题文
First it was jogging. Then aerobics（有氧运动）. Not too long ago, Americans discovered race walking.
Now Americans are into a new fitness craze. They’re taking up bicycling. Over hills and down mountainsides and across quiet country roads, Americans are busily rolling along.
The number of adults who ride for fitness is around 17 million, an increase of 70 percent over four years
ago. Twice as many women as men are coming to the sport. Americans are falling in love with biking because it has speed, the benefits of jogging and beautiful scenery.
Bicycling is a very appropriate sport, which is important to people who injured their knees while jogging or whose joints are aching from aerobics. And biking is a real awakening for people who have been into race walking in the past. Race walking is as dull as watching paint dry.
The most popular kind of bicycle for people who are new to the sport is the mountain bike, which has a fixed frame with wide tires and upright handles. Mountain bikes also have many gears（齿轮） to make it easier to climb hills. about 5 milli
on Americans ride mountain bikes, compared with 200,000 who rode them only five years ago.
Costs range from about ＄130 for a bottom-of-the-line bicycle to more than ＄2,700 for an expensive bicycle.
Mountain biking has attracted some people who race down the sides of mountains like a bat out of hell. But most riders ride slowly and they rarely venture far from home.
The biking craze has brought an unexpected profit（盈利） to clothing and bicycle accessory（附属品）makers. Last year, bikers paid ＄630 million for biking clothes and accessories.
Bicycling seems likely to continue its fantastic growth.
53. Race walking is about as dull as watching paint dry because _______
A. race walking is a slow-moving sport
B. the number of adults who ride for fitness has grown 70 percent in four years.
C. it has speed, the benefits of jogging and beautiful scenery.
D. Americans are taking up bicycling.
54. The bicycling craze has been a profit for _______.
A. people who want to ride like a bat out of hell
B. bicycle accessory makers
C. race walkers
D. twice as many women as men
55. What does the underlined word “bottom-of-the-line” mean?
A. poor B. modern C. old D. cheapest
56. The main idea of the article is _______
A. riding a bicycle is one of the most dangerous sports in America
B. Americans are rolling along
C. bicycling is the latest fitness craze to hit America
D. most people in America want to own a hand-made bicycle that can cost more than 2,700 题型：未知难度：其他题型
答案
53—56ABDC
解析
略考点
据考高分专家说，试题“First it was jogging.....”主要考查你对 [健康环保类阅读 ]考点的理解。健康环保类阅读
健康环保累阅读概念：
健康环保类文章常是介绍科学知识、生活常识和环境保护方面的短文。体裁有记叙文、 说明文、议论文和各种应用文。
健康环保类文章阅读技巧：
健康环保类文章常是介绍科学知识、生活常识和环境保护方面的短文。阅读此类短文要以现象或事物为中心进行思考，理解现象产生的原因、条件和客观规律等。同时要抓住事物的特征、用途和相互关系等。科普环保类文章一般为说明文，从结构上看大致可分为三个部分：
第一部分一般是文章的首段，主要用来提出文章的主题，即文章想要阐述、说明的主要内容；
第二部分是文章的主体，可由若干个段落组成，对文章的主题进行展开说明；
第三部分是结尾段，对文章的主题进行归纳总结。这类文章多用一般现在时，而且一般多使用客观性词语表述。有时为了强调客观性，也常使用被动语态。
从近几年的考试题来看，科普环保类的文章越来越与人们的实际生活相接近。由于此类文章缺乏故事情节，很多同学对此类文章感到费解。但一般的科普类文章都是就事论事，需要逻辑推理和想象的时候较少，因此此类阅读题也没有同学们想象中的那么难，只要多加训练，就能较好地答题。
【阅读策略】
1、概要(Summarizing)：
阅完材料后，将所阅材料浓缩，摘要，做出所阅材料的书面或口头梗概。
2、组织(Organization)：
阅读后根据阅读内容，识别观点、人物、事件之间的关系以及文章的结构关系。如：时间关系、比较或对比关系、相关关系及因果关系等。
