Read the article and select the best answer. Article: 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. Question: The main reason for so many people's riding bikes in England is that _ . Options: A: bike-riding does good to people B: a bike is easy to take care of C: a bike is much cheaper than a car D: there is no need of a parking place for a bike
A

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Steve Fossett did not really look like an adventurer, but he reached some of the most difficult goals in sailing and flying. Fossett was most proud of being the first person to fly around the world alone in a hot-air balloon. To make a trip around the world alone, it was necessary to have an improvedautopilot device. Fossett had one of his team members develop a more advanced balloon autopilot that would allow him to sleep and do other tasks while flying safely. Steve Fossett attempted the hot-air balloon trip around the world six times. This was not easy to do. He flew in the balloon'scapsule that was too small to stand upright. During his fourth attempt in 1998, he was almost killed during a storm off the coast of Australia. He fell 9,000 meters into the Coral Sea with his balloon's capsule on fire. He was later rescued at sea. Fossett successfully made the trip in 2002. The trip started and ended in Australia. He traveled more than 33,000 kilometers for more than 14 days. On this flight, Fossett set other records including a speed record of 322 kilometers per hour. One main problem with earlier balloon flights was the threat of dangerous storms. A team of weather experts e-mailed and talked to Fossett by a satellite telephone to help him avoid such weather. Steve Fossett's hot-air balloon is now at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. It is there as an example for other people to try and succeed in doing something important to them. Question: What did Steve Fossett specially prepare for the trip around the world? Options: A: He made the balloon's capsule bigger. B: He had an autopilot impvoved. C: He formed a team to fly with him. D: He improved the balloon's engine.
B

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: 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. Question: The lift did not have a fail-safe system because it was _ .ks5u Options: A: narrow B: slow C: large D: old
A: D

(Question)
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: 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. Question: The themes of the Harry Potter series do not contain _ . Options: A: prejudice and love B: good and evil C: death and sacrifice D: safety and peace
(Answer)
D