1 . Moving around Bogota can be a bit of a Jekyll-or-Hyde experience. On the one hand, the city is infamous (声名狼藉的)for having the world’s worst traffic. Yet, on the other, its cycling infrastructure is considered a good model of sustainable urban mobility, according to the Copenhagenize Index, which ranks bike-friendly cities. The Colombian capital generated a now-international movement in the 1970s called Ciclovia, which sees 1.5 million people cycle across 128km of car-free streets each Sunday morning.
So, when the pandemic reached its shores in mid-March, Bogota Mayor Claudia Lopez, an avid cyclist herself, introduced one of the world’s first plans to encourage bike travel, using traffic cones to create 76 km of temporary lanes.
“Everyone started using a bicycle, and they already knew how to get around on one because we have this bike culture thanks to the Ciclovia,” says Carlos Pardo, a local cycling advocate and senior advisor at the New Urban Mobility Alliance. Pardo got involved at the beginning of the pandemic by partnering with a local bikeshare company to provide 400 free e-bikes to health workers. Now, he’s busy persuading the public that the government’s new bike lanes should become permanent fixture (固定设施).
“Some drivers say, ‘you took away our lane’, but we’re saying, we took one car lane and made a two-lane bidirectional bike lane,” he explains. “So, you’re duplicating the effectiveness of the space, and moving more people per hour, per direction.”
Biking has enjoyed a renaissance (复兴) around the world as urban citizens avoid public transport for the relative safety of a two-wheeled commute. Now, many advocates like Pardo are working with local governments in the hope of turning these pandemic-response measures into lasting changes—ones that are more plausible now than ever after lockdowns provided an unprecedented (空前的)opportunities to fast-track infrastructure trials. The results of these urban planning experiments could not only radically shape the way we commute across global cities, but also make them more adaptable to future shocks.
1. What can best illustrate the underlined sentence?A.Much knowledge that is of help in learning about a new place. |
B.A mixed feeling that is too confusing to express themselves. |
C.An understanding that everything has both advantages and disadvantages. |
D.An idea that human beings are born somewhere between good and evil. |
A.The outbreak of the pandemic in mid-March. |
B.The worldwide bike culture dating back to the 1970s. |
C.The government’s support for the temporary bike lanes. |
D.The local bike company’s contribution to health workers. |
A.The increasing number of cyclists. | B.Duplicated effectiveness of road use. |
C.A well-rounded city expansion plan. | D.The growth of car ownership. |
A.Urban life. | B.Politics. | C.Sports | D.Advice column. |
2 . Five years ago, my husband and I bought a farm.
As we restore the land, I feel my well-being
It has taken a couple of years to
We also learned how to
Owning a farm was never our
A.disappearing | B.lasting | C.returning | D.crashing |
A.song | B.light | C.shadow | D.storm |
A.secured | B.found | C.explored | D.repaired |
A.clear | B.remove | C.shelter | D.access |
A.patients | B.friends | C.staff | D.family |
A.weaker | B.older | C.taller | D.smaller |
A.respond to | B.appeal to | C.concentrate on | D.depend on |
A.preparing | B.selecting | C.processing | D.learning |
A.grown | B.changed | C.faded | D.remained |
A.gratitude | B.contribution | C.responsibility | D.drive |
A.house | B.life | C.organization | D.career |
A.supports | B.impresses | C.recognizes | D.persuades |
A.destination | B.plan | C.adventure | D.belief |
A.familiar | B.flexible | C.meaningful | D.tough |
A.prediction | B.admiration | C.expectation | D.evaluation |
A.as; since | B.where; that | C.as; that | D.where; since |
7 December is International Civil Aviation Day. Of course, we immediately think of the Wright brothers, the great pioneers who invented and put the first airplane into the sky.
The more you study the efforts the brothers made, the more you admire them. These were men who had a dream—to do what only the birds had been able to do. For thousands of years it had only been a dream and a mad one, too. It’s mad because it seemed against nature and mad also because of the dangers involved. But the Wrights flew up to 100 times a year. It was the process of trial and error that led to them producing a machine that could actually carry people through the air safely.
They were brave men. They showed courage, without which human beings would never have made any progress. A Wright brothers expert, David McCullough, gave an example of their courage. He noted that the brothers never flew together. Why? “If one got killed, the other would still be alive to carry on with the mission (使命),” he wrote in his book The Wright Brothers.
Determination was all that they had in the beginning. They weren’t from fancy, rich backgrounds. No business or university sponsored (资助) their efforts. They had to do everything themselves. They put their lives on the line every time they climbed into the pilot’s seat.
The philosopher Aristotle had something to say about courage. He said that it is “the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees (保证) all the others”. Surely the story of the Wright brothers backs up these words. Courage is also part of the American belief that anything is possible if you put your whole heart and soul into it. The Wright brothers certainly had a cando attitude, and they taught us one great lesson: We need ambition and courage if we want to see our plans through to the end.
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1. Is there anything else
2. The first place
3. Do you know the nearest place
4. Peter wondered who the lady to
5. Her bag, in
6. I am very fond of the book the design of
7. My parents said that I should try to make friends with those
8. Everybody in our class thought highly of the kindness
9. I don’t like people
10. In the dark street, there wasn’t a single person to
三年前栽的这些树被砍倒了。
7 . The world has changed greatly since Herman Fisher met Irving Price and Helen Schelle in 1930. The trio (三人组) founded Fisher-Price, maker of popular toy series such as Thomas & Friends, Power Wheels, and Little People. Companies like Fisher-Price are exploring how the world of toys and parenting will change with the development of technology. Fisher-Price recently cooperated with Continuum, a global innovation designer. Together, they created a short video called The Future of Parenting, along with a short essay explaining the thoughts behind the video.
One thought of the video explores how parenting will change when the teens of today raised with data-providing devices such as Fitbit and iPad begin raising kids of their own. Is this a generation that will desire data in all of their kids’ toys? The answer may be “yes” and perhaps the product appearing in the video will appeal to them.
If you interpret the video as a clear vision of the future of parenting, you won’t be blamed for fearing holograms (全息图) will take over your house as a mom or dad. The benefit of holograms in the video is their potential for giving traditional toys the ability to personalize responses, depending on the age and development of the child playing with the traditional toy.
Of course, you might ask yourself, “Do data-providing toys have an advantage over traditional toys in terms of their effects?” The answer may be negative. Lego, a traditional brick toy-maker, on all counts remains a successful company. And studies point out its toys’ benefits to children’s creativity. In addition, recent research demonstrates that toys containing data can potentially prevent language development, compared with traditional puzzles and bricks.
On the one hand, parents know that they should limit their kids’ screen time to keep them healthy, and the American Academy of Pediatrics offers guidance on daily screen time. On the other hand, technology can be wonderfully engaging and can provide excellent educational opportunities for children. Nothing is perfect and we should embrace every aspect of a new thing.
1. What are companies like Fisher-Price currently exploring?A.The impact of technological advances on toys and parenting. |
B.The way to be an outstanding global innovation designer. |
C.New ideas of making short videos of creative toys. |
D.Techniques used to produce popular toy series. |
A.be fond of devoting themselves to improving technology |
B.be afraid of the negative impact of electronic toys |
C.pass their preference for such toys on to their kids |
D.show great creativity and imagination |
A.Advantages and disadvantages of modern technology. |
B.Comparisons of the effects of two kinds of toys. |
C.Suggestions on how to choose suitable toys. |
D.Advances in technology used to make toys. |
A.Love me, love my dog. |
B.Actions speak louder than words. |
C.Everything is a two-edged sword. |
D.Hope for the best; prepare for the worst. |
I began to lose hope. It seemed that there was little chance that my great-grandmother was able to heal (康复). My blind, 94-year-old great-grandmother was sleeping soundly in the hospital bed. As l sat quietly with my family, I listened to the sounds of the machines that kept her alive. Her face was pale and empty. She was no longer the cheerful person I had always known.
It seemed that every day she got worse. She might not make it through Christmas. I tried to think of a present to give to her. Since she was blind, I would have to get her a gift that she didn’t have to see to appreciate, but that she could feel with her hands. I remembered that when she lived with us she always wanted to touch and play with my stuffed animals (填充动物玩具). Her favorites were my unique stuffed bears.
I knew right then what to get. She always wanted one for herself! I would have a teddy bear made especially for her. “Great-grandma’s Bear” is what I named the brown, stuffed animal — “Bear” for short. The bear was quite charming with his tiny black button nose and big chocolate eyes. I looked forward to visiting my great-grandmother on Christmas morning and seeing the look on her face when I gave Bear to her. The clay came more quickly than I thought. I carried Bear in my arms as I walked to Room 208 with my family.
There was my great-grandmother, sitting in her bed. Her eyes were wide open. I think she was sensing that we were coming. A smile grew on her face as we sat on her bed, close to her weak body hidden under the covers. “Merry Christmas!” my dad said. We talked with my great-grandmother for a while until it was time to give her the gifts we had brought. My mother gave her fresh-smelling baby powder because she could never have enough of it. My father brought her favorite candies. Now it was my turn.
Paragraph 1:
I placed the bear in her gentle, skinny hands.
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Paragraph 2:
From that day on, amazingly, my great-grandmother started to heal.
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In high school, Dad got me to play football in the first place. I enjoyed throwing the ball around with my friends, but I didn’t think I had what it took to play on a team. “I’m no football player,” I told my dad. “You’ll never know what you’re capable of unless you give it a try, Adam,” he told me. So, I did. It would give me a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence. I remember how proud he was when I won some awards and the hug he gave me after I received my congratulation letter. There was rarely a game where Dad wasn’t on the sidelines, cheering me on.
Four years of hard preseason football camps came down to my last game. I urged my dad to bring our video camera.
I waved at my parents before the opening kick-off, and put on my game face. My pads broke as I made contact with the offensive players. I grabbed at the clothes of their running back and dragged him to the field. A loud cheer came from the sidelines. There was Dad with the camera, cheering like crazy. By the end of the game, I had stopped seven players and a sacking (擒杀) — my best performance ever, a perfect end to my career. I ran into my dad’s arms. I was sweaty and smelly, but he hugged me anyway. I couldn’t wait to watch the tape — experience every moment again.
As soon as we got in the house, I took the tape out of the camera and put it in the player. My dad, mum, sister and I sat down in the living room in front of the big screen TV. I pressed Play. The video started. The two teams, lined up before the game, then the running back taking the handoff, running up to the line, me reaching out, and then…the sky and clouds! I could hear my dad screaming “Way to go, Adam!” as images of the sky shook up and down on screen.
Paragraph 1:
I leaned forward to see the next big play.
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Paragraph 2:
The tape ended and Dad was quiet.
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译文:根据一些食物专家的说法,