奇速英语

On a Monday morning in Amsterdam, the work day began as usual for Jim. When finishing his coffee, Jim checked text messages on his phone. Then, he got his bag and went to the nearest railway station. He wasn’t there to take the train, though. Instead, Jim chose one of the public bicycles lined up outside the station. After unlocking a bike with a smart card, he set out for his job on the other side of the city. He joined other cyclists in the bike lanes (道), safely separated from car traffic.

Amsterdam wasn’t always bicycle friendly. In fact, cycling used to be dangerous, especially during the second half of the twentieth century. This was a time of rapid growth in Amsterdam. As people got richer, they were able to afford expensive goods such as cars. For the first time, driving became popular. Highways were built for cars. This meant there was less space for cyclists. Having had a long tradition of cycling, this was a big change for the city. As car traffic increased, so did the number of biking accidents. Many of the cyclists were children.

People in Amsterdam were angry. They organized protests (抗议) in the city streets. Government officers listened. Hoping to solve the problem quickly, they started to think of ways to make the city safe for cyclists again. Soon there were separate bike lanes, and some areas were closed to cars forever. The changes were so effective (有效的) that today Amsterdam is a model of biking safety for other cities around the world.