In 1974, the price of petrol in Britain rose by 120 percent; cars became expensive to run and train and bus fares increased. People who hadn't used a bicycle since they were children decided that they would buy bicycles.They discovered that cycling could be enjoyable and cheap. Bicycle sales had been falling for many years but suddenly everything changed.In 1975, British people spent more than one million on bicycles. Bicycle traffic increased by 11 percent. Bicycle fans compare the cost of running a car with the cost of running a bicycle.They also say bicycle-riding is a good form of exercise.In towns bicycles can often be faster than cars or buses.The bicyclists can ride through traffic jams and at the end of his journey he doesn't have to look for a parking space.Cycling through the countryside is a real pleasure; the cyclist has time to see things that the motorist, driving at over 100 kilometers an hour, never sees. But in the cities, cycling can be dangerous.You need good concentration and strong nerves, especially when a truck or a bus is trying to pass you.Since cycling became popular again, there has been an increase in the number of accidents. Cyclists say the answer to the problem is to separate bicycles from other traffic.Stevenage, a new town near London, has a system of "bikeways", where only bicycles are allowed to travel.However, in most towns, cyclists say, the needs of the bicycle riders are overlooked.Cyclists have formed into "action groups" in many towns in Britain.They want to persuade local councils-who are in charge of the roads and traffic in their areas-to make sure there are safe facilities for cyclists.Or, they say, interest in cycling will die. What is special about traffic in Britain today? A) More and more people ride bikes. B) More and more people like to take trains. C) Taking trains is much safer than taking buses. D) No people like to take buses.
A
WASHINGTON The head of the World Bank says for the first time in human history, it is possible to end poverty around the world. Jim Yong Kim told a Washington audience Tuesday, he wants to make ending world poverty by 2030 a top goal for the bank and governments around the world. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim says that the problems of poverty, hunger and inequality are wide, urgent and a matter of survival of millions. "We know that despite the great successes of the last decade, there are still about 1.3 billion people living in extreme poverty, 870 million who go hungry every day, and 6.9 million children under five dying every year," he said. But Kim told a Washington audience that the previous successful efforts to cut the number of people living in extreme poverty by half give them hope. "We are at an moment in history, when the successes of past decades and an increasingly favourable economic outlook combine to give developing countries a chance-for the first time ever-to end extreme poverty within a generation," he said in a speech at Georgetown University. "Our duty now must be to ensure that these favourable circumstances are matched with deliberate decisions to realize this historic opportunity." Kim says success will require increasing the speed of economic growth, particularly in South Africa and South Asia. But he warned that civil unrest could happen if economic growth does not help people at all income levels, and also include women and youth. Kim says that the World Bank and other development agencies will have more resources to get this job done right. "Meeting this 2030 goal will take extraordinary effort," he said. However, Kim warned that all the progress in fighting poverty could be destroyed by climate disasters unless the nations of the world do more to prevent climate change. What's the passage mainly about? A) The key of ending world poverty is preventing climate change. B) A top goal-ending world poverty will possibly be achieved by 2030. C) The success of ending poverty-economic growth. D) The progress in fighting poverty.
B
Q: The man traveling in the back of the ambulance which was running at a high speed along the streets of Baltimore that morning in2008 had no business to be alive. By everything that was reasonable, and there were plenty of such things before, he should have been very dead indeed. But he wasn't. As the people in the hospital pointed out after they had examined him, he was only slightly hurt. Yet he had just fallen 150 feet down a hotel lift shaft! Unknown to the man, two things had occurred which were to affect his life that day. On the thirteenth floor of the hotel, somebody had carelessly left the lift gate open. Down in the basement, a pipe had burst and it had flooded from the bottom of the lift shaft to a depth of two feet. Modern lifts have all sorts of fail-safe system to prevent accidents, but this was ancient equipment unreliable, slow, dangerous, and unsuitable material to recycle. The man had plenty of things to occupy his mind that morning. He had overslept. The hotel had forgotten to call him and now he was late for an important business appointment. He dressed quickly, shaved hurriedly, took hold of his briefcase and hurried off down the hotel corridor. Good! The lift gate was open. The lift must be there. He need not press the button and wait while the large, clumsy lift made its way upwards. Without looking or thinking, he stepped out into space, The lift cage was, in fact, one floor above him on the fourteenth. The lift shaft which he had walked was a narrow space of not very fresh air, ending150 feet below in two feet of dirty water. The man fell, making his journey to the ground at a speed he had never dreamed of. Confused patterns, a rush of air, time enough to be afraid, split-second thoughts of death, then crash! Perhaps this gave him the record for some sort of high-diving act. No doubt in future he always looked before he jumped. Certainly he learnt that this was no way to save time. The experts said that those two feet of water had saved his life. By "... had no business to be alive", the writer means that the man _ . A) had missed his business appointment B) was alive with excitement C) was alive and this was surprising D) didn't do any business
A: C
(Question)
Today, almost everyone has heard of Harry Potter.The books detailing his experiences at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have aroused passion, creativity, and interest in reading throughout the world. But have you ever considered why you are a fan of the Harry Potter series? JK Rowling has created a list of characters and an environment for them to inhabit that appeals to both adults and children. The fantasy aspect of the wizarding world expands the imagination, and takes the mind to new and exciting places.Anything could happen there.Her stories contain parts of the believable and unbelievable, changing the predictability that readers commonly come across and bear in fiction. The main theme of the series, including good versus evil, prejudice, love, death, sacrifice, friendship and loyalty, in actuality contributes to the ever-lasting nature of the stories.At the same time, these themes remind us of classic literature, offering mature readers tales that wear like a comfortable pair of shoes, while introducing younger readers to concepts they will meet throughout their lives. Much of the appeal also comes from the characters.In each book, JK Rowling introduces and describes the characters in such a way that we wonder not only about their futures, but also about their pasts.Even supporting characters are suddenly more than just extras in the background.And what of Harry Potter himself? We care about Harry, because we watch him grow from an innocent boy to a powerful wizard.We see him as both Hero and Victim.He experiences endless love and extreme pain, and as readers, we experience them with him. This perfect combination of emotion, suspense and fantasy, together with the fact that JK Rowling is a superb storyteller is the reason why we are Harry potter fans.People are fond of Harry Potter series.With books like these, it' s hard not to be. Harry Potter series become popular partly because _ . A) they remind us of the childhood and environment we had in the past B) they take us to a world beyond our imagination and expectation C) they offer us ever-lasting nature of the stories D) they set an example of hero for us to follow
(Answer)
B