Reading Comprehension
GREEN
PERSONAL TRANSPORT
Richard
Smith hadn’t ridden a bicycle for ten years when he decided to try London’s new
bike sharing programme. He was sold on the idea when he got to work 20 minutes
faster than usual.
London is
one of the many cities in the world where there are mass bike-sharing
programmes. These programmes make large number of bicycles available for short
trips in the city or on special scenic bike routes for tourists. The bicycles
are picked up at docking stations at central points around the city and usually
must be returned the same day. Riders use them for free or rent them for a
small fee, depending on the programme in that city.
In some
bike-friendly European cities, green personal transport is a great success.
More than 30% of the workers in Amsterdam and Copenhagen get to the office by
bike. These programmes succeed in cities that build many bike lanes, pass laws
that protect cyclists’ safety and spend money to encourage people to begin
cycling instead of using their cars. The result is less air pollution and noise
because of the decrease in heavy road traffic. Encouraging cycling is also a
way to improve public health because people exercise more.
On the
other hand, running these programmes has never gone smoothly. Theft and
vandalism have been continual problems since the early programmes of the 1960s.
Today, bike-sharing programmes use technology like electronic locks, smart
cards and computer tracking to fight this problem. As a result, these programmes
are very expensive to run. Private companies usually do not make any profits
and publicly run programmes need financial support from the city budget.
Despite
these difficulties, the search for other kinds of personal green transport
continues. In 2011, Paris, which already had a bike-sharing programme, launched
an electric-car-sharing project. Instead of bicycles, people will hire small
electric cars for short rides within the city. It is an ambitious plan, but if
it succeeds, it will be another step towards clearing the traffic-filled
streets in an environmentally friendly way.
Williams, Alan and Margaret Baines.
"Contrast for Bachillerato 2". Burlington Books, 2012.
TRUE OR FALSE?
Gap-fill exercise
Indicate if these sentences are true or false.
MATCH AND FIND.
Matching exercise.
Complete the sentences by matching the correct options.
