5 . 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.

I’m so happy to hear you’re coming to experience the local culture in Beijing. I’d like to introduce what you can enjoy here.

Looking forward to meeting you soon!

Yours,

Li Hua

7 . I was coming back home late at night in a “Sharing” minivan. In Hyderabad, India, it is a cheap and quick means of transport. The van drivers ply (揽客) as many as 13 people at times in a vehicle which is designed for the transport of 8 people. Our van was ________ as well. People were getting off and on at many places.

On the journey, one girl signaled the driver to ________. While getting down, she tripped and

_____. None of us noticed it, as it was ________. The driver was waiting for her to pay. It was

_____ that we saw the girl was on her knees by the side of the road. Another passenger and I got

_____ and held her up.

Even in pain, the girl held up a note and asked us to ________ the driver. The other passenger took the note and paid the driver. My stop was a few hundred meters away. I decided to stay with her till she was ________. I paid the driver for myself and he took off with other passengers.

I neither knew ________ nor did I know what to do, ________ I was there, saying some comforting words to a stranger in ________. I asked her to stand still for a few minutes. We then looked for a place for her to sit. From out of nowhere, her friend joined us.

We made her sit in a nearby lawn and her friend rushed to get a(n) ________. In the meantime, she examined her leg and her ankle had swollen up (肿胀). It looked like a minor sprain (较小的扭伤). Once her friend came back, they took the taxi and rushed to a ________. Before they left, the girl thanked me and said they could ________ as it was only a minor sprain.

I do not know if I did enough. But I feel I gave some ________ to her in a small way.