I began cycling in 2004 when I was a poor student. It was dangerous, sure, but cycling is the fastest, cheapest point-to-point form of transport in Melbourne. I own a car now, but that's just for transporting the baby or groceries.

    I hate driving. So it's been quite encouraging watching the growth in cyclist numbers over the past decade. It is estimated that 10,000-plus cyclists enter the CBD (Central Business District) each day, taking pressure off public transport. But as more people take to cycling as a mode of transport, the number of cyclists seriously injured or killed keeps climbing. And that is a sign that our infrastructure (基础设施) is still not good enough.

    Melbourne was once a dream for cyclists-flat, long, wide roads, with plenty of paths along rivers. Now, cycling can be deadly, with roads dominated by cars. I have a friend who broke her back and was lucky to escape paralysis, and others with broken bones. In my time riding, I've been forced off the road by a truck, cut off by four-wheel drives, and told to get off the road.

    These things don't exactly happen to trams and buses, those other slow coaches on Melbourne's roads. No—drivers reserve a particular savagery (残暴行为) for cyclists. And that's a sign of exactly one thing: inadequate infrastructure.

    We shouldn't need to be taught how to coexist in the same narrow space. Drivers and cyclists should be kept apart. The present debate over how to minimize “dooring” is a distraction.

    Dooring is not a legal problem. You cannot legislate (制定法律) it away. Designing bike paths so riders are channelled between moving cars and parked cars is deadly. All it takes is one daydreaming driver to fling open the door and you are gone. That's what happened to the young university student James Cross.

    This year, there are to be new anti-dooring lanes (车道) built on Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn, where Cross died in 2010. But these lanes are not safe. Cyclists must still pass between two rows of cars.

    With Disney parks recently raising their ticket prices to $89 now is the perfect time to start thinking about smaller, regional theme parks. Here are four theme parks where the daily price of adult admission is under $50.

    Luna Park, Coney Island, NY.

    How much you spend in enjoying Luna Park really depends on which rides you choose to go on. For anyone as indecisive as I am, stick with the $29 four-hour Unlimited Luna Park Ride Wristband or the $39 Ride and Play package, a four-hour unlimited ride wristband that comes with a $20 game card.

    Dorney Park, Allentown, PA.

    Dorney Park is a popular theme park located about an hour outside of Philadelphia. Kids love Planet Snoopy, a fun area with attractions centered around the lovable Snoopy. Adult tickets are available online for $39.99 (or at the gate for $49.99) and kids are $27.99 online or ($29.99 at the gate). You can also buy a Starlight Admission ($27.99 online or at the gate), good for visits between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. during the summer months when the park is open late, or from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. when the park closes earlier.

    Knotts Berry Farm, Buena Park, CA.

    Home to some of the country's craziest rides, Knotts Berry Farm also has calmer, more family-friendly rides. Ages 12-61 get in for $39.99 when tickets are bought online, while children ages 3-11 and adults over 62 pay $26.99.

    Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, CA.

    Sitting on the warm beaches of Santa Cruz — about 90 minutes south of San Francisco — the Boardwalk is home to big roller coasters, mini-golf, enough food and games to keep people of all ages busy. The best part? An all-day unlimited rides wristband is only $31.95.

    To start a conversation about the secret to happiness, ABC News' health editor Dr. Richard Besser hosted a Twitter chat Tuesday.  Experts from the National Institutes of Health, Mayo Clinic, Harvard University and TEDMED, as well as clinicians and people from across the country, joined the one-hour discussion. There are countless ways to measure happiness. With research on the topic increasing, researchers have carried out surveys to study people's sense of well-being.

    Angela Haupt, health and wellness editor for U.S. News and World Report, said, “Happiness indicators include life satisfaction, health and community engagement.”

    @toddkashdan added that, “despite problems with self-reports, there is no better way to measure happiness than focusing on personal thoughts and feelings.”

    While scientists try to find out what caused happiness, others often believe that true joy doesn't exist. Dr Friedman, a psychiatrist at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Hospital, said that “happiness is hard to measure, but easy to recognize.”

    Still, common themes about satisfaction come up in these conversations. Finding meaning in daily work was important. Indeed, researchers have found that having creative and purposeful work to do is a key factor in happiness.  But people were quick to state the importance of balancing work and family obligations.

    Chat participants(参与者) agreed that money does not surely bring happiness. And studies agree once people's basic needs like food and housing are met, higher incomes do little to improve your happiness.  At last, people found value in their connections with others.  Research shows that having support through friends, family, and social networks can bring happiness.  Many agree with @drmommy, who said “I measure my happiness by the loving people that are around me.”

    So, can we increase our happiness?  Expressing gratitude(感激) is a possible way of feeling happiness. Researchers have found that people who regularly write down things for which they are grateful in “gratitude journals” have increased satisfaction in life, higher energy levels, and improved health.  In one study, people who read a letter of appreciation to someone in their lives prove happier almost one month later.  Performing acts of kindness can raise your moods

    Data show that our relationships matter, too. People who are interested in meaningful conversations with friends or family are reported to be happier than those who don't. Close interpersonal ties and strong social support are important for happiness.

    From the earliest times, man has been interested in art. People have often worked together to collect and save the world's art treasures.

    Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris, France. The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries.

    The Louvre has not always been a museum. The first building was a fort(炮台).In 1190, it was the king's castle with high walls and a round tower. It had a moat to prevent his enemies from walking in.

    Over the years, the number of buildings around the castle grew. By 1350, the castle was no longer needed as a fort. The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens.

    During times of peace, new treasures were brought in. During days of war, many treasures were stolen, and the buildings were damaged.

    When Francis I became king of France in 1515, he brought in artists from many countries. One of the artists was Leonardo Da Vinci from Italy. Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" is the best known painting in the museum today.

    In 1793, the Louvre became a public museum, just as it is now. It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy.

    One family, which moved from Japan and settled at the turn of the century near San Francisco, had built a business in which they grew roses and trucked them into San Francisco three mornings a week.

    The other family also marketed roses. For almost four decades the two families were neighbors, and the sons took over the farms, but then on December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Although the rest of the family members were American, the father of the Japanese family had never been naturalized. As they planned to leave the country, his neighbor made it clear that, if necessary, he would look after his friend's nursery (花圃). It was something each family had learned in church-Love the neighbor as themselves. "You would do the same for us," he told his Japanese friend.

    It was not long before the Japanese family was transported to a poor landscape in Canada. A full year went by. Then two. Then three. While the Japanese neighbors were in Canada, their friends worked in the greenhouses. Sometimes the father's work could stretch to 16 and 17 hours. And then one day, when the war in Europe had ended, the Japanese family packed up and boarded a train. They were going home.

    What would they find? The family was met at the train station by their neighbors, and when they got to their home, the whole Japanese family were shocked. There was the nursery, complete, clean and shining in the sunlight, neat, prosperous and healthy. And the house was just as clean and welcoming as the nursery. And there on the dining room ground was one perfect red (玫瑰花蕾), just waiting to unfold-the gift of one neighbor to another.

Polly Townsend

    PART THREE READING COMPREHENSION

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A,B,C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage. (20%)

    "Mummy, I don't know what to play with. " Steve interrupts his mother, who is talking to a friend, for the fourth time. "You've got a room full of toys!" his mother says, impatiently, In fact it is the jumble of toys which is to blame for four -year-old Steve's lack of interest in his dolls, cars and stuffed （packed）animals. Each morning he tips out three washing baskets of toys all over his floor, listlessly pulls out something and shortly after is standing at his mother's desk or following her into the kitchen saying: "Mummy, I am bored."

    A family therapist(治疗专家)explains why children lose interest when they have a whole "toy shop" at home : "According to their brain development, little children are not in a position to judge the quality of a variety of things at once. There is always just one favorite toy for the moment. All the rest is left lying about." What can parents do to stop their children from being oversupplied with toys? Under no conditions simply make something disappear without the child's knowledge. If he/she takes no more notice of a toy, a parent can ask if it can be stored or given away. Be warned though the child will help. Lyn is the mother of four-year-old Jessie, and holds the toys and books that are the current（at present）favorites. When it seems to her that her daughter is tired from a cupboard in another room. The box of "old" toys goes into the cupboard. When her child says she is "bored", they also get something from her cupboard—it may be something she has had for some time but because she hasn't seen it for a while it is almost like a new toy.

    Some favorite toys stay out all the time, and there is collection of dolls which sits in the comer, but in this way Lyn has found that she has fewer toys to put away at the end of the day and her daughter always has something "fresh" to play with.