Nearly everyone was very much against motor cars when they first appeared．So the government found a very clever way to try and drive them off the roads.

   Back in 1861, a previous government had passed a law about the heavy steam vehicles which were beginning to crawl about the roads of Britain．This law said that no vehicle should go more than 10 miles an hour in the country and 5 miles an hour in town．Four years later these speed limits were reduced to 4 and 2 m.p.h, and a man with a red flag had to walk in front to warn people of the danger．

   This law applied to ordinary cars, too, and the police started to arrest drivers who broke the speed limit and didn't have a man with a red flag．Of course, it made the idea of motor cars seem quite ridiculous．But this law was stopped in 1878 and the speed limit was raised to the frightening speed of 14 m.p.h, in 1896．A special race was held from London to Brighton to celebrate this victory for the motor car industry．The London-Brighton Veteran Car Run is still held every November to mark this event．Only cars made before 1905 may take part．In the first rally there were no more than 33 entrants, and only 22 of them finished the course．Nowadays, so many old cars apply to go on the run that the organizers have had to restrict the entry.

   Early motorists had to carry their own spare parts and do their own repairs．If they had a real breakdown, the only chance of getting anywhere was to borrow a horse and hitch it to the front of the car!

1．What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us?

       A．The heavy steam vehicles appeared as early as 1861.

       B．No one liked motor cars when they first appeared.

       C．The British government tried to do away with motor cars.

       D．The first car drivers had to pay attention to the speed limits.

2．What does the underlined “it” in the third paragraph refer to?

       A．The law．          B．The speed limit． C．A red flag．         D．The government.

3．According to the passage, the following is true EXCEPT _______.

       A．The cars were allowed to run faster in 1861 than they were in 1865

       B．Motor cars were not popular when they first appeared

       C．The London-Brighton Veteran Car Run has become more popular

       D．The law was stopped in 1896 and a special race was held to celebrate it

4．If the car had a very serious mechanical problem on the road, most probably the early motorists would __________.

       A．a(chǎn)bandon their cars                    B．find some friends to help

       C．repair the car with spare parts            D．use an animal to finish their journey

Nearly everyone was very much against motor cars when they first appeared．So the government found a very clever way to try and drive them off the roads.

    Back in 1861, a previous government had passed a law about the heavy steam vehicles which were beginning to crawl about the roads of Britain．This law said that no vehicle should go more than 10 miles an hour in the country and 5 miles an hour in town．Four years later these speed limits were reduced to 4 and 2 m.p.h, and a man with a red flag had to walk in front to warn people of the danger.

    This law applied to ordinary cars, too, and the police started to arrest drivers who broke the speed limit and didn't have a man with a red flag．Of course, it made the idea of motor cars seem quite ridiculous．But this law was stopped in 1878 and the speed limit was raised to the frightening speed of 14 m.p.h, in 1896．A special race was held from London to Brighton to celebrate this victory for the motor car industry．The London-Brighton Veteran Car Run is still held every November to mark this event．Only cars made before 1905 may take part．In the first rally there were no more than 33 entrants, and only 22 of them finished the course．Nowadays, so many old cars apply to go on the run that the organizers have had to restrict the entry.

    Early motorists had to carry their own spare parts and do their own repairs．If they had a real breakdown, the only chance of getting anywhere was to borrow a horse and hitch it to the front of the car!

1．What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us?

       A．The heavy steam vehicles appeared as early as 1861.

       B．The British government tried to do away with motor cars.

       C．No one liked motor cars when they first appeared.

       D．The first car drivers had to pay attention to the speed limits.

2．What does the underlined “it” in the third paragraph refer to?

       A．The government．                             B．The speed limit．

       C．A red flag．                                     D．The law.

3．According to the passage, the following is true except _______.

       A．The cars were allowed to run faster in 1861 than they were in 1865

       B．Motor cars were not popular when they first appeared

       C．The law was stopped in 1896 and a special race was held to celebrate it

       D．The London-Brighton Veteran Car Run has become more popular

4．If the car had a very serious mechanical problem on the road, most probably the early motorists would __________.

       A．a(chǎn)bandon their cars                    B．find some friends to help

       C．repair the car with spare parts            D．use an animal to finish their journey