Question

Jennifer van den Broeke tried riding her son and daughter around Amsterdam, the capital city of the Netherlands, on her old bike with two child seats, but it was sometimes unsafe. That was when she decided to join the growing Dutch army of pedaling parents using so-called transport bikes.

Now Jennifer’s 8-month-old son Jasper and 3-year-old daughter Benthe can climb into the wooden box of her new transport bike so she can ride them around town. “With the kids and the shopping bags and everything, this is just easier,”said Jennifer. “It’s a very strong bike.”

The transport bike, called a bakfiets in Dutch, is making a comeback decades after butchers, bakers — maybe even candlestick makers, who first began using them to carry their wares (物品) around the narrow streets of this nation’s towns and cities. The bikes, with two or three wheels, have a wooden or plastic box on the front or between the front and back wheels.

Nowadays cars and vans crowd city streets. Regular bikes have remained popular, but for parents with a couple of kids, the car was often the only option.Not anymore.

Maarten van Andel, a 46-year-old native, started making cargo bikes last year when he was looking for a cheap way to transport his two children around Amsterdam. “It’s a timesaving device,” he said. “It’s a lot quicker to get around town with your kids in a bakfiets than in a car.”

Henry Cutler, who runs an Amsterdam cycle store, says there are 5,000-10,000 floating around Amsterdam. He sometimes sounds like he’s selling not just bikes, but a way of life. “We are trying to promote products that change people’s perspective about living. Bikes are not fast, but does life have to be fast?” he said.“Many families with small children want to try it because they believe it is a better and easier way to get around,” said Erik Oddershede, the manager of the Danish national bicycle shop organization, Danske Cykelhandlere.

1.What do we know about the transport bike?

A. It sometimes causes safety problems on the road.

B. It usually has a wooden or plastic box at its back.

C. It was once common decades ago in the Netherlands.

D. It is now widely used by Dutch butchers and bakers.

2.What does the author mean by saying “Not anymore”?

A. Parents with two or more kids have another choice.

B. Regular bikes have become more and more popular.

C. Maarten Van Andel was more interested in cargo bikes.

D. Nowadays there are fewer traffic problems in the city.

3.Who says that people should live at an unhurried pace?

A. Henry Cutler.    B. Erik Oddershede.

C. Maarten Van Andel.    D. Jennifer Van den Broeke.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A. The traffic problems in Amsterdam.

B. The lifestyle of people in Amsterdam.

C. The sales of transport bikes in Amsterdam.

D. The popularity of a bakfiets in Amsterdam.

Answer

1. C

2. A

3. A

4. D

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，在荷兰的阿姆斯特丹一种可以携带多个孩子的自行车backbites越来越受欢迎，文章介绍了这种自行车的功能，以及人们对它的喜爱之情。

1.推理判断题。根据第三段第一句“The transport bike, called a backbites in Dutch, is making a comeback decades after butchers, bakers — maybe even candlestick makers, who first began using them to carry their wares (物品) around the narrow streets of this nation’s towns and cities.”可知这种transport bike几十年前在荷兰就出现了，现在只是重新回归社会。故C项正确。

2.推理判断题。根据第四段最后两句“Regular bikes have remained popular, but for parents with a couple of kids, the car was often the only option. Not anymore.”可知常规的自行车仍然很受欢迎，但是对有两个孩子的父母亲来说，汽车是唯一的选择了。但是现在有了transport bike以后，汽车不再是唯一的选择了，有多个孩子的父母亲可以选择这种自行车带孩子一起出行。故A项正确。

3.推理判断题。根据最后一段第三句““We are trying to promote products that change people’s perspective about living. Bikes are not fast, but does life have to be fast?” he said”可知Henry Cutler认为生活不应该太匆忙，应该像骑自行车一样悠闲。故A项正确。

4.主旨大意题。本文是一篇说明文，在荷兰的阿姆斯特丹一种可以携带多个孩子的自行车backbites越来越受欢迎，文章介绍了这种自行车的功能，以及人们对它的喜爱之情。故D项正确。