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Lesson 1 On Your Bike Return of the white bikes! People have been enjoying the benefits of cycling in Amsterdam for years. It is a good city for cycling because it is flat and therefore is convenient for bikes. There are also plenty of places for bicycle parking and most streets in the city centre have a bicycle path. Today some people call Amsterdam the "City of Bicycles" because of the convenience for bicycles there. In the 1960s, a group of cycling fans had an idea. They believed that it would be better for everybody if cars weren't allowed in the city centre and only bicycles were. They were hopeful that this would help to save energy, reduce pollution and provide free public transport. The group painted hundreds of bicycles white and placed them in lots of neighbourhoods around Amsterdam for people to use. Anyone was allowed to take them and use them for short journeys. Wherever someone finished a journey they would leave the bike there for someone else to use. The problem was that it didn't work - thieves took all the bicycles within weeks! However, more than thirty years later, the "white bike" is back in town - this time with a computer chip to record its every move! To take a bicycle, you have to insert a special card. The new "white bike" is not actually white but is an unusual design with bright colours. The bikes are parked at special parking places and people who want to use them have to take them to another special parking place that has enough room. There is already less traffic in central Amsterdam, because both locals and tourists have been using the white bikes. Indeed, thanks to the good ideas of lots of people, like the cycling fans in the 1960s, many people around the world have been enjoying city centre streets without cars for many years. 第一课 骑脚踏车 白色脚踏车重现！ 多年来，阿姆斯特丹人一直享受骑脚踏车的好处。 这是一个骑脚踏车的好城市，因为地面平坦，骑脚踏车很方便。 还有许多停自行车的地方，而且市中心大部分街道都有一条自行车道。 现在，有些人称阿姆斯特丹是“脚踏车城市”，因为在那骑脚踏车很方便。 20世纪60年代，一群脚踏车迷想到一个主意。 他们相信这样对谁都好 如果市中心不允许通汽车，仅通自行车。 他们希望这样会有助于节约能源，减少污染，并提供免费的公共交通工具。 他们把数百辆脚踏车漆成白色，并把它们放在阿姆斯特丹众多街区供人们使用。 任何人都可以骑它们用于短途旅行。 无论在哪结束旅程，他们都会把脚踏车留在那，以便其他人使用。 问题是这个想法无法实施-几个星期内，小偷偷走了所有的脚踏车！ 然而，30多年过后，"白色脚踏车"又回到城市-这次它带有一块记录每次移动的电脑芯片！ 要拿走脚踏车，你必须插入一张特殊卡片。 实际上，新"白色脚踏车"不是白色，而是一种不寻常的亮色设计。 脚踏车停在专门的停车点 而要用它们的人必须把它们放在另一个有足够空间的专门停车点。 阿姆斯特丹中心的交通量已经比以前少了，因为本地人和旅行的人都在用白色脚踏车。 的确，多亏人们献计献策，就像20世纪60年代的脚踏车迷们那样，世界各地许多人多年以来能在市中心享受没有汽车的环境。 |
