Question

Forget Cyclists, Pedestrians are Real Danger

We are having a debate about this topic. Here are some letters from our readers.

■Yes, many cyclists behave dangerously. Many drivers are disrespectful of cyclists. But pedestrians are probably the worse offenders.

People of all ages happily walk along the pavement with eyes and hands glued to the mobile phone, quite unaware of what is going on around them. They may even do the same thing while crossing a road at a pedestrian crossing or elsewhere. The rest of us have to evade (避让) them or just stand still to wait for the unavoidable collision.

The real problem is that some pedestrians seem to be, at least for the moment, in worlds of their own that are, to them, much more important than the welfare of others.

——Michael Horan

■I love the letter from Bob Brooks about cyclists (Viewpoints, May 29). I am afraid they seem to think they own the roads.

I was walking across Altrincham Road one morning when a cyclist went round me and on being asked what he was doing he shouted at me.

The government built a cycle lane on the road but it is hardly used.

The police do nothing. What a laugh they are!

The cyclists should all have to be made to use the cycle lanes and wear helmets, fluorescent (发荧光的) jacket and lights at night and in the morning they should pay some sort of tax and be fined for not wearing them.

——Carol Harvey

■Cyclists jump on and off pavements (which are meant for pedestrians), ride at speed along the pavements, and think they have a special right to go through traffic lights when they are on red.

I was almost knocked down recently by a cyclist riding on the pavement when there was a cycle lane right next to him.

Other road users, including horse riders, manage to obey the rules so why not cyclists?

It's about time they had to be registered and insured, so when they do hit a pedestrian or a vehicle, or cause an accident, at least they can be treated and there might be an opportunity to claim.

——JML

Write to Viewpoints of the newspaper.

1.Michael Horan wrote the letter mainly to show that _______.

A. drivers should be polite to cyclists

B. road accidents can actually be avoided

C. some pedestrians are a threat to road safety

D. walking while using phones hurts one's eyes

2.Carol Harvey suggests that cyclists should _______.

A. be provided with enough roads

B. be asked to ride on their own lanes

C. be made to pay less tax for cycling

D. be fined for laughing at policemen

3.The underlined word "they" in the third letter refers to ______.

A. accidents    B. vehicles

C. pedestrians    D. cyclists

4.The three letters present viewpoints on _______.

A. real source of road danger

B. ways to improve road facilities

C. measures to punish road offences

D. increased awareness of road rules

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.D

4.A

【解析】这是一篇社会生活类文章。文章列出了三封信来探讨一个问题：谁才是马路安全的威胁？

1.细节理解题。由Michael Horan所写信的内容，尤其是“many cyclists behave dangerously. Many drivers are disrespectful of cyclists. But pedestrians are probably the worse offenders”可知，Michael Horan认为骑自行车的人和司机都很危险。但是，行人可能是更严重的罪犯，他们对道路安全存在威胁。结合选项可知，C选项正确。

2.细节理解题。由Carol Harvey所写的信中的“The cyclists should all have to be made to use the cycle lanes and wear helmets”可知，Carol Harvey认为骑自行车的人应该使用自行车道去骑车，而且要戴着头盔。故B选项正确。

3.词义猜测题。由JML所写的信中的“Other road users, including horse riders, manage to obey the rules so why not cyclists? It's about time they had to be registered and insured, so when they do hit a pedestrian or a vehicle, or cause an accident, at least they can be treated and there might be an opportunity to claim”可知，JML认为，骑自行车的人也应该遵守规定。他们应该进行登记。当他们撞到行人或者车辆，引发车祸的时候，他们很快就能被查到。故they指的是骑自行车的人。D选项正确。

4.主旨大意题。由文章开头“Forget Cyclists, Pedestrians are Real Danger. We are having a debate about this topic. Here are some letters from our readers.”以及三封信的具体内容可知，这篇文章主要探讨了谁是道路安全的隐患，是骑自行车的人，还是行人？故A选项正确。

【名师点睛】代词指代题要求同学们根据语境的逻辑关系、判断画线的人称代词或指示代词在文章中指代的对象，包括考查it（指动物，无生命的事物、特定的事件或人），they/them(指代人、物、事件的复数名词)，he/she等人称代词的指代意义，以及指示代词this，that，these，those等在文章中的指代意义，考查同学们对文章中叙述特定的人，物，事件的认知能力。解答这类题时，同学们要认真阅读画线词所在句和前后临近句的内容，分析人称转换和动作变换的详细过程，理清来龙去脉和前后的因果关系，从而准确推断其指代的对象。例如，在第3小题中，同学们要将最后两段都读完，才能理清they指代的对象。仅凭they所在句是无法推理出其指代意义的。