Andrew Ritchie, inventor of the Brompton folding bicycle, once said that the perfect portable bike would be “like a magic carpet…You could fold it up and put it into your pocket or handbag”. Then he paused: “But you’ll always be limited by the size of the wheels. And so far no one has invented a folding wheel.”
It was a rare — indeed unique — occasion when I was able to put Ritchie right. A 19th-century inventor, William Henry James Grout, did in fact design a folding wheel. His bike, predictably named the Grout Portable, had a frame that split into two and a larger wheel that could be separated into four pieces. All the bits fitted into Grout’s Wonderful Bag, a leather case.
Grout’s aim: to solve the problems of carrying a bike on a train. Now doesn’t that sound familiar? Grout intended to find a way of making a bike small enough for train travel: his bike was a huge beast. And importantly, the design of early bicycles gave him an advantage: in Grout’s day, tyres were solid, which made the business of splitting a wheel into four separate parts relatively simple. You couldn’t do the same with a wheel fitted with a one-piece inflated （充气的） tyre.
So, in a 21st-century context, is the idea of the folding wheel dead? It is not. A British design engineer, Duncan Fitzsimons, has developed a wheel that can be squashed into something like a slender ellipse （椭圆）. Throughout, the tyre remains inflated.
Will the young Fitzsimons’s folding wheel make it into production? I haven’t the foggiest idea. But his inventiveness shows two things. First, people have been saying for more than a century that bike design has reached its limit, except for gradual advances. It’s as silly a concept now as it was 100 years ago: there’s plenty still to go for. Second, it is in the field of folding bikes that we are seeing the most interesting inventions. You can buy a folding bike for less than £1,000 that can be knocked down so small that it can be carried on a plane — minus wheels, of course — as hand baggage.
Folding wheels would make all manner of things possible. Have we yet got the magic carpet of Andrew Ritchie’s imagination? No. But it’s progress.
We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the Brompton folding bike .
| A．was portable |
| B．had a folding wheel |
| C．could be put in a pocket |
| D．looked like a magic carpet |
We can learn from the text that the wheels of the Grout Portable .
| A．were difficult to separate |
| B．could be split into 6 pieces |
| C．were fitted with solid tyres |
| D．were hard to carry on a train |
We can learn from the text that Fitzsimons’s invention .
| A．kept the tyre as a whole piece |
| B．was made into production soon |
| C．left little room for improvement |
| D．changed our views on bag design |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Three folding bike inventors |
| B．The making of a folding bike |
| C．Progress in folding bike design |
| D．Ways of separating a bike wheel |
You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.
“The lift becomes this interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of odd (奇怪的),” Gray told the BBC. “They (elevators) are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”
We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, lift users unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.
He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box.If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.
New entrants to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple – look down, or look at your phone.
Why are we so awkward in lifts?
“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”
In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be construed (理解) as threatening or odd. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact,” she said.The main purpose of the article is to _____.
| A．remind us to enjoy ourselves in the elevator |
| B．tell us some unwritten rules of elevator etiquette |
| C．share an interesting but awkward elevator ride |
| D．analyze what makes people feel awkward in an elevator |
According to Gray, when people enter an elevator, they usually _____.
| A．turn around and greet one another |
| B．look around or examine their phone |
| C．make eye contact with those in the elevator |
| D．try to keep a distance from other people |
Which of the following describes how people usually stand when there are at least two people in an elevator?
The writer wrote the passage in a tone of ___________.
| A．disapproved | B．objective |
| C．negative | D．supportive |
The Future Stars
General introduction
The Future Stars was set up in 1988 as a non-profit service center for child development devoted to providing quality childcare in a loving and educational environment for children 6 weeks to 6 years of age. Our funds mainly come from public donations.
A healthy curiosity about learning is the most important quality for early childhood development. We aim at offering high quality developmentally age-appropriate activities for early childhood, the most Important time of child development, so that they can do better after they start formal schooling.
Hours of operation
Childcare will be provided for the child from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Friday except for holidays. Children may not arrive before 7:00 am or remain after 6:00 pm. Should an emergency arise, the parent should immediately make us know in consideration of our work arrangements. A late charge of $ 1.00 per minute will be assessed if the child is not picked up by 6:05 pm. Charges for these services are to be paid directly to the staff person that has been looking after your child until your arrival, not to the center. Failure to pay late charges may affect continued services with the center.
Tuition (学费)
When it has been confirmed that a position is available for your child, you must pay a registration (注册) fee of $200 per child.
The weekly tuition fee is $ 98.00. You can make payments either by credit card or in cash on Monday every week. If your payment is not made by Tuesday at 9:00 am, you will be charged a $ 25.00 late fee.
For more information, please call 434-293-6110 or visit
www.childdevelopmentcenter.com.The Future Stars is intended for______.
| A．would-be parents | B．teenagers |
| C．child experts | D．pre-school children |
What can we know about late pickups from the passage?
| A．They may affect continued services with the center. |
| B．Parents have to pay late charges for them to the center. |
| C．Parents have to inform the center of them right away. |
| D．They greatly disturb the work arrangements of the center. |
If you want your child to receive childcare services from the Future Stars you must ___.
| A．pay extra for delayed payment | B．pay every Tuesday |
| C．pay $ 98 for registration | D．pay in cash |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To attract public donations. |
| B．To promote early education. |
| C．To tell the benefits of childcare. |
| D．To introduce a child development center. |
June came and the hay was almost ready for cutting．On Midsummer's Eve, which was aSaturday, Mr．Jones went to Willington and got so drunk at the Red Lion that he did not comeback till midday on Sunday．The men had milked the cows in the early morning and then hadgone out rabbiting, without bothering to feed the animals．When Mr．Jones got back, heimmediately went to sleep on the living-room sofa with the "News of the world" over his face,so that when evening came, the animals were still not fed．At last, they could stand no longer．
One of the cows broke into the door of the store-house with her horns（角） and all the animalsbegan to help themselves to the grains．It was just then that Mr．Jones woke up．The nextmoment he and his four men were in the store-house with whips （鞭子） in their hands,whipping in all directions．This was more than the hungry animals would bear．Together,though nothing of the kind had been planned beforehand, they jumped upon their masters．
Jones and his men suddenly found themselves being struck with horns and kicked from allsides．The situation was quite out of their control．They had never seen animals act like thisbefore, and this sudden uprising （起义） of creatures whom they were used to beating andwhipping just as they chose frightened them．After only a moment or two, they gave up tryingto defend themselves．A minute later all five of them were in full fright down the road, with theanimals running after them joyfully．Which of the following is TRUE according to the story?
| A．Willington was the name of a relative． |
| B．Red Lion was the name of a bar． |
| C．News of the World was a TV program． |
| D．Store-house is a place to feed the cows． |
The cows broke into the store-house to feed themselves because .
| A．They were so angry at their masters |
| B．They wanted to fight with the men |
| C．They wanted to go on strike |
| D．They-were too hungry |
The cows jumped upon their masters because _________．
| A．they were not fed |
| B．they were so hungry |
| C．they were whipped so hard |
| D．they were so happy |
What would be the best tile for the story?
| A．Midsummer's Eve | B．A Bad Sunday |
| C．Cows and Their Masters | D．Rebellion of Cows |
Location: Worlds of Fun is located off Highway 435 in Kansas City, Missouri.
History: Worlds of Fun was opened on May 26, 1973, at a cost of 25 million dollars. Loosely themed around the Jules Verne book, Around the World in Eighty Days, the park was founded by Hunt Midwest Company. In 1982, Hunt Midwest bought a nearby waterpark, Oceans of Fun. In 2013, Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun were combined to a one-ticket admission, providing all guests with access to(进入) 235 acres of amusement and water rides.
Hours: Worlds of Fun is open from April through Halloween.
Tickets: Buy and print online. Always try to buy your tickets in advance, to save time when you get to the park.
Reservations: World of Fun sells “ Fast Lane” cards that save rides’ time by allowing them to avoid the majority of wait for most of rides and attractions including Mamba, Plowler, and Patriot. Ride as many times as you want all day long.
Strategy(策略): Most visitors tend to(趋向于) begin in the day with Prowler, the hottest attraction in the park. Use that tendency to your advantage and head to the Patriot first. After that, try the Dragons. Then work your way back to the Prowler. After riding the Prowler, there is only one roller coaster, Mamba. Hit it next. If the park is not very crowded, you can ride Boomerang on the way to Mamba. After riding Mamba, head back for a ride on the Wolf. By then you will have tried most of the popular rides and attractions in the shortest possible time.
News: In 2014, Worlds of Fun is adding Steel Hawk, a ride that will take guests up 301 feet in the air and spin them at a 45-degree angle for a 60-second flight. Wait to have a try.When did Hunt Midwest’s two parks start to share one ticket?
| A．In 1973 | B．In 1982 |
| C．In 2014 | D．In 2013 |
With a “Fast Lane” card, visitors can ________.
| A．save some money |
| B．avoid lining up for long |
| C．buy tickets online |
| D．enjoy all the rides for free. |
What is talked about in the part of Strategy?
| A．The most popular tour season. |
| B．The highest ride in the park. |
| C．The best visiting route. |
| D．The hottest attractions in the park. |
Growing mushrooms(蘑菇) is probably the easiest thing you can do if you are new to mushroom growing. Mushroom growing is becoming more and more common as restaurants are creating more dishes that include mushrooms.
Mushroom growing is easy. To start with you need to have a growing space where you are going to grow these mushrooms. It does not have to be too big enough for you to grow as many mushrooms as you need. When you have found the space that is perfect for you, you can start to research what kind of mushrooms you want to grow. There are hundreds of kinds to choose from but not all mushrooms are edible, which is an important fact you need to remember before you start. Don’t grow mushrooms you can’t use or sell.
When you figure out what kind of mushrooms you want to grow, you can make some preparations. Sometimes you need to hire some workers to help you if you have a large mushroom farm, or if you are trying to start a professional mushroom growing business. Trying to start a business by yourself can be stressful. If you don’t have time to take care of everything yourself, to hire a worker is the best bet.
After you have started the mushroom growing, you should regularly check and make sure that your mushrooms are growing properly and that they are not being attacked by any pesticides(杀虫剂) or any other animals that are potentially dangerous for them. That is the worst situation of mushroom growing. Protect your mushroom farm well with a fence or a gate so that only you and your workers can get in an out.
Mushroom growing is not difficult and is a really easy way to get started in the field of farming. You will possibly supply some of the great chefs(厨师) of the world with high-quality mushrooms that will be enjoyed by thousands of people around the world. Many people are beginning to plant mushrooms probably because _______.
| A．they are too common |
| B．they look very beautiful |
| C．there are more restaurants |
| D．they are in great need |
The underlined word “edible” (in paragraph 2) probably means “________”.
| A．easy to find | B．expensive to buy |
| C．suitable to eat | D．difficult to grow |
Which of the following is the right order of planting mushrooms?
a. Choose the suitable mushrooms.
b. Protect your mushrooms well.
c. Find some people to help you.
d. Start to grow mushrooms.
e. Find a place to plant mushrooms.
| A．b, d, a, e, c | B．e, a, c, d, b |
| C．e, c, a, b, d | D．d, c, b, a, e |
What is the main topic of the passage?
| A．It is easy to grow mushrooms. |
| B．You should hire other people to help you. |
| C．Growing mushrooms is not easy. |
| D．Tips for mushroom growing |