Bright blue Citi Bikes are becoming a fine sight in the New Yorker street. New Yorkers are gradually getting used to more pedaling(骑车的) passengers on those blue Citi Bikes. But what about local bike shops ? Is City Bike booming at their expense? At Gotham Bikes in Tribeca, a manager who gave his name as "Ben W." said the shop has seen an increase in its overall sales due to the bike-share program. "It's getting more people on the road, more people learning about the sport and getting involved," he said. An employee at Danny's Cycles in Gramercy said Citi Bike is a good option for people in a city famed for its traffic jams and aggressive drivers. "They can try out a bike without buying one:' James Ryan said.
Rentals are not a big part of the business at either Gotham Bikes or Danny's Cycles. But for Frank's Bike Shop, a small business on Grand St., the bike-share program has been bad news. Owner Frank Arroyo said that his rental business has decreased by 90% since Citi Bike was launched last month. Arroyo's main rental customers are European tourists, who have since been drawn away by Citi Bikes.
However, Ben said the bike-share is good for bike sales at his shop. "People have used the bike-share and realized how great it is to bike in the city, then decide that they want something nicer for themselves," he noted.
Christian Farrell of Waterfront Bicycle Shop, on West St. said at first he was concerned about bike-share, though, he admitted, "I was happy to see people on bikes."
Farrell's early concerns were repeated by Andrew Crooks, owner of NYC Velo, at 64 Second Ave. "It seemed like a great idea, but one that would be difficult to put into use:' Crooks said of Citi Bike. He said he worried about inexperienced riders' lack of awareness of biking rules and strong negative reaction from non-cyclists. However, he said, it's still too early to tell if his business has been impacted (影响) .
While it's possible bike-share will cause a drop in business, Crooks agreed that the idea is a positive step forward for New York City.What is the author's chief concern about the increasing use of Citi Bikes in New York?
| A.Whether local bike shops will suffer. |
| B.How non-cyclists will respond to it. |
| C.Whether local bike businesses will oppose it. |
| D.How the safety of bike riders can be ensured. |
What happened to Gotham Bikes as a result of the bike-share program?
| A.It found its bike sales unaffected. |
| B.It changed its business to rentals. |
| C.It saw its bike sales on the rise. |
| D.It rented more bikes to tourists. |
Why is the bike-share program bad news for Frank's Bike Shop?
| A.Its customers have been drawn away by Citi Bikes. |
| B.It cannot meet the demand of the bike-share program. |
| C.Its bike prices have to be lowered again and again. |
| D.It has to compete with the city's bike rental shops. |
What is the general attitude of the local bike shops towards Citi Bike?
| A.Doubtful. | B.Negative. |
| C.Uninterested. | D.Approving. |
Section One
The city is an accumulation of human civilization. Just as the American social philosopher (哲学家) Lewis Mumford put it, it is a special system which, fine and compact, has been designed to preserve the fruits of human civilization. Many Western languages have developed their versions of the term “civilization” from the same Latin (拉丁语的) word “civitas”(meaning “city”), and it is by no means a coincidence. The city has played a significant role in the perfection of order in human society.
Section Two
The emblem, showing the image of three people ― you, me, him/her holding hands together, symbolizes the big family of mankind. Inspired by the shape of the Chinese character “世” (meaning the world), the design conveys the organizers' wish to host an Expo which is of global scale and which displays the various urban cultures of the world.
Section Three
Created from the inspiration of Chinese character “人”, the design roots deeply in Chinese culture. It tells the world the eternal core (永恒的核心) and theme of Shanghai World Expo will be always human. The mascot “Haibao” will become the messenger for the theme of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China “Better City, Better Life”.
The basic structure of the Chinese character “人” in which each stroke(一笔,一划) supports each other also shows the concept that the beautiful life should depends on mutual-help. If the human are willing to support one another, the harmony among human, nature, and society will be available. Such an urban life will be
nice.
Haibao’s confident smile is expressing his sincere greeting from China ― “World Expo 2010 Shanghai China welcomes you!” Section One mainly tells us about ______.
| A.the part cities play in human civilization |
| B.the development of the word “city” |
| C.why the Expo is held in Shanghai |
| D.where human civilization originated |
The underlined word “it” in Section One refers to ______.
| A.the civilization | B.the philosopher | C.the word | D.the city |
Which correctly matches the sections wi
th the pictures described in the passage?
| Pictures |
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| A. |
Section One |
Section Two |
Section Three |
| B. |
Section Two |
Section Three |
Section One |
| C. |
Section Three |
Section Two |
Section One |
| D. |
Section Three |
Section One |
Section Two |
The second paragraph in Section Three explains how the creation is connected with the _____ of the Chinese word “人”.
| A.story | B.meaning | C.shape | D.usage |
Lillian Hanson, a college student, expects to graduate in about two years. What makes Mrs Hanson different from her classmates is her age-----73 years. She has been studying at college, a few courses at a time, for 27 years.
When Lillian Hanson graduated from high school, she went to the bank to borrow money for further education. The banker gave her no encouragement. He didn't think that a country girl should borrow money to go to college. He thought she should be at home doing work in the house or around the farm. So Lillian Hanson went home and raised a family of nine children instead of going to college. Mrs Hanson never forgot her dream of getting a higher education. When her children were grown, she tried again.
She finds that it is the hardest part of going back to school at her age to sit in class fo
r long periods of time. Because she is not as quick as she used to be, Mrs Hanson often gets up and walks around classes to keep from getting stiff(不灵活). At the beginning of a course in using the computer, the other students all stood up to give her a warm welcome when she introduced herself and explained why she was there and what her aims were.Mrs Hanson couldn’t go to college immediately after she graduated from high school because _____.
| A.she hadn't got enough money |
| B.she was a country girl |
| C.the banker ordered her not to borrow any money |
| D.the banker thought she should raise a family of nine children |
The computer students welcomed Mrs Hanson warmly because ______.
| A.she had got an excellent result in the exam |
| B.she was good at telling funny stories |
| C.they wanted to get her help in their studies |
| D.they were deeply moved by her spirit |
Mrs Hanson is the sort of person who ________.
| A.cares for study very much | B.likes to borrow money from the bank |
| C.never misses a chance to talk | D.tries to save any money for her family |
In which order did Mrs Hanson do the following things?
a. she began her studies at college. b. She finished high school.
c. She got married and gave birth of nine children.
d. She had her 73 rd birthday. e. She went to the bank to borrow money.
| A.a c b e d | B.b e c a d | C.b c e d a | D.e d a c b |
The Writers' Strike:Making the Best of the Worst
By now you are probably feeling the effects of the TV writers’ strike---the decision of television writers to stop working. With few new TV shows, I present to you a list of shows available on DVD worth your viewing time to keep you going during this painful period.
Arrested Development is one of the funniest and most clever shows ever to have appeared on network TV. With a most perfect cast(全体演员), the show sets out to cover the daily happenings of the Bluth family, a group of selfish staff who manage to still put family first.
For more comedy goodness, I recommend one of the sharpest comedies to have ever broadcast, 30 Rock. Starring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, two stars with impressive comic timing, the show gives you a
glimpse into the making of a sketch show (幽默短剧),similar to Saturday Nigth Live, from the funny writers to the self-centered cast all the way up to the boss.
If you are looking for something more serious, or perhaps Friday Night lights might be more to your liking. If you are a fan of football, this show is probably for you. If you are a fan of great drama, both soapy and serious, this show is probably for you, If you are a fan of good-looking people, this show is definitely for you .
If those shows were not enough for you, might I recommend a show with a more heart-pounding excitement? The Amazing Race, after twelve seasons, still remains one of the most exciting shows on TV. Teams of two travel the globe with little to no money and experience far-out adventures in an attempt to remain the last team standing. If you are fond of soapy TV shows, you will probably choose to watch.
| A.Friday Night Lights | B.30 Rock |
| C.the Amazing Race | D.Saturday Night Live |
The author writes the passage to tell us that.
| A.the effects of the TV writers’ strike are great |
| B.the strike puts TV shows in the worst situation |
| C.watching DVD is a good choice during the strike |
| D.we should choose DVD shows according to our tastes |
The passage is most probably taken from.
| A.a book review | B.a newspaper | C.a film poster | D.a DVD menu |
Dior was born in Normandy in 1905, and his family’s original plans for him included a career in the diplomatic service, but by the time he was twenty-three, with his parents’money, he opened a small art gallery in Paris. By 1931, the money had been used up. Dior’s friends in the art gallery, asked him to draw and he took his first step at designing and drawing. His first job was with Lucien Lelong from whom Dior learned his craft(手艺).
In February,1947, Dior started the New Look in his first major Paris collection. He was backed by a famous textile producer, Boussac, who looked after the dollars, while Dior looked after the fashions. Dior knew nothing about cutting and sewing, but he was good at fashion design.
The New Look started an entirely different look to costume, with a tiny waist, a rounded shoulder and a shapely bust(胸围), usually with a low-cut neckline and a long full skirt. To women who had lived through the war years, the femaleness of the New look was a great success, for people were tired of tile extremely plain, wartime restrictive fashions.
It is said that dresses by Dior were “constructed like buildings”, but young people were attracted to his design, and all over the western world, manufacturers plunged(投入) into the production of his new style. Dior’s revolutionary designs lighted up a whole cycle of fashion, rounded, gentle, feminine, a delight in elegance. A New Look House of Dior opened in 1948, followed by one in London. Considered as King of Couture(women’s clothing)for years, the Dior empire grew until it covered every country in the western world, and included furs, hosiery, jewelry, perfumes, men’s wear and on and on. More than 1,000 people worked at the Paris headquarters then.
His sudden death in 1957 when he was 53 years old did not stop the growth of the House of Dior. Even now, so many years after his death, his name is closely connected with fashion throughout the world, and indeed is one of the most recognized names in the world, His first, great New Look, with its long skirts was an expression of freedom in the late 1940s. Which of the following designs is close to Dior’s?

| A. |
B. |
C. |
D. |
According to the passage. in Dior’s life, he did NOT___________.
| A.make creative fashion designs |
B.work in a diplomatic service |
| C.1earn craft as his first job |
D.open a New Look House |
We can infer from the passage that _________.
| A.Dior and his supporter had different interests in business |
| B.Dior’s New Look had little influence on people then |
| C.Dior is only a brand of women’s fashion |
| D.Dior’s fashion was not accepted at first |
What is probably the best title for the passage? .
| A.The History of the New Look |
B.The Growth of the Dior Empire |
| C.An Expression of Freedom—Dior |
D.The Founder of the New Look-Dior |
A new generation addiction is quickly spreading all over the world. Weboholism, a twentieth century disease, affects people from different ages.They surf the net, use e-mail and speak in chat rooms. They spend many hours on the computer, and it becomes a compulsive habit. They cannot stop, and it affects their lives.
Ten years ago, no one thought that using computers could become a compulsive
behavior that could affect the social and physical life of computer users. This obsessive behavior has affected teenagers and college students. They are likely to log on computers and spend long hours at different websites.
They become hooked on computers and gradually their social and school life is
affected by this situation. They spend all free time surfing and don’t concentrate on homework, so this addiction influences their grades, and success at schools. Because they can find everything on the websites, they hang out there. Moreover, this addiction to websites influences their social life.
They spend more time in front of computers than with their friends. The relation with their friends changes. The virtual life becomes more important than their real life. They have a new language that they speak in the chat rooms and it causes cultural changes in society,
Because of the change in their behavior, they begin to isolate themselves from the society and live with their virtual friends. They share their emotions and feelings with friends who they have never met in their life.Although they feel confident on the computer, they are not confident with real life friends they have known all their life. lt is a problem for the future. This addictive behavior is beginning to affect the whole world. The passage is about
| A.the cause of weboholism | B.the advantage of weboholism |
| C.the popularity of weboholism | D.the influence of weboholism |
The underlined word"obsessive" in the second paragraph most probably means
| A.attractive | B.addictive | C.professional | D.potential |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A.weboholism has the greatest effect on teenagers |
| B.teeangers can hardly balance real and virtual life |
| C.people are addicted to games on the lnternet |
| D.virtual life is more vivid and attractive anyway |
Which of the following is NOT true of weboholism?
| A.It contributes to the development of the web. |
| B.The chat room language may change social culture. |
| C.The problem will have a negative influence on our future. |
| D.People addicted to the web often become inactive in real life. |
The author’s attitude towards weboholism is that of being
| A.objective | B.positive | C.opposed | D.acceptable |