London has become a cycle friendly zone after the launch of a new bike hire scheme. It has been designed to encourage more people to cycle in and around central London.
So how does it work? First you have to sign up to the scheme to be sent a key. The key will unlock one of the bikes, which are kept at docking stations in and around central London. You have to pay an access fee for the key and then you pay as you go, for the length of time you use the bike.
Transport for London, which runs the scheme, is hoping to have 6,000 bikes and 400 docking stations in place by the end of the year. The new hire system is hoping to ease congestion (拥挤 ) in London and is expected to create up t0 40 ,000 extra cycle trips a day into the city centre. London Mayor Boris Johnston launched the scheme and said London had been 6ifilled with thousands of gleaming machines that will transform the look and feel of our streets and become as commonplace on our roads as black cabs and red buses".
However, there have been a few problems since the scheme was launched last Friday. On the first day some people found they couldn't dock their bike properly and their usage of the bike had not registered. Transport for London did admit they had been expecting a few "teething problems" and have said they wouldn't charge for the first day as a "gesture of goodwill". Some other people have criticized the lack of docking stations and locks for the bikes as well as the price it costs to hire the bicycles.
Despite the comments, the green-thinking London Mayor still seems very positive about things, saying, "My campaign for the capital to become the greatest big cycling city in the world has taken a big pedal-powered push forwards. "
1.. London Mayor Boris Johnston launched the new bike scheme in order to______.
A. reduce the air pollution of the city
B. deal with the city's traffic problems
C. increase employment opportunities
D. encourage the citizens to take exercises
2.. If you want to hire a bike, in which order will you do?
a. pay for the key to a bike
b. sign up as a member to get a key
c. cycle in and around central London
d. pay for the bike according to the time you use it
A. b→a→c→d B. b→d→c→a
C. d→c→b→a D. d→b→c→a
3.. All the following are the problems of the scheme EXCEPT_____.
A. the high cost to hire a bike
B. docking the bikes properly
C. not registering their usage of the bikes
D. not charging for the first day of the scheme
4.. From the passage, we can infer that_______.
A. the cycling revolution is not successful
B. all the citizens in London support the scheme
C. the London Mayor is confident in the scheme
D. the scheme will be cancelled because of the problems
Over 500 dogs being delivered to a butcher house were saved by a Chinese animal protection organization. The incident then resulted in a debate among Chinese netizens about the necessity of pouring so much money and efforts into saving dogs.
On Friday, a truck loaded with over 500 dogs was stopped by volunteers from animal protection organization on Beijing section of Jingha expressway.
Beijing Times reported these dogs were being delivered to slaughter houses in the city of Changchun, northeast one in Jilin Province and would be eventually served on dinner tables.
After negotiations (协商) with the truck driver and a philanthropic (慈善) founda tion, Shangshan Foundation purchased these dogs with much money. Dogs were then delivered to the headquarter of China Small Animal Protection Association (CSAPA) , being taken care of and waiting for adoption.
After the dog saving mission was reported, Chinese net users debate over whether saving dogs worth so much efforts and money while there are still many poor and needy people in China lacking assistance.
Some net users argue the dog saving mission is placing too much attention to animals while lots of needy people are still left unattended.
A microblogger "Xiaowulaitajie" said on China's twitter-like website, weibo. com, "Dogs are saved, adopted and they attracted media attention. We'd better spend such money and take such efforts in helping the needy people. "
Another microblogger, Liluping, said "We poured such huge sum of money into saving dogs. I would rather the money be spent on disaster relief. "
Some applaud volunteers' actions and show eagerness of offering their helping hands to those saved dogs.
Still many disapprove those "saving dogs" critics. They argue that such act nevertheless embodies social progress.
A microblogger named "broken bridge" said, saving dogs does not go against taking care of people. Such enthusiasm in public affairs will help raise social awareness in helping the needy.
I think people and animals are created equal. Attention should be paid to people as well as animals.
1.. According to the passage, we know the article probably comes from________ .
A. a science fiction B. a TV programme
C. the Internet D. a magazine
2.. Which one has the similar meaning to the underlined word “embodies”?
A. express. B. share.
C. emphasize. D. prevent.
3.. Whose opinion is closest to the writer's?
A. Some net users'. B. Liluping's.
C. Broken bridge 's. D. Xiaowulaitajie's.
4.. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Why some people disagree to save the 500 dogs.
B. How the volunteers saved the 500 dogs to be killed.
C. These dogs were finally saved and sent back to their owners.
D. Different Chinese net users have different opinions on the mission.
When I left my bag on a train, I lost my most precious possession, a small framed photograph of my great grandparents, Emily and Gordon Baker. The frame was made of silver, with an elegant flower design in one corner. The photograph was taken in March 1939 0n their wedding day. Emily looked very happy, and Gordon looked rather a larmed. A few months later, he was killed in action in North Africa. I received the photograph when my aunt Mabel died.
I'm a student at Edinburgh University and I live in an old Edwardian house. At the end of last term, I packed a large bag and a small bag and set off for London, where I was planning to catch the Eurostar train to Paris. Minutes after getting off the train at Kings Cross Station, I realized that I'd left the small bag in the overhead luggage rack. I ran back to the train, but it had already left the platform. www.com
This all happened several months ago, and I had become resigned to the loss of my most precious possession. then last week, something extraordinary happened. I logged onto the site ~ eBay and looked for a silver photo frame and I found it ! The photo of my great grandparents was on eBay !
I called the person who was advertising it. He was a little suspicious(怀疑 ) at first, and told me that he had bought it from a stall at an antique market. After we talked for a while, he asked if there was any way I could prove it was mine. All I could think of was that the photo was taken in March 1939. He opened the frame and made sure that this date was written by hand on the back of the photograph.
“It ' s definitely yours. " he said. "Come and get it ! "
1.. The author's most precious possession was .
A. A wedding photo in a silver frame taken in North Africa
B. A pretty family portrait in a silver frame taken in 1939
C. A special photo of his great grandparents in a silver frame
D. A common photograph of his grandparents taken by Mabel
2.. Which of the statement about the author is not wrong?
A. He left the photo on a train and never got it back.
B. He put the photo in a small bag and left it on a train.
C. He left the photo on the Eurostar and ran back to get it.
D. He left the photo at his old Edwardian house in Edinburgh
3.. The man advertising the frame proved it was the author's .
A. by calling the seller up immediately
B. according to the price of the silver frame
C. by the author's explanation about the photo
D. by the date written on the back of the photo
4.. It can be inferred that the author felt______when he found the silver photo on eBay.
A. nervous B. excited
C. disappointed D. worried
A. The introduction of Paris
B. The culture of Paris
C. The population growth in Paris
D. The production of Paris
E. The education in Paris
F. The industries in Paris
1.Paris, the capital and the largest city of the country, is in north central France. The Paris metropolitan area contains nearly 20% of the nation’s population and is the economic, cultural, and political center of France. The French governments have historically favored the city as the site for all decision-making, thus powerfully attracting nearly all of the nation’s activities.
2.Paris has grown steadily since it was chosen as the national capital in the late 10th century. With the introduction of the Industrial Revolution, a great number of people moved to the city from the country during the 19th century. The migration was especially stimulated by the construction of railroads, which provided easy access to the capital. After World WarⅡ, more and more immigrants arrived.
3.The city is the centralized control point of most national radio and television broadcasting. It is a place of publication of the most important newspapers and magazines and an international book publishing center. With more than 100 museums, Paris has truly one of the greatest concentrations of art treasures in the world. The Louvre, opened as a museum in 1793, is one of the largest museums in the world.
4.In the late 1980s about 4. 1 million pupils annually attended about 47, 000 elementary schools. In addition, about 5. 4 million students attended some 11, 200 secondary schools. Approximately 1. 2 million students were enrolled annually at universities and colleges in France in the late 1980s. French centers of learning have served as academic models throughout the world.
5.Paris is the leading industrial center of France, with about one quarter of the nation’s manufacturing concentrated in the metropolitan area. Industries of consumers’ goods have always been drawn to Paris by the enormous market of the big population, and modern, high technology industries also have become numerous since World WarⅡ. Chief manufactures are machinery, automobiles, chemicals and electrical equipment.
Z: Hello, are you Mr. Smith from the United States?
M: Yes, Robert Smith. Please call me Robert. 1. .
Z: My pleasure. Welcome to China. My name is Zhang Lin. You can call me Lin. This is my card.
M: Thank you. And 2. .
Z: Oh, good, thanks. How was the journey?
M: 3. , although a little tiring.
Z: Then let’s get your things and go to the hotel now.
M: Oh, thank you. 4. ?
Z: It’s about thirty minutes’ drive. By the way, we are going to have a dinner party for you this evening.
M: It’s very kind of you. 5. ?
Z: Six thirty. I’ll pick you up at six o’clock.
M: OK, see you then.
Z: Bye.
A. It was OK
B. Where is the hotel
C. here is my card
D. Where shall we go
E. Thank you for meeting me
F. How many people are going there
G. What time does it begin
The Cambodian government says more than 378 people died and hundreds more were injured in a stampede(踩踏)during the celebrations of the annual Water Festival late Monday in Phnom Penh.
Less than 24 hours after the tragedy(悲剧), Cambodia’s most serious loss of life in decades(十年), the government founded an organization to investigate(调查)how so many died on what was meant to be one of the nation’s most joyous occasions.
Most of the victims(牺牲品)were young people in their teens and twenties. They were some of the estimated(估计)two million who had flooded to Phnom Penh for the Water Festival, which marks the end of the rainy season.
Most suffocated on the bridge, which thousands of people were using to leave Diamond Island, an entertainment(娱乐)area in the middle of the river. Others drowned(溺水)after jumping from the bridge into the water.
Buot Panha, 19, said shortly after 9: 30 on Monday evening he ended up trapped(围困)with his friends in the middle of the bridge, fighting to breathe while terrified people struggled all around him.
Being tall saved his life, since he could stretch(伸出)his neck to take in oxygen(氧气). Shorter people were unable to do that, he says, which may be why two-thirds of the victims were women.
He tried to help a woman who was trapped with two children near him. She was screaming for people to help. Being tall, Buot Panha grabbed(抓住)one child and pushed him above the crowd to help him breathe.
But then some of the young men were told to jump off the bridge into the river to make room. So he handed back the child, squirmed his way to the edge, and jumped.
Some like Buot Panha were fortunate, jumping into the river below and swimming for the shore. But many simply could not move, and died where they lay.
Buot Panha says his first Water Festival will be his last. He vows(发誓)never to come back.
1.The passage is mainly about .
A. Water Festival celebrations
B. a stampede in Cambodia
C. a teenager, Buot Panha
D. a woman and her children
2.What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?
A. It is the biggest tragedy in decades in Cambodia.
B. It is the most serious loss of life in decades in Cambodia.
C. The government ordered an investigation.
D. Water Festival is Cambodia’s most joyous occasion.
3.The underlined word “suffocated” (in Paragraph 4)probably means .
A. breathed in
B. felt uncomfortable
C. died from too little oxygen
D. left in a hurry
4.Which of the following is TRUE about Buot Panha according to the passage?
A. His being tall saved him in the river.
B. He struggled through the crowd to save one child.
C. It was his first time to attend the Water Festival alone.
D. He will never come back to Phnom Penh for the Water Festival.
