Group A Name: ____________________________________ Class: ____________________________________ Total: _ /50 A. Read the text below. For questions 1–4, choose the best answer (A, B or C). Bike sharing If you travel to a big city, you will see many people riding public bikes. This isn’t a new idea. The first public bike sharing system began in Amsterdam in the 1960’s. The organizers painted the bikes white and many people used them. After one person finished their journey, they left the bike for the next person. Unfortunately, people stole many of the bikes or threw them in the rivers, and so the system was stopped. In 1974, the city of La Rochelle, in France, started its own system of free public bicycles. Their bikes were yellow and the system was successful. Today, there are more than 300 bikes and the city is famous for its yellow bikes. You have to pay to use the bikes now, but they aren’t expensive and they are very popular. Today, technology has changed public bike sharing systems. There are now special stations for people to put the bikes so they are safe and computer systems that record the location of the bikes at the bike stations. In most bike sharing systems, the riders use a special card to pay for the bike. Public bike sharing systems are popular in Europe, but they are also becoming popular in Asia. In fact, the biggest bike sharing system is in the city of Hangzhou, in China. There are over 60,000 bicycles and over 2,000 stations! Cities don’t have bike sharing systems to make money, but the city benefits because there are fewer cars on the roads, less noise and less pollution. Public bike sharing systems are also becoming very popular with tourists. Local people are happy because a shared bike is cheaper than using a car, it is good for the environment and it is good exercise. With over 500 bike sharing systems in the world today it looks like they are here to stay. 1 What was one of the problems with the first bike sharing system? A Nobody wanted a white bicycle. B People rode the bicycles into the river. C Some people took the bikes and kept them.
2 What does the writer say about the bike sharing system in France? A When it started people didn’t pay to use the bikes. B People liked yellow bikes more than white bikes. C Many famous people use the yellow bikes. 3 What does ‘they’ refer to? A the riders B the cards C bike sharing systems 4 What’s the topic of the last paragraph? A how cities can make money with bike sharing systems B why bike sharing systems are good for tourists C the advantages of bike sharing systems 5 How does the writer feel about bike sharing systems? A They have a good future. B Cars will always be more popular. C They are the best way to do exercise. __/10 B. Look at Joanne’s list of birthdays. Write the dates of her friends’ and family’s birthdays in full Eg. Grandma’s birthday is on the tenth of January. January Grandma -10th 1.________________________________________ February Nephew -8th 2.________________________________________ March 3.________________________________________ April Aunt – 21st 4.________________________________________ May 5.________________________________________ June Hanna – 3rd 6._______________________________________ July __/6 August Me – 2nd Septembe r October Olive -26th