Where did the idea of “white bikes” come from? In the 1960s, a group of cycling fans 【小题1】(come) up with an idea. They believed that it would be better for everybody if cars weren’t allowed in the city centre and only bicycles were. They were【小题2】( hope) that this would help to save energy, reduce 【小题3】(pollute) and provide free public transport. The group painted hundreds of bicycles white and placed them in many areas around Amsterdam for people to use. Anyone was allowed to take them and use them for short journeys.

In China, traveling by train is a common way to visit new places and go back to one’s hometown during holidays. But in the US, traveling by train is almost an ancient tradition, although it wasn’t always that way.

The US railway system started to grow in 1826, with many railway 【小题1】 (company) starting up and competing with each other to build new railway routes. Trains became a symbol of progress, with New York City’s Grand Central Station becoming a major 【小题2】 (culture) landmark.

But eventually, railways 【小题3】 (replace) by highways as “car culture” took over the US. China would go on to adopt trains even more quickly and 【小题4】 (wide) than the US. China’s railway network connects the entire country, 【小题5】 (allow) people to travel with ease. This is especially obvious during Chunyun — when China’s train stations are crowded with thousands of people 【小题6】 are trying to get home.

I had never traveled by train until I 【小题7】 (move) to China. My first trip by train was 【小题8】 Beijing to Tianjin by high-speed train. It was 【小题9】 (amaze) how quickly I could get there — just half 【小题10】 hour.

Like all big cities, Paris has a traffic problem: lots of cars, traffic jams and pollution from exhaust fumes (废气). So since 2007, the city 【小题1】 (begin) a plan to improve the situation.

Under the Velib scheme (公共自行车计划), people can take a bicycle, use it as long as they want, and then leave it at the same or another bicycle station. The first half hour is free, 【小题2】 if you don’t return it after 30 minutes, you have to pay. It is only 1 a day or 29 a year. The bicycles are as heavy as 25 kilograms, and they’re all grey and have【小题3】(basket). There are a large number of them in the city, and the bicycle stations are more than the subway stations!

Paris isn’t the first city 【小题4】 (operate)a scheme like this. Not everybody thinks it’s a great idea. One Parisian (巴黎人) said, “These bicycles are only suitable 【小题5】 short journeys. If people want to travel across the city, they won’t use a bicycle-they’ll still use their cars.”

A city spokesman said, “The bicycle scheme won’t solve all our traffic problems, but it might work in【小题6】(reduce) air pollution. Traffic, together with factory fumes,       【小题7】 (be) a big problem. Global warming and dramatic climate changes are becoming more and more serious, 【小题8】is partly because rain-forests are【小题9】(gradual) disappearing. And it’s also because there’s so much pollution. There aren’t any simple answers to traffic problems and pollution in cities, but the bicycles might help people lead a healthier life. Unless we do something now, there will be more traffic jams and temperatures will continue to rise, so the problems in our environment will get even   【小题10】 (bad).”