The City Bike program rolled into New York last spring and proved a hit, with nearly 12,000 New Yorkers signing up for annual memberships. Since 2010, over a dozen US cities have introduced bike-share programs.

       There’re plenty of bike stations near parks and other car-free areas. The programs we looked at in major cities work the same way. You buy a 24-hour pass. During the time, you get an unlimited number of 30-minute rides. If you go over your given half-hour ride time, you start paying fees for each following 30-minute period. Here are some of the biggest bike-share program in America.

Minneapolis: Nice Ride Minnesota

       Station : Minnehaha Ave. & Minnehaha Pkwy

       How much: $ 6 for a 24-hour pass.

       How it works: The first 30 minutes are included in the pass; $ 1.50 for the second 30 minutes; $ 4.50 for the third 30 minutes; later $ 6 for every half an hour.

Chicago: Divvy Bikes

       Station : Lakeshore Drive and Monroe St; also Museum Campus

       How much: $ 7 for a 24-hour pass, with unlimited 30-minute trips.

       How it works: The first 30 minutes are included in the pass; $ 2 for the second 30 minutes;

$ 6 for the third 30 minutes; later $ 8 for every half an hour.

New York City: Citi Bike

       Station : Central Park So. & 6^th Ave; also Broadway & W.57^th St.

       How much: $ 9.95 for a 24-hour pass.

       How it works: The first 30 minutes are included in the pass; $ 4 for the second 30 minutes;

$ 9 for the third 30 minutes; later $ 12 for every half an hour.

Boston: Hubway

Station : Tremont St. & West St.

       How much: $ 6 for a 24-hour pass.

       How it works: The first 30 minutes are included in the pass; $ 2 for the second 30 minutes;

$ 4 for the third 30 minutes; later $ 8 for every half an hour.

       We are volunteers. If you want to know more information, please contact us.

21. According to the text, the City Bike program _______.

       A. was first set up in New York.

       B. has a long history in America.

       C. is very popular in American cities.

       D. develops very fast all over the world.

22. Which of the following bike-share programs costs the riders most?

       A. Divvy Bikes.                             B. Citi Bike.

       C.Nice Ride Minnesota.                      D. Hubway.

23. If you visit Boston by riding Hubway bike for 3 hours, you have to pay ______.

       A. $6                    B. $ 30                 C. $ 20                 D. $ 36

  After serving as a ski guide in Utah’s back country for more than two decades, a Park City woman is being recognized by Outside Magazine as 2015’s Best Ski Guide.

       Deb Lovci grew up in Colorado and began skiing when she was five years old. Later she moved to Utah and fell in love with the back country of Wasatch Mountains. Lovci has now served as a Ski Utah Interconnect guide for 27 years. “Anything that you slide on snow, I’m in love with, ” she said.

       Lovci leads ski tours through the back country of six different resorts located in the Wasatch Mountains. Lovci typically takes a group of eight to ten people on a ski tour each day, and on average, she takes 300 customers on tours through the back country each season. She loves showing off Utah’s wilderness. “I love the back country,” she said. “I love the snow science behind it. I love the safety … I just love it.”

       Along with leading ski tours, Lovci is passionate about anything related to activities. She also runs a bed-and-breakfast in Park City, the Old Town Guest House. As “a jack-of- all-trades”, she also runs Alpine skis, Nordic skis competitively, and snowboards, and leads mountain bike tours during the summer.

       Outside Magazine selected five travel guides in various outdoor fields to name as the best in their Best of Travel April issue. Lovci said she was unexpectedly cheerful when she was selected as 2015’s Best Ski Guide by Outside Magazine. “We all work really hard in what we do and we love it and it’s really nice to get acknowledged,” she said. “I work with a lot of excellent guides and the award could have gone to anybody — any one of us. I often recall my ski experiences which were fearful at the beginning, but they helped me achieve a success.”

      In a news release, Ski Utah director of communications, Paul Marshall said, “Deb Lovci is one of the most enthusiastic, focused, knowledgeable guides in the industry. Without her as the forefront of our Interconnect Tour, we would not have the success we have. She has been an enthusiastic part of the Interconnect Tour for 27 years and is thought highly of by our customers.”

24. What helped Deb Lovci to be selected as 2015’s Best Ski Guide?

       A. Her gender and age.

       B. Her being ready for any ski risks.

       C. Her dreaming of the best ski job on the planet.

       D. Her love for Utah’s wilderness and her ski experiences.

25. The underlined words “a jack-of- all-trades” in Para. 4 probably mean “someone ______”.

       A. who can do many different types of work.

       B. who is very skilled at communicating.

       C. who is enthusiastic about doing business.

       D. who can be recognized as a workaholic.

26. From Paul Marshall’s words, we can infer that _______.

       A. Lovci should have helped them in the tour.

       B. Lovci deserved the award.

       C. everyone should think highly of Lovci.

       D. Lovci achieved her success with Interconnect Tour’s help.

27. What would be the best title for the passage?

       A. The Ski Utah Interconnect Tour.       

B. Deb Lovci and Outside Magazine.

C. Deb Lovci —2015’s Best Ski Guide.

D. Deb Lovci — a ski guide for 27 years.

Being lonely in the crowd might seem ridiculous. But according to a recent survey, the situation is all too common. Loneliness and other anxiety problems – worrying about life’s pressures – can even lead to self-murder.

       An article in China Daily gave no reason for this other than the usual blaming of the post-80s generation. According to a high level official, young people suffering from discouragement are mostly “spoiled and have not been taught to be independent, responsible and express ‘thank-you’.” Well, how do you like that? First, I don’t think China’s youth are exactly spoiled. They certainly have more things than their parents did, but a lot of the money spent on them is for their education including various extra classes.

       Discouragement and anxiety are now the fastest growing challenges in modern societies. We sense a lack of close friends who can talk to honestly and openly. In 1985, a US study found that one in ten people did not have such a friend. In 2006, it was one in four. It’s easy to see the connection between loneliness and discouragement. But what actually causes this increasing loneliness?

       Surely, with Internet social networking sites such as Kaixin, we have more friends than ever. A new study has shown that the more time teenagers spend in front of computers, the less close they are to friends and family. Kaixin or QQ may be fun but it lacks meaning, compared to personal connections in the real world.

       And then there are those endless online games popular with young Chinese but increasingly there are more interesting choices. For example, new sports such as skateboarding are starting to catch on（流行） in bigger cities, as is playing music in a band. These creative hobbies are done in a group and thus friendship can be stronger. Hopefully young people will also be drawn out of the Internet cafes and interactive computer games that in fact fail to recreate a real and interactive experience.

28. According to the high level official, it is easy for teenagers lacking independence and responsibility to _______.

   A. become spoiled                      B. play endless online games

   C. suffer from loneliness and anxiety        D. refuse to express gratitude

29. What does the writer think of the Internet social networking site Kaixin?

   A. Open but ridiculous.                           B. Honest and responsible.

   C. Real and fun.                                    D. Interesting but meaningless.

30. It can be inferred in Paragraph 3 that _______.

   A. it’s now more difficult for people to find close friends to have an honest chat with

   B. parents focus mostly on children’s education rather than the personality building

   C. young people have no idea of expressing appreciation because of being spoiled

   D. teenagers will recreate a real and interactive experience to strengthen friendship

31. According to the text, which of the following can help us avoid being lonely in the crowd?

   A. To stay long in Internet cafes.                     B. To focus on extra courses.

   C. To give up our own hobbies.                D. To play music in a band.

    Mature-age university students are annoying, I know. I understand that when you're 18 or 19, and already know everything, there's no need to do the readings or other easy tasks. I also understand that there are these old people in class who should be doing other things —  maybe retiring, or gardening in the backyard. However they are eagerly asking questions (or even, answering them) and generally loud in class.

    I understand because I used to be one of them. I dropped out of high school in Year 11 and after playing guitar in a band for a few years, I spent the next ten years working different jobs. Then a friend, who thought I was wasting my life, suggested I enrol at his university. Although afraid, I eventually took a university preparation course and a year later became a 35-year-old university freshman.

    Like many mature-age students, after completing my degree, I continued studying and eventually attained my PhD.

    Now I'm a lecturer at Toronto University in Canada. In fact, I have just finished preparing a group of mature-age students to annoy next year's young first years. My students come from many different backgrounds. But they all share an enthusiasm for knowledge and learning.

    Besides,they're likely to be waiting in class, counting away the seconds silently in the hope that someone young will want to talk about all of these amazing ideas they are learning about. Only after waiting for younger voices to speak. ( but which often remain silent)  do they begin talking.

    Speaking for myself, I love students who come prepared and ready to discuss. So let's celebrate all of those “annoying”mature-age students.

32  According to the article, a mature-age student is a person             .

    A. who starts university at an older age

    B. who behaves like an adult

    C. not yet qualified to enter university

    D. studying for a higher degree

33..What is the author’s attitude towards mature-age students?

    A. annoyed                 B. supportive                     C. indifferent               D. negative

34 .. What does the underlined word "them" in Paragraph 2 refer to?

     A. Retired people.                  

B. Mature-age university students.

     C. Early high school leavers.   

D. University students aged below 20.

35. Why do mature-age students often wait before speaking in class?   

     A. They want to give the younger students more chances to speak.

     B. They are not very familiar with the topic being discussed.

     C. They lack the ability to give their opinions.    

     D. They don’t want to express their opinions.     

       There is an English saying that goes, "he who laughs last, laughs the hardest." High School Musical star Zac Efron is laughing a lot these days.      

       __36__. Because he was always the smallest in his class and was laughed at because he had a big space between his teeth. In sixth grade, Efron's basketball team made it to the league championships. In double overtime (两个加时赛), with three seconds left, he rebounded the ball and passed it — to the wrong team! __37____     

       ___38______Now at 21, Efron is one of People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People, graces (荣登) the cover of Entertainment Weekly, Hollywood's most influential magazine, and is traveling the world promoting the third High School Musical film. Director Adam Shankman described Efron as "arguably the biggest teen star in America right now." Simply google "Zac Efron" , and you get more than 14 million responses. Yes, it seems Efron has a lot to smile about these days.     

   Efron was born and raised in California. ____39______According to Efron, "he would flip out (发疯) if he got a B and not an A in school, and that he was a class clown." It was his father who encouraged him to act. ___40_____He also took singing lessons. He graduated high school in 2006 and was accepted at the University of Southern California to study film. But he put it off— why study movies when you can star in them. 

   Efron has risen all the way to the top of the movie business. And he can now laugh all the way to the bank. 

A.He owed it a lot to his father that he succeeded.

B. But history, as they say, is a thing of the past 

C. He took part in school performances and acted in a local theater.

D.When he was young, Efron was an unqualified basketball player.

E.He took school seriously.  

F.They scored and his team lost the game.  

G.As a young boy, Efron was picked on by his classmates.