Two French biking enthusiasts recently set a new Guinness World Record for the “tallest rideable bicycle” by building a 7.77-meter (25 ft 5 in) bike.

    Nicolas Barrioz and David Peyrou came up with the idea for the world’s tallest bicycle 5 years ago. Made from metal alloy (合金), steel, and wood, the unique bike took hundreds of hours to complete in a way that made it rideable, even for a short distance. It may not seem like a challenge, but building a 25-foot rideable bicycle is definitely not as easy as riding a bike. For example, the pedals are connected to the wheels via a 16-meter (53-ft) chain, and because of its extreme height, the bicycle has to move at a speed of around 15-20 km/h (9-12 mph) for the rider to maintain balance.

    The world’s tallest rideable bicycle has a saddle (车座), two standard-sized wheels, and a handlebar complete with two brake levers, only the distance between the wheels and the saddle is about seven meters. The frame between the saddle and the wheels is mostly made of wood from discarded (丢弃的) furniture, as the two behind the project believe that the material will replace alloy in a few decades, because of mineral poverty.

    David and Nicolas spent about two years building their record-breaking bicycle and decided to show it to the world in the city of Clermont-Ferrand, during an annual bicycle festival. To prove that it worked, one of them had to ride it unassisted over a distance of 100 meters, which proved quite hard. David was the rider, and he took some safety measures.

    Getting the bicycle to the required speed to maintain balance was the tricky part and a short video shows just how unstable the handlebars were in David’s hands as he was trying to keep the 7.7-meter-tall bicycle from crashing down. Luckily, once he got some speed, the ride became smoother, and the two broke the old record for the tallest rideable bicycle by 36 centimeters.

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1.Which of the following is TRUE about the tallest bicycle?

A It has four wheels instead of two.

B It requires specific speeds to maintain balance.

C It took about five years to make it.

D It was entirely made of metal alloy.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据第二段的“For example, the pedals are connected to the wheels via a 16-meter (53-ft) chain, and because of its extreme height, the bicycle has to move at a speed of around 15-20 km/h (9-12 mph) for the rider to maintain balance.”可知，由于其极高的高度，自行车必须以约15-20公里/小时的速度移动，骑车人才能保持平衡。故选B。

2.Why did David and Nicolas believe that wood would replace alloy in a few decades?

A Because of its lower price.

B Because of mineral shortages.

C Because of its light weight.

D Because of its superior quality.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据第三段的“the two behind the project believe that the material will replace alloy in a few decades, because of mineral poverty”可知，这对搭档认为，由于矿产短缺，几十年后木材将取代合金成为自行车车架的材料。故选B。

3.What does the underlined word “tricky” mean?

A Impressive.

B Straightforward.

C Enjoyable.

D Challenging.

解析：选D。D 词义猜测题。根据划线单词前段的“one of them had to ride it unassisted over a distance of 100 meters, which proved quite hard”和后面的“a short video shows just how unstable the handlebars were in David’s hands as he was trying to keep the 7.7-meter-tall bicycle from crashing down”可知，为了证明这辆自行车还能骑，大卫需要在无人协助的情况下骑行100米。他做了一些安全措施，一段短视频显示，当大卫试图阻止这辆7.7米高的自行车摔倒时，他手中的车把是多么不稳定，因此让自行车达到所需的速度以保持平衡是一个有挑战性的部分。故选D。

4.What can we learn from the two’s success?

A To think highly of first oneself, others will respect you.

B Imaginative ideas die away if not taken in time.

C In order to succeed in everything, it is necessary to work hard.

D A tight schedule is no excuse for lack of action.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。根据本文内容可知，这对搭档五年前突发奇想要造出世界上最高的可以骑的自行车，两人花了几个月的时间设计自行车和采购材料，然后花了近两年的时间制造自行车，在创纪录的过程中克服了种种困难，因此“凡事欲其成功，必要付出奋斗。”符合题意。故选C。