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共享单车
A bicycle-sharing system, public bicycle system, or bike-share scheme, is a service in which bicycles are made available for shared use to individuals on a very short term basis. Bike share schemes allow people to borrow a bike from point "A" and return it at point "B". Many bike-share systems offer subscriptions that make the first 30–45 minutes of use either free or very inexpensive, encouraging use as transportation. This allows each bike to serve several users per day. In most bike-share cities, casual riding over several hours or days is better served by bicycle rental than by bike-share. For many systems, smartphone mapping apps show nearby stations with available bikes and open docks.
Bike-share began in Europe in 1965 and a viable format emerged in the mid-2000s thanks to the introduction of information technology. As of June 2014, public bike sharing systems were available in 50 countries on five continents, including 712 cities, operating approximately 806,200 bicycles at 37,500 stations. As of May 2011, the Wuhan and Hangzhou Public Bicycle bike-share systems in China were the largest in the world, with around 90,000 and 60,000 bicycles respectively. The Vélib' in Paris bicycle stations, is the largest outside of China. The countries with the most systems are Spain (132), Italy (104), and China (79).
Bicycle-sharing systems can be divided into two general categories: "Community Bike programmes" organised mostly by local community groups or non-profit organisations; and "Smart Bike programmes" implemented by government agencies, sometimes in a public–private partnership. The central concept of these systems is to provide free or affordable access to bicycles for short-distance trips in an urban area as an alternative to motorized public transport or private vehicles, thereby reducing traffic congestion, noise, and air pollution. Bicycle-sharing systems have also been cited as a way to solve the "last mile" problem and connect users to public transit networks.
The reasons people use bike-share vary considerably. Some who would otherwise use their own bicycle have concerns about theft or vandalism, parking or storage, and maintenance requirements. However, with limits on the number of places where bicycles can be rented or returned, the service resembles public transit, and has therefore been criticised as less convenient than a privately owned bicycle used door-to-door. Government-run bicycle-sharing programmes can also prove costly to the public unless subsidised by commercial interests, typically in the form of advertising on stations or the bicycles themselves.
网购快递对交通的影响
On the surface, shopping online seems environmentally friendly: it eliminates car trips and carbon emissions. But what about the emissions from fleets of delivery vehicles bringing orders to houses? Delivery trucks also contribute substantially to the burden of PM 2.5, which is associated with many effects on human health.
Researchers recently conducted a survey of downtown Newark residents’ shopping habits and preferences to calculate the quantity of goods purchased online. They also used the information from delivery companies about the number of trucks on the road and the number of packages per truck to determine how many delivery trucks are required to distribute home shopping purchases. Finally, the researchers used transportation simulation software and data from local transportation authorities to determine the effect of delivery trucks on the transportation network, focusing on an area of downtown Newark that includes a portion of the university’s campus. They conducted
similar analyses in 2001, at the dawn of the online shopping era, and again in 2008.
Curiously, the 2008 data suggested that home shopping in Newark had grown by only 14.8% since 2001. That’s much less than the researchers predicted in their earlier study. It also co ntrasts with data from other researchers showing that internet shopping increased six-fold between 2001 and 2011.
This is an unexpected finding. However, a large proportion of their survey respondents were university students, and the convenience of internet shopping may appeal more to people who are running a household. Also, the researchers’ latest data are from 2008, which suggests that their study underestimates the effect of home shopping on the transportation network.
In any case, the researchers found that even though home shopping by residents of Newark grew more slowly than anticipated, traffic in 2008 was worse than they had predicted, for more home shopping purchases increase travel time, traffic delays, and vehicle emissions of the transportation network.
While some previous studies suggest that e-commerce is associated with lower carbon emissions than traditional retail, other researchers have warned of a “rebound effect,” which occurs when gains in efficiency merely stimulate new consumption. Something similar may be going on in Newark, the results suggest.
“We found that the total number of vehicles miles travelled hasn’t decreased at all with the growth of online shopping,” says study leader Arde Faghri. “This suggests that people a re using the time saved by Internet shopping to do things like eating out at restaurants, going to the movies, or visiting friends.”
电子犯罪
Everyone in the UK seems to agree that recorded crime is decreasing. This is one of the arguments the government is using to justify its savage cuts in police budgets. All we have to do now is to get the police more efficient ---- working smarter, making better use of It. Reduction in crime means we don’t need so many police officers.
This belief is based on a false premise. Recorded crime is declining, but that’s largely due to the fact that crime has moved from the physical world to cyberspace or the Internet: cybercrime is much safer and more appealing. The rewards are much greater, and the risks of being caught and convicted are vanishingly small. So if you’re a rational criminal with a reasonable IQ, why would you bother robbing people, breaking into houses, stealing cars and doing all the other things that old-style crooks do ---- and that old-style cops are good at catching them doing?
Each senior police officer believes that cybercrime has been at alarming levels but none seems confident that our law enforcement system can deal with it. These views are supported by the experiences of the 5% of UK internet users who have been the victims of various cybercrime; they report a variety of responses---almost none of them helpful ----from the local police forces to whom they turn for help.
One good reason is that the criminals are hard to identify or turn out to be operating abroad. Other reasons include bureaucratic inertia, lack of technical knowledge and a shortage of resources, which means that cybercrime receives lower priority than other, more urgent, responsibilities. Or simply the fact that officers often don’t take it seriously.
It’s exceedingly difficult to measure accurately, for a variety of reasons ---- the spectrum of wrongdoing, the fact that much of it is under-reported and widely distributed, and the high cost
that includes not only the actual damage done, but the costs of self-protection and the costs of clearing up after an attack. And then there are the opportunity costs: for example, security software used by online merchants typically rejects 4.3% of orders out of fear of fraud, even though many of those potential orders are in fact genuine.
The reality we face is that cybercrime is vast and flourishing. But do not expect to hear much about it in the election. What we actually need are more policemen on the net.
锻炼身体的好处
Declaring that physical exercise is one of the most powerful medicines to help improve our quality of life is not an exaggeration. The World Health Organization expressed the same view in its 2002 World Health Report，emphasizing that the damage produced by lack of physical activity was equal to the strong probability of serious illness such as heart disease and even some kinds of cancer.
Those who have embraced an active lifestyle for years are familiar with the sort of physical and psychological benefits that come from exercise. Nevertheless a lot of people would never think of physical activity as a way of feeling better, simply because they don’t t hink they are in need of it，or because they are lazy or maintain that they haven’t got enough time.
There are many positive effects that result from physical exercise and they are not only concerned with the physical aspects but also psychological and social ones.
Beginning with the physical benefits，physical activity improves the life of the heart，burns off fat，lowers high blood pressure，makes tissues more resistant，and increases muscle flexibility and joint mobility.
On a psychological level，physical activity helps reduce anxiety and stress by causing tension to disappear and by encouraging us to have a better sense of ourselves through listening to our bodies during movement.
Lastly, seeing ourselves in better health is advantageous socially. The sense of satisfaction thus obtained will result in an increase of self-respect and self-confidence in terms of our ability to interact with others.
The benefits linked to exercise have also not gone unnoticed in the business world，with more and more companies setting up gyms on-site. Employees’ improved health translates into better performance and reduced costs as well as an increase in people’s satisfaction in the work place. Physical activity is recommended for all age groups，including children. It is an important growth factor in a child’s education.
And for the elderly? There is no doubt that regular physical activity allows greater efficiency in daily life as well as creating more basic independence day by day, including the possibility of keeping in touch with others and not feeling isolated.
私家车的利弊
The use of the motor is becoming more and more widespread in the twentieth century; as an increasing number of countries develop both technically and economically, so a larger proportion of the world's population is able to buy and use a car. Possessing a car gives a much greater degree of mobility, enabling the driver to move around freely. The owner of a car is no longer forced to
rely on public transport and is, therefore, not compelled to work locally. He can choose from different jobs and probably changes his work more frequently as he is not restricted to a choice within a small radius. Travelling to work by car is also more comfortable than having to use public transport; the driver can adjust the heating in winter and the air conditioning in the summer to suit his own needs and preference. There is no irritation caused by waiting for trains, buses or underground trains, standing in long patient queues, or sitting on windy platforms, for as long as half an hour sometimes. With the building of good, fast motorways long distances can be covered rapidly and pleasantly. For the first time in this century also, many people are now able to enjoy their leisure time to the full by making trips to the country or seaside at the weekends instead of being confined to their immediate neighborhood. This feeling of independence, and the freedom to go where you please, is perhaps the greatest advantage of the car.
When considering the drawbacks, perhaps pollution is of prime importance. As more and more cars are produced and used, so the emission from their exhaust-pipes contains an ever larger volume of poisonous gas. Some of the contents of this gas, such as lead, not only pollute the atmosphere but cause actual harm to the health of people. Many of the miner illnesses of modern industrial society, headaches, tiredness, and stomach upsets are thought to arise from breathing polluted air; doctors' surgeries are full of people suffering from illnesses caused by pollution. It is also becoming increasingly difficult to deal with the problem of traffic in towns; most of the important cities of the world suffer from traffic congestion. In fact, any advantage gained in comfort is often cancelled out in city driving by the frustration caused by traffic jams: endless queues of cars crawling one after another through all the main streets. As an increasing number of traffic regulation schemes are devised, the poor bewildered driver finds himself diverted and forced into one-way systems which cause even greater delays than the traffic jams they are supposed to prevent. The mounting cost of petrol and the increased license fees and road tax all add to the driver's worries. In fact, he must sometimes wonder if the motor car is such a blessing and not just a menace.
大学生就业问题
Not so long ago almost any student who successfully completed a university degree could find a good career quite easily. Companies toured the academic institutions, competing with each other to select graduates. However, those days are gone, even in Hong Kong, and nowadays graduates often face strong competition in the search for jobs.
Most careers organizations highlight three stages for graduates to follow in the process of securing a suitable career：recognizing abilities, matching these to available jobs and presenting them well to possible employers.
Job seekers have to make a careful assessment of their own abilities. One area of assessment should be of their academic qualifications, which would include special skills within their subject area. Graduates should also consider their own personal values and attitudes. An honest assessment of personal interests and abilities such as creative skills, or skills acquired from work experience, should also be given careful thought.
The second stage is to study the opportunities available for employment and to think about how the general employment situation is likely to develop in the future. To do this, graduates can study job and position information in newspapers, or they can visit a careers office, write to
possible employers for information or contact friends or relatives who may already be involved in a particular profession. After studying all the various options, they should be in a position to make informed comparisons between various careers.
Good personal presentation is essential in the search for a good career. Job application forms and letters should, of course, be filled in carefully and correctly, without grammar or spelling errors. Where additional information is asked for, job seekers should describe their abilities and work experience in more depth, with examples if possible. They should try to balance their own abilities with the employer’s needs, explain why they are interested in a career with the particular company and try to show that they already know something about the company and its activities.
When graduates go to an interview, they should prepare properly by finding out all they can about the possible employer. Dressing suitably and arriving for the interview on time are also important. Interviewees should try to give positive and helpful answers and should not be afraid to ask questions about anything they are unsure about. This is much better than pretending to understand a question and giving an unsuitable answer.。