“Everybody in this city wants a car, and I’m no exception. A car brings with it the freedom to travel”, said a friend of mine while reading a car magazine. I might not agree with him, but no doubt he was speaking for a rapidly growing number of middle-class Chinese. While it is true that all the waiting, walking, being part of a crowd, and sweating, are somewhat unpleasant, there are many problems which can arise when our lives rely too much on this invention.
First of all, in terms of polluting the environment, driving a car is the worst act an average person can commit. Beijing now finds itself at the top of the list of the most polluted capital cities in the world with Mexico City in the second place. Research also shows that by 2010 around 90% of total pollutants in Shanghai have come from cars. These pollutions are extremely dangerous to our health. They can damage the lungs, cause cancer, and damage the brain.
Apart from environmental problems, relying too much on cars also creates social problems such as traffic jams, road accidents, and noise pollution. The jeeps that proudly drive through the Hutongs in Beijing as if they are in a race often annoy me, and to make it worse, these drivers seldom respect cyclists.
Of course, we cannot forget the convenience that cars bring us when we need to travel far, but I often find it faster to cycle from one place to another within the city of Beijing, especially with the growing traffic jams.
Since people travel further and more frequently than before, cars will certainly be important in the future. At the same time, however, let us work hard to make sure that this invention brings us a more convenient lifestyle rather than trouble and disease. Let us make good use of cars.
小题1:What is this passage mainly about?
A．Environmental problems.
B．Traffic jams in Beijing.
C．Problems brought about by cars.
D．Benefits of using cars.小题2: The underlined word commit in Paragraph 2 has the close meaning as ____ .
A．do something right or legal
B．do something wrong or illegal
C．do something good and meaningful
D．do something bad and meaningless小题3:What do we know about the author?
A．The author doesn’t want a car.
B．The author agrees that a car offers freedom to travel.
C．The author suggests that we should rely on bicycles.
D．The author thinks that the invention of cars leads to many problems.小题4:In Paragraph 3, what does the author mean by saying “The jeeps… often annoy me”?
A．The author is troubled by the way jeeps are driven in the Hutongs of Beijing.
B．The author thinks that Hutongs are too narrow for jeeps to drive through.
C．The author thinks that the jeeps are too noisy.
D．The author is worried that more accidents are caused by jeeps than any other cars.小题5:What is the author’s idea in Paragraphs 4 and 5 ?
A．Cars are only convenient for people traveling far.
B．We should all give up cars and ride bicycles.
C．Cars have brought us more convenience than troubles.
D．We should choose between the car and the bicycle according to the situation.
