Finding the Lost FreedomChildren’s independent access to their local streets may be important for their own personal, mental and psychological development. Allowing them to know their own neighborhood and community gives them a "sense of place". This depends on "active exploration". which is not provided for when children are passengers in cars. (Such children may see more, but they learn less.) Not only is it important that children be able to get to local play areas by themselves, but walking and cycling journeys to school and to other destinations provide genuine play activities in themselves.There are very significant time and money costs their children to school, sport and to other locations. For parents associated with transporting.Tile reduction in children’s freedom may also contribute to a weakening of the sense of local community. As fewer children and adults use the streets as pedestrians, these streets become less sociable place. There is less opportunity for children and adults to have the spontaneous exchanges that help to engender a feeling of community. This in itself may exacerbate fears associated with assault and molestation of children, because there are fewer adults available to know their neighbors’ children, and who can look out for their safety.The extra traffic involved in transporting children results in increased traffic congestion, pollution and accident risk. As our roads become more dangerous, more parents drive their children to more places, thus contributing to increased levels of danger for the remaining pedestrians. Anyone who has experienced either the reduced volume of traffic in peak hour during school holidays, or the traffic jams near school at the end of a school day, will not need convincing about these points. Thus, there are also important environmental implications of children’s loss of freedom.As individuals, parents strive to provide the best upbringing they can for their children. However, in doing so, (e. g. by driving their children to sport, school or recreation) parents may be contributing to a more dangerous environment for children generally. The idea that streets are for cars and backyards and playgrounds are for children’s is a strongly held belief, and parents have little choice as individuals but to keep their children off the streets if they want to protect their safety.In many parts of Dutch cities, and some traffic-calmed precincts in Germany, residential streets are now places where cars must give way to pedestrians. In these areas, residents are accepting the view that the function of streets is not solely to provide mobility for cars. Streets may also be for social interaction, walking, cycling and playing. One of the most important aspects of these European cities, in terms of giving cities hack to children, has been a range of "traffic calming" initiatives, aimed at reducing the volume speed of traffic. These initiatives have had complex interactive effects, leading to a sense that children have been able to do this in safety. Recent research has demonstrated that children in many German cities have significantly higher levels of freedom to travel to places in their own neighborhood or city than children in other cities in the world.Modifying cities in order to enhance children’s self-awareness will become more environmentally sustainable, as well as more sociable and more livable for all city residents. Perhaps it will be our concern for our children’s welfare that convinces us that we need to challenge the dominance of the car in our cities.41.Children should play______.42.In some German towns, pedestrians______.43.Streets should also be used for______.44.Reducing the amount Of traffic and the speed is______.45.All people who live in the city will benefit if cities______. 44()
A. traffic calming
B. a dangerous environment
C. on residential streets
D. modified
E. neighborhoods
F. socializing
G. in backyards
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With 950 million people, India ranks second to China among the most populous countries. But since China (1) a family planning program in 1971, India has been dosing the (2) . Indians have reduced their birth rate but not nearly (3) the Chinese have. If current growth rates continue, India’s population will (4) China’s around the year 2028 (5) about 1.7 billion.Should that happen, it won’t be the (6) of the enlightened women of Kerala, a state in southern India. (7) India as a whole adds almost 20 million people a year, Kerala’s population is virtually (8) . The reason is no mystery: nearly two-thirds of Kerala women practice birth control, (9) about 40% in the entire nation.The difference (10) the emphasis put on health programs (11) birth control, by the state authorities, (12) in 1957 became India’s first elected Communist (13) . And an educational tradition and matrilineal customs in parts of Kerala help girls and boys get (14) good schooling. While one in three Indian women is (15) , 90% of those in Kerala can read and write. Higher literacy rates (16) family planning. "Unlike our parents, we know that we can do more for our children if we have (17) of them," says Laila Cherian, 33, who lives in the village of Kudamaloor. She has limited herself (18) three children-one below the national (19) of four. That kind of restraint will keep Kerala from putting added (20) on world food supplies. 8()
A. reliable
B. stable
C. countable
D. flexible
With 950 million people, India ranks second to China among the most populous countries. But since China (1) a family planning program in 1971, India has been dosing the (2) . Indians have reduced their birth rate but not nearly (3) the Chinese have. If current growth rates continue, India’s population will (4) China’s around the year 2028 (5) about 1.7 billion.Should that happen, it won’t be the (6) of the enlightened women of Kerala, a state in southern India. (7) India as a whole adds almost 20 million people a year, Kerala’s population is virtually (8) . The reason is no mystery: nearly two-thirds of Kerala women practice birth control, (9) about 40% in the entire nation.The difference (10) the emphasis put on health programs (11) birth control, by the state authorities, (12) in 1957 became India’s first elected Communist (13) . And an educational tradition and matrilineal customs in parts of Kerala help girls and boys get (14) good schooling. While one in three Indian women is (15) , 90% of those in Kerala can read and write. Higher literacy rates (16) family planning. "Unlike our parents, we know that we can do more for our children if we have (17) of them," says Laila Cherian, 33, who lives in the village of Kudamaloor. She has limited herself (18) three children-one below the national (19) of four. That kind of restraint will keep Kerala from putting added (20) on world food supplies. 15()
A. cultural
B. literate
C. native
D. responsible
With 950 million people, India ranks second to China among the most populous countries. But since China (1) a family planning program in 1971, India has been dosing the (2) . Indians have reduced their birth rate but not nearly (3) the Chinese have. If current growth rates continue, India’s population will (4) China’s around the year 2028 (5) about 1.7 billion.Should that happen, it won’t be the (6) of the enlightened women of Kerala, a state in southern India. (7) India as a whole adds almost 20 million people a year, Kerala’s population is virtually (8) . The reason is no mystery: nearly two-thirds of Kerala women practice birth control, (9) about 40% in the entire nation.The difference (10) the emphasis put on health programs (11) birth control, by the state authorities, (12) in 1957 became India’s first elected Communist (13) . And an educational tradition and matrilineal customs in parts of Kerala help girls and boys get (14) good schooling. While one in three Indian women is (15) , 90% of those in Kerala can read and write. Higher literacy rates (16) family planning. "Unlike our parents, we know that we can do more for our children if we have (17) of them," says Laila Cherian, 33, who lives in the village of Kudamaloor. She has limited herself (18) three children-one below the national (19) of four. That kind of restraint will keep Kerala from putting added (20) on world food supplies. 20()
A. increase
B. challenge
C. pressure
D. complaint
Text 3In 1949, when the People’s Republic of China was founded, China had just 207 higher educational institutions, and only 117,000 students. Today it has 1032 institutes, 3,021,100 students, and 402,500 teachers. Despite such progress, reforming China’s higher education is currently an issue of widespread concern.Students in China’s middle schools learn how to achieve high test scores so they can attend colleges and universities. This learning continues throughout their college lives. The subject specialties at China’s higher educational institutions are divided carefully, with no cross - communication among the subjects. This has caused students’ knowledge to be restricted to their major subject.Even though students study hard in the classroom, achieve high test scores, and solve academic problems easily, they lack creativity and a working knowledge of other fields. Many suffer a lack of character because such humanistic topics as morality and ethics are omitted from their studies.In the hope of improving the moral awareness of its college graduates, China is reforming its higher educational system, adding more humanistic content to strengthen students’ individuality, humanitarianism and creativity. If successful, future Chinese college students will not only be experts in their fields, they also will have knowledge in a broad range of topics, respect the dignity and worth of all creatures, and care about the environment. The State Education Commission has finally decided to adjust college and university subject majors with the intent of increasing students’ exposure to the humanities. This will be an important reform in China’s higher education.Another serious problem is that courses and textbooks at China’s institutions of higher learning are out of date and do not report the latest academic and scientific achievements. In 1996, 221 reforms on college course content were approved for agriculture, the liberal arts, science and engineering, medical science, finance and law.The third problem is that the administration, management, enrollment and distribution systems at China’s educational institutions are holdovers from the planned economy, and were designed to support those economic conditions. As China transforms itself from a planned to a market economy, reform of these systems is needed urgently to support the demands of employers. In the past, China’s colleges and universities were managed by the State Education Commission and various Chinese ministries. This approach created a large number of single—field institutions. Since 1996, several reforms have been put in place, such as merging single—field institutions into comprehensive universities with broader subject majors, granting educational institutions more autonomy, allowing enterprises to help fund colleges and in return recruit graduates for work, transferring control to local administrations as a way to better serve local economic development.A more mature higher education system is now taking a shape as China approaches the 21st century. Which subject at China’s higher educational institutions is divided carefully with no cross communication among the subjects ?()
A. the liberal arts
B. the humanities
C. specialties
D. majors