Cities in Europe and around the world may be growing “bike trees” in the near future. Invented by Japan’s JFE engineering Corp., the invention proved useful in the busiest parts of this nation’s crowded cities.
Local governments of Japan have struggled for ways to encourage people to park their bikes considerately, particularly close to big stations, but that may block some roads and entrances to home and businesses. “Our cities do not have a lot of space for any kind of parking, including bicycles.” said Mitsuharu Oshima, a spokesman for JFE Engineering. The bike tree comes in two types; one in a tower that is above ground, and on the contrary, the other in a subterranean structure.
A cyclist registers（登记）with the operator of the equipment, pays a monthly fee and pushes the wheels of his bicycle into restraints at the base of the bike tree. Each bicycle is fitted with an electronic card with the owner’s details. A mechanical arm then pulls the bike into the base of the tower and moves it to a free location inside. To collect the bike later, the cyclist puts his card through a reader and his bike is automatically (自动地)returned to him in seconds. “The science of the equipment has been difficult----even though they may look simple ----because bikes come in many different shapes and sizes.” said Oshima.
As well as clearing away the road, bicycles cannot be stolen from a bike tree. There are presently versions at seven sites in Japan and two others are under construction, while work is under way on an even larger version----with room for 9,400 bicycles---in Thailand. And Oshima believes that the idea could catch on in Europe, particularly in countries such as France, Holland and Denmark, where cycling is so popular.
小题1: What is the right order of the following things when you use the bike tree?
① the wheels of the bicycle are put into restraints at the base
② the card is read and the bike is automatically returned
③ an electronic card with the owner’s details is given
④ the bike is pulle
d and moved to a free location inside
A．③②①④
B．②①④③
C．③①④②
D．②④③①小题2:What made it difficult to design “bike trees”?
A．The location of “bike trees”
B．The differences of the bikes
C．The method of finding enough bikes
D．The importance of traffic safety小题3: From the passage, we can know that___________.
A．cyclists can use “bike trees” for free in Japan
B．there are seven “bike trees” used for holding bikes in Japan
C．local government of Japan encourage people to ride bikes
D．countries with many cyclists in Europe will like the idea of “bike trees’
