More than 27,000 people from around the UK set off at dawn from London to begin the cycle route through Surrey to the Sussex coast.
The annual 54-mile ride raises money for the British Heart Foundation（BHF） and is Europe’s largest charity cycling event. Cyclists began the exhausting journey at Clapham Common at 6 a. m. , hoping to reach Brighton seafront within an average of six hours.
Money from today's event will help the charity to continue its vital work through heart research and the development of its care and support services. Among those taking part was BBC Breakfast's resident（居民）Dr Rosemary Leonard and several colleagues.
BHF spokeswoman Gemma Cloke said, “It was quite cold this morning, but everyone set off without any problems.” Those taking part range in age from 14 to those in their 70s. Last year cyclists raised￡4. 1 million for the charity, and have raised more than￡50 million since the BHF became involved in the event in 1980. The first ride was held in 1976. It is hoped this year's fund raising total could reach￡4. 5 million. She added : “We have a lot of people taking part, from the more experienced cyclists to those cycling with friends and family in memory of someone and to raise money through sponsorship.”
“People are always pleased knowing the money is going to a good cause. There is so much support along the route, with local residents watching the ride. ”
“One of the highlights for participants（参加者）is coming along the seafront while people are clapping, which can really help when they've been in the saddle (自行车车座) for a long time. ”
1. What can we know about the cycling event from the text?
A. It is the world’s largest charity cycling event.
B. Cyclists may raise more money than last year.
C. The first event was held by the BHF in 1980.
D. The route of the event is 54 kilometers long.
2. What can we learn from what Gemma Cloke said?
A. Cyclists will receive encouragement from local people.
B. Some people doubt whether the money is properly used.
C. Most of the cyclists are professional.
D. Local people have little interest in cycling events.
3. The local residents’ attitude towards the ride is .
A. doubtful B. unconcerned
C. supportive D. indifferent
4. What is the text mainly about?
A. Cyclists have raised over￡50 million for the BHF.
B. More than 27,000 people like travelling by bike in the UK.
C. Charity cycling event wins support from local people.
D. More than 27,000 people in the UK join in the charity bike ride.
Hanukkah is an eight-day winter holiday, which celebrates the successful struggle of the Jews against King Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Syria. There are many traditions to celebrate the day, such as lighting the menorah (多连灯烛台),frying potato pancakes and spinning the dreidel (四面陀螺).
One night in the 1990s, we tidied up wrapping paper and toys while the lighted menorah stood on the kitchen table. When we were not there, as the many-colored candles broke, our long-haired black-and-white cat, Ladybug, jumped onto the kitchen table and brushed past them.
"Do you smell something?" asked my husband, Donny. "Is something burning?" asked Molly, our oldest, age ten.
It was Ladybug! The fur on her left side had been burnt. She wasn't hurt, but she wore an upset expression all evening, and for the rest of the week she hid whenever we began chanting the Hebrew(希伯来语)blessings over the candles. "Though her fur grew out as thick as ever, Ladybug took a dim view of Hanukkah after that, clearly preferring less flammable holidays, like Labor Day.
The following year, for fifth-grade homework about family traditions, Molly wrote about Ladybug's story with the Hanukkah candles. The teacher, Lynn Fink, a sporty and funny woman, enjoyed Molly's story and gave it an A.
Three years later, Seth got Ms. Fink for fifth grade. He also worked the burnt cat fur into a writing assignment, and he, too, got an A.
Our son Lee, three years later: the same teacher, the same story, the same A. We had no idea these retellings were piling up.
The year Lily got Ms. Fink for fifth grade, she also felt inspired to write down what happened that night. By now, we were very fond of Ms. Fink. We invited her to join us for a night of Hanukkah. It was her first time to experience the Jewish holiday. Happily, she ate her potato pancakes. Gamely, she spun the dreidel. Delightedly, she opened the small gift of home-made cookies the children had prepared for her. As the evening seemed to be winding down, she clapped her hands, rubbed them together as if before a big dinner, and said excitedly," So! When do we torch the cat?"
1.What happened to Ladybug when the family celebrated Hanukkah that year?
A. She was seriously hurt that night.
B. She broke the candles on the menorah.
C. She had some of her fur burnt.
D. She got a surprising present from the family.
2.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Hanukkah lasts for only one night.
B. The writer has at least four children.
C. The family saw Ladybug jump onto the kitchen table that night.
D. Frying potato pancakes is not a tradition to celebrate Hanukkah.
3.Which proverb can best describe the meaning of the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4?
A. It's easy to be wise after the event.
B. Where there is a will, there is a way.
C. He that falls today may be up again tomorrow.
D. Once bitten, twice shy.
4.We can infer from the last paragraph that Ms.Fink _____.
A. forgot the story of Ladybug
B. came to the writer's home unexpectedly
C. knew all the traditions of Hanukkah well
D. thought people would torch the cat to celebrate Hanukkah
Childhood curiosity can last a lifetime and I learned this from my son, Bill. When he was very young, I often took him to the . He loved to read and often needed to the books he’d read in order to borrow more books. One unintended of his nonstop reading habits was that he even at the dinner table. His mother, Mary, and I did our best to him that, on certain social , reading while dining with others was not a good thing.
Every summer the teachers at his school give the students a reading list, and there was a contest to see who could read the most books. He was so , and he always wanted to win. And he often . But the main reason why he read so obsessively (着迷地) was that he was so . He didn’t just want to learn about things. He wanted to learn about everything.
We helped his curiosity in every way. an unfamiliar word came up in conversation, we’d turn to the , looking up the word, and reading the definition aloud. Thus my son came to realize that if you have a question, the exists somewhere. All you have to do is it.
Bill remains as much of a today as when he was a child, and he seems to everything he reads. He’s often to share what he’s learned with the next person he meets. He reads at the dinner table, though — which is a good thing because the books he’s attracted to now are increasingly unappetizing (引不起食欲的): The Eradication of Infectious Diseases, Mosquitoes, Malaria & Man, and Rats, Lice, and History.
1.A. school B. office C. library D. museum
2.A. return B. store C. talk D. pick
3.A. advantage B. discovery C. explanation D. consequence
4.A. play B. read C. study D. laugh
5.A. convince B. promise C. inform D. advise
6.A. issues B. services C. occasions D. duties
7.A. could B. would C. should D. might
8.A. sincere B. crazy C. positive D. competitive
9.A. went B. failed C. did D. proved
10.A. curious B. confident C. diligent D. excellent
11.A. simple B. past C. any D. some
12.A. protect B. develop C. examine D. follow
13.A. Until B. If C. Though D. Because
14.A. teacher B. newspaper C. partner D. dictionary
15.A. person B. book C. answer D. matter
16.A. find B. use C. tell D. ask
17.A. speaker B. reader C. maker D. user
18.A. imagine B. believe C. create D. remember
19.A. eager B. afraid C. careful D. sure
20.A. now and again B. at all time C. no longer D. just now
Little Jerry was interested in stories about undersea exploration, so he gave all his pocket money to his brother ________ the novel based on such a story.
A. in favor of B. in exchange for
C. in need of D. in place of
Hannah was busy with work then but she still tried her best to some time from her tight schedule to visit her mother.
A. cut out B. squeeze out
C. leave out D. dig out
No doubt, the more one is _______ the foreign language environment, the better he or she will learn the language.
A. referred to B. caught in
C. kept up D. exposed to
