We are fortunate to live in a city that encourages bicycling as a means of transportation.Our local government has promoted bicycling by improving bike lanes and increasing the number of them. The growing number of cyclists, however, brings this question to mind: should bicyclists be required to share the responsibilities of the road? Automobile drivers have to take competency tests, follow established regulations, and accept punishment for breaking rules. The city requests drivers to register and license their vehicles to ensure accountability (责任）. Bicyclists who use public roadways should be held accountable, too.
Let's look at what sharing the road means. For one thing, it should involve cost sharing.Auto registration and license fees are used, in part, for building and maintaining roadways. It seems only reasonable to ask bicyclists to contribute to transportation funding as well.
More importantly,sharing the road includes accountability. When drivers ignore the rules of the road, the police and other motorists have the opportunity to identify them by their license plate number and report their offenses (违法行为）。 This isn't true for bicyclists. I've seen bicyclists moving quickly between lanes.Because they show no identification, they feel protected by anonymity(匿名）。What good would it do to report to the police “I saw a guy on a red bike blow through the stoplight"? The simple act of making bicyclists identifiable would encourage safer, more responsible riding.
Of course,I've heard arguments against asking cyclists to register and license their bikes. Some people might say, “Little kids ride bikes. Would you require a six-year-old rider to take a test and pay a fee?" Obviously, the city could determine an age when cycling would be considered a "means of transportation on public roads." Other people argue that bicycle fees are unfair because bikes don't damage the roadways as cars do. Bicycle registration fees could be comparatively modest, and the method for displaying a license number could be simple.
Many U.S. cities and towns now implement bike registration and licensing. A statute(法规）from one. California town states that the laws regulating bicycles have a dual purpose, antitheft and safety. I'm eager to see more bicyclists on the road, and I'm hoping for riders who take their responsibilities seriously.
1. To advocate responsible cycling, the author suggests| A．increasing the number of bike lanes |
| B．giving competency tests to all cyclists |
| C．identifying cyclists through registration |
| D．reporting cycling offenses more frequently |
| A．To explain how bicycle registration and licensing work. |
| B．To provide solutions to reduce irresponsible cycling of kids. |
| C．To respond to people's doubts about holding cyclists accountable. |
| D．To argue against requiring cyclists to register and license their bicycles. |
① Using examples
② Quoting professionals
③ Comparing and contrasting
④ Appealing to readers' emotions
| A．①② |
| B．②④ |
| C．③④ |
| D．①③ |
| A．Should we encourage more cycling in the city? |
| B．Should cyclists register and license their bikes? |
| C．What does "sharing the road" mean to cyclists? |
| D．How can road safety be guaranteed for cyclists? |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】How to charge an electric vehicle (EV) is one of the biggest concerns people have when working out whether going electric is right for them.
It is true that sometimes gaining access to reliable charging can seem a bit tricky.
First, download an app with a comprehensive map of the public charging points showing their locations, how powerful they are, and whether they’re working. All this is vital information because, even if you have public charging points nearby, you will need alternatives in case they’re in use.
A growing number of property owners are renting out their charging points and drive ways to other local EV drivers when they’re not using them.
For now, if charging access remains difficult for you, it’s still possible to go electric-in part.
| A．But it may be easier than you think. |
| B．It actually worked out much cheaper. |
| C．There are also other innovative ways to get your EV going. |
| D．A plug-in EV combines a petrol engine with a smaller battery. |
| E．A “fast” charger usually takes eight hours to fully charge an EV. |
| F．So you need to get a good feel for where your nearest points are. |
| G．You can find a map of homeowners whose charging points are available. |
| Introduction A lot of crime is against bicycles.About 150 000 bicycles are stolen every year and most are never found.You can prevent this happening by following a few careful steps. Basic Security Do not leave your bicycle in out-of-the-way places.Always lock your bicycle when you leave.Secure it to lampposts or trees.Take off smaller parts and take them with you,for example lights and saddles(车座). Locks Get a good lock.There are many different types in the shops.Buy one that has been tested against attack.Ask for a recommendation from a bike shop. Marking Security making your bike Registration There are a number of companies who will security mark your bicycle for you.They will then put your registration number and personal details on their computer database.Then if your bicycle is found it will be easy to contact you. Finally Keep a record of the bicycle yourself:its make,model and registration number.You can even take a photograph of it.This will prove the bicycle belongs to you. |
1. Which part of the text gives you information on how to lock up your bicycle when you leave it?
| A．Locks. | B．Marking. |
| C．Registration. | D．Basic Security. |
| A．help you recognize your bike |
| B．help the police find your bicycle |
| C．stop someone stealing your bicycle |
| D．stop you worrying about your bike |
| A．in the bike shop and your computer |
| B．in a police station and a security company |
| C．in a security company and your university |
| D．by yourself and in a security company |
| A．to tell you what to do if your bicycle is stolen |
| B．to suggest ways of keeping your bicycle safe |
| C．to give you advice on where to buy a good lock |
| D．to say why you shouldn’t keep your bicycle in a quiet place |
【推荐3】Have you ever seen a car without a driver? It sounds crazy, but these computer-driven cars may soon be filling roads near you. Companies like Google and Tesla have been designing and testing such cars. They just need to run final tests to make sure whether they can run alongside human-driven cars on the road.
The cars have sensors (传感器) all around which can detect other cars and blocks in the road. Sensors on the wheels help when parking, so the car knows how far it is from the edge of the road or other parked cars. Road signs are read by cameras, and satellite navigation systems (卫星导航系统) are used so the car knows how to get to your destination. All you have to do is type in the address! Finally, a central computer system takes in all the information it receives from the sensors and cameras and uses this to work out when to stop and speed up.
Sounds like your idea of heaven? Sitting back, looking out of the windows and watching a film while driving would be possible with this new technology. Computers would drive more safely than people — they don’t get disturbed by phones or talking, they would obey the speed limit and have quicker reaction in case of an emergency.
However, driverless cars have many disadvantages. Computers would have difficulties making some decisions: if a child ran into the road, would the computer choose to hit the child or turn quickly to hurt the car’s passengers? And should children, or drunk people, be allowed in a driverless car by themselves? Besides these questions, many people may lose their jobs. For example, bus, taxi, train and tram drivers, as well as driving instructors.
I don’t really want a driverless car — but it is only a matter of time before ordinary people will be able to afford them on our roads.
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?| A．How a driverless car works. | B．What we need to drive a driverless car. |
| C．The tests a driverless car needs to pass. | D．The advantages of a driverless car. |
| A．attract. | B．help. | C．discover. | D．disturb. |
| A．can run faster than a traditional one |
| B．is suitable for a child to sit in it alone |
| C．has been used in many areas in the world |
| D．has many problems not yet solved |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Objective. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Entertainment | B．Literature | C．Education | D．Science |
【推荐1】Waste not, Want not
Today, I live in Manhattan with my husband, Alex. I’m an IT specialist and Alex is a lawyer. Life’s good, but sometimes I look at the way we live it and think of Ellie, my grandmother. Her favorite saying was “Waste not, want not.”
Such economy seems strange, even ridiculous, in our modern throwaway society, where everything is sold in boxes.
| A．Packaging is not only used to protect goods |
| B．My grandparents threw almost nothing away |
| C．In one week alone, we threw away five old magazines |
| D．We didn’t often go shopping and then cook meals at home |
| E．As young Manhattan professionals, we buy a lot of “convenience food” |
| F．But we pay a high financial and ecological price for our lovely packaging |
| G．If you placed all the cans used in the United States, in one year end to end |
【推荐2】There is a school in my Manhattan neighbourhood that has been giving out free meals during the Covid-19 pandemic—and every time I walk past it, the line seems longer. A community fridge recently showed up a couple of blocks away; it's one of many that activists have fixed across the city to fight against growing food insecurity. Just around the corner there's a young woman who has become a regular among the beggars I usually see in the area. She lost her job because of Covid-19.
It's not all doom and gloom. While the poor are getting poorer, the 1% are making out like robbers. America's 600-plus billionaires saw their wealth grow by more than $700bn in the first few months of the pandemic. During the same period, more than 50 million American workers lost their jobs. The US government has printed trillions of dollars in economic relief but many of the forgivable emergency loans （贷款） for small businesses seem to have been taken by the super-rich. My local independent coffee shop has closed down, but Kanye West received a partially forgivable loan worth at least $2m. It is becoming increasingly clear that the US is experiencing one of the biggest wealth transfers in history.
Bernie Sanders has a plan to help. Last week, Sanders introduced a bill（ 法案） , Make Billionaires Pay Act, which would establish a one-time 60% tax （税收） on billionaires' pandemic gains and use the money to guarantee Americans free health care for a year. There is very little chance the bill will get passed.
Billionaires shouldn't exit in the first place—the idea that they should be taxed at a higher rate during a pandemic to help pay health care shouldn't be slightly controversial（ 有争议的） . However, there are some who think such a move would be extremely unfair to "poor unfortunate" billionaires who, as we all know, are one of the most unfairly hurt groups in the world.
1. How does the author develop the first two paragraphs?| A．By making contrasts. | B．By giving definitions. |
| C．By presenting arguments. | D．By listing numbers. |
| A．the writer doesn't feel depressed at all |
| B．the current situation of Covid-19 is getting better |
| C．the billionaires still make profits during the pandemic |
| D．the woman has suffered more than we can imagine |
| A．rid the country of pandemic | B．restrict the billionaires' fortune |
| C．ensure temporary free medical service | D．provide short-term loans for health care |
| A．Disappointed. | B．Respectful. | C．Sympathetic. | D．Negative. |
【推荐3】The spending power of young people varies from person to person. Each, however, is faced with the same question: what to do with their money? Recent headlines have seen more and more teens maxing out their parents’ credit cards on games or other online activities.
However people intend to use their money, the importance attached to managing it seems to be unparalleled to younger generations. In this case, Jerry Witkovsky and his method of using four jars to teach teenagers how to spend their money wisely caught the public’s attention.
When Jerry’s grandchildren turned 13, his present to each of them was four jars: one for Spending, one for Saving, one for Giving, and another for Investing. It was from then on that his grandchildren started to be in control of what to do with the money they receive.
The value taught with the Spending jar is that you are responsible for your own happiness. Money gives you independence and the opportunity to buy something you like.
The Saving jar, giving you a vision for the future, could involve saving for university but it could also mean saving for that special something you’ve seen in the stores.
The Investing jar not only represents a vision for the future, but gives the opportunity to build for the future. Although this could likewise involve putting aside money for your university education, it also means investing in yourself.
The Giving jar is all about kindness and helping. Whether you want to help out a friend or give money to children in another country, it’s up to you.
The wider aim of the jars is to encourage teenagers to think more objectively about money and the things that it can do, so that they can grow up understanding the value of the valuable. In this way, they will be better equipped in their adult lives to make informed choices about how they use the money they have. Indeed, the small change inside their jars could mean a big change in how they manage their money.
1. Why did Jerry give his grandchildren jars as the birthday present?| A．To increase their spending power. |
| B．To teach them how to manage money. |
| C．To prevent them from spending money. |
| D．To share with them his attitude to money. |
| A．Jerry aims to help his grandchildren learn life-long values. |
| B．Teenagers can always learn how to spend money from their grandfather. |
| C．The money in the Investing jar is intended to help children in need. |
| D．The Spending jar is the only jar that represents a vision for the future. |
| A．To give suggestions. | B．To draw a conclusion. |
| C．To make a comparison. | D．To present an example. |
| A．Wise. | B．Friendly. | C．Selfless. | D．Humble. |
【推荐1】It is not only praise or punishment that determines a child’s level of confidence. There are some other important ways we shape our kids—particularly by giving instructions and commands in a negative or positive choice of words. For example, we can say to a child “Don’t run into traffic!” or “Stay on the footpath close to me. ” In using the latter, you will be helping your kids to think and act positively, and to feel competent in a wide range of situations, because they know what to do, and aren’t scaring themselves about what not to do.
Why does such a small thing make a difference? It is all in the way the human mind works. When we think, we automatically rehearse. For example, if someone offered you a million dollars not to think of a blue monkey for two minutes, you wouldn’t be able to do it. When a child is told “Don’t fall off the tree,” he will think of two things: “don’t” and “fall off the tree”. That is, he will automatically create the picture of falling off the tree in his mind. A child who is vividly imagining falling off the tree is much more likely to fall off. So it is far better to use “Hold on to the tree carefully. ”
Clear, positive instructions help kids to understand the right way to do things. Kids do not always know how to be safe, or how to react to the warning of the danger in negative words. So parents should make their commands positive. “Sam, hold on firm to the side of the boat” is much more useful than “Don’t you dare to fall out of the boat?” or worse still “How do you think I’ll feel if you drown?” The changes are small but difference is obvious.
Children learn how to guide and organize themselves from the way we guide them with our words, so it pays to be positive.
1. Positive choice of words helps kids to_______.| A．do things carefully |
| B．build up their confidence |
| C．improve their imagination |
| D．learn in different situation |
| A．A child will act on what is instructed. |
| B．One can’t help imagining what is heard. |
| C．A child will fall off the tree when told not to. |
| D．One won’t think of a blue monkey when given money. |
| A．praise makes kids confident |
| B．right instructions keep kids safe |
| C．clear commands make kids different |
| D．choice of words can make a difference |
【推荐2】One of Twitter’s main characters recently was a man who chose to keep his middle seat between a couple on a flight instead of moving to the side. The situation raised some questions: Who are these middle-seat lovers? What do they want?
Many of the thousands of replies suggested that the majority of the flying public cannot understand why someone would ever choose the middle over a window or an aisle (走廊). But among the majority appeared a few people who endorse middle seats. “In the middle seat I don’t feel I should lean one way or another and generally sit pretty comfortably,” one person wrote. Another added: “I’m not getting hit by someone walking down the aisle or luggage either.”
Kyle Burke, in Florida, said on Twitter that he usually exchanged seats when asked. “I didn’t want to sit between a couple that were upset with me,” he told The Washington Post. At 6-foot-7, Burke, 41, said he didn’t fit well in plane seats, anyway. So, he preferred the middle, which gives him double chance of having a chatty neighbor.
Frederick resident Samantha Jones told The Post by email that she usually chose the middle seat when traveling alone. As a mother of three, “Having personal space is a far-off memory.” she said. “Middle seats have the least amount of responsibility,” she wrote. “I don’t control the window shade and only have to get by one person to get out or to go to the bathroom.”
Despite the few fans, middle seats are still not likely to get much respect. “There’s nothing good in the middle seat,” Scott McCartney, the writer of the journal Middle Seat said. “The position’s infamy (臭名昭著) was part of the reason for the journal’s name.” He added: “People really care about the ‘middle seat’, so they are more likely to pick up this magazine on seeing it.”
1. How does the author start the text?| A．By challenging a common belief. | B．By raising a couple’s questions. |
| C．By comparing travelers’ preferences. | D．By presenting an unusual seat choice. |
| A．Exchange. | B．Resist. | C．Support. | D．Indicate. |
| A．It provides larger space. | B．It reduces unnecessary trouble. |
| C．It avoids family responsibilities. | D．It offers networking opportunities. |
| A．To catch readers’ eyes. | B．To voice his own taste. |
| C．To make people think. | D．To urge airlines to change. |
【推荐3】T-shirts out; uniforms in
School uniforms（制服）are becoming more and more popular across the U.S.A. That’s no surprise, because they offer many benefits. They immediately end the powerful social sorting and labeling (标记) that come from clothing. If all students are dressed in the same way, they will not pay too much attention to their clothing, and some of them will not be laughed at for wearing the “wrong” clothes.
Some people are against the strict rule of school uniforms, but they do not realize that students already accept a kind of rule — wanting to look just like their friends. The difference is that the clothing students choose for themselves creates social barriers(障碍); school uniforms tear those barriers down.
As in other places, uniforms remind the wearers of their purposes and duties. For example, when a man or woman puts on a police uniform, he or she becomes, for a time, the symbol (象征) of law and order. The uniform means to the wearer his or her special duties and sends the same message to everyone the wearer meets. People with different jobs wear uniforms of one kind or another. For students, the school uniform reminds them that their task for the six or seven hours they are in school is to get an education.
Some parents are unhappy about uniforms, saying that school uniforms will affect their children’s “creativity.” First, as noted above, the clothes students choose to wear do not necessarily express their individuality (个性). They just copy their classmates. Second, students have the rest of the day to be as creative as they like. While they’re in school, their job is to master reading, writing, and math; this should take up all the creativity they have. Mastery of those skills will be good for the students to build up their creativity in every way.
1. In Paragraph 1, the word “benefits” probably means________.| A．advantages | B．tasks | C．messages | D．differences |
| A．help to create social barriers | B．prevent the wearers from being laughed at |
| C．help the wearers keep their duties in mind | D．are seen as a symbol of power |
| A．it makes no difference whether to wear school uniforms or not |
| B．school uniforms help to create equality among students |
| C．students’ individuality may not come from school education |
| D．students’ creativity is related to the clothes they choose |
【推荐1】Pop singers, actors and sports stars are not the only ones today’s teenagers seek to imitate. It turns out that the legendary American poet Emily Dickinson (1830—1886) has a sincere following among many young people.
She may seem a curious choice for teenage devotion. Many might think of Emily Dickinson as someone locked away from the world, a spinster (未婚女性) living and writing in her bedroom as if she were in a self-made prison. In a way, though, many teens are just like this. Uncertain and a little afraid of the approaching world of adulthood, it seems safer to many to keep to oneself.
It turns out that Emily Dickinson wasn’t quite like this. A new exhibition at the Morgan Library in New York is encouraging a different perspective on the poet. The designer of the show, Carolyn Vega, told the BBC that while it is true that Dickinson liked to keep herself to herself, she also took a great interest in life beyond the front door of her father’s house in Amherst, Massachusetts.
According to Vega, Dickinson was deeply connected to her world through family, friendships, and literary mentors and editors. She also read many books and was aware of the political realities that were going on around her, including the American Civil War.
The title of the New York exhibition, “I’m nobody! Who are you?”，from one of her poems, tells us a little about Dickinson’s approach to life and writing. She seemed to have thought, “The less I am to myself, the more interesting the world will become.” And when reading a large number of the 1,800 poems she wrote, the world seems just like that a place we thought we knew, but which Dickinson represents to us in a brand new way.
1. What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 3 refer to?| A．Dickinson’s isolated life. |
| B．Dickinson’s high self-esteem. |
| C．Dickinson’s positive attitude. |
| D．Dickinson’s wide interest. |
| A．To present a fresh view about Dickinson. |
| B．To sell poems written by Dickinson. |
| C．To encourage more people to read classic poems. |
| D．To attract more young people to read poems. |
| A．Dickinson didn’t want to be famous. |
| B．Dickinson is not a productive poet. |
| C．Dickinson’s world is more colorful than we thought. |
| D．We know nothing about the world. |
【推荐2】Mae Jemison was born in 1956 in Decatur, Alabama. Her father was a worker. Her mother was a school teacher. Both her parents encouraged their children to keep learning and go after their dreams.
One day when Mae was young, her thumb got hurt. She watched pus oozing out (脓流出). She was curious about pus: what was it and why was it coming out? That simple incident turned into a learning experience. She ended up doing a whole project on pus.
It was no surprise that Mae did well at school. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering (化学工程) and another degree in African and Afro-American Studies from Stanford University.
But Mae didn’t want to study or do just one thing. She chose to study medicine next at Cornell University Medical College. Then she became a doctor. She enjoyed her job, yet her childhood dream of going into space was still in her mind. So she later tried to join NASA’s astronaut (宇航员) training program.
She tried twice and was accepted finally! In 1992, her dream came true. She became the first African-American woman to go into space. Shortly after that, she quit from NASA to do other things. She then became a teacher at Dartmouth College.
Mae’s path wasn’t always easy. At that time, many believed that women didn’t have a place in the world of science. But nothing would stand in her way.
Through the course of her life, Mae was an excellent doctor, scientist and astronaut. Although she has left her job and stopped working, she’s still active. She speaks at many schools and talks about the importance of going after one’s dreams.
1. Why did Mae begin to study science?| A．She wanted to be like her mother who was a scientist. |
| B．Her parents encouraged her to study science. |
| C．She was curious about pus when she was hurt. |
| D．She did best in science at school. |
| A．People didn’t believe women could do well in science. |
| B．She failed many times in her project on pus. |
| C．She was seriously injured and had to quit from NASA. |
| D．She couldn’t focus on one thing for a long time. |
a. She became a teacher at Dartmouth College.
b. She learned medicine and became a doctor.
c. She studied science at Stanford University.
d. She got training in NASA’s astronaut training program.
| A．c-a-d-b | B．c-b-d-a | C．a-b-d-c | D．b-d-c-a |
| A．lived a poor life when she was young |
| B．went into space at the age of 36 |
| C．studied medicine at Stanford University |
| D．had dreamed of being a doctor since childhood |
【推荐3】Plastic pollution has long been a problem, but now it's gotten to a new height literally. Microplastic, referring to plastic fragments and particles less than 5 millimeters in diameter, have been found on Mount Qomolangma as high as 8,440 meters above sea level, just 408.86 meters below the peak of the mountain, according to a recent study published in the journal One Earth.
“These are the highest microplastics ever discovered so far.” lead author Imogen Napper from the University of Plymouth, UK, said in a statement. Scientists collected snow and water samples from 19 different locations from 4,200 meters above sea level all the way up to the summit of Mount Qomolangma. They found microplastics in all the water samples and part of the snow samples. The most polluted sample was from the Base Camp in Nepal, where most human activities on the mountain are concentrated. It had 79 particles of microplastics per liter of snow.
But how have these fragments made it all this way and in such a great abundance? The answer is apparent human activities. It is climbers who bring plastic products to the mountain. Even if they don't litter, just walking for 20 minutes or opening a bottle of water can release microplastics into the environment.
The harsh fact is that plastic pollution has reached even the most remote places on Earth. Researchers even found a plastic bag al the deepest point in the world's oceans—in the Mariana Trench, located in the Pacific Ocean. The bag is the same as the ones commonly used in grocery stores. Even covered in ice, the Arctic is still a victim of plastic pollution. A 2020 report published in Nature suggests that there are 2.000 to 17,000 plastic particles per cubic meter in Arctic ice cores, and between 0 to 18 microplastic particles per cubic meter from the water beneath ice floes. Experts think microplastics may be transported by air and then reach the North Pole in snowfall.
“What we don t yet fully know is the potential problems these tiny pieces of plastic could be having to ecosystems, to organisms and even to our own health as well,” said Christian Dunn of Bangor University, UK. Then what can we do? “We need to start focusing on deeper technological solutions that focus on microplastics, like changing fabric design and including natural fibers instead of plastic when possible.”
1. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?| A．The polluted samples from the peak were the most serious. |
| B．Plastic pollution has been discovered at high altitudes. |
| C．Humans have .climbed to the peak of Mount Qomolangma. |
| D．Microplastics are a newly-found material by researchers. |
| A．Microplastics may go far beyond the range of human activities. |
| B．The means of microplastics transportation has been confirmed. |
| C．There are frequent exchanges between Arctic ice cores and ice floes. |
| D．Bags from grocery stores are the main source of plastic pollution. |
| A．to prohibit the use of plastic products | B．to diversify the design of microplastics |
| C．to apply only natural fibrous alternatives | D．to develop more advanced technologies |
| A．Litter in the Mariana Trench | B．New One Earth Campaigns |
| C．Pollution Reaches New Height | D．Adventurous Human Activists |
