to describe girls' characters. |
| C．It was preferred by artists in the 1920s. | D．It was used a lot in the US in the 1920s. |
| A．How “cat's whiskers” is used. | B．When "cat's whiskers" got popular. |
| C．What “cat's whiskers" meant at first. | D．Why “cat's whiskers” has different meanings. |
| A．Pleased. | B．Excited. | C．Confused. | D．Worried. |
No two people are just the same. Sometimes friends don’t get along well. That doesn’t mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will make up and go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away. Then we feel very sad. We miss them very much. But we call them and write to them. It could be that we would even see them again. And we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them.
Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men or women who have been friendly to people in a town. Some libraries are named this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.
There’s more good news for people who have friends. They live longer than people who don’t. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. If someone cares about you, you will feel good.
1. The first paragraph tells us .
| A．making friends is a need in people’s life |
| B．we always need friends around us |
| C．what the feeling of having no friends is |
| D．we need to be alone in our life |
| A．A town. | B．A room. |
| C．A school. | D．A library. |
| A．They feel happier and healthier. |
| B．They know more about friendship. |
| C．They take less care of themselves. |
| D．They care more about their friends. |
【推荐3】I was born in Venice, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy, and studied designing at university here. Though I have also spent time away, I have always come back because it’s my home.
In Venice, there are no roads, only canals, so you have to get around on foot or by boat. I live on a canal in the Rialto area in a house that was built in 1588 for the Muti family, who were businessmen in the silk trade. In the mid-eighteenth century, it was home to the Vezzi family, who made things like plates and bowls in fine china and became rich by sending these around the world. These businessmen’s houses in Venice are like palaces. Their owners had to have space to show off their goods, but the building also had to be an office, a factory, a store and a home. My house came into our family in 1919, when it was bought by my grandfather. He died before I was born but he was the director of a museum where I often do research on old documents. On some of these, I’ve seen notes in his handwriting, so, in a way, I met him through these documents.
Sadly, the population of Venice has dropped from 120,000 in the 1950s to about 60,000 now. This doesn’t include the thousands of tourists who come to visit. I welcome the tourists but unless something is done to stop everyday shops like bakeries from disappearing, the city will die. I want people who love the city to come here to live and work and give Venice back a life that is not just about tourism.
1. What can we learn about the family who first owned the author’s home?| A．They were china dealers. | B．They made plates and bowls. |
| C．They used to buy and sell silk. | D．They helped to build the canals. |
| A．He met his grandfather in an unusual way. |
| B．His grandfather taught him how to write. |
| C．His grandfather turned his home into a museum. |
| D．He found his grandfather’s handwriting hard to read. |
| A．It faces a difficult situation. | B．It can’t feed its population. |
| C．It needs more modern shops. | D．It has fewer tourists than before. |
【推荐1】Amanda Kofoeds had found a strange lump in her arm one day and visited a doctor at a friend's urging. During this time, she was enrolled in school for education and was currently uninsured due to the expense. She planned to save money so she could get on her husband' s insurance and then seek medical treatment for the cancer.
Her friends and family didn't want her to postpone her treatment due to the expense. They took matters into their own hands and started a GoFundMe campaign. The friend came up with the creative idea to spread the word and invite family, friends, and strangers who wanted to help to participate in a donation flash mob (快闪行动).The event started an outpouring of enormous generosity from the local community.
Amanda and her husband Clint teared up as the crowd passed by and the donations poured in. The generous act of kindness gave the family a comforting, and optimistic feeling during a time when all hope seemed lost. Clint said that Amanda struggled with the idea of asking for help. She felt guilty and undeserving compared to others who are also struggling.
In the time since, Amanda has enrolled in an insurance plan and has finished chemotherapy. Life for the family has started getting back to their normal routine.
Once Amanda got her strength back, she returned to school and completed her bachelor's degree in education. She is now a teacher. She said the experience motivated her to instill (灌输) the value of charity in her children. The family is now inspired to volunteer in their local neighborhood and contribute to crowdfunding (众筹) efforts. They are grateful for the opportunity to give back and help others as many have helped them.
The couple said they feel blessed by the strong support. PassItOn wants to celebrate those heroes during the family's darkest time. These individuals perfectly demonstrate the value of community. It is with the help of their generosity that the family is now happy, healthy and whole.
1. Why did Amanda Kofoeds postpone her treatment?| A．She was admitted to a school. |
| B．Her family couldn't afford the medical cost. |
| C．No good doctors could treat her cancer. |
| D．Her friends and family refused to assist her. |
| A．They started a donation flash mob. |
| B．They founded a community school. |
| C．They supported her through local hospitals. |
| D．They fought for assistance from the whole country. |
| A．Guilty. | B．Satisfied. | C．Anxious. | D．Grateful. |
| A．Hard work pays off. |
| B．The value of charity is great. |
| C．Education is the key to success. |
| D．A friend is never known till a man has need. |
Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the websites you've visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
In fact, it's likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen—the 2lst century is the equal of being caught naked.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, and that it's important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread pieces you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret. The key question is: Does that matter?
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found an overwhelming pessimism about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is "slipping away, and that bothers me."
But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny part of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths (收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquits has run a series of tests that reveal that people will give personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cent-off coupon.
But privacy does matter—at least sometimes. It's like health; when you have it, you don't notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you‘d done more to protect it.
1. What would psychologists advise on the relationship between friends?
| A．Friends should open their hearts to each other. |
| B．Friends should always be faithful to each other. |
| C．There should be a distance even between friends. |
| D．There should be fewer disputes between friends. |
| A．Modern society has finally developed into an open society. |
| B．People leave traces around when using modern technology. |
| C．There are always people who are curious about others' affairs. |
| D．Many search engines profit by revealing people's identities. |
| A．They change behaviors that might disclose their identity. |
| B．They use various loyalty cards for business transactions. |
| C．They rely more and more on electronic devices. |
| D．They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it. |
| A．people will make every effort to keep it |
| B．its importance is rarely understood |
| C．it is something that can easily be lost |
| D．people don't value it until they lose it |
【推荐3】Do you like watching movies? The following movies are coming on soon. Please check and find the one you like. Click the name of each movie to get more information.
Brahms: The Boy II
Horror | Mystery |Thriller
Soon after a family moves into the Heelshire Mansion, their only son makes friends with a life-like doll called Brahms.
Director: William Brent Bell
Stars: Katie Holmes, Ralph Ineson, Owain Yeoman, Christopher Convery
Little Joe
Drama | Sci-Fi
Alice, a single mother, is a devoted senior plant breeder at a corporation engaged in developing new species. Against the company policy, she takes one plant home as a gift for her teenage son, Joe. The plant was created by genetic engineering and anyone touching it will become strange. Director: Jessica Hausner:
Stars: Emily Beecham, Ben Whishaw, Kerry Fox, Kit Conor
The Aeronauts
Action | Adventure I Biography | Romance
Pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) and scientist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) find themselves in a hard fight for survival while attempting to make discoveries in a gas balloon. Director: Tom Harper
Stars: Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne, Himesh Patel, Phoebe Fox
Apparition
Horror | Adventure
A group of young people, guided by an APP that connects the living with the dead, find themselves at an abandoned castle, a place with a horrific history tied to each of them, for reasons they’ll soon discover.
Director: Waymon Boone
Stars: Mena Suvari, Kevin Pollak, Megan West, Jon Abrahams
1. What can we learn about Brahms: The Boy II?| A．William Brent Bell is in charge of it. |
| B．Brahms can live a life as a man does. |
| C．The audience may be amused by the movie. |
| D．The story was created by William Brent Bell. |
| A．Brahms; The Boy II. | B．The Aeronauts. |
| C．Apparition. | D．Little Joe. |
| A．They are liked by teenagers. |
| B．Their plots are both horrible. |
| C．They are played by young actors. |
| D．Their characters all behave strangely. |
【推荐1】Famous for its tolerance as well as its narrow houses and broad canals, Amsterdam is undergoing a change of attitude when it comes to the millions of tourists that come to see it each year. Tolerance has reached its limits in the capital of Dutch, which is now actively urging visitors to head elsewhere.
Ellen van Loon, a partner at Dutch architectural firm OMA says, “We don’t want to turn into a Venice. While tourism earns the Dutch economy around 82 billion Euros a year, the problem we are currently facing is that Amsterdam is so loved by tourists, we just have so many coming to the city.”
Netherlands tourist officials recently took the decision to stop advertising the country as a tourist destination. Their “Perspective 2030” report, published earlier this year, stated that the focus will now be on “destination management” rather than “destination promoting”. The document also describes the country’s future strategy, acknowledging that Amsterdam’s livability will be severely influenced by “visitor overload” if action isn’t taken.
Solutions listed include working to discourage groups of visitors by either limiting or completely shutting down accommodation and entertainment products aimed at them, as well as spreading visitors to other parts of the Netherlands. Some of these measures have already come into play. Last year, the famous “I Amsterdam” sign was removed from outside the Rijksmuseum, the city’s main art gallery. The two-meter high letters have been moved to various “lesser-known neighborhoods” in a bid to entice travelers to leave the center of the city.
But will the measures being put in place be enough to save it from being damaged by its own success? Like many other locals, Van Loon fears Amsterdam has lost its uniqueness forever. “The reason tourists come here is that there’s something in the character of Amsterdam they love,” she explains. “But at a certain point, when the number of tourists is increasing and increasing, they actually kill what they loved in the first place.”
1. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 2 indicate?| A．Venice is suffering from overtourism. |
| B．Amsterdam doesn’t necessarily copy Venice. |
| C．Venice does more poorly than Amsterdam. |
| D．Amsterdam is more popular than Venice. |
| A．To reduce its pressure of mass visitors. |
| B．To turn the focus on destination promoting. |
| C．To promote the development of other areas. |
| D．To avoid much spending on city management. |
| A．Force | B．Persuade. | C．Inform. | D．Allow. |
| A．Positive. | B．Objective. | C．Skeptical. | D．Ambiguous. |
【推荐2】Researchers continue to show the power behind our sense of smell. Recent studies have found, among other things, that the smell of foods like pizza can cause uncontrollable anger in drivers on roads.
The study explains that smell is unique in its effects on the brain. According to Conrad King, the researcher who carried out the study, “more than any other senses, the sense of smell goes through the logical part of the brain and acts on the systems concerned with feelings. This is why the smell of baking bread can destroy the best intentions of a dieter.”
Smell, which determines the unbelievable complexity of food tastes, has always been the least understood of our senses. Our noses are able to detect up to 10,000 distinct smells. Our ability to smell and taste this extremely large range of smells is controlled by something like 1,000 genes (基因), which make up an amazing 3% of the human genome.
According to Conrad King’s study, smelling fresh pizza or even the packaging of fast foods can be enough to make drivers feel impatient with other road users. They are then more likely to speed and experience uncontrollable anger on roads. The most reasonable explanation is that these can all make drivers feel hungry, and therefore desperate to satisfy their appetites. In contrast, the smells of peppermint （薄荷）and cinnamon（桂皮香料） were shown to improve concentration levels as well as reduce drivers’ impatience. Similarly, the smells of lemon and coffee appeared to promote clear thinking and mental focus.
However, the way genes control smell differs from person to person. A study by researchers in Israel has identified at least 50 olfactory(嗅觉) genes which are switched on in some people and not in others. They believe this may explain why some of us love some smells and tastes while others hate them. The Israel researchers say their study shows that nearly every human being shows a different pattern of active and inactive smell-detecting receptors.
1. What does the author think of human sense of smell?| A．It is complex. | B．It is uncontrollable. |
| C．It is changeable. | D．It is powerful. |
| A．To find out how smell influences people. |
| B．To teach people how to choose proper food. |
| C．To study why some food like pizza harm people. |
| D．To explain why different people love different foods. |
| A．Only a few genes decide our sense of smell. |
| B．Different genes have different effect on people. |
| C．Different people are sensitive to different smells. |
| D．Every person owns at least 50 different olfactory genes. |
| A．Logic and behavior. | B．Smell and its influence. |
| C．Sense ability and food tastes. | D．Olfactory genes and our olfactory system. |
【推荐3】I received my autoimmune disease diagnosis (自身免疫疾病诊断) in 2009, and for the first few months, I was in a very bad place. I was suffering from severe anxiety and panic attacks on a daily basis. I was no longer able to function as a “normal” person. During that time, all I could do at best was to move about the house trying to do some easy housework, and prepare meals.
After a few months on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol, my intense tiredness improved and I slowly regained some energy. That is when I tried to follow my doctor's advice to exercise.
I clearly remember my first attempt. I was still weak, but somehow, I thought that if I could push through and pretend I had a normal life that things would get better. So, I went out and started running in the little neighborhood park. Unfortunately, I didn't last even five minutes and came back home, totally crashed. It took me several days to recover. After that first brush with exercise, I understood that I would have to start slow.
I began going on daily walks with my husband around the block. Slowly, we went further and further, and my strength came back progressively.
After walking, I started to attend yoga classes. I remember barely making it through my first class. My muscles were weak and trembling (颤抖) by the time I rolled up my mat. But I was also so happy to be able to get out of the house, mix with other people and have a social life!
After yoga, I ventured into activities a little bit more strenuous (费力的), but still gentle on the joints. I was going to the swimming pool to do laps and riding my bike. Recently, after almost four years on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol, I was finally able to start exercising regularly with a personal trainer.
1. What may the author learn from her first attempt to exercise?| A．Darkest hour is just before the dawn. |
| B．Where there is will, there is a way. |
| C．More haste, less speed. |
| D．Practice makes perfect. |
| A．Helpless but fun. | B．Tiring but rewarding. |
| C．Amusing but challenging. | D．Relaxing but disappointing. |
| A．Exercising contributes to good health. |
| B．Mood plays a vital role in one’s recovery. |
| C．Doctor’s advice should be strictly followed. |
| D．Connecting with people makes little difference. |
