They once seemed more at home on the busy streets of Asia like Delhi, Calcutta and Bangkok but cycle powered rickshaws (人力车) can now be seen taking people across town in many European cities. Many people believe that rickshaws are a good way of experiencing a city close-up, while also cutting down on traffic jams and pollution. In Berlin, one of the first cities to introduce this new model of transport, more than 200 bike-taxis go along at 15km per hour, past many tourist attractions and city parks.
“It is completely environmentally friendly; we have new models with an engine to help the driver up the hills but they use renewable energy.” said a spokesman for VELOTAXI, the leading rickshaw company which has carried a quarter of a million people this year.
While the city still has 7,000 motor-taxis, rickshaw company officials say their taxis’ green ideas, speed and safety make them more than just a tourist attraction. While now increasingly out of fashion in Delhi, Berlin people have eagerly accepted the new fleet since their launch in 1997.
“It’s better than a taxi, better than a bus, better than the train,” said ULF Lehman, 36, as he leapt out of a rickshaw near the world famous Brandenburg gate. “ It feels so free.”
“This is something out of the ordinary, you feel you are on holiday in Bangkok instead of Berlin,” said another traveler.
In Amsterdam, driver Peter Jancso said people like to be driven around in his bright yellow rickshaw and pretend to be a queen in a golden carriage. "I like my passengers to feel important," he said as he dropped off another passenger. Another visitor noted how cheap it was compared with a normal taxi.
Although increasingly popular in Europe, it is the opposite in India, where hand-pulled rickshaws are considered inhuman and a symbol of India’s backward past.
Nearly 500 bike-rickshaws are running in London and are not required to pay the city’s road tax but things may change as other taxi drivers complain of unfair treatment.Where are rickshaws becoming more popular?
| A．Delhi, Berlin, Paris. | B．Amsterdam, Bangkok, Delhi. |
| C．Athens, London, Berlin. | D．Berlin, Amsterdam, London. |
Why are rickshaws no longer as widely used in India as in the past?
| A．They are a reminder of a bad period in India’s history. |
| B．They have been banned because they are inefficient. |
| C．The streets of India are too crowded for them to move through easily. |
| D．Indians now prefer to travel by car because they are richer. |
What does the underlined sentence "This is something out of the ordinary, you feel you are on holiday in
Bangkok instead of Berlin" suggest?
| A．The passenger didn’t like taking a rickshaw as it reminded him of Bangkok. |
| B．The passenger enjoyed being on holiday in Berlin more than in Bangkok. |
| C．The passenger was impressed when taking a rickshaw and considered it unusual. |
| D．The passenger disapproved of rickshaws because they were not original to Berlin. |
What is the author’s attitude towards rickshaws?
| A．He gives no personal opinion. |
| B．He believes they will be of no use. |
| C．He thinks they will reduce pollution. |
| D．He thinks they are old-fashioned. |
The most exciting kind of education is also the most personal． Nothing can exceed （超越) the joy of discovering for yourself something that is important to you! It may be an idea or a bit of information you come across accidentally—or a sudden insight, fitting together pieces of information or working through a problem． Such personal encounters are the “payoff” in education． A teacher may direct you to learning and even encourage you in it—but no teacher can make the excitement or the joy happen． That's up to you．
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A research paper, assigned in a course and perhaps checked at various stages by an instructor, leads you beyond classrooms, beyond the texts for classes and into a process where the joy of discovery and learning can come to you many times． Preparing the research paper is an active and individual process, and ideal learning process． It provides a structure within which you can make exciting discoveries, of knowledge and of self, that are basic to education． But the research paper also gives you a chance to individualize a school assignment, to suit a piece of work to your own interests and abilities, to show others what you can do． Writing a research paper is more than just a classroom exercise． It is an experience in searching out, understanding and synthesizing（综合）, which forms the basis of many skills applicable（可利用的） to both academic and nonacademic tasks． It is, in the fullest sense, a discovering of an education． So, to produce a good research paper is both a useful and a thoroughly satisfying experience!
To some, the thought of having to write an assigned number of pages, often more than ever produced before, is upsetting． To others, the very idea of having to work independently is threatening． But there is no need to approach paper assignment with anxiety, and nobody should view the research paper as an obstacle to overcome． Instead, consider it a goal to accomplish, a goal within reach if you use the help this book can give you．| A．will give one encouragement and direction |
| B．are helpful in finding the right information |
| C．are the most valuable part of one's personal education |
| D．will help one to successfully complete school assignments |
It can be inferred from the passage that writing a research paper gives one chances ．
| A．to fully develop one's personal abilities |
| B．to use the skills learnt in the classroom |
| C．to prove that one is a productive writer |
| D．to demonstrate how well one can accomplish school assignment |
The writer argues in the passage that ．
| A．one should explore new areas in research |
| B．one should trust one's own ability to meet course requirements |
| C．one should consider research paper writing a pleasure, not a burden |
| D．one should use all one's knowledge and skills when doing research |
What will probably follow this passage?
| A．How to write a research paper． |
| B．The importance of research in education． |
| C．How to make new discoveries for oneself． |
| D．The skill of putting pieces of information together． |
Scientists are closely concerned with the structure of buildings and with the quality of building materials． The World health Organization （WHO) observes that the introduction of air conditioning and energy conservation （保护) measures have been accompanied by growing problems of indoor air quality． Some pollutants arise from insulation （隔音) products, some from moving cars, and others from modern housing materials． As many Europeans spend up to 90% of their lives in buildings, the health effects of the indoor climate are very important．
Some construction materials, including fiberboard, insulation foams and certain glues for man-made wood floor boards, for example, give out organic products such as formaldehyde （甲醛)． Heat and humidity increase the release of formaldehyde and the gas seriously harms the eyes． Paint, lacquer, etc． can also release dangerous gas into indoor air．
Construction materials can cause serious damage, especially when they contain asbestos（石棉）． Asbestos is naturally present in rock formations worldwide． It belongs to a family of mineral substances made up of solid, non-combustible（非易燃品） fiber． These properties make asbestos a highly sought-after construction material． As early as 1931, however, public health officers in t
he United Kingdom revealed the connection between breathing in asbestos dust and such diseases as lung cancer．
The land on which a building is sited may also contribute to pollution． Some kinds of granite or similar rocks contain traces of radium． As it breaks down, this naturally radioactive element produces some kind of radioactive gas that goes through tiny cracks in walls, floors and building materials, and makes its way into the building and the rooms． The better the homes are insulated, the more is the dangerous gas in indoor air． The main effect of this dangerous gas on health is to increase the risk of lung cancer．What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Some building materials pollute indoor air． |
| B．Some factors cause indoor air pollution． |
| C．Asbestos can cause lung cancer． |
| D．The land on which houses are built contributes to indoor pollution． |
Why are Europeans particularly concerned with building materials?
| A．Lots of building materials there are radioactive． |
| B．They stay home up to 90% of their lives． |
| C．They have a high rate of lung cancer． |
| D．They spend most of their time indoors． |
Why is asbestos a sought-after building material?
| A．It is a kind of insulation foam． |
| B．Asbestos will not give out dangerous gas． |
| C．This material is not easy to catch fire． |
| D．It is rarely present in rock formations． |
Why should we be careful about the land on which a building is to be sited?
| A．To determine whether the land is firm enough for a building to be sited on． |
| B．To make sure that the land contains no radioactive material． |
| C．To make certain that the land releases no formaldehyde or other gases． |
| D．To check whether it contains any combustible materials． |
Editor’s notes: AWL is well known for its dictionaries and English language teaching materials． Some readers have written in to ask us for the latest information on high quality books on English, so here we introduce two texts that aim to improve spoken English fluency．
Let’s speak （Beginner)
By Bev Dusuya, Naoko Ozeki and Kevin Bergman
ISBN: 962001359X
Speak Up（Pre-Intermediate)
By Bev Kusuya, Nako Zeki
ISBN: 0583338050
“Teach the students about your culture and help them talk about their own．” How often are these worthy goals kept from being achieved by the limitations of your beginner level learners? Students at all levels want to talk about culture．
Topics include food, shopping, sports, fashion, the roles of men and women, health, music, and many more．
These are all chosen from surveys of over 15,000 students about their own interests in cross-cultural communication．
“Let’s Speak” and “Speak Up” share a special but excellent way that allows all students to take part in．
The series has questions which start thinking and then help collect opinions about personal topics． Conversation practice is provided by ready to use （现成的)models of basic exchanges on the topic． Also, the cultural information presented in the series comes in the form of interesting, relevant（相关的）facts and ideas from other countries through listening tasks and Culture Quiz exercises．
Team activities in books provide lively problem solving games to enable sharing and comparison of cultural values．
“Let’s Speak” is fit for entry level students of all ages． “Speak Up” provides for the needs of higher level beginners, offering the same careful listening and speaking help, but with slightly more open ended discussion．
For any information about AWL’s books, please get in touch with the following addresses:
Beijing Addison Wesley Longman Information Center
Room 2306, FLTRP Beijing
19 Xi San Huan Beilu, Beijing 100081
Tel: （010)68917488 （010) 68917788
Fax: （010) 68917499E-mail: zrh@public．bat．net．cnIn the sentence “Teach the students about your culture and help them talk about their own”, “your culture” here means the culture of ．
| A．the English native speakers | B．the English learners |
| C．the readers of the two books | D．the readers of the newspaper |
Which of the following are mentioned about the two books in the passage above?
a．publisher b．titles c．content d．writers
e．prices f．pages g．book number
| A．a,b,d,f | B．a,c,d,g | C．b,c,d,e | D．b,c,e,f |
The two books have in common everything EXCEPT ．
A．the same interesting topics
B．the same level of learners
C．proper ways to excite the learners to talkThe passage above is probably taken from the section in a newspaper．
| A．EDUCATION | B．NEWS |
| C．ENTERTAINMENT | D．BOOKSHELF |
How many people have I met who have told me about the book that they have been planning to write but have never yet found the time? Far too many．
This is Life, all right, but we do treat it like a rehearsal （排演) and, unhappily, we do miss so many of its best moments．
We take jobs to stay alive and provide homes for our families, always making ourselves believe that this style of life is merely a temporary state of affairs along the road to what we really want to do． Then, at 60 or 65, we are suddenly presented with a clock and several grandchildren and we look back and realize that all those years waiting for Real Life to come along were in fact real life．
In America they have a saying much laughed at by the English：“Have a nice day!” They speak slowly and seriously in their shops, hotels and sandwich bars． I think it is a wonderful phrase, reminding us, in effect, to enjoy the moment: to value this very day．
How often do we say to ourselves, "I'll take up horse-riding （or golf, or sailing) as soon as I get a higher position," only to do none of those things when I do get the higher position．
When I first became a reporter, I knew a man who gave up a very well paid respectable job at the Daily Telegraph to go and edit a small weekly newspaper． At the time I was astonished by what appeared to me to be his completely abnormal （反常的) mental state． How could anyone turn his back on Fleet Street in central London for a small local area？I wanted to know．
Now I am a little older and possibly wiser, I see the sense in it． In Fleet Street the man was under continual pressure． He lived in an unattractive London suburb and he spent much of his life sitting on Southern Region trains．The first paragraph of the passage tells us that ．
| A．we always try to find some time to write a book |
| B．we always make plans but seldom fulfill them |
| C．we always enjoy many of life's best moments |
| D．we always do what we really want to do |
The underlined phrase "turn his back on" （paragraph 6) most probably means．
| A．leave for | B．return to | C．give up | D．rely on |
The man （ paragraph 6) left his first job partly because he was ．
| A．in an abnormal state | B．under too much pressure |
C．not well paid |
D．not respected |
What is probably the best title for the passage?
| A．Provide Homes For Our Family | B．Take Up Horse-riding |
C．Value This Very Day |
D．Stay Alive |
How men first learnt to invent words is unknown; in other words, the origin of language is a mystery． All we really know is that men, unlike animals, somehow invented certain sounds to express thoughts and feelings, actions and things, so that they could communicate with each other; and that later they agreed upon certain signs, called letters． These letters could be combined to represent those sounds, and which could be written down． Those sounds, whether spoken, or written in letters, we call words．
The power of words, then, lies in their associations---the things they bring up before our
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minds． Words become filled with meaning for us by experience, and the longer we live, the more certain words recall to us the glad and sad events of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something to us increases． Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which appeal powerfully to our minds and emotions． This charming and telling use of words is what we call literary style． Above all, the real poet is a master of words． He can convey his meaning in words which sing like music and which by their position and association can move men to tears． We should therefore learn to choose our words carefully and use them accurately, or they will make our speech silly and vulgar（粗俗的)．
| A．Men, as well as animals, in vented certain sounds to express thoughts． |
| B．The origin of language is a complicated question． |
| C．Words did not haven written form, at first． |
| D．Words were invented to represent meanings． |
The power of words lies in ．
| A．the fact that it can associate the things in the world with the ideas in our minds． |
| B．the fact that once word is connected with another |
| C．the fact that it can associate one person with another |
| D．the fact that it can recall to us the events of our past |
The following statements are true EXCEPT that ．
A．the more we read and learn, the larger our vocabulary will be |
| B．the longer we live, the number of words that mean something to us increases |
| C．words can be used to represent various meanings |
| D．literary style is usually very charming |
What does this passage primarily concern?
| A．The Meaning of Words． |
| B．The Characteristics of Words． |
| C．The Origin of Words． |
| D．The Power of Words． |