1 . The Intelligent Transport team at Newcastle University have turned an electric car into a mobile laboratory named “Drive LAB” in order to understand the challenges faced by older drivers and to discover where the key stress points are.
Research shows that giving up driving is one of the key reasons for a fall in health and well-being among older people, leading to them becoming more isolated and inactive.
Led by Professor Phil Blythe, the Newcastle team are developing in-vehicle technologies for older drivers which they hope could help them to continue driving into later life.
These include custom-made navigation (导航) tools, night vision systems and intelligent speed adaptations. Phil Blythe explains: “For many older people, particularly those living alone or in the country driving is important for keeping their independence, giving them the freedom to get out and about without having to rely on others.”
“But we all have to accept that as we get older our reactions slow down and this often results in people avoiding any potentially challenging driving conditions and losing confidence in their driving skills. The result is that people stop driving before they really need to.”
Dr Amy Guo, the leading researcher on the older driver study, explains, “The Drive LAB is helping us to understand what the key stress points and difficulties are for older drivers and how we might use technology to solve these problems.”
“For example, most of us would expect older drivers always go slower than everyone else but surprisingly, we found that in 30mph zones they struggled to keep at a constant speed and so were more likely to break the speed limit and be at risk of getting fined. We’re looking at the benefits of systems which control their speed as a way of preventing that.”
“We hope that our work will help with technological solutions to ensure that older drivers stay safer behind the wheel.”
1. What is the purpose of the Drive LAB?| A．To explore new means of transport. | B．To design new types of cars. |
| C．To teach people traffic rules. | D．To find out older driver’s problems. |
| A．It keeps them independent. | B．It helps them save time. |
| C．It builds up their strength. | D．It cures their mental illnesses. |
| A．Ensure their safety with the help of technology. |
| B．Improve their diving skills. |
| C．Provide advice on repairing their cars. |
| D．Organize regular physical checkups. |
| A．A New Model Electric Car | B．Keeping Older Drivers on the Road |
| C．A Solution to Traffic Problems | D．Driving Services for Elders |
2 . Is traffic a big problem where you live? Increased cycling may be the answer. Where are the best places to live and cycle? A new report lists the best bike-friendly cities around the world.
Top of the list is Amsterdam, the bike capital of the world. An incredible 40% of all traffic movements are by bicycle. There’s an extensive network of safe, fast and comfortable cycle routes. Copenhagen, the city of bikes, is a city where 32% of workers cycle to work because it’s fast and easy. Berlin is another European city that’s great for cycling. The city has about 80 kilometers of bike lanes, and 50 kilometers of pavement paths. Cycling accounts for 12% of total street traffic.
Barcelona has been praised for its cycle service “Bicing”. This was introduced in March 2007. It’s a bicycle service that allows users to take bicycles from any of the 100 stations spread around the city. Later, they can leave them at any other bike station inside the urban area of the city. The city has created a “green ring” that surrounds the city area of Barcelona with a bike path. There are 3,250 parking spaces for bikes at street level at present. Barcelona City is also building a new underground car park for bicycles.
The UK has its cycle-friendly cities too. Bristol is the birthplace of “Sustrans” —the cycle-route charity which was formed 30 years ago. One of their projects was turning an old rail line between Bristol and Bath into a bike route. Other bike-friendly cities in the UK include Cambridge and York Cambridge is an old city but has still managed to build good cycle infrastructure (基础设施), and cyclists are considered at every stage of any new developments.
Bicycle is a most popular means of transportation in China. Nowadays, riding a bicycle is also a good way to support low-carbon living. Beijing can be one of the best bike-friendly cities in China. There are many riding routes in Beijing for outdoor-lovers to explore. Cyclists can get close enough to experience the history and culture of Beijing, including the Forbidden City, Drum Tower, the Water Cube, the Bird’s Nest, Hutong etc.
1. In Amsterdam, traffic movements by bicycle account for| A．80% | B．40% |
| C．32% | D．12% |
| A．There are 100 bike stations spread around the city. |
| B．Cyclists can leave their bikes anywhere in the city. |
| C．There were 3,250 parking spaces for bikes in 2007. |
| D．Underground bike parking stations are everywhere. |
| A．Beijing | B．Cambridge |
| C．York | D．Bristol |
| A．The history of cycling. | B．The best cities for cycling. |
| C．The development of cycling. | D．The rules for cycling. |
1. 交通出行；
2. 必备衣物。
注意：
1. 词数不少于50；
2. 开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Jim,
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Yours,
Li Hua
4 . If you’re a cycling lover, you will have to pay a lot of attention to your bicycle and maintain it well, for bicycle parts are exposed to wear and tear (磨损) over time and you have to examine the bicycle to see if there are any signs of wearing such as scratches, dents (凹陷) etc. Sometimes, a part may not work because it has exceeded its life expectancy. Sometimes, you will need to find replacement parts for it to keep up the performance of the bicycle.
Different parts of a bicycle will wear at different rates so it is very important that you have a basic understanding about the role played by each part. One of the most important parts of the bicycle is the frame. You will need to choose a frame that lasts for a very long time. Of course, you will see some paint scratches after some time. When you’re selecting a frame, you have to think about the material. Aluminium (铝) frames will not rust easily, but they have a higher chance to dent. Steel frames will be hard to dent, but you will need to make sure they get a good paint job so that they won’t rust.
Wheels also experience a lot of wear and tear and you should go for a professional seller when you want to buy wheels. There are different types of wheels that you can buy, like Zipp wheels that provide more aerodynamic efficiency (空气动力学效能). Investing in new tyres instead of going for used is a good idea because you will be able to get more use out of it. The same goes for chain as there’s a higher chance of a used chain breaking. You may also experience shifting problems. However, some parts of bicycles such as pedals can be used for a long time and you can find different styles.
Other parts that you can buy used are seats, handlebars and the stem. When you are buying handlebars, you have to see if there are any dents or if they have been bent out of shape. There shouldn’t be any cracks in the seat post or the handlebars. There are many shops where you can buy parts, so you will have to check the references to see how customers respond to them before you buy anything.
1. According to the passage, cycling lovers should ________.| A．buy a new bicycle to keep up the performance |
| B．replace the bicycle parts with signs of wearing |
| C．choose Aluminum frames rather than steel ones |
| D．learn how each part of the bicycle basically works |
| A．Wheels and chains. | B．Tyres and seats. |
| C．Handlebars and stems. | D．Frames and pedals. |
| A．materials | B．prices |
| C．introductions | D．comments |
| A．a research report | B．a popular magazine |
| C．a tourist guide book | D．a product advertisement |
为题，给校刊“英语角”写一篇英文稿件。
注意：1．词数不少于60;
2．开头已给出，不计入总词数。
提示词：莫高窟the Mogao Caves
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`Silk Road Travel
This winter vacation I went to Dunhuang to explore the Silk Road with my classmates．
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