Like all big cities, Paris has a traffic problem: lots of cars, lots of traffic jams and lots of pollution from exhaust fumes. So the city began a project to improve the situation.
Under the Velib project (‘Velib’ comes from velo liberty, or ‘bicycle freedom’) people can take a bicycle, use it for as long as they want, and then leave it at the same or another bicycle station. The first half-hour on the bike is free, but if you don’t return it after 30 minutes, you have to pay. But it’s only €1 a day or €29 a year! The bicycles are heavy (25kg), and they are all gray and have baskets. There are about 20, 000 of them in the city, and around 1, 450 bicycle stations. So there are a lot more Velib stations than the 298 subway stations!
Paris is not the first city to have a project like this. But not everybody thinks it’s a great idea. One Parisian said, “These bicycles are only for 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 project won’t solve all our traffic problems, of course. But it might help reduce air pollution. Traffic, together with factory fumes, is a big problem. There aren’t any simple answers to traffic problems and pollution in cities. But 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 worse. The bikes might help people to lead a healthier life, too.”
【小题1】What can we learn about the Velib project?
| A．Its bikes have no baskets. | B．Its bikes are light and colorful. |
| C．It aims to make traveling easier. | D．It owns more stations than the subway. |
【小题2】If you use a Velib for 1 hour, you should pay___________.
【小题3】Why do some people disagree with the Velib project?
| A．The cost is rather high. | B．It’s hard to find a Velib station. |
| C．It’s not suitable for a long journey. | D．The distance between two Velib stations is long. |
【小题4】What docs the underlined word “fume” in the first paragraph mean?
| A．position. | B．smoke. | C．quality. | D．loss. |
【小题5】What’s the city spokesman’s attitude towards the bicycle project?
| A．Worried. | B．Positive. | C．Uncaring. | D．Doubtful. |
