While the rest of the world carried on cycling during the 1950s and 1960s, America forgot how; even high-school children would drive to school. Recently there has been something of a renaissance(复兴) in cycling, and in many areas it is a very useful way of getting around, especially where bike paths or bike routes have been built. You may well want to buy, hire or borrow a bike.
There are two important consequences(后果) of this earlier drop in cycling in the USA. One is that many people do not know how to cycle. That is, cyclists often behave more like pedestrians(行人) than motorists: they ride on the sidewalk or on the wrong side of the road; they do not care for stop signs or traffic lights; they ride without lights at night; they give no hand signals. The other consequence is that cycling is regarded by many people not so much as a way of getting from one place to another but as a way of life, a form of exercise, etc. As a result, large number of young Americans have ten-speed racing bikes. These are very high and fast and great if you are cycling long distances, riding up mountains or racing. At first, though, you may find them awkward for cycling in town, sight-seeing or shopping — they are expensive, uncomfortable and hard to control until you get used to them, and unsuitable for rough stony roads.
There are also ordinary bikes around. If you get hold of one of these, you may find that the brakes work by pedaling(踩踏板) backwards. This is perhaps safer than ordinary brakes when it is wet, but it seems to be less effective. This arrangement also means you can’t pedal backwards in order to get the pedals in the right place for getting on or moving off.
1. The passage gives us a brief introduction to _______.
A. advantages of bikes B. cycling in America C. American transportation D. how to ride a bike
2. Young Americans prefer racing bikes because they _______.
A. can help keep fit B. are easy to learn C. are safer to ride D. are expensive and popular
3. Which of the following does NOT result from the early drop in cycling in the USA?
A. Cyclists do not care for traffic lights. B. People ride on the wrong side of the roads.
C. Cycling is not considered a way of transportation. D. People have to pedal backwards to stop the bike.
4. From the passage we can learn that in the middle of the 20th century _______.
A. many Americans enjoyed cycling B. cycling was popular in the world
C. racing bikes were better than ordinary ones D. there were no special roads for bikes in America
【答案与解析】 美国近来又兴起骑自行车热，但带来了两种后果：一是骑自行车的人乱占道，不看交通灯;另一个是把骑自行车看成是一种生活方式、一种锻炼等。
1. B。判断题。从第2段第1句话There are two important consequences(后果) of this earlier drop in cycling in the USA 可以做出正确判断。
2. A。语义理解题。因为美国人把车看成是a form of exercise，所以他们就买赛车。由此可以推出答案为A。
3. D。判断题。因为早期的时候根本就没有the brakes work by pedaling(踩踏板) backwards。
4. B。判断题。从文章第1句话While the rest of the world carried on cycling during the 1950s and 1960s可以明显看出20世纪中叶全世界流行骑自行车。
