6、In 2002, the Beijing Municipal government led the nation in issuing an order banning electric bicycles from January 1, 2006. Since then a number of local governments have followed this.  

In May, the Legislature of Zhuhai in South China’s Guangdong Province became the first law-making body in the country to pass a regulation to keep electric bicycles off the roads.  

They claim environmental disadvantage and concerns over public safety justify their ban.  

Local government officials and law makers have argued their leading concern is the threat of pollution from spent lead-acid batteries. The relatively high speed of electric bicycles --- faster than most common bikes at about 20 kilometers per hour --- is just too dangerous in the eyes of some policy-makers.  

They also mention interference with automobiles, common bikes and passers-by that results in accidents or slowed traffic.  

But none of these arguments justify the ban.  

In the first place, it should be made clear that while operating, the battery driving an electric bike sends out almost no polluting gas. They are much cleaner than cars. If the batteries, which can be used for one or two years, are thrown away without proper treatment or recycling, environmental damage is highly likely.  

It is required that electric bike producers and store sellers sign recycling contracts to ensure consumers can sell used batteries back to producers. In practice, some small producers neglect their recycling responsibility, causing concern for environmental pollution.  

It is clear the authorities can solve the problem through strengthening management. Although it will require some extra efforts from the government, it does not go beyond government officials’ call of duty.  

Regarding the speed, there are technical standards governing the production of electric bikes. According to the standards, the designed speed should be limited to a maximum of 20 kilometers per hour. This is slower than the top speed of some mountain bikes.  

To cater to the consumer desire for higher speed, some manufacturers have made it easy to remove speed-limiting devices after purchase, which is potentially very dangerous.  

To make the bicycles safer, local governments should draft regulations specifying severe punishments for rule-breakers. The black sheep should be picked up and punished, but violations by a small number of manufacturers or riders should not be an excuse to spoil the fun for everyone.  

 

57. What is the author's attitude towards banning electric bicycles？  

A . Positive                B. Negative                   C. Neutral                     D. Not mentioned  

58. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?  

A. Beijing will be the first city in China to ban electric bicycles starting this year.  

B. Zhuhai rather than Beijing is the first to make law to forbidden the use of electric bicycle.  

C. More than one local government has decided to ban the use of electric bicycles.  

D. Shanghai is not one of the cities, which have determined to ban electric bicycles.  

59. The underlined phrase can best be replaced by ___________.  

A. satisfy                  B. delay                     C. promote                D. reduce  

60. Which of the following is not considered to be a disadvantage by those who want to ban electric bicycles?  

A. The used batteries will pollute the environment.  

B. The dangerous speed.  

C. More accidents and slow traffic  

D. Some producers neglect their recycling responsibility