13．　　Big cities around the world are looking for (1)       to improve transportation. One way is bike sharing. The idea is simple. People pay a little money (2)        a bike for a certain time. For example, in London, you can ride around the city for an hour for one pound. When you finish, you leave the bike at a docking station. Another person can then use the same bike.

14．　　Mind maps are a great way of showing a picture of information that you need to learn. You can use mind maps for all kinds of learning. They work very well for vocabulary when you (1)       a new language. To make mind maps much (2)      , you can use colour to show important ideas or parts of the maps.

15．A Long Time to Wait
　　Rob tapped his foot on the ground impatiently (不耐烦地). His friend, Steve, should meet him in five minutes. They were going to meet and watch a movie together, and Rob didn't want to miss a single minute of the show.
　　Both of them really liked (1)       and tried to see one almost every week, but lately Steve had been arriving later and later. Rob complained about late friends in a low voice while he waited.
　　Rob began pacing (踱步) back and forth. When pacing didn't (2)       him, he started to look at his watch from time to time. There were only three minutes left before he went in without his friend, Rob decided. Pacing was making him more impatient.
　　He wondered why Steve couldn't be on time. He wondered what (3)       Steve would have this time. Last time Steve had said it was because his dad needed help in the garden. What would be this time?
　　There was only one minute Left. Then he heard a familiar voice, "Rob, I (4)       it!"
　　Rob turned around and saw Steve. "You made it, and you are on time, too!" Rob said excitedly.
　　"Of course," Steve replied, "I really wanted to see this movie."
　　"Well, let's go then." Rob suggested. He (5)       for his wallet, so he could buy a ticket. Where was his wallet?
　　"What's wrong?" Steve asked.
　　"I don't have my wallet." Rob replied (6)      .
　　"Go check in your car."
　　"I might be late then." Rob answered, feeling foolish. Here he'd been standing around waiting, and he was going to be the late one now. He ran across the parking lot.
　　By the time he got his wallet from his car and bought a ticket, he'd already (7)       the beginning and he didn't have time to get popcorn or a drink. Steve shared his popcorn, but Rob could hardly eat it. He felt guilty (内疚的) during the whole movie.
　　When the movie was over, he apologized to Steve. "I'm sorry, Steve. I was complaining about you being late, but then I was the one who was late."
　　Steve said. "Don't worry. It happens to all of us."
　　"I see that now. Thanks for (8)       ."
　　"That's what friends for." Steve replied.

16．KIDS IN CHARGE
　　Four young people got an early start inventing new things or creating their own businesses. They show us that it's never too early to follow our dreams.

17．　　REACHING FOR THE SKY
　　In 2007, Barrington Irving became the youngest person to fly solo (独自) around the world. He was just 23 years old. How did the young man achieve this?
　　A PASSION FOR FLYING
　　A turning point happened when he was 15. Irving was working in Miami, Florida. One of the store's customers was Gary Robinson, a professional pilot. One day, Robinson asked Irving if he was interested in flying. The next day, the pilot took Irving to an airport and showed Irving inside the cockpit of a Boeing 777. That experience changed Irving's life.
　　Irving was determined to fly. To reach his dream, he worked different jobs. He washed airplanes and cleaned swimming pools. He also helped at a store. At home, he practiced his flying skills on a video game. Finally, he earned enough money for flight school.
　　CIRCLING THE WORLD
　　At flight school, Irving achieved his first dream — he learned how to fly. His next dream was bigger. He planned to build his own plane and fly solo around the world. On March 23, 2007, Irving began his round — the world trip. After 97 days — with 145 hours in the air — he landed back in Miami. Irving achieved his dream once again.
　　SHARING THE DREAM
　　When he landed, Irving saw many young people in the cheering crowd. This gave him an idea: "I had no money, but I was determined to give back with my time, knowledge and experience." Irving decided to start a program called "Experience Aviation." The program helps young people achieve their career dreams in aviation (航空) and science.
　　"Everyone told me what I couldn't do," says Irving. "They said I was too young, that I didn't have enough money, experience, strength, or knowledge. But even if no one believes in your dream," he says, "you have to, for it."

18．Bags of Fun Bring Smiles to Hospitalized Kids
　　In the weeks after 6-year-old Gabby Krause lost her battle with brain cancer in 2004, her mother and a close friend fought through tears as they discussed the best way to honor the little girl.
　　Out of that conversation — and previous encouragement from Gabby herself-Bags of Fun was born. It provides to children with life-threatening illnesses the very thing that made chemotherapy and radiation treatment (化疗) a little easier on Gabby: bag full of toys, books, electronic devices (电子设备) and games to pass the time.
　　"The bag" was something her family brought along from the beginning of her 19-month battle, and Gabby voiced her wish to bring the same joy to the kids around her after realizing that most patients at the Children's Hospital didn't have a bag of fun. It is a symbol of her selfless spirit.
　　"The bags are tailored to age and gender (性别), but the two mast common things are an electronic device and noise putty that makes sounds that bring laughter to children", said Solomon, a volunteer for the organization. In all, there are usually between 14 — 18 things in each bag to help pass the hard time. "It's mostly about the power of play, what it's able to do for these kids who are sitting in a hospital worrying about what's going on, when the next needle poke or test is coming." said Solomon, who adds there is strong evidence to suggest the activities reduce stress on patients and their parents.
　　A bag of fun, brought to Maelle Hicks on her first clay of treatment at the Children's Hospital in July 2014, had such a great effect that she and her family continue to volunteer and raise money for the organization, long after she left hospital. Her mother says Bags of Fun was a complete surprise to everyone, and Maelle will never forget it.
　　The scope (范围) of Bags of Fun has gotten bigger since its beginning. Bags were first given to cancer patients, but now all children affected by a life-threatening condition are able to benefit from Bags of Fun.

20．Butterflies at Risk
　　What's causing problems for these beautiful insects?
　　Something is harming the monarchs. One of the largest butterflies in North America, monarchs are famous for their long migrations (迁徙) covering thousands of miles. Yet the number of monarchs is dropping. Bad weather conditions, putting the butterfly population in danger. Some butterfly experts say that the number of monarch butterflies has been cut by 25 percent. In recent years, unusually cold temperatures and rain have caused monarchs to die in large numbers. These conditions have also caused new butterflies not to hatch (孵化).
　　Will they return?
　　Monarchs are very sensitive (敏感的) to change because of the long distances they travel. They cover thousands of miles each year, flying between their winter homes in Mexico or Southern California and their summer homes in the Midwest. Other animals also migrate. And many travel much farther. A bird called the Arctic tern goes round trip between the Arctic and the Antarctic every year. Like the Arctic tern, a type of gray whale has a long migration. It travels 12,400 miles from Baia California in Mexico to waters off Alaska and back. The longest migration ever recorded is by the sooty shearwater. Every year this bird flies 40, 000 miles from New Zealand to the northern part of the Pacific Ocean to find food.
　　The monarchs don't travel as far as animals like the Arctic tern and the sooty shearwater, but their journey isn't safe. Every year as many as 100 million monarch butterflies leave Mexico for the first leg of the migration. It's hard to imagine that such a large number might be in danger. Yet many scientists tell us that the danger is very real.
　　In Mexico people are destroying the natural environment. They cut down the trees where millions of monarchs, spend the winter and use chemicals to kill the milkweed, the monarch's favourite food. Monarchs spend the winter in Mexico and California. In both places, development is destroying these winter homes. Unless steps are taken to protect their habitats, the monarchs' migration could become a thing of the past.
　　"If we lose the whole migration, we lose one of the nation's most magnificent phenomena," said Chip Taylor, a professor at the University of Kansas. These butterflies are the symbol of richness of biological diversity (生物多样性).

(1)Are monarch butterflies famous for their long migrations?
                                                                                
(2)What are putting the butterfly population in danger?
                                                                                
(3)Where are monarchs' winter homes?
                                                                                
(4)In Paragraph 2, what animal has the longest migration?
                                                                                
(5)What can people do to protect monarch butterflies?
                                                                                

25．根据中文和英文提示， 完成一篇不少于50词的文段写作。 文中已给出内容不记入总词数，所给提示词语仅供选用。
假如你是李华， 你的美国笔友Tony正在计划来北京旅游，体验中国文化。请结合你对北京的了解，用英语给他写封邮件，从最佳旅行时间和文化体验方面给他提出建议。
提示词语： comfortable, tea, Beijing Opera
提示问题：
◆When is the best time to visit Beijing?
◆What can you do to experience Chinese culture in Beijing?
Dear Tony,
　　I'm glad that you are going to visit Beijing and experience Chinese culture. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
　　I'm looking forward to your arrival.
Yours,
Li Hua