What's the furthest you have ever cycled? Perhaps you cycle to school or to work, or maybe at most a short cycling trip with friends? How would you feel about spending months on the road travelling on your own from the UK to China, by bike?
For the British cyclist Pete Jones, camping in the wild and cycling long distances through inhospitable terrain are his second nature. An experienced explorer through places such as the Tianshan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau, Mr. Jones is currently taking a great journey across the Eurasian continent from Britain to China.
Having lived on and off(断断续续地) in Xinjiang for three years, and having visited the country many times since 1992, Pete Jones is no stranger to China. But he says many people there are puzzled by his strong love for cycling, asking why he would choose to cycle when he can afford a car. Indeed, while there are about 400 million bicycles in China, where it has long been the preferred means of transport, rapid economic growth has caused an rapid development in car ownership.
Edward Genochio, another British cyclist who completed a 41,000km trip to China and back, said one of his goals was to "tell people cycling is a safe, sustainable and environmentally friendly means of getting about."
In the UK, the last few years have seen a rise in the number of people choosing two wheels over four, with some estimates(估计) saying the number of people cycling to work has almost doubled in the last five years.
Politicians also see cycling as a way to prove that they are concerned about the environment, with people such as London mayor Boris Johnson often riding to work by himself. But we may have to wait some time before we see him emulating(效仿) Pete Jones in attempting to cycle all the way to China.
68. From this passage we can know the following EXCEPT that _____.
A. Pete Jones has travelled through the Tianshan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau
B. in the past few years more UK people have changed their means of transport to work
C. most Chinese people can understand why Pete Jones is so crazy about cycling
D. Edward Genochio is a cyclist from Britain who has been to China by riding a bike
69. We can infer from the passage that _____.
A. Pete Jones’s desire for cycling led to his staying in China for three years
B. now the number of Chinese people owning cars is larger than those owning bikes
C. London mayor Boris Johnson will emulate Pete Jones to cycle to China in the future
D. Both British common people and politicians see riding bikes as a good means of transport
70. The underlined phrase “inhospitable terrain” in the second paragraph most probably means
______.
A. places where you can find modern cities B. places that are unsuitable for people to live in
C. places where there are many people D. places that are far away from modern cities
71. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Pete Jones has come to China many times by riding the bicycle.
B. More Chinese people own private cars as a result of economic growth.
C. More British people prefer bicycles as they can’t afford to drive now.
D. Before long, more people will ride bicycles to China following Pete and Edward.
