In the past twenty years, riding bicycles has become more and more popular among people of all ages. Bicycles have long played an important part in the lives of American young people. But today an even greater number of adults cycle along roadsides and bicycle paths. These new riders are often trying to become fit or lose weight. They have found that bicycling is a pleasant way to stay healthy.

This is certainly good for health. But it has also brought some problems. With all these added people on the road, bicycle safety has become a matter of real importance.

Bicycle safety is mostly a matter of common sense. People should ride only on bicycle paths where they will not be badly hurt. There are also a number of rules that riders should follow, especially when riding on streets or highways. Bicyclists should never ride against the traffic, nor should they carry other people on their bicycles. They are also supposed to ride in single line on busy streets and to walk bicycles across the busy intersections (交叉路口). By following these rules, bicycle riders will not only stay healthy but also be safe.

In one recent year, the National Safety Council reported that 34 thousand bicycle riders were hurt in highway accidents. In that same year, another six hundred riders were killed. Since the introduction of crash helmets (头盔) in 1980, the number of injuries (伤者) and deaths from bicycling accidents has gone down. Today, more and more riders realize the dangers of bicycling. They are wearing helmets and paying closer attention to cycling rules.

Sam is a twelve-year-old boy. He gets up early at 6: 30 in the morning. Then he usually runs with his grandfather. After running for about half an hour, he takes a shower. At about 7: 30, Sam eats breakfast and then goes to school.

Sam’s father has a black car. But he doesn’t drive him to school. Sam doesn’t go to school by bus either. He joins “a walking school bus and walks to school with some other students and two adults （成年人）.” Sam’s home is a little far from his school. It takes Sam about thirty minutes to walk to school from his home.

Sam likes walking to school. He says, “I don’t want to take a bus or ride to school. It’s boring. 和别的学生步行总是很有趣。We can talk and sing on the way. We are happy.”

Some friends are eating in a restaurant. They are talking about if they need to buy cars. Andy is a worker in a factory(工厂). He doesn’t like taking a bus to work. He likes cars and he has a car. He thinks cars can make him get to work earlier.

Scott is a environment protector(环境保护者). He thinks too many cars are also bad for the air. He likes riding bicycles because it is cheap and keeps the air clean. He also tells his family and friends not to take more cars. Besides, he thinks if there are more cars, the road will become very crowded. So he doesn’t want to buy a car.

Sandy’s workplace is not very far from her house. But she is planning to buy a car. Because she thinks cars make her life more convenient(方便的)and easier. She can drive a car everywhere. In a car, she can have comfortable seats and much room to carry people and other things.