I got my first bike when I was nine years old. Jimmy, the bike, was my first love. I rode it everywhere. The suburb, the back lanes, the fields and forests, the river paths and swampland were far more exciting than any adventure novel or television series.
There’s nothing quite like the relationship between a child and his bicycle and the endless happiness two wheels and a pair of strong legs offer. No video or computer game can replace the liberation of being alone on a bicycle.
As parents, to deny children the simple pleasure of riding a bike is a failure of our responsibilities to raise independent and stable young citizens. We should offer our children a healthy alternative to hours in front of an addictive screen. Studies have shown that cycling promotes not only muscle growth but brain growth. Guess which country has children with the best mental health outcomes and is regularly the top of listings of the happiest young people. No surprise it’s the Netherlands, the unquestioned leader among industrial countries in encouraging bicycle use.
Our dependence on cars has degraded the public transport system, polluted our sky, led to the untimely death of thousands every year, and denied children safe access to their suburbs. A recent study found that 69% of children were accompanied to school. The same study found that a similar number of parents drove to work.
In some regions of Japan, when children start their first year of school, parents are expected to walk with them for the first few weeks, introducing them to residents and shopkeepers along the chosen route, letting the community take care of these children. However, driving children to school is proscribed. Children can choose to ride a bike or walk to school after they are familiar with the community, and it’s the community’s role to keep them safe.
Therefore, I strongly advise the government to provide better infrastructure (基础设施). Build separated cycle lanes, decrease speed limits, and design street scapes that favour people over cars. The results will be less pollution, quieter suburbs, a healthier population and, best of all, happy and independent children.
1. What can we infer about the author from the text?| A．He was addicted to computer games. |
| B．He liked taking adventurous trips in nature. |
| C．He had great fun exploring the outside by cycling. |
| D．He got his first birthday present at the age of nine. |
| A．To introduce his good way of raising independent children. |
| B．To illustrate the great influence riding has on mental health. |
| C．To stress the importance of being physically and mentally healthy. |
| D．To explain cycling does best in city development in the Netherlands. |
| A．Recommended. | B．Protected. | C．Delayed. | D．Forbidden. |
| A．By analyzing causes. | B．By listing examples. |
| C．By giving definitions. | D．By analyzing scientific data. |
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【推荐1】Starting a fitness program may be one of the best things you can do for your health. Physical activity can reduce your risk of chronic disease, improve your balance and coordination, help you lose weight,
Start slowly and build up gradually. Give yourself plenty of time to warm up and cool down with easy walking or gentle stretching.
Be creative. Maybe your workout routine includes various activities, such as walking, bicycling or rowing. But don’t stop there.Take a weekend hike with your family or spend an evening ballroom dancing.
Listen to your body. If you feel pain,shortness of breath, dizziness or nausea, take a break.
| A．Break things up if you have to. |
| B．and even improve your sleep habits and self-esteem. |
| C．Stick to your fitness schedule strictly. |
| D．Then speed up to a pace you can continue for 5 to 10 minutes without getting overly tired. |
| E．You may be pushing yourself too hard. |
| F．Find activities you enjoy to add to your fitness routine. |
| G．and even improve your range of motion. |
【推荐2】Push-ups (俯卧撑) are arguably the most classic move in fitness-and for good reason. For one thing, a no-equipment exercise means you can break into a workout no matter where you are. And if you’re going to do just one move, push-ups are a good choice.
But here’s the thing: Push-ups aren’t quite as simple as they seem.
Once you’ve mastered three sets of ten, move to a lower surface, like a step platform. Again, aim for three sets of ten before moving on to your final goal: a standard floor push-up.
| A．Push-ups improve your strength. |
| B．Most beginners like to practice knee push-ups. |
| C．You’ll feel your arms getting more firm—that’s the right result. |
| D．Mastering the full upper-body move is actually pretty advanced. |
| E．It’s not something you should expect to do right from the beginning. |
| F．Not only do they work your arms, but they also work your chest and shoulders. |
| G．Even if you can only do five, you’ll be noticeably stronger than when you started out. |
【推荐3】The easiest way to lose those extra weight and stay fit and healthy is running since it is both accessible and cheap. Running comes with a lot of health benefits, such as improving bone strength and strengthening our muscles.
Running helps reduce stress
Stress relief can be considered as a valuable benefit of running. When you go running, you can feel a short-term relief from physical stress.
Running has a positive influence on our mood. When we run, we feel an adrenaline(肾上腺素)rush that boosts our mental well-being and creates a feeling of contentment, which is something that we long for in the busy life that we live.
Running improves cognition(认知)
Running helps enhance sleep
We all know that lack of good sleep directly results in anxiety, depression and several other mental health conditions.
We hope that from now on you do not look at running as just a physical activity to lose weight or maintain your body. Look at running as a way to gain control over your mental health.
| A．Running helps improve mood |
| B．Running helps build confidence |
| C．Running promotes cellular growth in our brain |
| D．To improve your quality of sleep, run regularly |
| E．They feel their sleep quality improved as they get older |
| F．More importantly, running may have long-term benefits on us |
| G．In addition, running also comes with certain mental health benefits |
The Beijing to Lhasa Express, China
Departs daily; Distance—2, 330 miles; Duration—40 hours
Linking the royal wonders of Beijing with the dreamlike palaces of Lhasa, the Z21 train travels from the modernity of urban China to a once-remote land. Running westward, the train climbs nearly 16,400 ft (5,000 m) on its journey to the roof of the world: the Tibetan Plateau.
London to Fort William on the Caledonian Sleeper, UK
Departs daily; Distance—509 miles; Duration—13 hours 30 minutes
This overnight train journey is filled with the romance of rail travel. It’s just a pity that the whole experience—from dining-car chatting and light beer, to being carried into a la-la land by the rhythm of the rails and waking to bedside views of towering peaks—feels like it’s over in a flash. Though it may be short, the Caledonian is surely Britain’s best train ride.
Tazara Railway, Tanzania and Zambia
Departs twice a week; Distance—1,160 miles; Duration—46 hours
Few trains offer the chance of spotting big game from your seat, but the Tazara Railway does exactly that. For many, the highlight is neither the scenery nor the wildlife, though; it’s the chance to spend two days watching everyday life out of the window, and enjoying the crowds and chaos when the train pulls to a stop.
Perurail’s Lake Titicaca Railway, Peru
Departs twice a week; Distance—241 miles; Duration—10 hours
Traveling across the Altiplano, from the shores of Lake Titicaca to the beating heart of the Inca capital, the railway from Puno to Cuzco cuts a picturesque path through the snow-dusted peaks and fantastic valleys of the Andes. Passengers can enjoy the landscape from an open-air observatory car, as they travel through remote towns and villages.
1. What do the first two train journeys have in common?| A．They depart per week. | B．They travel to highlands. |
| C．They are over two thousand miles. | D．They are short train rides. |
| A．It enables the passengers to appreciate the sceneries. |
| B．It’s full of varieties of crowds and chaos. |
| C．It offers a chance to watch people’s daily life from the seats |
| D．It provides a chance to enjoy the wild life |
| A．Admire the view in the open air. | B．Travel around Lake Titicaca. |
| C．Go through two countries on a journey. | D．Go to the beating heart of the Inca capital. |
16-25 Railcard 16-25 Railcard (The Young Person’s Railcard) entitles the holder to up to 1/3 off most rail fares across Britain. Just imagine where it could take you — to festivals, to see distant friends or to London for a weekend break. Who can apply? Absolutely anybody between 16 and 25 can apply. You will need to provide proof that you are under 26 years of age. For this, only your birth certificate, driving licence, passport or medical card will be acceptable. Alternatively, if you are a mature student over this age but in full-time education, you can also apply. In order to prove your eligibility (适用性), you will need to get your headteacher, tutor, or head of department to sign the application form as well as one of your photos, the latter also needing to be officially stamped. “Full time education” is defined as over 15 hours per week for at least 20 weeks a year. Then go along to any major railway station, rail-appointed travel agent or authorized student travel office with your completed application form from this leaflet, together with￡28, two passport-sized photos and proof of eligibility. Using your rail card You can use it at any time — weekends, Bank Holidays or during the week. But if you travel before 10 am Monday to Friday (except during July and August) minimum fares will apply. For full details of these, please ask at your local station or contact a rail-appointed travel agent. Conditions In cases where a railcard does not bear the user’s signature, it will be treated as invalid. Neither your railcard nor any tickets bought with it may be used by anybody else. Unless there are no purchase facilities available at the station where you began your journey, you will be required to pay the full fare if you are unable to produce a valid ticket for inspection during a journey. Reduced rate tickets are not available for first-class travel or for Eurostar links to France and Belgium. Passengers will be charged the full rate if they want to use these services. |
1. If you are a 22-year-old nurse, you can apply for the railcard without________.
| A．the signature of your director | B．￡28 |
| C．application form | D．passport-sized photos |
| A．11 pm on Sunday in August | B．7 am on Tuesday in February |
| C．7 am on Monday in July | D．11 pm on Friday in March |
| A．If your railcard doesn’t have your name signed, it will be used by someone else. |
| B．The benefits of a railcard are transferable to your friends of your age. |
| C．If you have no ticket but have boarded a train, you will still be eligible for a discounted ticket. |
| D．If railcard holders wish to use the Eurostar network, they must pay the full fare. |
【推荐3】Nowadays as countries across Europe begin easing their coronavirus (新冠) lockdown, a key question governments face is how to get their populations moving again without chaos on the road and rail.
With reduced public transport services and social distancing rules, preventing traffic jams on the roads will be a priority. So governments across the continent have been coming up with innovative ways to encourage people to cycle or walk instead.
The UK
The government has announced a $2.48 billion package to put cycling and walking “at the heart of” the country’s post COVID-19 transportation plan to relieve the pressure on public transport. $310 million of the package will be used to improve cycling and walking infrastructure, including building wider sidewalks and the introduction of cycle-only streets.
Italy
The Transport Minister Paola de Micheli has announced a package for its citizens to claim a $548 subsidy (补贴) on newly bought bikes.The offer applies to people living in a municipality with more than 50,000 inhabitants and can be claimed when they buy a traditional or electric bike, scooter, hoverboard, Segway, etc.
France
The French government has asked people to use bicycles to commute to work instead of their cars when the full COVID-19 lockdown ends on 11 May. An initiative from the Energy and Transport Ministry includes developing temporary bike lanes and up to $21.94 million worth of subsidies towards the cost of repairs. People will be allowed up to $55 for repairs while employers are supported to cover up to $438 of travel costs of staff who commute by bike. The plan also includes an increase in bicycle parking spaces and training for people who haven’t ridden for a while to get them back in the saddle.
Spain
Spain’s Environment Minister Teresa Ribera has asked mayors to extend bike lane coverage, reduce car speed limits and provide more bike parking in a bid to “overcome resistance generated from habits and conceptions that are well-established”. Cities such as Madrid and Barcelona already have a good bike system in operation, although they are being improved. Old lanes in the cities are being widened so that cyclists can follow the social distancing measures, whilst completely new lanes are also being formed.
1. Who can apply for the subsidy in Italy?| A．One who lives in a small village. |
| B．One who wants to buy a new energy car. |
| C．One who has the intention to go out by bike. |
| D．One who lives in Rome and is buying a new bike. |
| A．Italy. | B．Spain. | C．France. | D．The UK. |
| A．Build wider sidewalks. |
| B．Provide more bike parking. |
| C．Offer citizens a discount if they buy bikes. |
| D．Put cycling and walking at the core of its transportation plan. |
【推荐1】Besides the excitement of travel, one reason to study abroad is that you will experience new customs, holidays, foods, art music and politics firsthand.
“I learned the language and am now fluent, but perhaps more important was how much I learned about cultures, people and myself. I learned this from the viewpoint of an active member of the community and my host family , not from the tourists’ point of view，," said Andrew, who studied in Poitiers, France.
Another reason for studying abroad is that you'll gain self-confidence. Christina studied in Caracas, Venezuela, a city of 10 million people and a huge change from her hometown of 35,000! Christina says she learned how to better stand up for herself and her beliefs and to express herself in another language. What could make you more confident than that?
Living away from home can also help you adjust in the transition (过渡)to college and adulthood .Matthew says he returned from studying in Australia with confidence and a real interest in international affairs that really set him apart from his peers. "After having gone abroad in high school, I found the transition to college to be a breeze——moving 560 miles from home didn’t seem particularly frightening after having lived thousands of miles away.”
And speaking of college, improving your language skills might help you get into dream colleges and even land future jobs. Colleges and employers know that studying abroad provides leadership skills in a world that is increasingly globally interconnected.
Most of all, it's fun! You're not likely to suffer from general boredom while you're studying in a different learning environment.
1. What did Andrew pay special attention to while studying abroad?| A．The foreign fooD. | B．The foreign culture. |
| C．The foreign customs. | D．The foreign language. |
| A．change our habits | B．offer us opportunities |
| C．increase our knowledge | D．give us self-confidence |
| A．His fluent English | B．His special character |
| C．His ability to deal with people | D．His interest in the world events. |
| A．Something very important. |
| B．Something very interesting. |
| C．Something very easy |
| D．Something very hard |
【推荐2】The moment the ground stops shaking after an earthquake, some people may wonder whether their pets — or wild animals for that matter — knew the disaster was coming.
To get to the bottom of this question, Heiko Woith, a scientist at the German Research Centre for Geosciences, and his colleagues evaluated more than 700 published reports of unusual behavior among 130 species, including insects, birds, fish, cats, dogs and cattle from 160 earthquakes. The records included all kinds of behaviors, including a tiger that reportedly got depressed before an earthquake.
The researchers found that 90 percent of all reported cases happened within 62 miles of the epicenter (震中) and within 60 days of an earthquake. Then, they examined when and where foreshocks had happened in the region and concluded that it was hard to say these animals could predict the earthquake itself. They were just responding to foreshocks.
“The space-time pattern of animal precursors (预兆) and foreshocks is strikingly similar,” Woith said. “From this, we concluded that the abnormal animal behavior might simply be related to foreshocks. These animals are just responding to foreshocks rather than predicting the earthquake. They don’t have super power.”
Despite the vast number of incidences, good information was little and scientific evidence is lacking. “A major surprise for us was that the large majority of the published claims were built on poor observational data, which did not stand as statistical scientific proof,” Woith said.
To better study whether animals can predict earthquakes, Woith and his colleagues suggested that researchers ask a number of yes-or-no questions in any upcoming experiments, including “Is the experimental setup and monitoring procedure clearly described and reproducible?” and “Is it proven that the animal behavior is really unusual?”
Meanwhile, humans are working on technologies that can detect earthquakes seconds before they hit. Hopefully, we will have such devices to warn people that the earthquake is coming.
1. How did Woith conduct the study?| A．By analyzing former reports. |
| B．By observing animals’ behavior. |
| C．By collecting data in the earthquake. |
| D．By comparing animals’ different responses. |
| A．Tigers become depressed easily. | B．Certain animals have super power. |
| C．Some animals can react to foreshocks. | D．Animals in the same area act similarly. |
| A．All reported cases took place in the same area. |
| B．There were too many reports about foreshocks. |
| C．Some animals act strangely before earthquakes. |
| D．The previous reports lack accurate data support. |
| A．How animals behave in earthquakes. |
| B．Whether animals can predict earthquakes. |
| C．What is the link between animals and earthquakes. |
| D．Why people study animals’ behavior in earthquakes. |
【推荐3】Personal growth doesn’t necessarily only happen when the conditions are perfect. Seeds tend to develop only when conditions are right. A seed will remain dormant (休眠) until moisture (湿度) and temperature are favorable for growth. Unfortunately, as humans, we don’t always have the luxury of growing when conditions are just right. Sometimes you must cultivate (培育) personal growth and flower where you’re planted, often in spite of external circumstances.
For much of my life, I let external circumstances control my happiness. If things weren’t going well, then I wasn’t well. I told myself that I would be happier if conditions were right. With this mindset, I gave myself permission to stay emotionally dormant. I was waiting for things around me to change before I would do the work to become a better version of myself. In other words. I made my personal growth conditional on external circumstances.
The problem with waiting for change outside of yourself is that you might have to wait a very long time, maybe even forever. And if you stay dormant while waiting, you aren’t growing. You’re simply stuck in place. You certainly aren’t becoming the better version of yourself that you want to be.
If you want to engage in personal growth, like planting seeds, you have to do some work to make it happen. You can’t wait around for everything to fall into place. Start with pulling up your emotional weeds. Examine yourself and remove the pessimistic thoughts and behaviors that are holding you back. Then, work on the foundation that you have. Practice positive life habits that build your self-respect and happiness.
Personal growth is something you can fight for. It may not come naturally, but when you develop this mindset, you will flower no matter where you’re planted.
1. What does the author intend to highlight in the first paragraph?| A．The influence of external circumstances. |
| B．The importance of personal effort in growth. |
| C．The lack of perfect conditions for growth. |
| D．The cost of waiting for the right conditions. |
| A．The positive life habits. |
| B．The outside circumstances. |
| C．The personal experiences. |
| D．The will to improve himself. |
| A．Waiting takes you a long time, even forever. |
| B．Waiting is a form of stagnation. |
| C．Waiting maybe stuck you in place. |
| D．Waiting may make you more outstanding. |
| A．Look for the right conditions. |
| B．Get emotionally prepared for failures. |
| C．Stop waiting and take action. |
| D．Keep yourself pure through gardening. |
| A．Happiness: You Are Your Own Master. |
| B．Life Journey: Persevere Till Efforts Bear Fruits. |
| C．Growth: Flower in Any Circumstances. |
| D．Life Changes: The Chance Is in Your Possession. |
