Lesson 33 1 Read and act
Do you think the air in Beijing is bad?
Yes, it's often quite dirty.
But don't you think it's better than it used to be?
Well,I can't say for sure.I've only lived here for a year.
Me too. But my uncle knows.
He's lived here all his life.
Oh, really!What does he say?
He says Beijing's sky is much clearer than a few years ago,
although people still complain a lot.
Hmm ... Did he tell you why it's better?
Yes, he said that fewer homes are using coal for cooking and heating.
Also,most of the factories that produced pollution
have been closed or moved out of the city.
That's true.And many more parks will appear before the 2008 Olympic Games.
Yes, and the city is planting more trees near the roads.
My uncle also told me that more public transportation is planned by the city.
That's really good.I think Beijing has too many cars and trucks.I agree.
If more people leave their cars at home when they go to work,that will help a lot.
Lesson 34 2 Read THE SKY OF LOS ANGELES
When most Americans mention Los Angeles,they think of lots of sun and fun.
They picture the place with palm trees,beaches,and Hollywood,
where so many famous movies have been made.
Los Angeles, or LA, is in south California.
It is the largest city in the state
and the second largest city in the United States.
Its western part lies by the Pacific Ocean.
To its east are the Santa Monica Mountains.
Los Angeles,meaning"city of angels"in Spanish,is only 200 kilometres from Mexico.
It is a city of immigrants,many of whose grandparents came from Mexico,
the Philippines,China,and Japan.
Millions of Americans from other states have also moved to LA.
You might imagine that LA must be a very beautiful city.
Although it often is,it also has days when the sky is not so clear.
On these days,you cannot see the mountains.
Some people stay inside so that they don't have to breathe the bad air.
A lot of work has been done to improve the air in the past thirty years,
though much still needs doing.
As early as 1953,natural gas was used instead of coal.
Later on,cars were made to drive with cleaner petrol.
Factories were told to control their smoke,and thousands of buses were provided.
Most importantly,
people realized that they must learn to care for their living environment.
During the 1970s,many people moved to LA from other places.
The city was growing very fast.
At that time,air pollution was a very serious problem.
Cars jammed the roads in the mornings and evenings.
It was called rush hour
because everyone was in a hurry to get to work or leave work.
The air was filled with smog coming from hundreds of factories
as well as the heavy traffic.
City planners knew they had to do something.
More public transportation was provided and cars were made to drive cleaner.
Nowadays the air in LA is usually quite good.
Lesson 35 2 Read and act
Hey,Bill,I'm tired of driving in heavy traffic every morning.
Me too.I'm also tired of looking for a place to park my car.
Well,I don't have that problem.
My company gives me a place,although I have to pay a lot of money for it.
My wife has the same problem.
Bill,what do you say if we try a car pool?
Why,that's a good idea.And we can get Steve to join us!
3.Read
Read and pick out the sentences in passive voice.
People had been talking about it for months,
although few knew what it really was

It was called "Ginger".
We were told it was invented by Dean Kamen,a 49 year-old American scientist.
Some people said it would change the way we do things every day.
Others said it would be the greatest invention since the personal computer.
This invention had been kept secret until December 3,2001
when Ginger was shown to the world.
It is an "HT" Human Transport.It looks a bit like a very short scooter.
One can make it turn left,turn right or stop very easily.
It is faster than a bike but not as fast as a motorbike.
It gets its power from a big battery.
It is heavier than a bike but not as heavy as a motorbike.
It is so small that only one person can ride on it.
The company hopes to sell millions of these machines.
Words And Expressions 9
all one's life coal heating transportation
终生;一辈子 n.煤 n.加热;供暖;暖气装置 n.交通;交通工具
underground monorail Los Angeles Hollywood
n.地铁 n.单轨铁路 n.洛杉矶 n.好莱坞
movie Santa Monica Mexico the Philippines
n.(美)电影 n.圣莫尼卡(山名) n.墨西哥 n.菲律宾
gas realize jam rush hour
n.煤气;气体;瓦斯 v.认识到;领悟 v.挤塞;阻塞 高峰期
nowadays scooter power battery
adv.如今;时下 n.小型摩托车 n.动力v.使…有力量 n.电瓶;电池
highway include Bangkok
n.公路 v.包括;包含 n.曼谷
Manila Jakarta New Delhli
n.马尼拉 n.雅加达 n.新德里