A
Eric Attayi, owner of the Urban Bicycle Gallery in Houston, Texas, has watched the pandemic transform his shop in a way most businesses can only dream of.
Bicycles are selling before he has time to assemble them for display. Attayi said he’d matched his 2019 sales by the start of May. He’s had to hire new employees to meet demand, and hasn’t taken a day off since February. Attayi said now the phone doesn’t stop ringing and his guys get overwhelmed. He’d given raises and started buying lunch for his stressed staff.
As unemployment reaches record levels and small businesses scramble to survive, bike shops have been an exception.
They’re thriving whether they’re in car-dominated cities like Houston or more traditional biking areas like New York. Keeping enough bikes in stock, and finishing repairs in a timely manner, has become a challenge. Customers are being turned away, in some cases.
New customers are looking for ways to be active and outdoors. Bike shop owners say that the closing of gyms and yoga studios during the pandemic has contributed. Others say customers are looking for a commuting alternative to public transportation. Social spacing is easiest on individual modes of transportation, like cars and bikes. In March 2020, US cycling sales increased 39% when compared with March 2019, according to a survey.
Robert Keating, owner of the Triathlon Lab outside Los Angeles, said he’s never seen anything like the current bicycle boom in the 37 years he’s worked in bike shops. He’s shifted his shop from a focus on high-end bicycles to affordable bikes people are likely to ride in their neighborhood. Beach cruisers have been especially popular, he said.
【文章大意】这是一篇说明文。2020年疫情形势下, 美国出现了自行车繁荣现象, 文章主要分析了其原因。
1. What can we learn from Para. 2?
A. Most businesses have experienced the same development as Attayi’s shop.
B. Attayi’s 2019 sales were as many as those of the start of May.
C. Bikes are flying off shelves, overwhelming shops.
D. The staff’s wages were raised because they had no day off since February.
【解析】选C。细节理解题。根据第二段可知, 自行车在组装好展示之前就被卖掉了, 阿塔伊说, 现在预购电话一直响个不停, 他的员工都不知所措了。由此得知, 自行车在商店里被一售而空, 商店应接不暇。故选C。
2. What is the challenge for bike shops?
A. To attract customers when they are not keen on biking.
B. To survive in car-dominated cities.
C. To promote their sales in traditional biking cities.
D. To prepare enough bikes for sale and do repairs quickly.
【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据第四段中“Keeping enough bikes in stock, and finishing repairs in a timely manner, has become a challenge. (保持足够的自行车库存并及时完成维修, 已经成为一个挑战。)”可知 , 对自行车商店来说, 保持足够的售卖库存和快速维修是个挑战。故选D。
3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. The current bicycle boom was totally within Keating’s expectations.
B. Triathlon Lab used to mainly sell bikes that were unaffordable for most people.
C. Roads feel dangerous when there are more bikers.
D. People lose interest in biking because there is no bike lane.
【解析】选B。推理判断题。根据最后一段中“He’s shifted his shop from a focus on high-end bicycles to affordable bikes people are likely to ride in their neighborhood. (他把他的商店从以高端自行车为主转向人们更愿意在附近骑的平价自行车。)”可知, Triathlon Lab以前主要售卖大多数人买不起的自行车。故选B。
