4 . While riding hard on a bike, do you feel like you are saving the planet? Or do you just feel out of breath? In fact, cycling is now considered one of the best weapons mankind can use in the fight against climate change.

The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution (决议) in March supporting bicycles as a tool for dealing with climate change. The resolution calls on member states to “add the bicycle to public transportation, in the city and countryside, in developing and developed countries”, with all 193 members of the UN agreeing upon the resolution.

The decision has received positive comments from different groups in support of cycling and the environmental awareness internationally. “It’s an important step toward the recognition of cycling as an important means of transport,” said the European Cyclists Federation.

The resolution from the UN comes at a time when climate change has returned to the center of the world’s attention. On February 28, the UN published a new report assessing (评估) recent climate change trends (趋势). The report warns that the world’s average temperature will rise by 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels (1850-1900), with more than 40% of the world’s population being “easily affected” to these temperature changes.

Cycling is an environmentally friendly means of transport. Choosing to take a bike instead of a car just once a day can reduce a person’s carbon emission (碳排放) from transport by 67 percent, according to a research by the University of Oxford. The research also found that cyclists produced 84 percent lower CO 2 emissions from all daily travel than non-cyclists.

Cycling has grown in popularity as people who take public transport to work wish to stay away from crowded public transport and also like taking any opportunity to exercise. Cycling culture has been further encouraged with the influence of COVID-19. In May 2020, bike sales in Spain increased 22 times compared with 2019. In London, large parts of the city are being closed off to cars so that people can walk and cycle safely.

More importantly, the resolution focuses on bike-sharing services, which could be seen as recognition of China’s bike-sharing success, noted CGTN. China has some of the largest bike-sharing systems in the world. This means of transport that produces zero emissions reduces the amount of CO2 sent out into the atmosphere (大气层) by 4.8 million tons every year, according to a 2020 report from the World Resources Institute.

1. What is the resolution aimed at?

A．Winning all member states’ support.

B．Making bicycles part of public transport.

C．Dealing with the problem of climate change.

D．Making people healthier and more athletic.

2. What leads to the popularity of the resolution according to the text?

A．The whole world’s attention on climate change.

B．Cycling is encouraged in numerous countries.

C．China’s success in Bike-sharing systems.

D．More people wish to exercise more.

3. Why is cycling considered the best weapon against climate change?

A．It get people to exercise and stay healthy.

B．It can largely reduce our carbon footprint.

C．It can reduce the influence of the COVID-19.

D．It helps us stay away from crowded public transport.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Cycling to improve health	B．Cycling to a climate solution
C．Why is cycling so important	D．A new resolution by the UN

6 . Translink is the main provider of public transport in Northern Ireland. We are devoted to providing bus and rail services that are easy to use, reliable and comfortable.

Bus Services

Most of our buses are now accessible with the following features:

Non-slip surfaces on floors;
Colour contrasting materials inside and outside;
Frequent and accessible bell push buttons aboard;
Five other priority seats for the disabled passengers;
The specially designed space for one wheelchair user;
Highly visible route information on the front, side and back;
Low-floor with a kneeling facility and a wheelchair ramp (坡道).

Our schedule indicates which routes use accessible buses with a wheelchair user symbol and the message “operated by low-floor vehicles”.

Rail Services

Most of our trains meet current accessibility standards. Features include:

An accessible toilet;
Button activated automatic doors;
A ramp stored on board to assist with access;
Colour contrasting materials inside and outside;
Priority seats for some other disabled passengers;
Audio (音频的) and visual announcements on board;
The specially designed space on board for two wheelchair users.

Our cross border services between Belfast and Dublin do not have all these features but do have two special spaces for wheelchair users, an accessible toilet and audio and visual announcements.

General Assistance
Our staff will carry a pen and notebooks to help with communication.
Translink welcomes guide dogs and other assistance animals on all our services and to our stations.

Our staff provide assistance to help you get to your bus or train or move between transport such as changing trains.

1. What do most of the buses and trains both feature?

A．Accessible toilets.	B．Seats for the disabled.
C．Space for two wheelchair users.	D．A single colour material inside and outside.

2. Which services can the staff of Translink offer?

A．Ride services.	B．Wheelchair repair services.
C．Pen and notebook rental services.	D．Guide animal treatment services.

3. Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．A book review.	B．A scientific paper.
C．A passenger brochure.	D．A competition announcement.

7 . Can a small group of drones (无人机) guard the safety of railways and, at the same time, help railway operators save billions of euros each year? That is probably what the very future of using today’s “eyes in the sky” technology to make sure.

Drones are already being used to examine high-tension (高压) electrical lines. They could do precisely the same thing to inspect railway lines and other vital aspects of rail infrastructure such as the correct position of railway tracks and switching points. The more regularly they can be inspected, the more railway safety, reliability and on-time performance will be improved.

Meanwhile, costs would be cut, which includes huge savings in maintenance costs and better protection of railway personnel (人员) safety. European railways alone spend about 20 billion euros a year on maintenance, including sending maintenance staff, often at night, to inspect and repair the rail infrastructure. That can be dangerous work but it could be avoided with the assistance of drones.

By using the latest technologies, drones could also start providing higher-value services for railways, finding faults in the rail or switches, before they can cause any safety problems. To perform these tasks, drones for rail don’t need to be lying overhead. Engineers are now working on a new concept: the rail drones of the future. They will be moving on the track ahead of the train, and programmed to run autonomously (自动地).Very small drones with advanced sensors (传感器) and AI and travelling ahead of the train could guide it like a co-pilot. With their ability to see ahead, they could signal any problem, so that fast-moving trains would be able to react in time.

1. What makes the use of drones to rail lines possible?

A．The cut of cost in designing drones.

B．Drones’ ability to work at high altitudes.

C．The use of drones in checking on power lines.

D．Drones’ excellent performance in remote areas.

2. What does “maintenance” underlined in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Personnel safety.	B．Inspection and repair.
C．Assistance from drones.	D．Building of infrastructure.

3. How does the passage mainly develop?

A．By analyzing reasons.	B．By providing examples.
C．By making comparison.	D．By providing separated explanation.

4. Which section of a newspaper is the text most probably taken from?

A．Science and technology.	B．Entertainment.
C．Health.	D．Advertisement.

8 . How soon will the train leave?

A．In 15 minutes.

B．In 30 minutes.

C．In 45 minutes.

9 . How will the man go to work tomorrow?

A．By taxi.

B．By car.

C．By bus.