In 1860, a Chinese functionary (公职人员)in Paris saw something that no Chinese had ever seen before: "On avenues, people ride on a vehicle with only two wheels which are held together by a pipe. They dash along like galloping(飞驰的)horses. " This strange vehicle was, of course, a bicycle. One hundred years later, Chinese by the millions would be riding like "galloping horses" and the country would be known as the "Bicycle Kingdom".

Things change, however. As China has gotten richer, "car culture" has replaced "bicycle culture". In the 1990s, there were 670 million bicycles in China. Today, there are only 120 million, but efforts are being made to get people back on their bikes in order to improve their health and the environment.

Beijing has built a 6. 5-kilometer "bicycle highway" so that riders won't have to deal with the dangers of riding on car-crowded city streets. And Zhejiang province plans to build 10,000 kilometers of "green cycle paths" for commuters. Shanghai is trying to make bike riding more popular by having an annual Tour de France Shanghai competition with professional riders from around the world.

I have always thought of bicycles as personal freedom vehicles. The Chinese word zixingche does carry that meaning. You can go anywhere you want to, whenever you want to. You don't have to buy gas or charge the battery. You don't have to wait for the bus or ask your parents for a ride in the car. You just get on your bike and go. And, as you pedal along lovely tree-lined streets, you can feel your body working and getting stronger and healthier.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause concern, I'm looking forward to the reemergence(重现)of China's cycling scene, as a means of recreation(娱乐；消遣). People hop on bikes in the wind, not to get to and from work, but just to hang out around town, especially on a clear spring or autumn afternoon.

Fang Husheng is a bright, lively, 82-year-old woman from Beijing who is learning to use a smartphone, but it's been a struggle. "Technology advances so fast. What is supposed to make life easier is instead causing problems for us old people," she says.

Fang grew up in a simpler age when you had to actually leave your house to shop, buy a train ticket or make a doctor's appointment. Now all of these things can be done with a smartphone and, in some cases, only with a smartphone. Recently an elderly man in Dalian was unable to travel on the subway because, to enter the subway, his QR health code needed to be scanned. "What is a QR code?" the man asked. "I have money to buy a ticket, why do I need a smartphone?" In the end, he left the station, feeling confused and embarrassed.

I can certainly sympathize with (同情) Fang and the man from Dalian. They have spent their entire lives contributing to society and now they feel excluded from that society. But what can be done? One group of volunteer college students is trying to help. They are called See Young and they help the elderly learn how to use smartphones. However, teaching old folks about smartphones is only one part of the problem.

Many older people have physical and health issues. Poor eyesight makes reading characters on small screens difficult. And "leathery fingers" (it means their fingers are less sensitive) make it hard to use touch screens.

There are about 255 million elderly people in China and by 2030, one quarter of the population will be over 60 years of age. New technology and new solutions are going to be needed to make sure that these old folks aren't left by the side of the road as the rest of society races past.

The journey of self is often nothing more than an exercise in patience and in the management of expectations. Many years ago, I was getting ready to leave home for college. I had the hope that I could finally answer the questions that had been bothering me since the beginning days of my high school years: what did I want to do; who did I want to be; what would make my life truly meaningful? I felt certain that I would be picking up the answers along the way. And there was this belief that the me who had spent many a day thinking over such things would one day suddenly pop out from his chrysalis (蝶蛹)like a caterpillar (毛毛虫) does when it becomes a butterfly. But alas, my change from caterpillar to butterfly was like being stuck in an endless queue for a ride at a Disney park. It took me a long time to realize that there is no such thing as a fast-pass in life.

——Daisy

The journey of self is often nothing more than a tug-of-war (拔河)match between who we see ourselves to be, and how others view us. I had been considerably shy growing up, and often had trouble talking with new people. This made my high school years even more difficult as I had moved from my hometown and had registered in three different high schools over that period of time. It was at this time that I started to follow my own interests and to better understand and develop my own sense of self. However, the self is in fact partly formed by how others see us. There is a natural tension (矛盾)between our inner sense of self, and how other people see us. The general rule is that the truer you remain to your internal sense of self, the more likely it is that people will like and admire you.

—Emily

Have you ever tried skiing?  Skis are long, mostly flat pieces of metal, wood, or plastic. Skiers attach them to their shoes and use them to get over snow, often down a mountain slope. Nordic skiing and Alpine skiing are major events of the Winter Olympic.

Nordic skiing started in Norway and other countries of north Europe. Cross-country skiing takes place on open, hilly land. A cross-country skier must be able to ski uphill, downhill, and cross flat areas. As for a ski-jumping competition, the skier gets down a steep ramp (斜坡) that curves upward at the end. The skier leaps off the end and tries to "fly" as far as possible and then lands on his or her feet.

Alpine events include downhill and slalom racing. Downhill racing is the fastest and most dangerous of all skiing events. The skiers go down a long, steep course that may have large bumps (隆起物). Along the course are gates formed by single poles or pairs of poles. The skier must ski between them and stay on the course. The winner is the skier who completes the course in the shortest time. Slalom racing is similar to downhill racing. However, a slalom course is shorter and more winding (蜿蜒的) than a downhill course.

A. It requires the skier to make high-speed turns.

B. Alpine skiing started in the Alps of central Europe.

C. Skiing is a winter sport that involves the use of skis.

D. The skier who leaps the farthest and has the best style is the winner.

E. Nordic skiing events include cross-country racing and ski jumping.

F. The skier races over and around large bumps of snow called moguls.

G. They are allowed to touch gates with their bodies as long as their skis stay on the course.

A funny thing happened to me the other day. I was in a hurry to get to work and I found that my car wasn't working. I had to 1 out of the house to catch the bus. 2 I was walking along the street, I 3 a woman of about my age on the opposite side of the road. I looked at her again and I 4 that we had met before. She arrived at the bus stop a couple of seconds after me. "She must be 5 the bus, too," I thought.

We had just 6 the previous bus and we had fifteen minutes to 7 before the next one. I looked at the woman 8 me again and I was 9 that I knew her.

"Excuse me, have we met before? I'm sure that I 10 you," I said. She looked a bit 11, but she told me that her name was Angela Barker. "You studied history at Liverpool University," I 12, "from 1985 to 1988!"

"That's right!" she 13, "And you're Claire?"

"Lewis. Well, my name is Lewis, but I'm married now. What are you 14 nowadays?" I asked.

"Well, I work in the Central Museum in town and I've 15 in this area, in George Street, for about three years," she replied.

"You are joking! I live 16 the corner from there. I don't believe it! We've been 17 for three years and we've 18 seen each other!" I said.

"I know it's unbelievable!" she 19, "And I'm glad that you spoke to me because I 20 why you were looking at me all the time!"

London is one of the largest cities in the world.population is smaller than that of Tokyo or Shanghai, but it is one of the most popular tourist(destination) of all. London is probably most famousits museums, galleries, palaces and other sights, but it also includes a(wide) range of peoples, cultures and religions than many other places. People used(say) that it was the dirtiest city too, but it is now much cleaner than it  (be).To the surprise of many people, it now has some of the best restaurants in Europe too, makes London the most exciting city in Europe.  (unfortunate), London is definitely not the least expensive city in Europe, thoughholiday in London is good value for money,  (consider) what there is to see and do in it.

1）多和同学们交流，不断练习汉语口语；

2）尽量多了解中国文化，尽快适应这里的生活。

注意：

1）词数80左右；

2）书信格式及开头已给出（不计入总词数）。

Dear John,

I'm really pleased to learn that you will come to my school as an exchange student.

…

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua