Carrying a passenger on a bicycle is an offence punishable by law. Everyone knows that but still some of us do it. I had done it many times before until something happened to teach me never to do it again. It was not the police. Rather it was an unforgettable, and unpleasant, experience. It happened one evening when my friend Segaran and I wanted to go and visit another friend who lived some distance away. I had a bicycle. Segaran did not. So, as usual, he sat side-saddle on the horizontal bar of the bicycle while I pedalled. We had done it many times before, so it should not be any problem. Near my friend's house, we got onto a gravel path made slippery by the recent rain. Still we managed to move along, thoroughly enjoying the rough ride. As we passed by a stream, I made the mistake of going too near the bank. The rain had softened the soil and it could not hold our combined weight. One moment we were going along merrily, the next we were tumbling head over heels into the stream. Splash! Splash! Splash! We plunged into the river bicycle first, followed by Segaran, then me. Normally the stream is only a few centimetres deep with clear water. When we fell in, it was a metre deep with smelly black water. The water prevented us from getting badly injured but we also had to pay the price of swallowing some of it. It tasted horrible. Segaran got the worst of it for being sandwiched between the bicycle and me. Our pride was far more hurt. We walked all the way home. I had to push the bicycle because its front wheel was bent out of shape. From that moment I promised never to carry anyone on a bicycle again. The author felt hurt mainly because _ . A) he swallowed some dirty water B) he got badly injured in the water C) he made Segaran sandwiched and hurt D) he failed in a thing he had thought was easy
D
A new concept vehicle, Pod was introduced by Toyota and Sony at the Tokyo motor show. The car is intended as a four-wheeled friend. It aims to provide affection, sympathy and encouragement. Like a dog welcoming its master, the car sits up, wags its tail and acknowledges its owner's presence using hydraulics and a multi-coloured LED display panel across the front. While on the road, the car constantly monitors the driver's mood with pulse and sweat sensors on the joystick . Cameras focused on the eyes keep watch for any sigh of _ . If a driver appears to be losing his or her cool, Pod will display warnings, play soft music and blow cold air at the face. Drivers are shaken awake with loud music and a shaking chair. To improve driving skills, Pod uses a comparison to score drivers, offer advice and rank all Pod owners. Toyota claims that the car will eventually be able to learn its owner's likes and dislikes by monitoring passenger conversations. If the car hears a favorite song being discussed, it will download the track from the Internet and play it without being asked. It will also recommend restaurants that might suit the driver's taste and take photographs of passengers when they sound particularly happy. In keeping with the moodiness that is the car's main selling point, Pod expresses a form of road anger. If a driver brakes or swerves suddenly, the LED panel shows an angry red and the tail rises at the back. Anger is one of the car's ten "emotional states". Another is sadness --- a blue front with tear-shaped lights seemingly dropping from headlights --- which appears after a flat tire or when gas is low. "We wanted to show that the cars can be cheerful and entertaining," said Yasunori Sakamoto, part of the Toyota design team. Mr Sakamoto said Toyota has no plans to put Pod on the market. Sad, really. What is the author's attitude towards Pod? A) Supportive. B) Doubtful. C) Pessimistic. D) Tolerant.
A
Q: The financial crisis is reminding Americans of a lesson they first learned in childhood: Share and share alike. They are sharing or swapping tools and books, cars and handbags, time and talent. The renewed desire to share shows up in a variety of examples: A car-sharing service has had a 70 percent membership increase since the crisis occurred. Some companies encouraged his employees to take vanpooling. Governments are putting bikes on the street for public use. How-to-swap Web sites are increasing quickly. The economy reflects the way Americans have cut back, especially on daily items: Department store sales dropped 1.3 percent in June. People are not buying cars, and as a result, auto sales dropped 27.7 percent last month. They are not paying others to do what they can do themselves -- Home Depot reports increased attendance at in-store do-it-yourself clinics. And although paint sales are down in general, according to Sherwin-Williams, individual consumers are still buying. When Tom Burdett needed to cut some tiles at his home outside Annapolis, he refused to buy expensive tools. So he asked his neighbors and friends for help. Sure enough, someone had just what he needed. And when that friend needed help fixing a satellite dish, Burdett volunteered to help. The sharing mind-set is not new to the American culture, but many Americans give it up when the nation changed from an agricultural society to an industrial one, said Rosemary Hornak, a psychology professor at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C. They moved farther from their families and did not have time to connect with new neighbors because they worked so much, she said. Neighborhood conversations tell more of the story as the movement grows organically in communities across the Washington region and the nation. On one street in Arlington, for example, neighbors are collecting their separate money for mulch and dividing it among themselves. Why do people in modern times give up the sharing mind-set? A) Because they don't need it at all. B) Because they aren't interested in it. C) Because they are busy with work. D) Because they hate being disturbed.
A: C
This wonderful 16-day tour is designed to highlight South Africa's amazing diversity of cultures, its curious mixture of old and new, as well as its wonderful scenery and wildlife, together with its unique history. Join us to experience Cape Town and the exciting Kruger safari on our tour to South AfricA. We believe that a more naturally beautiful country than South Africa would be difficult to find: from the rocky peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains, to the timeless semi-desert landscapes of the Karoo and then the forested seashores and mirror-like lakes of the Garden Route, the attractive valleys of the Winelands and the symbol of the country, Table Mountain -- all under an endless blue sky.Quite amazing! Included in our price: Return flights from London Heathrow Three-and-four-star hotels, sharing rooms, breakfast and lunch included Internal flight to the beautiful Garden Route Full-day guided safari in the Kruger National Park Visit the legendary Zulu War battlefields of Isandlwana, Rorke's Drift, the historical Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, Apartheid Museum and Blyde River Canyon Travel on Outeniqua steam train or go whale watching depending on the season For more information, call 0845 155 6706. On this 16-day tour, visitors might experience the _ of South Africa. A) history, cultures and education B) cultures, scenery and education C) history, scenery and education D) history, cultures and scenery
D