高中英语必修模块3课本07

[00:-1.00]lesson 33  On Your Bike
[00:-2.00]Return of the white bikes!
[00:-3.00]People have been enjoying the benefits¹ of cycling in Amsterdam for years.
[00:-4.00]It is a good city for cycling because it is flat
[00:-5.00]and there are convenient² facilities for bikes.
[00:-6.00]There are plenty of places to park bikes
[00:-7.00]and most streets in the city centre have a bicycle lane³.
[00:-8.00]Today some people call Amsterdam the"City of Bicycles".
[00:-9.00]In the 1960s,a group of cycling fans had an idea.
[00:10.00]They believed that it would be better for everybody
[00:11.00]if cars weren't allowed in the city centre and only bicycles were.
[00:12.00]They hoped to save energy,reduce pollution and provide free public transport.
[00:13.00]The group painted hundreds of bicycles white
[00:14.00]and placed them around Amsterdam for people to use.
[00:15.00]Anyone was allowed to take them and use them for short journeys.
[00:16.00]Wherever someone finished a journey,
[00:17.00]they would leave the bike there for someone else to use.
[00:18.00]The problem was that it didn't work-thieves took all the bicycles within weeks!
[00:19.00]However,more than thirty years later,
[00:20.00]the"white bike"is back in town-
[00:21.00]this time with a computer chip to record its every move!
[00:22.00]To take a bicycle,you have to insert⁴ a special card.
[00:23.00]The new"white bike"is not actually white but is an unusual design with bright colours.
[00:24.00]The bikes are parked at special parking⁵ places
[00:25.00]and people who want to use them
[00:26.00]have to take them to another special parking place that has enough room.
[00:27.00]There is already less traffic in central Amsterdam,
[00:28.00]because both locals and tourists have been using the white bikes.
[00:29.00]Also,thanks to the good ideas of lots of people,
[00:30.00]like the cycling fans in the 1960s,
[00:31.00]many people around the world have been enjoying city centre streets without cars,
[00:32.00]for many years.
[00:33.00]Did you know?
[00:34.00]The Netherlands has the highest proportion⁶ of bicycles in the world-
[00:35.00]14 million bicycles between 15 million people!

1 benefits   

n.津贴费；利益( benefit的名词复数 )；（给职工的）奖金；救济金；益处

参考例句：

• economic benefits accruing to the country from tourism 旅游业为该国带来的经济效益
• The article enthused about the benefits that the new system would bring. 本文热情赞扬了新制度将带来的好处。

2 convenient   

adj.便利的，方便的

参考例句：

• I have to find a convenient location for the shelves.我得找一合适的地方放这些书架。
• Come at any time that is convenient to you.你哪会儿方便就哪会儿来吧。

3 lane   

n.(乡间)小路(巷)；车(跑，泳)道；航道

参考例句：

• There is a shop at the end of this lane.这条胡同的顶头有一家商店。
• The champion is running in lane five.冠军跑在第五跑道上。

4 insert   

vt.插入，镶补；vi.附着；n.插入，插入物

参考例句：

• I wish to insert an advertisement in your newspaper.我想在贵报上登一则广告。
• The newspaper had an insert of pages of pictures.该报带有数页插图。

5 parking   

n.停车，停机，停放

参考例句：

• A bus is parking on the road.路上停着一辆公共汽车。
• Next you must learn how to back a car into a parking space.下一步你应该学会如何把车倒入停车的空地。

6 proportion   

n.比率，比例；大小

参考例句：

• His head is out of proportion to the size of his body.他的头部与身体大小不成比例。
• The proportion of imports to exports is worrying the government.进口与出口的比例令政府担忧。