阅读理解

　　In 1974, the price of petrol(汽油)in Britain rose by 120 percent：cars became expensive to run and train and bus fares(车费)increased．People who hadn’t used a bike since they were children decided that they would buy one．They discovered that biking could be enjoyable…and cheap．

　　Bike sales had been falling for many years－but suddenly everything changed．In 1975, British people spent more than ￡1 million on bikes．Bike traffic(交通)increased by 11 percent．

　　Bike fans compare(比较)cost of running a car with the cost of running a bike．They also say bike riding is a good form of exercise．In towns bikes can often be faster than cars or buses．The biker can ride through traffic blocks and at the end of his journey he doesn’t have to look for a parking space．Biking through the countryside is a real pleasure：the biker has time to see things that the motorist, driving at over 100 kilometres an hour never see．

　　But in the cities, biking can be dangerous．You need all attention and strong nerves, especially when a truck or a bus is trying to pass you．Since biking became popular again, there has been an increase in the number of accidents．

　　Bikers say the answer to the problem is to separate bikes from other traffic．Stevenage, a new town near London, has a system of “bikeways”, where only bikers are allowed to travel．However, in most towns, say bikers, the needs of the bike rider are overlooked．Bikers have formed into “action groups” in many towns in Britain．They want to persuade local departments－who are in charge of the roads and traffic in their areas－to make sure there are safe equipments for bikers．Or, they say, interest in biking will die．