In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bikes to work every day. In New York, some bike riders have even formed a group called Bike for a Better City. They declare that if more people rode bikes to work, there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown part of the city and so less dirty air form car engines.

For several years, this group had been trying to get the city government to help bike riders. For example, they want the city to draw special lanes(车道) for bikes on some of the main streets, because when bike riders must use the same lanes as cars there are accidents. Bike for a Better City feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes.

But no bike lanes have been drawn. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea—they say it will slow traffic. Some store owners on the main streets don’t like the idea—they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business.

The city government has not yet decided what to do. It wants to keep everyone happy. On weekends, Central Park—the largest place open ground in New York— is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bikes only.

1.In New York, a group of bike riders__________.

A. are keeping practicing for health    

B. have no cars of their own

C. are complaining there are not enough buses

D. are trying to settle the problem of air pollution

2. The bike riders suggest that __________.

A. bikes should be used instead of cars      B. bike lanes should be drawn

C. fewer buses or cars should be used  D. the number of special lanes should be decreased

3.The advantage of the special lanes is that__________.

A. they will make cars and buses run slowly

B. they will make it easier for bike riders to go to parks

C. they will make the city more beautiful

D. they will prevent accidents

 

How do you know if your home is an easy aim for thefts(偷窃)? Around the holidays, many families don’t consider taking proper measures to prevent their homes from suffering holiday thefts. With just a few simple steps, you can better make sure of the safety of your home during all of the holiday celebrations. Here are a few tips for making it difficult to tell you are away from home.

  ● Either have a trusted neighbor pick up your mail and newspapers, or tell your mailperson to hold your mail until you return. Nothing says “Hey, we are not home!” like when your postbox is filled with all kinds of mails and you have many different newspapers in your driveway.

  ● Set several different lights in your house on random timers (随机定时器)。Don’t leave your outdoor lights on all the time. Instead, put your outside lights on timers to be on during the nights.  If an outdoor light remains on for days at a time, it means that nobody is home to turn it off.

  ● If you have pets that you are not taking with you on vacation, leave them with a friend, rather than having someone come into your house every day to take care of them. When thefts see a neighbor or friend entering your house every day, they will know you are not home.

  ● Close all your curtains when you leave town. This is effective to deter possible thefts, as no one can see what is in your house. If they don’t know what there is to take, then the risk is even greater for them to break in.

  ● This article just has suggested a few tips to help you keep your house safe while you are on holiday. Nothing can truly protect your home unless you have it monitored by a professional home security system.

1.. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. to tell us how to prevent the thefts around the holidays

B. to let the outdoor lights on all the time

C. to tell us many families suffering from the thefts while they are on holiday

D. to tell you to have your neighbor go to your house to take care of your pet.

2..If you are on holiday in other places, the lights in your house should________.

A. be lit in an irregular way              B. be kept on all the night

C. be replaced by random timers          D be turned on only once one day

3..To make your home is well protected, what does the writer advise you to do?

A. Have all the curtains closed            B. Stop your mail service at once

C. Turn to your close neighbors or friends   D. Equip your home with security system

4.. Most of the tips mentioned in the text seem to ______.

A. be very popular with families             B. have no effect on preventing thefts

C. give a false impression on thefts.        D. be a little hard to be brought into effect.

5..The underlined word “deter ”probably means “___________ ”.

    A. discover         B. discourage       C. surprise         D. attract   

 

Because of the stress and strains of modern life folks today would rather watch television than get together with neighbors. Their behavior doesn't mirror TV soaps like Coronation Street and East Enders.?

The Street's Ashley Peacock and Toyah Battersby know all their neighbors. But the Royal Mail survey shows that real-life under?35s wouldn't dream of popping next door for a chat or to borrow a cup of sugar.?

Three out of ten say they wouldn't know their neighbors if they saw them in the street. The same proportion would only offer to help neighbors if absolutely necessary, while thirty-one? ?percent? don't want to get to know them better. Twenty-six percent rarely or never speak to the person next door. Thirty-five percent only talk to neighbors occasionally, and six percent actively dislike them. The older generation are still sociable, with seventy percent of over?55s ?taking? time to chat to people next door. The report says: “In the past, the British tradition of village green gossip（闲聊）between neighbors was celebrated worldwide. But there's been a clear shift away from local links by the young generation.” Londoners are least likely to be neighbors, with a third rarely or never chatting over the garden fence. People in the Midlands—where 65 percent often speak to their neighbors are most friendly.?

Sociologist Jane Blakeman said: “People are working longer hours than ever before, and are traveling further to work. It leaves them far less time at home.”?

Almost a third of young people_______.?

A. know their neighbours quite well?

B. have no idea who lives next door to them ?

C. talk to their neighbours when they want to borrow something?

D. spend time chatting with neighbours like their parents?

It can be inferred that Ashley Peacock and Toyah Battersby are both_______.?

A. important roles in a popular TV series

B. famous stars in TV programmes?

C. old soap operas

D. members of royal family?

Gossip among neighbours is still common among_______.?

A. people under?35s    B. people between 35 and 55?

C. people over?55s      D. people of different ages?

There is a difference between London and the rest of Britain mainly in that non-Londoners

_______.?

A. would help their neighbours only when necessary?

B. are less likely to have good relations with their neighbours ?

C. wouldn't travel far and find more time to chat with neighbours?

D. are more likely to keep up the old British tradition of having a chat over garden fence

Because of the stress and strains of modern life folks today would rather watch television than get together with neighbors. Their behavior doesn't mirror TV soaps like Coronation Street and East Enders.?

The Street's Ashley Peacock and Toyah Battersby know all their neighbors. But the Royal Mail survey shows that real-life under?35s wouldn't dream of popping next door for a chat or to borrow a cup of sugar.?

Three out of ten say they wouldn't know their neighbors if they saw them in the street. The same proportion would only offer to help neighbors if absolutely necessary, while thirty-one? ?percent? don't want to get to know them better. Twenty-six percent rarely or never speak to the person next door. Thirty-five percent only talk to neighbors occasionally, and six percent actively dislike them. The older generation are still sociable, with seventy percent of over?55s ?taking? time to chat to people next door. The report says: “In the past, the British tradition of village green gossip（闲聊）between neighbors was celebrated worldwide. But there's been a clear shift away from local links by the young generation.” Londoners are least likely to be neighbors, with a third rarely or never chatting over the garden fence. People in the Midlands—where 65 percent often speak to their neighbors are most friendly.?

Sociologist Jane Blakeman said: “People are working longer hours than ever before, and are traveling further to work. It leaves them far less time at home.”?

Almost a third of young people_______.?

A. know their neighbours quite well?

B. have no idea who lives next door to them ?

C. talk to their neighbours when they want to borrow something?

D. spend time chatting with neighbours like their parents?

It can be inferred that Ashley Peacock and Toyah Battersby are both_______.?

A. important roles in a popular TV series

B. famous stars in TV programmes?

C. old soap operas

D. members of royal family?

Gossip among neighbours is still common among_______.?

A. people under 35       B. people between 35 and 55?

C. people over 55     D. people of different ages?

In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bicycles to work every day. In New York, some bike riders have even formed a group called Bike for a Better City. They declare that if more people rode bicycles to work, there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown part of the city and so less dirty air from car engines.

For several years this group has been trying to get the city government to help bicycle riders. For example, they want the city to draw special lanes（车道）for bicycles only on some of the main streets, because when bicycle riders must use the same lanes as cars, there are accidents. Bike for a Better City feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes.

But no bicycle lanes have been drawn. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea—they say it will slow traffic. Some storeowners on the main streets don’t like the idea—they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business.

The city government has not yet decided what to do. It wants to keep everyone happy. On weekends, Central Park—the largest place of open ground in New York—is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bicycles only.

But Bike for a Better City says that this is not enough and keeps fighting to get bicycle lanes downtown.

65. In New York, a group of bike riders______.

A. are keeping practising for health

B. have no cars of their own

C. are complaining（埋怨）there are not enough buses

D. are trying to settle the problem of air pollution

66. The bike riders suggest that______.

A. bicycles should be used instead of cars

B. bicycle lanes should be drawn

C. fewer buses or cars should be used

D. the number of special lanes should be increased

67. The advantage of the special lanes is that______.

A. they will make cars and buses run slowly

B. they will make it easier for bike riders to go to parks

C. they will make the city more beautiful

D. the lanes will prevent accidents

68. The government has not decided whether special lanes should be drawn______.

A. so that everyone is disappointed

B. because there are different opinions

C. because most people travel by train

D. because Bike for a Better City is not strong enough