Part ll Reading Comprehension and ●●●●● ●●●● ●●0 Language Activities ●●● ●●●● ● Pre-reading Tasks o What age group is most fond of bike-riding? o What is the major use of the bicycle for most of the Chinese? Do you think that an annual safety check is necessary for bike-riders? If you have a bike, do you think it can pass a safety inspection? e What annoys you most in bike-riding?
Part II Reading Comprehension and Language Activities ⚫ Pre-reading Tasks ⚫ What age group is most fond of bike-riding? ⚫ What is the major use of the bicycle for most of the Chinese? ⚫ Do you think that an annual safety check is necessary for bike-riders? If you have a bike, do you think it can pass a safety inspection? ⚫ What annoys you most in bike-riding?
●●●●● ●●●● ●●0 ●●● ●●●● I see by the local paper that the New Jersey town where l live will hold a bicycle safety check next week. The chief of police will inspect bikes at the municipal parking lot; checking brakes, lights, sounding devices, reflectors, and general bike condition. Those bikes which are approved will be marked with a 1971 inspection sticker. renTeiBefanPbilk8nandhlisteastotbenteyitn' t have bike inspections in those days, and it was a tucky thing. My bike would have flunked. Everybody' s bike would have failed, mostly on“ general bike condition” Many safety devices were missing. One kid had no handle bars, And take reflectors none of the bikes had reflectors because the reflectors were fastened to the fenders and the fenders got torn off early in the game. Nobody worried about fenders; you worried about spokes
Turn to p. 185, and listen to the text. I see by the local paper that the New Jersey town where I live will hold a bicycle safety check next week. The chief of police will inspect bikes at the municipal parking lot; checking “brakes, lights, sounding devices, reflectors, and general bike condition. Those bikes which are approved will be marked with a 1971 inspection sticker.” I remember the bike I had when I was a kid. We didn’t have bike inspections in those days, and it was a lucky thing. My bike would have flunked. Everybody’s bike would have failed, mostly on “general bike condition”. Many safety devices were missing. One kid had no handle bars. And take reflectors. None of the bikes had reflectors because the reflectors were fastened to the fenders, and the fenders got torn off early in the game. Nobody worried about fenders; you worried about spokes. The Mud-backs
●●●●● TeMad-daakts ●●●● ●●0 ●●● ●●●● It was very im portant to have enough spokes so that the wheel remained more or less round. Each of my bike wheels had thirty-six spokes, and I found by experience that I couldn't afford to lose more than twenty. When a wheel lost too many spokes it began to sag and it was difficult to ride the bike fast The whole point was to ride the bike fast. You could tell a really fast bike rider by the streak of mud up his back. I don't recall any of the bikes having"sounding devices,, Once in a while, a fancy bike came equipped with tank mounted between the upper-frame bars Inside the tank was an electric horn that made a thin beeping sound for about a day Then the battery corroded, and the whole bike turned green The most popular sounding device was the bike rider himself He screamed when confronted by any obstacle, real or imaginary
It was very important to have enough spokes so that the wheel remained more or less round. Each of my bike wheels had thirty-six spokes, and I found by experience that I couldn’t afford to lose more than twenty. When a wheel lost too many spokes it began to sag and it was difficult to ride the bike fast. The whole point was to ride the bike fast. You could tell a really fast bike rider by the streak of mud up his back. I don’t recall any of the bikes having “sounding devices.” Once in a while, a fancy bike came equipped with a “tank” mounted between the upper-frame bars. Inside the tank was an electric horn that made a thin beeping sound for about a day. Then the battery corroded, and the whole bike turned green. The most popular sounding device was the bike rider himself. He screamed when confronted by any obstacle, real or imaginary. The Mud-backs
●●●●● ●●●● ●●0 ●●● ●●●● Sometimes his voice changed in mid-scream a terrible noise that could raise the mud on the back of your neck. There were three popular ways of stopping a bike---coaster brake"","hand brake",, and"hitting something'', less popular methods included accidentally sticking your foot in the front wheel or clamping hard on just the front had brake, which made you do a tight little somersault over the handle bars Another rather sloppy way to stop was to get your pant cuff caught between the front sprocket and the chain, causing a sudden shift of weight to starboard. You slowly fell off the bike and scraped along the ground. The bike, still attached to your leg, jarred around on top of you until an axle bolt stuck in your ear
Sometimes his voice changed in mid-scream, a terrible noise that could raise the mud on the back of your neck. There were three popular ways of stopping a bike---“coaster brake”, “hand brake”, and “hitting something”, less popular methods included accidentally sticking your foot in the front wheel or clamping hard on just the front had brake, which made you do a tight little somersault over the handle bars. Another rather sloppy way to stop was to get your pant cuff caught between the front sprocket and the chain, causing a sudden shift of weight to starboard. You slowly fell off the bike and scraped along the ground. The bike, still attached to your leg, jarred around on top of you until an axle bolt stuck in your ear. The Mud-backs