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The Netherlands on Monday introduced its first-ever " intelligent bicycle , fitted with electronic devices to help bring clown the high accident rate among elderly cyclists in the bicycle-mad country.
Developed for the government by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research （TNO） , the intelligent bicycle, runs on electricity. A commercial-available bicycle is expected to be on the market in the next two years and should sell for between 1, 700 to 3, 200 euros per bicycle.
The devices on the bike are linked through an onboard computer with a vibrating （震动的） warning system fitted in the bicycle's saddle and handlebars to warn cyclists of the coming danger.
The saddle vibrates when other cyclists approach from behind, while, the handlebars do the same when barriers appear ahead.
" Accidents often happen when cyclists look behind them or get a fright when they are passed at high speed," said Maurice Kwakkernaat, one of TNO's research scientists involved in the project. "The onboard system technology has already been at work in the car industry," he said.
'' More and more elderly people are using a bicycle, not only for short distances, but also for longer distances," Dutch Environment and Infrastructure Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen told AFP. "This type of bicycle is truly needed in the Netherlands because it will help us bring down the number of elderly people who are injured every year and allow them to continue to enjoy cycling," she said.
In the Netherlands, bicycles outnumber the population of 17 million by at least one million and there are some 25,000 km of bicycle path in the country. Those statistics are set to grow as more and more people take to two-wheeled transport, leading to an increased risk of injury.
Last year, 184 cyclists died in the country, of which 124, or 67% , were older than 65, according to the Central Statistics Office. The year before, 200 cyclists died, the majority of victims also being elderly.
The current model weighs 25 kilograms but researchers are working on making the onboard systems smaller.
63. The "intelligent bicycle is aimed to ______.
A. protect the environment B. help reduce traffic pressure
C. popularize the use of bicycles D. improve safety for elderly cyclists
64. Which part of the intelligent bicycle will vibrate when other cyclists approach it from behind?
A. The saddle. B. The wheels.
C. The handlebars. D. The onboard computer.
65. We can learn from the passage that ______.
A. the elderly ride bicycles wherever they go
B. the elderly are planning to give up cycling
C. the number of elderly cyclists is decreasing
D. the accident rate among elderly cyclists is high
66. Which is the best title for the passage?
A. A Test Bicycle B. Elderly Cyclists
C. A Smart Bicycle D. A Bicycle-mad Country
D
A generation of parents raised according to the permissive principles of postwar childcare experts is rediscovering the importance of saying "No" to their children. They are beginning to reclaim the house as their own. Even spanking （打屁股） is back.
While today's parents do not want to return to the Victorian era （时代）—when children were seen, spanked, but not heard—there is a growing acknowledgement that the laissez-faire approach produced a generation of children running rings around puzzled parents struggling to restore order.
Janthea Brigden, a trainer with Parent Network, says: " The problem is that parents don't want all that controlling things. What they want is to be able to discipline （管教） their children through teaching and encouraging. "
According to Steve Biddulph, the author of More Secrets of Happy Children, the permissive era was often just an excuse to ignore children. He believes discipline involves firm but friendly teaching and does not need to involve punishment. He teaches a method called "stand and think" , where a child is helped to figure out what is wrong and how to get it right. Mr. Biddulph understands parents using spanking, but lie is against it. "The happiest children are those who know Mum and Dad are in charge. As children grow into their teens, more negotiation can take place, such as: Prove you can be home safely by 1l pm, and we might let you stay out till midnight. "
" There is no good evidence that an occasional, properly administered spanking is harmful in any way. " says John Rosemond, an American who has won a huge following by calling for "parent power". It is pure nonsense to believe that restricting children to their room as a punishment could make them have negative feelings about the room and cause sleep problems.
Mr. Rosemond tracks the overturning of traditional family values to the end of the Second World War. He blames the change of the American family into a child-centered, self-respect-oriented （以…为导向） unit on psychologists and social workers, who for 30 years have weakened traditional approaches. Previous generations of American parents raised children not by the book, but by self-evident truth, he says. Children should be seen and hot heard. If you make your bed, you'll have to lie in it. He says that those phrases contain time-honored understanding and principles that helped children to develop what we refer to as the "three Rs" of parenting: respect, responsibility and resourcefulness.
67. Which is closest to the meaning of the underlined word "laissez-faire" in the second paragraph?
A. Let it be. B. Go for it. C. Get it right. D. Take it easy.
68. If his child did something wrong, Steve Biddulph would ______.
A. give him a good beating
B. lock him up in a dark room
C. ask him to stand in a corner for hours
D. help him find out the problem and solution
69. By mentioning the underlined part in the last paragraph, Mr. Rosemond .
A. blames parents for ignoring children's rights
B. reminds parents to communicate more with children
C. encourages parents to involve children more in family affairs
D. explains how previous generations of parents raised children
70. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. The causes of discipline problems.
B. The best way to discipline children.
C. Different opinions on ways of parenting.
D. Differences between parents of different times.
