Bicycles for rent could become as common as newspaper stands and mail boxes on Germany’s street corners if a scheme launched by Deutsche Bahn is successful.
The German rail operator has launched a bicycle-hire scheme designed for simple one-way trips.
“It’s a new concept,”said Andreas Knie, head of the project.
Users must first register with Call-A-Bike at a cost of 15 euros(US$14.7).With a simple phone call, they can hire one of the many bikes parked outside stations, at a cost of 3 to 5 cents per minute.At the end of their journey, they ring a computer and tell it where the bike is parked.
The bikes are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
No one will be breaking speed records with Call-A-Bike bicycles.They weigh in at 25 kilograms, at least double the weight of a normal bicycle, though they do have eight gears(齿轮).
“They are pretty heavy, but we don’t want people taking them on the train or into the subway,”Knie said.
They are also designed with parts that do not fit a normal bicycle.Even the screws are irregular and the bike looks so odd that thieves would stand out.
Vandalism and theft have led to the downfall of previous schemes which date back to Amsterdam’s 1966“White Bike”scheme.
In that short-lived experiment, anti-establishment groups painted bikes white and left them around the Dutch capital.
However, many were taken permanently and repainted, while the police took away others on the basis that ownerless bikes were street rubbish.
Copenhagen, Vienna and Helsinki also have free bike schemes, in which users deposit a coin in Copenhagen’s case 20 crowns(US$2.50)-to free a bike from a rack.
“The advantage these schemes have is ease of use.But because they’re so cheap, people tend to hold on to the bikes and then there are none on the streets,”the person in charge said.
Oslo is also planning a bike-hire system where users will pay a symbolic fee of 50 Norwegian crowns(US$6.50)for unlimited use in the city for a year.
Users will buy an electronic identity card as a key that will register when the bike is parked or taken from a rack.
(1)
How many European countries have already launched the free bike schemes?
[ ]
A.
Four.
B.
Five.
C.
Six.
D.
Seven.
(2)
What can be learned about Amsterdam’s 1966“White Bike”scheme?
[ ]
A.
The bicycles were twice as heavy as a normal bicycle.
B.
A heavy rain stopped the scheme from being carried out.
C.
Some bicycles were damaged or stolen and the scheme failed.
D.
The police ended the scheme for traffic safety
(3)
What can be inferred from the text?
[ ]
A.
Bicycles for rent have become as common as newspaper stands and mail boxes on Germany’s street corners.
B.
The bikes in Germany are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
C.
German bicycles for rent are designed specially so that they will draw people’s attention.
D.
Germany has taken some measures to stop the bicycles for rent from being taken away.
Is it time to kick Russia out of the BRICs(金砖四国)?If so, it may end up sounding like a famous ball-point pen maker-BIC.An argument is being made that Goldman Sach's famous marketing device(策略),the BRICs, should really be the BICs.
“Is Russia really worth the name BRICs?”asks Anders Aslund, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, in an article for Foreigh Policy.Aslund, who is also co-author with Andrew Kuchins of“The Russian Balance Sheet”, thinks the Russia of Putin and Medvedev is just not worthy of inclusion alongside Brazil, India and China in the list of future economic powerhouses.He writes:
“The country's economic performance has fallen to such a weak level that one must ask whether it has any say at all on the global economy, compared with the other members of its group.I have just returned from Moscow, which is always dull around this season.For the last seven years, Russia has taken very few measures to improve its economy.Instead, the state has been living on oil and gas.”
Economically, Aslund has the numbers on his side.The International Monetary Fund figures that the Russian economy will fall by 6.7 percent in 2009, while China will grow 8.5 percent and India 5.4 percent.There is less of a case for Brazil, with a fall of 0.7 percent, but it is still doing far better than Russia.
But the BRICs are not just about economy.As is mentioned above, it is a marketing device to encourage investors to focus on the big promising players.From an investment standpoint, it could be argued that Russia is leading the BRICs.Its stock(股票)market is up 128 percent this year while around 80 percent is for the other three.
At very least, however, Russia's economic underperformance and stock market outperfoumance does suggest it is indeed one of the group.
(1)
According to the passage, which country will enjoy the biggest increase in 2009?
[ ]
A.
China.
B.
Russia.
C.
Brazil.
D.
India.
(2)
According to Aslund, Russia shouldn't be a BRIC partly because ________.
[ ]
A.
Russia's economic performance is far worse than the other three
B.
Russia's leaders are not good at managing economy
C.
Russia has taken effective measures to improve its economy
D.
Russia will no longer attract investors from other countries
(3)
From the passage we know that ________.
[ ]
A.
Anders Aslund is working for the Russian government
B.
Russia outperfoumed the other three countries in stock market
C.
most people disagree Russia is included in BRICs
D.
the BRICs would end up being the BICs sooner or later
(4)
The author seems to ________.
[ ]
A.
suggest it's time to kick Russia out of the BRICs?
B.
feel worried about the economy of the BRICs
C.
think Russia is worth being one of the group
D.
show disappointment to Russia's economy
阅读理解
Is it time to kick Russia out of the BRICs(金砖四国)?If so, it may end up sounding like a famous ball-point pen maker-BIC.An argument is being made that Goldman Sach's famous marketing device(策略), the BRICs, should really be the BICs.
“Is Russia really worth the name BRICs?”asks Anders Aslund, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, in an article for Foreign Policy.Aslund, who is also co-author with Andrew Kuchins of“The Russian Balance Sheet”, thinks the Russia of Putin and Medvedev is just not worthy of inclusion alongside Brazil, India and China in the list of future economic powerhouses.He writes:
“The country's economic performance has fallen to such a weak level that one must ask whether it has any say at all on the global economy, compared with the other members of its group.I have just returned from Moscow, which is always dull around this season.For the last seven years, Russia has taken very few measures to improve its economy.Instead, the state has been living on oil and gas.”
Economically, Aslund has the numbers on his side.The International Monetary Fund figures that the Russian economy will fall by 6.7 percent in 2009, while China will grow 8.5 percent and India 5.4 percent.There is less of a case for Brazil, with a fall of 0.7 percent, but it is still doing far better than Russia.
But the BRICs are not just about economy.As is mentioned above, it is a marketing device to encourage investors(投资者)to focus on the big promising players.From an investment standpoint, it could be argued that Russia is leading the BRICs.Its stock market is up 128 percent this year while around 80 percent is for the other three.
At very least, despite Russia's economic underperformance, its stock market outperformance does suggest it is indeed one of the group.
(1)
According to the passage, which country will enjoy the biggest increase in 2009?
[ ]
A.
China
B.
Russia
C.
Brazil
D.
India
(2)
According to Aslund, Russia shouldn't be a BRIC partly because ________.
[ ]
A.
its economic performance is worse than that of the others
B.
its leaders are not good at managing economy
C.
it has taken effective measures to improve its economy
D.
it will no longer attract investors from other countries
(3)
From the passage we know that ________.
[ ]
A.
Anders Aslund is working for the Russian government
B.
Russia outperformed the other three countries in stock market
C.
most people disagree Russia is included in the BRICs
D.
the BRICs would end up being the BICs sooner or later
(4)
The author seems to ________.
[ ]
A.
suggest it's time to kick Russia out of the BRICs
B.
feel worried about the economy of the BRICs
C.
think Russia is worth being one of the group
D.
show disappointment to Russia's economy
阅读理解
Is it time to kick Russia out of the BRICs(金砖四国)?If so, it may end up sounding like a famous ball-point pen maker-BIC.An argument is being made that Goldman Sach’s famous marketing device(策略), the BRICs, should really be the BICs.
“Is Russia really worth the name BRICs?” asks Anders Aslund, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, in an article for Foreign Policy.Aslund, who is also co-author with Andrew Kuchins of “The Russian Balance Sheet”, thinks the Russia of Putin and Medvedev is just not worthy of inclusion alongside Brazil, India and China in the list of future economic powerhouses.He writes:
“The country’s economic performance has fallen to such a weak level that one must ask whether it has any say at all on the global economy, compared with the other members of its group.I have just returned from Moscow, which is always dull around this season.For the last seven years, Russia has taken very few measures to improve its economy.Instead, the state has been living on oil and gas.”
Economically, Aslund has the numbers on his side.The International Monetary Fund figures that the Russian economy will fall by 6.7 percent in 2009, while China will grow 8.5 percent and India 5.4 percent.There is less of a case for Brazil, with a fall of 0.7 percent, but it is still doing far better than Russia.
But the BRICs are not just about economy.As is mentioned above, it is a marketing device to encourage investors(投资者)to focus on the big promising players.From an investment standpoint, it could be argued that Russia is leading the BRICs.Its stock market is up 128 percent this year while around 80 percent is for the other three.
At very least, despite Russia’s economic underperformance, its stock market outperformance does suggest it is indeed one of the group.
(1)
According to the passage, which country will enjoy the biggest increase in 2009?
[ ]
A.
China
B.
Russia
C.
Brazil
D.
India
(2)
According to Aslund, Russia shouldn’t be a BRIC partly because _________.
[ ]
A.
its economic performance is worse than that of the others
B.
its leaders are not good at managing economy
C.
it has taken effective measures to improve its economy
D.
it will no longer attract investors from other countries
(3)
From the passage we know that _________.
[ ]
A.
Anders Aslund is working for the Russian government
B.
Russia outperformed the other three countries in stock market
C.
most people disagree Russia is included in the BRICs
D.
the BRICs would end up being the BICs sooner or later