Task 2

Bike-Sharing Schemes

Visit virtually any city these days, and no matter where in the world it is, you’ll surely find its own public bike rental scheme. China, for example, has about 60 of its own, while many of the European cycling countries, like Denmark, France, Germany, and the Netherlands have also successfully introduced bike sharing in their cities. Perhaps what has made these schemes so popular is their accessibility. You can hire bikes in all shapes and sizes.

The public bikes phenomenon goes back to Amsterdam in 1965, when Dutch inventor Luud Schimmelpennink came up with a plan to reduce car pollution. Schimmelpennink encouraged people to find any old bicycles they had and paint them white. Then they were asked to leave these bikes anywhere in Amsterdam and tell others to use them. It was known as the ‘White Bicycle’ movement. So, if anyone in Amsterdam urgently needed transport, an unlocked white bicycle became a new alternative.

However, the bikes were taken away by the police as there was a law forbidding leaving unlocked bikes in the city. When the bikes were returned, they were fitted with combination locks. Still, the unlock codes were painted on the bikes so anybody could open and use them. The project probably had a greater impact long-term than it did at the time. There were only about 50 bikes available, most of which were hardly ever used, and the bicycle-sharing scheme stopped working the following year. It was not until 81 the 1990s that bike-sharing schemes made a significant return, and became common in England, the US, Denmark, and Norway.

In many cities these days, bike-sharing schemes are as important to infrastructure and public transport as any other means of getting from A to B. For instance, it is 14 years since the first bikes belonging to London’s cycle scheme were used on the streets of the capital. The scheme was launched by then-mayor Boris Johnson on 30 July 2010, when he announced that he wanted the city to be “filled with thousands of gleaming machines”, which would “become as common on the roads as black cabs and red buses”. Since launching, more than 94 million journeys have been made in London using hire bikes called ‘Boris Bikes’. In a busy city like London, these bikes made moving around the city much more pleasant than taking the tube.

Why are bike-sharing schemes such a success? One reason is that they attract all kinds of people – cycling regulars, beginners, tourists, and commuters. Another reason is that they are very easy to use. Nowadays, you can pick up and drop off your hired bike anywhere through your phone’s GPS and the company’s app. The statistics on bike sharing show that this is a rapidly expanding market which is predicted to continue increasing steadily for some time. And as the business gets bigger and better all the time, the bike sharing future looks bright for a while, at least.

What is stated in PARAGRAPH 1?

Bike-Sharing Schemes

Visit virtually any city these days, and no matter where in the world it is, you’ll surely find its own public bike rental scheme. China, for example, has about 60 of its own, while many of the European cycling countries, like Denmark, France, Germany, and the Netherlands have also successfully introduced bike sharing in their cities. Perhaps what has made these schemes so popular is their accessibility. You can hire bikes in all shapes and sizes.

The public bikes phenomenon goes back to Amsterdam in 1965, when Dutch inventor Luud Schimmelpennink came up with a plan to reduce car pollution. Schimmelpennink encouraged people to find any old bicycles they had and paint them white. Then they were asked to leave these bikes anywhere in Amsterdam and tell others to use them. It was known as the ‘White Bicycle’ movement. So, if anyone in Amsterdam urgently needed transport, an unlocked white bicycle became a new alternative.

However, the bikes were taken away by the police as there was a law forbidding leaving unlocked bikes in the city. When the bikes were returned, they were fitted with combination locks. Still, the unlock codes were painted on the bikes so anybody could open and use them. The project probably had a greater impact long-term than it did at the time. There were only about 50 bikes available, most of which were hardly ever used, and the bicycle-sharing scheme stopped working the following year. It was not until 81 the 1990s that bike-sharing schemes made a significant return, and became common in England, the US, Denmark, and Norway.

In many cities these days, bike-sharing schemes are as important to infrastructure and public transport as any other means of getting from A to B. For instance, it is 14 years since the first bikes belonging to London’s cycle scheme were used on the streets of the capital. The scheme was launched by then-mayor Boris Johnson on 30 July 2010, when he announced that he wanted the city to be “filled with thousands of gleaming machines”, which would “become as common on the roads as black cabs and red buses”. Since launching, more than 94 million journeys have been made in London using hire bikes called ‘Boris Bikes’. In a busy city like London, these bikes made moving around the city much more pleasant than taking the tube.

Why are bike-sharing schemes such a success? One reason is that they attract all kinds of people – cycling regulars, beginners, tourists, and commuters. Another reason is that they are very easy to use. Nowadays, you can pick up and drop off your hired bike anywhere through your phone’s GPS and the company’s app. The statistics on bike sharing show that this is a rapidly expanding market which is predicted to continue increasing steadily for some time. And as the business gets bigger and better all the time, the bike sharing future looks bright for a while, at least.

What did Luud Schimmelpennink NOT plan to do?

Bike-Sharing Schemes

Visit virtually any city these days, and no matter where in the world it is, you’ll surely find its own public bike rental scheme. China, for example, has about 60 of its own, while many of the European cycling countries, like Denmark, France, Germany, and the Netherlands have also successfully introduced bike sharing in their cities. Perhaps what has made these schemes so popular is their accessibility. You can hire bikes in all shapes and sizes.

The public bikes phenomenon goes back to Amsterdam in 1965, when Dutch inventor Luud Schimmelpennink came up with a plan to reduce car pollution. Schimmelpennink encouraged people to find any old bicycles they had and paint them white. Then they were asked to leave these bikes anywhere in Amsterdam and tell others to use them. It was known as the ‘White Bicycle’ movement. So, if anyone in Amsterdam urgently needed transport, an unlocked white bicycle became a new alternative.

However, the bikes were taken away by the police as there was a law forbidding leaving unlocked bikes in the city. When the bikes were returned, they were fitted with combination locks. Still, the unlock codes were painted on the bikes so anybody could open and use them. The project probably had a greater impact long-term than it did at the time. There were only about 50 bikes available, most of which were hardly ever used, and the bicycle-sharing scheme stopped working the following year. It was not until 81 the 1990s that bike-sharing schemes made a significant return, and became common in England, the US, Denmark, and Norway.

In many cities these days, bike-sharing schemes are as important to infrastructure and public transport as any other means of getting from A to B. For instance, it is 14 years since the first bikes belonging to London’s cycle scheme were used on the streets of the capital. The scheme was launched by then-mayor Boris Johnson on 30 July 2010, when he announced that he wanted the city to be “filled with thousands of gleaming machines”, which would “become as common on the roads as black cabs and red buses”. Since launching, more than 94 million journeys have been made in London using hire bikes called ‘Boris Bikes’. In a busy city like London, these bikes made moving around the city much more pleasant than taking the tube.

Why are bike-sharing schemes such a success? One reason is that they attract all kinds of people – cycling regulars, beginners, tourists, and commuters. Another reason is that they are very easy to use. Nowadays, you can pick up and drop off your hired bike anywhere through your phone’s GPS and the company’s app. The statistics on bike sharing show that this is a rapidly expanding market which is predicted to continue increasing steadily for some time. And as the business gets bigger and better all the time, the bike sharing future looks bright for a while, at least.

What is TRUE of the ‘White Bicycle’ movement?

Bike-Sharing Schemes

Visit virtually any city these days, and no matter where in the world it is, you’ll surely find its own public bike rental scheme. China, for example, has about 60 of its own, while many of the European cycling countries, like Denmark, France, Germany, and the Netherlands have also successfully introduced bike sharing in their cities. Perhaps what has made these schemes so popular is their accessibility. You can hire bikes in all shapes and sizes.

The public bikes phenomenon goes back to Amsterdam in 1965, when Dutch inventor Luud Schimmelpennink came up with a plan to reduce car pollution. Schimmelpennink encouraged people to find any old bicycles they had and paint them white. Then they were asked to leave these bikes anywhere in Amsterdam and tell others to use them. It was known as the ‘White Bicycle’ movement. So, if anyone in Amsterdam urgently needed transport, an unlocked white bicycle became a new alternative.

However, the bikes were taken away by the police as there was a law forbidding leaving unlocked bikes in the city. When the bikes were returned, they were fitted with combination locks. Still, the unlock codes were painted on the bikes so anybody could open and use them. The project probably had a greater impact long-term than it did at the time. There were only about 50 bikes available, most of which were hardly ever used, and the bicycle-sharing scheme stopped working the following year. It was not until 81 the 1990s that bike-sharing schemes made a significant return, and became common in England, the US, Denmark, and Norway.

In many cities these days, bike-sharing schemes are as important to infrastructure and public transport as any other means of getting from A to B. For instance, it is 14 years since the first bikes belonging to London’s cycle scheme were used on the streets of the capital. The scheme was launched by then-mayor Boris Johnson on 30 July 2010, when he announced that he wanted the city to be “filled with thousands of gleaming machines”, which would “become as common on the roads as black cabs and red buses”. Since launching, more than 94 million journeys have been made in London using hire bikes called ‘Boris Bikes’. In a busy city like London, these bikes made moving around the city much more pleasant than taking the tube.

Why are bike-sharing schemes such a success? One reason is that they attract all kinds of people – cycling regulars, beginners, tourists, and commuters. Another reason is that they are very easy to use. Nowadays, you can pick up and drop off your hired bike anywhere through your phone’s GPS and the company’s app. The statistics on bike sharing show that this is a rapidly expanding market which is predicted to continue increasing steadily for some time. And as the business gets bigger and better all the time, the bike sharing future looks bright for a while, at least.

What is mentioned in the text about London transport?

Bike-Sharing Schemes

Visit virtually any city these days, and no matter where in the world it is, you’ll surely find its own public bike rental scheme. China, for example, has about 60 of its own, while many of the European cycling countries, like Denmark, France, Germany, and the Netherlands have also successfully introduced bike sharing in their cities. Perhaps what has made these schemes so popular is their accessibility. You can hire bikes in all shapes and sizes.

The public bikes phenomenon goes back to Amsterdam in 1965, when Dutch inventor Luud Schimmelpennink came up with a plan to reduce car pollution. Schimmelpennink encouraged people to find any old bicycles they had and paint them white. Then they were asked to leave these bikes anywhere in Amsterdam and tell others to use them. It was known as the ‘White Bicycle’ movement. So, if anyone in Amsterdam urgently needed transport, an unlocked white bicycle became a new alternative.

However, the bikes were taken away by the police as there was a law forbidding leaving unlocked bikes in the city. When the bikes were returned, they were fitted with combination locks. Still, the unlock codes were painted on the bikes so anybody could open and use them. The project probably had a greater impact long-term than it did at the time. There were only about 50 bikes available, most of which were hardly ever used, and the bicycle-sharing scheme stopped working the following year. It was not until 81 the 1990s that bike-sharing schemes made a significant return, and became common in England, the US, Denmark, and Norway.

In many cities these days, bike-sharing schemes are as important to infrastructure and public transport as any other means of getting from A to B. For instance, it is 14 years since the first bikes belonging to London’s cycle scheme were used on the streets of the capital. The scheme was launched by then-mayor Boris Johnson on 30 July 2010, when he announced that he wanted the city to be “filled with thousands of gleaming machines”, which would “become as common on the roads as black cabs and red buses”. Since launching, more than 94 million journeys have been made in London using hire bikes called ‘Boris Bikes’. In a busy city like London, these bikes made moving around the city much more pleasant than taking the tube.

Why are bike-sharing schemes such a success? One reason is that they attract all kinds of people – cycling regulars, beginners, tourists, and commuters. Another reason is that they are very easy to use. Nowadays, you can pick up and drop off your hired bike anywhere through your phone’s GPS and the company’s app. The statistics on bike sharing show that this is a rapidly expanding market which is predicted to continue increasing steadily for some time. And as the business gets bigger and better all the time, the bike sharing future looks bright for a while, at least.

What does the author say about bike sharing schemes?

Task 3

Summer Camps

Independent Lake Camp

Along with the usual summer fun, like soccer, swimming, art, and performing, this camp has many unusual offerings, like a Dungeon where kids play all sorts of role-playing games. Despite its name, it’s not all about Dungeons & Dragons: “We’ve got World of Darkness, Vampires, Star Wars, Shadow Run, Magic the Gathering, and Secret Identities. Some games use nothing more than a few pieces of paper and a pencil or two,” says camp director Nigel Watson. Campers are encouraged to make up their own games. In fact, Secret Identities was created by a former counsellor.

At this place campers can ________________.

Spy Camp

In camp Lohikan there are close to 65 different disciplines offered each day. Spy Camp is the most intriguing. Over the course of three days, campers develop their secret-agent skills like code breaking, and take part in exciting activities (paintball, jet-skiing, and martial arts). On the final day of camp, young spies are grouped into teams and given a nation-saving mission. “Each week we run a new session and change the scenario,” says camp director Mark Buynak.

At this place campers can ________________.

Camp Tall Timbers

At Camp Tall Timbers, they’ve been serving up fun and rewarding camp experiences every summer for over 45 years. Camp Tall Timbers is conveniently located in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The camp offers a wide variety of engaging and inspiring activities for boys and girls from ages 7 to 16. The camp experience promotes independence, decision-making, socialisation, skill-building, confidence, creativity, and self-discovery in a safe environment. They invite the campers’ families to spend quality time together for a fun-filled weekend.

At this place campers can ________________.

Wizards & Warriors

Camp Prepare your potions and powers at this myth-inspired camp, run by Guard Up! No video games or dice here – campers act out the epic tale, using their magical skill set, their smarts, and a variety of foam weapons. In addition to battling evil on their quest for treasure, kids will get a chance to meet famous figures from history and fiction, like Greek philosopher Hippocrates and Captain Ahab from Moby Dick, all portrayed by experienced performers.

At this place campers can ________________.