On January 27 this year, Frenchmen Basile and Simon set out from Paris on their bikes to follow in the footsteps of Marco Polo and travel around the Silk Road. On Saturday, August 9, they finally arrived in Beijing.

Simon and Basile travelled over 13, 000 kilometers in six months and passed through ten countries on their way all by bicycle, including Italy, Greece, Turkey and Tajikistan. The two men, both aged 27, had talked about making the trip since high school. "Basile and I have had a dream to travel to the East since we were young," said Poniard. "Beijing has always fascinated me by both its rich ancient civilization, and its modernity. Now our dreams have come true. We are very proud of ourselves, and of those who have supported us along the journey."

Pottier recalled many interesting and beautiful moments they experienced on the road. For example, they met a kind-hearted Iranian who drove a tractor to join them, and also offered them a room to sleep in. "The most valuable part was to meet different people and to experience different local cultures. " Pottier said.

After a short stopover in Beijing, Simon and Basile plan to cycle to Yunnan province before flying back to France, and will then look for jobs back home. The courage and spirit in them will inspire more young people from China and France to challenge themselves. 

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1.It took Simon and Basile about ________ to arrive in Beijing by bike.

A 9 months

B a year

C half a year

D 13 weeks

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。由第二段的“Simon and Basile travelled over 13, 000 kilometers in six months.”可知他们从法国骑自行车到北京花费了6个月，大约半年。故选C。

2.Simon and Basile planned to travel to the east when _______.

A they studied about China

B they were in high school

C they learned Marco Polo

D they heard of the Silk Road

解析：选B。B细节理解题。由第二段的“The two men, both aged 27, had talked about making the trip since high school.”可知他们在上高中的时候就想到东方旅游。故选B。

3.The most valuable part of Simon and Basile’s journey was ________.

A to drive a tractor with a kind-hearted Iranian

B to see China’s modernity themselves

C to overcome many difficulties they met

D to meet different people and to experience different local cultures

解析：选D。D细节理解题。由第三段的“The most valuable part was to meet different people and to experience different local cultures.”可知这次旅行中最有价值的就是遇到不同的人和经历不同的地方文化。故选D。

4.The underlined word “inspire” in the passage means ________ in Chinese.

A 鼓舞

B 号召

C 呼吁

D 倡引

解析：选A。A 词义猜测题。联系这个词在本句中的意思不难猜出这里应为“鼓舞”，故选A。

5.According to the passage which of the following is NOT TRUE ?

A Both Simon and Basile are 27 years old this year.

B Simon and Basile travelled less than 13, 000 kilometers.

C Simon and Basile plan to Yunnan province by bike.

D Simon and Basile passed through 10 countries on the way.

解析：选B。B综合性判断题。依据第二段的“The two men, both aged 27,”可判断A与原文相符；依据第二段的“Simon and Basile travelled over 13, 000 kilometers.”可判断B与原文不符。故选B。