First it was jogging. Then aerobics . Not too long ago, Americans discovered race walking. Now Americans are into a newfitnesscraze. They'retaking up bicycling. Over hills and down mountainsides and across quiet country roads, Americans are busily rolling along. The number of adults who ride for fitness is around 17 million, an increase of 70 percent over four years ago. Twice as many women as men are coming to the sport. Americans arefalling in love withbiking because it has speed, the benefitsofjoggingand beautiful scenery. Bicycling is a very appropriate sport, which is important to people who injured their knees while jogging or whosejointsareachingfrom aerobics. And biking is a real awakening for people who have been into race walking in the past. Race walking isas dull as watching paint dry. The most popular kind of bicycle for people who are new to the sport is the mountain bike, which has afixed framewith wide tires andupright handles. Mountain bikes also have manygears to make it easier to climb hills. About 5 million Americans ride mountain bikes, compared with 200,000 who rode them only five years ago. Costsrangefrom about $130 for abottom-of-the-linebicycle to more than $2,700 for an expensive bicycle. Mountain biking has attracted somepeoplewho race down the sides of mountainslike a bat out of hell. But most riders ride slowly and theyrarelyventurefar from home. The biking craze has brought an unexpected profit to clothing and bicycle accessory makers. Last year, bikers paid $ 630 million for biking clothes and accessories. Bicycling seems likely to continue its fantastic growth. The main idea of the article is _ A) riding a bicycle is one of the most dangerous sports in prefix = st1 /America. B) Americans are rolling along. C) bicycling is the latest fitness craze to hit America. D) most people in Americawant to own a hand-made bicycle that can cost more than $ 2,700.
C
(Question)
China will soon put its first domestically developed electric aircraft into mass production, and designers expect a huge market at home and abroad. "The RX1E is scheduled to receive its airworthiness(,,)certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China before the end of this year, with production expected to start next year," Yang Fengtian, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering told China Daily on Thursday. "This will be the first electric aircraft to be certified by our civil aviation authority. The success of the plane means China has become a technology leader in this filed," he added. An electric aircraft runs on electric motors, with electricity coming from fuel cells, solar cells, ultracapacitors, power beaming or batteries. Most of today's electric aircraft are experimental demonstration models. The first manned, electrically powered flight was made in 1973. "We plan to reach an annual production of 100 such aircraft within three years, and the construction of a manufacturing plant that can make 100 RX1Es each year has begun in Shenyang," Yang said, adding that the plane, together with a set of batteries, will sell for nearly 1 million yuan ($163,000). The convenience of use, easy maintenance, low operating costs, high safety levels and eco-friendliness will bring the RX1E many buyers to serve a wide range of purposes, such as police patrols, flight training, entertainment and mapping surveys, he added. Yang said he expects that the Chinese market will need at least 1,000 RX1Es to meet the demand from general aviation businesses. With a maximum takeoff weight of 480 kg and a cruise speed of up to 160 kilometers per hour, the RX1E can fly 90 minutes based on a full charging of its batteries. It is able to carry loads for 230 km and fly at an altitude of nearly 3,000 meters. Yang said, "In addition to the domestic market, _ ." We can learn from the passage EXCEPT _ . A) Both the production of RX1E and construction of plant are yet to start. B) The new electric aircraft has at least five advantages over other aircrafts. C) Production of RX1E for domestic air travelling can be met in 3 years. D) Electricity was not a main source of power for aircrafts before 1971.
(Answer)
C
Ques: News that Microsoft made a $44.6 billion bid to buy Yahoo resulted in heated discussions made by many Internet users. Here are some responses: Diane Burke of Weeks bury, Kentucky I think it would definitely be an interesting combination. Everyone recognizes the names Yahoo and Microsoft, but everyone also says, "Did you Google it?" Such a catchphrase is going to be hard to beat. Shaun Carney of Laurelville, Ohio I think the merger will provide more competitions for Google. I don't think the merger will allow Microsoft to develop faster than Google, though. I believe the increased competition this merger brings will force Google to stay on top of its game by offering more fresh and original Internet tools and expanding on the tools it already offers. Toni Suarez of Hacienda Heights, California I view the merger as a necessary element in preventing a monopolization . Perhaps it would bring better high technology innovations to e-mail and help in researching and developing a better Internet! Rick R. of Edgewater, Florida It sounds like a disaster to me. If this were to happen, I would stop using my Yahoo e-mail account because I don't like the feeling of Microsoft spying upon my business. I will sign up for Google. Antonio Glosser of Kansas City, Missouri Right now, Yahoo offers a lot of features and tools at no cost for all different levels of Internet users. Microsoft seeks nothing but profit. Undoubtedly, they'll do nothing other than find ways to start removing Yahoo's formerly non-priced features. Microsoft's greed will ruin the great thing that Yahoo currently is. How many companies are mentioned in the passage? A) One. B) Two. C) Three. D) Four.
Ans: C
I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Isidro. He lets me use his house to hold events to raise money for youth at risk programs. The last time I was there he greeted me by saying, "I want to tell you why I let you use my house. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of a poor horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, farm to farm, training horses. As a result, the boy's high school was continually interrupted . One day in the last year of high school, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to do when he grew up. "He wrote a seven-page paper about his goal of owning a horse ranch in great detail. He put a great deal of his heart into the project and even drew a detailed floor plan for the dream ranch. Then the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. But he got a low mark with a note that read, 'See me after class.' "The boy went to see the teacher after class and asked, 'Why did I receive a low mark?'" "The teacher said, 'This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from a poor family. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. There's no way you could ever do it.' Then the teacher added, 'If you will rewrite this paper, I will reconsider your mark.' "The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, 'Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.' "Finally, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He wrote, 'You can keep the low mark and I'll keep my dream.'" The purpose of the text is to tell readers that _ . A) seeing is believing B) knowledge is power C) all roads lead to Rome D) where there is a will, there is a way
D