Our society reports many negative messages about bicycling in traffic. Bicycling in traffic is considered by many to be reckless and sometimes rude. The most common advice given to cyclists is to avoid busy roads that provide convenient access to important places, which means they should only go to unpopular destinations on undesirable and inconvenient roads. Another popular idea is that cyclists should stay as close to the edge of the road as possible in order to stay out of the way of cars. Getting in the way of cars is considered to be an invitation to death, because car drivers are often expected to run into anything that is slower or more vulnerable. Going together with motor traffic used to be regarded as a nice idea for cyclists, but today it is thought to be suicide. Roads are believed to be designed for cars and not for bicycles. Inferior bicycles may hold that they have the right to use the road, but they had better stay out of the way of superior users or they will be "dead right". As a result of these "common-sense" beliefs, bike safety programs developed by motoring organizations and "pedestrian-style" cyclists during the 20th century attempted to teach cyclists to provide a clear path to motorists at all times by hugging the edge of the road, riding on sidewalks so cyclists can see when to get out of the way. Some towns tried to prohibit bicyclists from operating on important roads or roads without shoulders. Engineering projects designed for bicycle safety have involved construction of side paths to get cyclists off roads and bike lanes to keep cyclists out of the way of motorists. The benefit of these efforts is to protect cyclists from collisions from behind, which are widely believed to be the greatest danger to cyclists and caused by cyclists' failure to keep up with the desired speed of motor traffic. This is the taboo that harms the bicycle transportation policy: that bicyclists must be kept out of the paths of motorists or they will surely be killed. Why do many people do not agree that people should ride bicycles on roads? A) Most people think roads are designed for cars not for cyclists. B) People riding bicycles are considered to be inferior. C) People's riding on the road is against the law of the country. D) People riding bicycles are not experienced.
A

I've been asked a million times why I've chosen to put up with all the inconvenience of working the road all these years when I could have easily written songs for a living, and enjoyed a peaceful and comfortable existence.My reply is:Nobody applauds when you write a song.     What else would cause a person to pack his belongings and ride away from his family in order to lead such a nomadic     existence?  I mean,entertainers don't cure cancer or anything.     I once rode all night and half a day through a snowstorm only to arrive in a town where we were booked to perform to find our concert had been canceled because of the weather.A handful of people hadn't heard the news,however,and had managed somehow to make their way to the concert hall.     We were cold, tired and hungry. But there was something in the eyes of those few fans who had shown up that told us how badly they wanted to hear the music they knew we could play if only we would. There was certainly no place else for us to go.  _ Why not drink some coffee and pick a little country music?     When our show was over,an elderly lady approached the stage."You don't know how much this evening has meant to me," she said."Thank you for playing and singing for such a small crowd.Today is the first time I've smiled since my husband died.Your music has helped me to forget my problems for a while."     Okay,so entertainers don't cure cancer.But maybe, every once in a while, we cure some other things that are almost as important. Which of the following opinions will the author probably agree with? A) Music is powerful. B) Everyone is equal. C) Time is precious. D) Life is hard
A

When Marilynne Robinson published her first novel, Housekeeping, in 1980, she was unknown in the literary world. But an early review in The New York Times ensured that the book would be noticed. "It's as if, in writing it, she broke through the ordinary human condition with all its dissatisfactions, and achieved a kind of transfiguration ," wrote Anatole Broyard, with an enthusiasm and amazement that was shared by many critics and readers. The book became a classic, and Robinson was recognized as one of the outstanding American writers of our time. Yet it would be more than twenty years before she wrote another novel. During the period, Robinson devoted herself to writing nonfiction. Her essays and book reviews appeared in Harper's and The New York Times Book Review, and in 1989 she published Mother Country: Britain, the Welfare State, and Nuclear Pollution, criticizing severely the environmental and public health dangers caused by the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in England--and the political and moral corruption . In 1998, Robinson published a collection of her critical and theological writings, The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought, which featured reassessments of such figures as Charles Darwin, John Calvin, and Friedrich Nietzsche. Aside from a single short story--"Connie Bronson," published in The Paris Review in 1986--it wasn't until 2004 that she returned to fiction with the novel Gilead, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Her third novel, Home, came out this fall. Her novels could be described as celebrations of the human--the characters in them are unforgettable creations. Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her sister Lucille, who are cared for by their eccentric Aunt Sylvie after their mother commits suicide. Robinson writes a lot about how each of the three is changed by their new life together. Gilead is an even more close exploration of personality: the book centres on John Ames, a seventy-seven-year-old pastor  who is writing an account of... Robinson's second novel came out   _  . A) in 1980 B) in 1986 C) in 1998 D) in 2004
D

Critical thinking is an important skill that can increase students' ability to learn in any situation. This can be applied to traditional education, or directly in a career related role. Many teachers find it such a valuable skill that they give their students a critical thinking question every day. Developing this ability can mean the difference between "just passing a course" and "understanding the material well enough" so that what students learn from _ will follow them throughout their life. Some characteristics of a critical thinker that teachers should encourage are; -asking questions as a reaction to something read or discussed; -determining the "deeper meaning" of a particular passage or topic; -providing input and opinions to topics as a direct result of analysis and research; -reasoning in an effort to develop an argument of your own opinion. It is important for a student to understand more than definition . One way to truly understand an idea is to have hands-on practice, and to apply concepts learned in a textbook. Such "mini-examples" will interest a student and improve their understanding of a topic. This is how life-long skills can be developed. Teachers that use critical thinking practices in the classroom can "go above and beyond" by asking questions that promote a greater comprehension of the material. Instructors should be able to challenge students and create an environment where they are analyzing material and gaining a better understanding. This will make the classroom move in a direction for learning. It can also help students to stay interested in the course material, as they always have a new concept to consider. At the same time, students benefit greatly from developing critical thinking skills. When learned early on, these skills can be used throughout their college education. Students can understand how to consider a topic, analyze it, and discuss it from different points of view. These are skills that will benefit them when they are part of the workforce as well. Who are the intended readers of the passage? A) Teachers. B) Parents. C) Examines. D) Headmasters.

A