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Forget Cyclists, Pedestrians are Real Danger
We are having a debate about this topic. Here are some letters from our readers.
■Yes, many cyclists behave dangerously. Many drivers are disrespectful of cyclists. But pedestrians are probably the worse offenders.
People of all ages happily walk along the pavement with eyes and hands glued to the mobile phone, quite unaware of what is going on around them. They may even do the same thing while crossing a road at a pedestrian crossing or elsewhere. The rest of us have to evade (避让) them or just stand still to wait for the unavoidable collision.
The real problem is that some pedestrians seem to be, at least for the moment, in worlds of their own that are, to them, much more important than the welfare of others.
——Michael Horan
■I love the letter from Bob Brooks about cyclists (Viewpoints, May 29). I am afraid they seem to think they own the roads.
I was walking across Altrincham Road one morning when a cyclist went round me and on being asked what he was doing he shouted at me.
The government built a cycle lane on the road but it is hardly used.
The police do nothing. What a laugh they are!
The cyclists should all have to be made to use the cycle lanes and wear helmets, fluorescent (发荧光的) jacket and lights at night and in the morning they should pay some sort of tax and be fined for not wearing them.
——Carol Harvey
■Cyclists jump on and off pavements (which are meant for pedestrians), ride at speed along the pavements, and think they have a special right to go through traffic lights when they are on red.
I was almost knocked down recently by a cyclist riding on the pavement when there was a cycle lane right next to him.
Other road users, including horse riders, manage to obey the rules so why not cyclists?
It's about time they had to be registered and insured, so when they do hit a pedestrian or a vehicle, or cause an accident, at least they can be treated and there might be an opportunity to claim.
——JML
Write to Viewpoints of the newspaper.
【小题1】Michael Horan wrote the letter mainly to show that _______.

A．drivers should be polite to cyclists

B．road accidents can actually be avoided

C．sine pedestrians are a threat to road safety

D．walking while using phones hurts one's eyes

【小题2】Carol Harvey suggests that cyclists should _______.

A．be provided with enough roads

B．be asked to ride on their own lanes

C．be made to pay less tax for cycling

D．be fined for laughing at policemen

【小题3】What is a complaint of JML?

A．Very few drivers are insured.

B．Cyclists ride fast on pavements.

C．Pedestrians go through red traffic lights.

D．Horse riders disrespect other road users.

【小题4】The underlined word "they" in the third letter refers to ______.

A．accidents	B．vehicles
C．pedestrians	D．cyclists

【小题5】The three letters present viewpoints on _______.

A．real source of road danger

B．ways to improve road facilities

C．measures to punish road offences

D．increased awareness of road rules

In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity; others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve can we discover a new meaning in competition.
【小题1】What does this passage mainly talk about?
A. Competition helps to set up self-respect.
B. Opinions about competition are different among people.
C. Competition is harmful to personal quality development.
D. Failures are necessary experiences in competition
【小题2】Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?
A. It pushes society forward.
B. It builds up a sense of duty.
C. It improves personal abilities.
D. It encourages individual efforts.
【小题3】What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a desire to fail ?
A. One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others.
B. One’s success in competition needs great efforts.
C. One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills.
D. One’s success is based on how hard he has tried.
【小题4】Which point of view may the author agree to?
A. Every effort should be paid back.
B. Competition should be encouraged.
C. Winning should be a life-and-death matter.
D. Fear of failure should be removed in competition.

   Twenty-five years ago, most young Britons wanted a career in law, to be a doctor, or, if they were creative enough, to take up singing. But today, things stand different.

According to a survey by Tesco Mobile, a UK company, the "dream job" of young people aged between 16 and 25 in the UK is a video blogger, or "vlogger". The survey, carried out among 1,002 people, found that as many as 40 percent of them put vloggers as their number one choice on a list of ideal careers.

This change is undoubtedly as a result of the Internet and social media. They have made it so much easier to reach audience of the world, without having to enter a career in show business in the traditional way.

In the past, the biggest stars were trained by the Hollywood studios; now, anyone with a computer camera can become a star. Vloggers are the big stars of today because they are normal people interacting（交流）with their fans about everyday life.

However, what people see is only the bright side of being a vlogger and they fail to notice the fact that only those who are successful earn fame（名声）and fortune. For every success there are hundreds of others who never get off the starting line. There are the dreams that come true and the dreams that remain dreams forever.

Although being vloggers is popular, some young people choose to follow careers that don't necessarily earn them fame, but that allow them to make good use of the Internet to share their hobbies. Young Israeli David Leshaw, for example, runs a business called the

Finishers Club. It's an online platform for runners to keep a record of their races. His job allows him to express his enthusiasm, and is always a learning experience. And that's enough for him.

【小题1】Why do more and more young Britons choose to be vloggers?

A．Vloggers can earn greater fame and more money on the Internet.

B．There is too much competition in the traditional show business.

C．The Internet makes it convenient to enter show business.

D．Anyone with a computer will surely become a star.

【小题2】What can we infer from the fifth paragraph?

A．Only a few vloggers can be successful.

B．A vlogger cannot earn fame or fortune.

C．Being a vlogger is not a good career.

D．Dreams will come true one day.

【小题3】What do some young people like David do on the Internet?

A．Learn from others.

B．Become an online hit.

C．Hold running races.

D．Mix jobs with hobbies.

【小题4】What is the passage mainly about?

A．Most young Britons choose to be vloggers as their jobs based on their hobbies.

B．The Internet is influencing young Britons' career choice.

C．The Internet is taking the place of traditional studios.

D．Young Britons cannot find jobs without the Internet.

   Everybody sleeps，but what people stay up late to catch or wake up early in order not to miss varies by culture.

From data collected，it seems the things that cause us to lose the most sleep，on average，are sporting events，time changes，and holidays.

Around the world，people change sleep patterns thanks to the start or end of daylight-saving time（夏令时间）. Russians，for example，began to wake up about a half-hour later each day after President Vladimir Putin shifted the country permanently to“winter time”starting on October 26.

Russia's other late nights and early mornings generally correspond（相一致）to public holidays. On New Year's Eve，Russians have the world's latest bedtime，hitting the hay at around 3:30 a. m.

Russians also get up an hour later on International Women's Day，the day for treating and celebrating female relatives.

Similarly，Americans' late nights，late mornings，and longest sleep fall on three-day weekends.

Canada got the least sleep of the year the night it beat Sweden in the Olympic hockey（冰球）final.

The World Cup is also chiefly responsible for sleep deprivation. The worst night for sleep in the U. K. was the night of the England-Italy match on June 14. Brits stayed up a half-hour later to watch it，and then they woke up earlier than usual the next morning thanks to summer nights，the phenomenon in which the sun barely sets in northern countries in the summertime. That was nothing，though，compared to Germans，Italians，and the French，who stayed up around an hour and a half later on various days throughout the summer to watch the World Cup.

It should be made clear that not everyone has a tool to record their sleep patterns；in some of these nations，it's likely that only the richest people do. And people who elect to track their sleep may try to get more sleep than the average person. Even if that's the case，the above findings are still striking. If the most health-conscious among us have such deep swings（明显改变）in our sleep levels throughout the year，how much sleep are the rest of us losing？

【小题1】What do we learn about the Russians regarding sleep?
A. They don't fall asleep until very late.
B. They don't sleep much on weekends.
C. They sleep longer than people elsewhere.
D. They get less sleep on public holidays.
【小题2】The underlined word“deprivation”in the last paragraph but one means ___________.
A. depression B. loss
C. observation     D. trouble
【小题3】What is the most probable reason for some rich people to use a tool to record their sleep patterns?
A. They have trouble falling asleep.
B. They are involved in sleep research.
C. They want to get more sleep.
D. They want to go to bed on regular hours.
【小题4】What does the author imply in the last paragraph?
A. Sleeplessness does harm to people's health.
B. It is important to study our sleep patterns.
C. Few people really know the importance of sleep.
D. Average people probably sleep more than the rich.

语法填空

Beijing was once a city of bikes，known as the Bicycle Kingdom，【小题1】cars were reserved for official business and the politically powerful. However，decades of economic 【小题2】（grow）led to a huge flowing of cars in the city. Owning one became not just a marker of reaching the middle class but also a requirement for marriage. As the economy developed，autos pushed bikes off the roads，【小题3】（create）heavy pollution and miserable traffic.

【小题4】（fortunate），now Beijing may be returning to its roots. Thanks to about 20 technology companies，brightly colored shared bikes 【小题5】（flood）into Beijing in the last two years. Many local residents welcome the shared bikes 【小题6】the flexibility and freedom they offer. They pick up the bikes and then ride and drop 【小题7】off anywhere they like，locking the back wheel，with no need 【小题8】（find）a fixed place.

Analyses in China say it is three factors that contribute to bikes' increasing rapidly: a lot of cash looking for a home, a good idea and government support. "As the city's population grew, traffic jams got 【小题9】 (bad). "Cai, the ofo spokeswoman, said, "Shared bikes could solve the' last mile' problem in 【小题10】environmentally friendly way."