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Eric Attayi, owner of the Urban Bicycle Gallery in Houston, Texas, has watched the pandemic transform his shop in a way most businesses can only dream of.
Bicycles are selling before he has time to assemble them for display. Attayi said he'd matched his 2019 sales by the start of May. He's had to hire new employees to meet demand, and hasn't taken a day off since February. Attayi said now the phone doesn't stop ringing and his guys get overwhelmed. He'd given raises and started buying lunch for his stressed staff.
As unemployment reaches record levels and small businesses scramble to survive, bike shops have been an exception.
They're thriving whether they're in car-dominated cities like Houston or more traditional biking areas like New York. Keeping enough bikes in stock, and finishing repairs in a timely manner, has become a challenge. Customers are being turned away, in some cases.
New customers are looking for ways to be active and outdoors. Bike shop owners say that the closing of gyms and yoga studios during the pandemic has contributed. Others say customers are looking for a commuting alternative to public transportation. Social spacing is easiest on individual modes of transportation, like cars and bikes. In March 2020, US cycling sales increased 39% when compared with March 2019, according to a survey.
"Bikes are like the new toilet paper," Attayi said. "If it's available, buy it."
Robert Keating, owner of the Triathlon Lab outside Los Angeles, said he's never seen anything like the current bicycle boom in the 37 years he's worked in bike shops. He's shifted his shop from a focus on high-end bicycles to affordable bikes people are likely to ride in their neighborhood. Beach cruisers have been especially popular, he said.
Bike shop owners are also wondering how long the current boom will last. Some said customers were more interested in biking because with less car traffic, roads felt safer. Their interest may decrease as traffic returns. But some cities have begun to reallocate street space to bike lanes, which could lead to more biking in the long term.
Phil Koopman, owner of BicycleSpace in Washington DC, compared the current bicycle boom to 1999, when many people bought computers to prepare for Y2K.
"Then those companies didn't sell a lot of computers for a few years because everyone already had one," Koopman said. "That's the big question. Is this a one-time thing or is it something sustainable?"
1.What can we learn from Para l and Para 2?
A.Most businesses have experienced the same development as Attayi's shop.
B.Attayi's 2019 sales were as many as those of the start of May.
C.Bikes are flying off shelves, overwhelming shops.
D.The staff's wages were raised because they had no day off since February.
2.What does the underlined word They in Para 4 refer to?
A.Unemployment levels.
B.Small businesses.
C.Bike shops
D.Stressed staff
3.What is the challenge for bike shops?
A.Jo attract customers when they are not keen on biking.
B.To survive in car-dominated ciles.
C.To promote their sales in traditional biking cities.
D.To prepare enough bikes for sale and do repairs quickly.
4.Which is not the reason why more customers are turning to bikes during the pandemic?
A.They can spend much less on qualified goods.
B.They cannot go to gyms and yoga studios.
C.They prefer biking to public transportation.
D.They are trying to find an active way in the open air.
5.We can infer from para7 and para8 that _______?
A.The current bicycle boom was totally within Keating's expectations.
B.Triathlon Lab used to mainly sell bikes that were unaffordable for most people.
C.Roads feel dangerous when there are more bikers.
D.People lose interest in biking because there is no bike lane.
6.What is Phil Koopman's attitude towards the bike boom?
A.Short-sighted. B.Unconcerned.
C.Skeptical. D.Optimistic
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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The Houston Museum of Natural Science
Founded in 1909, the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) has always been one of the most heavily attended museums in the United States. It houses a variety of permanent exhibit areas that examine astronomy, space science, Native American culture, energy, chemistry, gems and minerals, seashells, Texas wildlife and much more. In addition, the museum frequently presents traveling exhibitions on a variety of topics. The Museum is a major science learning center with over a half million school children visiting it annually, including every fourth grade and seventh grade class in the Houston Independent School District.
Crowds
The Museum can be quite crowded on weekends and weekday mornings, due to the hundreds of thousands of students that visit HMNS each year. Please call 713-639-4629 to inquire about the crowds that are anticipated during your intended visit.
Opening Hours
Monday-Sunday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (last entry at 4:30 p.m.)
It’s closed on New Year’s Day and Christmas Day.
PLEASE NOTE: Average museum visit takes 2 hours or more.
Pricing
Adult Ticket: $25 (ages 12 and up)
Child Ticket: $16 (ages 3-11)
Children aged 2 and under: FREE
College Students with ID: $16
Seniors (62+): $16
Groups (10+): $10
Please Note
Flash photography is ONLY allowed in the Grand Hall and the rainforest of the Coekrell Butterfly Center. Selfie sticks (自拍杆), tripods and camera stands are not allowed anywhere in HMNS. Photography is not allowed in certain exhibitions. Please check for signs by the exhibit entrance for more information or ask a museum employee.
1.When can people enter HMNS for a visit?
A.At 8:30 a.m. on June 1st. B.At 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 3rd.
C.At 14:40 p.m. on Oct. 15th. D.At 10:00. a.m. on Dec.25th.
2.How much should Tom and his two sons aged 8 and 13 pay in all to HMNS?
A.$66. B.$57.
C.$41. D.$30.
3.What can be known about HMNS from the text?
A.It has a history of less than a century.
B.Visitors aren’t allowed to take photos inside.
C.It has the largest number of visitors of all American museums.
D.People who enjoy quiet have better visit it on weekday afternoon.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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A teenager who once became homeless graduated at the top of his class in Houston, Texas this weekend. Derrick Ngo.18, had a_______childhood, growing up without a father and finding his mother in and out of prison through the years.
Ahead of his________. Ngo had been to 12 different school, At 15, be started to________on his own with some help from his mother, but it was barely enough that he________homeless about two yean later. Ngo________his childhood to VOA."We often didn't have that much food. We didn't have that much money. We didn't have a_________source of income and that was one of my biggest________in growing up - that Lack of parental________."
Determined to change his future, Ngo_________all his frustrations (沮丧) into his studies-efforts that________landed him as the top student of his class at Energy Institute High School. "I________that if I didn't use schoold, education and the resources that were________to me, then there would be no way that I would get out of the________I was in," he said.
In December, Ngo learned that he had been________by Harvard, where he will be attending this fall. It was ,at frst, a _________…I just got into Harvard. My heart was________." he said. He was very excited. The young man_________his success to discipline(自制力)and laser-like (激光一样的)________on end goals. "With a dream in your heart, you will have a clear_______that you're working towards. Although it's not real yet, is________that is going to be real one day."
1.A.happy . B.boring C.troubled D.bright
2.A.failure B.difficulty C.independence D.achievement
3.A.live B.work C.learn D.train
4.A.got up B.grew up C.broke up D.ended up
5.A.recorded B.repeated C.recalled D.recommended
6.A.new B.stable C.spare D.balanced
7.A.desires B.features C.struggles D.advantage
8.A.pressure B.guidance C.training D.introduction
9.A.added B.counted C.combined D.directed
10.A.firstly B.slightly C.eventually D.unexpectedly
11.A.bet B.heard C.wondered D.remembered
12.A.donated B.available C.designed D.affordable
13.A.trap B.truth C.danger D.circle
14.A.told B.invited C.dismissed D.accepted
15.A.gift B.pity C.shock D.sympathy
16.A.rising B.racing C.beating D.sinking
17.A.owes B.devotes C.applies D.contributes
18.A.care B.focus C.confidence D.appreciation
19.A.goal B.way C.plan D.position
20.A.nothing B.anything C.everything D.something
高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Charles Blackman：Alice in Wonderland
An Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV),Australia
10 June —12 August 2015
Venue (地点) The Ian Potter Centre
Admission Free entry
Charles Blackman is famous for his beautiful painting of dreams. In 1956, he heard for the first time Lewis Carroll’s extraordinary tale of Alice in Wonderland –the story of a Victorian girl who falls down a rabbit hole, meets a lot of funny characters and experiences all kinds of things. At that time, Blackman’s wife was suffering form progressive blindness. The story of Alice moving through the strange situations, often disheartened by various events, was similar to his wife’s experiences. It also reflected so much of his own life. All this contributed to the completion of the Alice in Wonderland paintings.
Illustrator Workshop
Go straight to the experts for an introductory course in book illustration. The course includes an introduction to the process of illustration and its techniques, workshop exercise and group projects.
Dates Sunday 17 June &Sunday 5Aug.10am—1pm
Venue Gas Works Arts Park
Wonderful World
Celebrate the exhibition and Children’s Book Week with special activities just for the day, including a special visit from Alice and the White Rabbit
Date Sunday 24 June, 11am—4pm
Venue Exhibition Space, Level 3
Topsy-Turvy
Visit the exhibition or discover wonderful curiosities in artworks in the NGV Collection and make a magic world in a box. Alice and the White Rabbit will be with you. Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland will be screened.
Dates Sunday 8,15,22,29 July, and Tuesday 24-Friday 27 July, 12noon—3pm
Venue Theatre, NGV Australia
Drawing Workshop
Distortions of scale ( 比例失真) can make artworks strange but interesting. Find out how Charles Blackman distorted scale in his paintings to create a curious world. Then experiment with scale in your own drawings. More information upon booking.
Date Friday 27 July, 10:30am-3pm
Venue Foyer, Level 3
1.Charles Blackman’s paintings come from ________.
A. his wish to express his own feelings
B. his dream of becoming a famous artist
C. his admiration for Lewis Carroll
D. his eagerness to cure his wife’s illness
2.Which two activities can you participate in on the same day?_________
A. Illustrator Workshop and Drawing Workshop.
B. Topsy-Turvy and Drawing Workshop.
C. Wonderful World and Topsy –Turvy.
D. Illustrator Workshop and Wonderful World.
3.To understand the Alice in Wonderland paintings, you should go to ________.
A. Exhibition Space .Level 3 B. Gas Works Arts Park
C. Theatre, NGV Australia D. Foyer, Level 3
4.Activities concerning children’s books are to be held
A. on July 24, 2015 B. on July15, 2015
C. on June 24, 2015 D. on August 5, 2015
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Charles Blackman:Alice in Wonderland
An Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria(NGV),Australia
10 June-12 August 2007
Venue(地点) The Ian Potter Centre
Admission Free entry
Charles Blackman is famous for his beautiful paintings of dreams.In 1956,he heard for the first time Lewis Carroll’s extraordinary tale of Alice in Wonderland—the story of a Victorian girl who falls down a rabbit hole,meets a lot of funny characters and experiences all kinds of things.At that time,Blackman’s wife was suffering from progressive blindness.The story of Alice moving through the strange situations,often disheartened by various events,was similar to his wife’s experiences.It also reflected so much of his own life.All this contributed to the completion of the Alice in Wonderland paintings.
Illustrator Workshop
Go straight to the experts for an introductory course in book illustration(插图).The course includes an introduction to the process of illustration and its techniques,workshop exercises and group projects.
Dates Sunday 17 June&Sunday 5Aug,10 am-1pm
Venue Gas Works Arts Park
Wonderful World
Celebrate the exhibition and Children’s Book Week with special activities just for the day,including a special visit from Alice and the White Rabbit.
Date Sunday 24 June,11 am-4 pm
Venue Exhibition Space,Level 3
Topsy-Turvy
Visit the exhibition or discover wonderful curiosities in artworks in the NGV Collection and make a magic world in a box.Alice and the White Rabbit will be with you.Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland will be screened.
Dates Sunday 8,15,22,29 July,and Tuesday 24-Friday 27 July,12 noon-3pm
Venue Theatre,NGV Australia
Drawing Workshop
Distortions of scale(比例失真)can make artworks strange but interesting.Find out how Charles Blackman distorted scale in his paintings to create a curious world,then experiment with scale in your own drawings.More information upon booking.
Date Friday 27 July,10:30 am-3 pm
Venue Foyer,Level 3
1.Charles Blackman’s paintings come from ________.
A.his admiration for Lewis Carroll
B.his dream of becoming a famous artist
C.his wish to express his own feelings
D.his eagerness to cure his wife’s illness
2.Which two activities can you participate in on the same day?
A.Illustrator Workshop and Wonderful World.
B.Illustrator Workshop and Drawing Workshop.
C.Wonderful World and Topsy-Turvy.
D.Topsy-Turvy and Drawing Workshop.
3.To understand the Alice in Wonderland paintings,you should go to ________.
A.Exhibition Space,Level 3 B.Gas Works Arts Park
C.Theatre,NGV Australia D.Foyer,Level 3
4.Activities concerning children’s books are to be held ________.
A.on June 24,2007 B.on July 15,2007
C.on July 27,2007 D.on August 5,2007
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Charles Blackman: Alice in Wonderland
An Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Australia
10 June—12 August 2013
Venue(地点) The lan Potter Centre
Admission Free entry
Charles Blackman is famous for his beautiful painting of dreams. In 1956, he heard for the first time Lewis Carroll’s extraordinary tale of Alice in Wonderland—the story of a Victorian girl who falls down a rabbit hole, meets a lot of funny characters and experience all kinds of things. At that time, Blackman’s wife was suffering from progressive blindness. The story of Alice moving through the strange situations, often disheartened by various events, was similar to his wife’s experiences. It also reflected so much of his own life. All this contributed to the completion of the Alice in Wonderland paintings.
Illustrator Workshop
Go straight to the experts for an introductory course in book illustration(插图). The course includes an introduction to the process of illustration and its techniques, workshop exercises and group projects.
Dates Sunday 17June & Sunday 5 Aug. 10 am—1 pm
Venue Gas Works Arts Park
Wonderful World
Celebrate the exhibition and Children’s Book Week with special activities just for the day, including a special visit from Alice and the White Rabbit.
Date Sunday 24 June, 11 am—4 pm
Venue Exhibition Space. Level 3
Topsy-Turvy
Visit the exhibition or discover wonderful curiosities in artworks in the NGV Collection and make a magic world in a box. Alice and the White Rabbit will be with you. Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland will be screened.
Dates Sunday 8,15,22,29 July, and Tuesday 24—Friday 27 July, 12 noon—3 pm
Venue Theatre, NGV Australia
Drawing Workshop
Distortions of Scale(比例失真)can make artworks strange but interesting. Find out how Charles Blackman distorted scale in his paintings to create a curious world, then experiment with scale in your own drawings. More information upon booking.
Date Friday 27 July, 10:30 am—3 pm
Venue Foyer, Level 3
1.Charles Blackman’s paintings come from ________.
A．his admiration for Lewis Carroll
B．his dream of becoming a famous artist
C．his wish to express his own feelings
D．his eagerness to cure his wife’s illness
2.Which two activities can you participate in on the same day?
A．Illustrator workshop and Wonderful World.
B．Illustrator workshop and Drawing Workshop.
C．Wonderful World and Topsy-Turvy.
D．Topsy-Turvy and Drawing Workshop.
3.To understand the Alice in Wonderland paintings, you should go to ________.
A．Exhibition Space. Level 3 B．Gas Works Arts Park
C．Theatre, NGV Australia D．Foyer, Level 3
4.Activities concerning children’s books are to be held ________.
A．on June 24 B．on July 15 C．on July 24 D．on August 5
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
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36．Surveys demonstrate that a majority of urban residents nowadays in the mainland of China rate ___________a perfect family one boy and one girl, as opposed to the only one of the day．
A．as having
B．as to have
C．so as to have
D．as for having
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
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Lecture-related events which are free and open to the public will be held in the National Gallery of Art. Seating is available on a first-come, first-seated basis. Registration is not required. Don't miss an event!
Lecture One: The Moon in the Age of Photography
August 20 at 2:00, 2020
West Building Lecture Hall
Mia Fineman, department of photographs, Metropolitan Museum of Art
2019 marks 50 years since Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, capturing the attention of viewers worldwide who eagerly awaited the first photographs taken onsite. Mia Fineman explores the fascinating history of the moon imaging.
Lecture Two: Conversation with Oliver Lee Jackson
September 15 at 2:00, 2020
East Building Auditorium
Oliver, artist, has created a complex body of work which masterfully weaves together visual influences ranging from the Renaissance to modernism. His works are drawn from his study of African cultures and American jazz.
Lecture Three: Photography and Nation Building in the Nineteenth Century
October 6 at 2:00, 2020
East Building Auditorium
Makeda Best, master of Photography, Harvard Art Museums. In this lecture, Makeda Best will explore the function of slavery and enslaved people in visual narratives about the Civil War.
Lecture Four: Sydney J. Freedberg Lecture on Italian Art
December 8 at 2:00, 2020
West Building Lecture Hall
The Sydney J. Freedberg Lecture on Italian Art features several scholars presenting original research on modern Italian art. This annual lecture series began in 1997 and is named after the great specialist of Italian art Sydney J. Freedberg (1914- 1997).
1.When and where will Lecture Two be delivered?
A.August 20, 2020; West Building Lecture Hall.
B.September 15, 2020; East Building Auditorium.
C.August 20, 2020; East Building Auditorium.
D.September 15, 2020; West Building Lecture Hall.
2.In which lecture may you learn about the function of slavery?
A.Lecture One. B.Lecture Two.
C.Lecture Three. D.Lecture Four.
3.What do the four lectures have in common?
A.They are all delivered annually. B.Registration is not required for all of them.
C.Each of them involves several scholars. D.Admission fee is needed for each of them.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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I grew up in Jamaica Plain, an urban community located on the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts. In the 1940's it was a wholesom
e, specific little community. It was my home and I loved it there; back then I thought I would never leave. My best friend Rose and I used to collectively dream about raising a family of our own someday. We had it all planned out to live next door to one another.Our dream remained alive through grade school, high school, and even beyond. Rose was my maid of honor when I got married in 1953 to the love of my life, Dick. Even then she joked that she was just one perfect guy short of being married, thus bringing us closer to our dream. Meanwhile, Dick aspired to be an officer in the Marines（海军）and I fully supported his ambitions. I realized that he might be stationed far away from Jamaica Plain, but I told him I would relocate and adjust. The idea of experiencing new places together seemed somewhat romantic to me.
So, in 1955, Dick was stationed in Alaska and we relocated. Rose was sad to see me leave, but wished me the best of luck. Rose and I remained in touch for a few years by regular phone call but after a while we lost track of one another. Back in the 1950's it was a lot more difficult to stay in touch with someone over a long distance, especially if you were relocating every few years. There were no email addresses or transferable phone number and directory lookup services were available at best.
I thought of her several times over the years. Once in the mid 1960's ,when I was visiting the Greater Boston area, I tried to determine her whereabouts but my search turned up empty-handed. Jamaica Plain had changed drastically in the 10 years I was gone. A pretty obvious shift in income demographics was affecting my old neighborhood. My family had moved out of the area, as did many of the people I used to know. Rose was nowhere to be found.
52 years passed and we never spoke. I've since raised a family of five, all of whom now have families of their own, and Dick passed away a few years ago. Basically, a lifetime has passed. Now here I am at the doorstep to my 80th birthday and I receive a random phone call on an idle Wednesday afternoon. "Hello?" I said. "Hi Natalie, it's Rose," the voice on the other end replied. "It's been so long. I don't know if you remember me, but we used to be best friends in Jamaica Plain when we were kid" she said.
We haven't seen each other yet, but we have spent countless hours on the phone catching up on 52 years of our lives. The interesting thing is that even after 52 years of separation our personalities and interests are still extremely similar. We both share a passion for several hobbies that we each picked up independently several years after we lost touch with one another. It almost feels like we are picking up right where we left off, which is really strange considering the circumstances.
Her husband passed away a few years ago as well, but she mailed me several photographs of her family that were taken over the years. It's so crazy, just looking at the photos and listening to her describe her family reminds me of my own; a reasonably large, healthy family. Part of me feels like we led fairly similar lives.
I don't think the numerous similarities between our two lives are a coincidence either. I think it shows that we didn't just call each other best friend we truly were best friend and even now we can be best friends again. Real friends have two things in common: a compatible personality and a strong-willed character. The compatible personality is what initiates the connection between two people and a strong-willed character at both ends is what maintains the connection. If those two ingredients are present in a friendship, the friendship is for real, and can thus sustain the tests of time and prolonged absence without faltering.
1.What was the dream of the writer and Rose when young except that_____?
A、They could have a family of their own
B、They could marry a promising husband
C、They planned to become neighbors
D、They could go to the same school
2.Why did they become apart when going older?
A、Because the writer got married ,so Rose was sad
B、They held a different opinion on their life
C、The writer’s husband had to move from one place to another
D、Their community had to be rebuilt
3.Which was not the reason for their loss in touch?
A、At that time ,there were no advanced communication methods
B、The job of the writer’s husband was changeable
C、There were no such services for them to keep the same number when moving
D、They hadn’t written to each for a long time
4.The writer failed to find Rose in the mid of 1960’s, because ____?
A、Rose left her homeland.
B、Rose wouldn’t like to see her
C、the surroundings there had changed a lot.
D、they lost in touch for a long time
5.What can we infer from the text?
A、 Rose had been making every effort to look for the writer
B、Compared with the writer, Rose lived an unhappy life.
C、Both of the husbands died before their wives.
D. It is a coincidence that there were a lot of similarities between them
6.We can learn from the passage that ____________.
A、 a friend in need is a friend indeed
B、life without a friend is a life without sun
C、friendship is a love without wings
D、the world is but a little place after all.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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You are the collector in the gallery of your life. You collect. You might not mean to but you do. One out of three people collects tangible（有形的）things such as cats, photos and noisy toys.
There are among some 40 collections that are being shown at “The Museum Of”—the first of several new museums which, over the next two years, will exhibit the objects accumulated by unknown collectors. In doing so, they will promote a popular culture of museums, not what museums normally represent.
Some of the collections are fairly common—records, model houses. Others are strangely beautiful—branches that have fallen from tree, for example. But they all reveal （显露）a lot of things: ask someone what they collect and their answers will tell you who they are.
Other on the way include “The museum of Collectors” and “The Museum of Me.”These new ones, it is hoped, will build on the success of “The Museum Of.” The thinkers behind the project want to explore why people collect, and what it means to do so. They hope that visitors who may not have considered themselves collectors will begin to see they, too, collect.
Some collectors say they started or stopped making collections at important point: the beginning or end of adolescence—“it’s a growing-up thing; you stop when you grow up,”says one. Other painful times are mentioned, such as the end of a relationship. For time and life can seem so uncontrollable that a steady serial（顺序排列的）arrangement is comforting.
1.How will the new museums promote a popular culture of museums?
A. By collecting more tangible things.
B. By showing what ordinary people have collected.
C. By correcting what museums normally represent.
D. By accumulating 40 collections two years from now.
2.What can be learned about collectors from their collections?
A. Who they are.
B. How old they are.
C. Where they were born.
D. Why they might not mean to collect.
3.Which of the following is an aim of the new museums?
A. To help people sell their collections.
B. To encourage more people to collect.
C. To study the significance of collecting.
D. To find out why people visit museums.
4.According to the last paragraph, people may stop collecting when they
A. become adults
B. feel happy with life
C. are ready for a relationship
D. feel time to he uncontrollable
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
e, specific little community. It was my home and I loved it there; back then I thought I would never leave. My best friend Rose and I used to collectively dream about raising a family of our own someday. We had it all planned out to live next door to one another.