Around the World by Bicycle

　　In 1884, Thomas Steves decided to ride around the world. He would go by bicycle. No one had done that before. No one has done it the same way since. But first Tom had to learn how to ride a bicycle.

　　Tom learned quickly. In April, he left his home in San Francisco. He covered (行过) 3000 miles of rough (艰难地) roads. He got to Boston in August. By then,　　Tom had run out of money. He met the famous Colonel Pope. Pope was a rich man who made and sold bicycles. He agreed to pay for Tom's trip to Europe, so Tom put his bicycle on a boat.

　　Tom's bike had a giant wheel in front. Sometimes the wheel broke. In Europe, there was always someone to fix it. Tom liked Europe. The roads were good there. There were wonderful things to see. Back home, people read about Tom's trip in the newspapers .

　　In Asia, the ride got harder. Most people did not speak English. Sometimes people stopped him to look at his bicycle. Animals blocked (阻塞) his path, but Tom rode on. Chinese people gave him gifts. Tom was pleased with the gifts, but they were heavy. The gifts slowed him down. He didn't worry about lost time, though. He was in no hurry.

　　In January, 1887, Tom returned to San Francisco. He had been away for almost three years. He wrote about his trip and gave talks. He became well known. He made enough money to live on. Tom's long ride really paid off!

1．This story is mostly about ________ .

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2．Colonel Pope paid for ________ .

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3．Tom liked Europe because ________ .

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4．At home, people found out about Tom's trip ________ .

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5．Tom rode slowly in Asia because ________ .

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