My kingdom for a bicycle lane

1. [Multiple choice]

Pollution is

Answers for Quiz [1].

• 1. falling
• 2. being brought under control
• 3. increasing (correct)

2. [Multiple choice]

Bicyclists in China’s capital have in recent times been

(They are described as ‘beleaguered’ meaning they have been faced by all sorts of difficulties and inconveniences. They have also had ‘years of losing ground to cars’.)

Answers for Quiz [2].

• 1. neglected (correct)
• 2. tolerated
• 3. popular

3. [Multiple choice]

In the last 10 years the number of commuters choosing to cycle to work in Beijing has:

(– between 1998 and 2002 (so in those 4 years alone), the numbers of commuters biking dropped from 3 in 5 to 1 in 5 (60% to 20%).)

Answers for Quiz [3].

• 1. plummeted. (correct)
• 2. fallen.
• 3. risen.

4. [Multiple choice]

Mr Qiu was

(He ‘chastised’ them, showing he criticised them; he also considered they should be trying to keep their title of ‘kingdom of bicycles’, not losing this for the sake of motorised traffic.)

Answers for Quiz [4].

• 1. heartened by recent developments in urban planning.
• 2. critical of recent developments in urban planning. (correct)
• 3. sympathetic to recent developments in urban planning.

5. [Multiple choice]

In 1977 the number of cars on China’s roads must have been around

(The number of cars on China’s roads rose between 1978 and 2004 by 20-fold, to 27m, so from about 1.37m.)

Answers for Quiz [5].

• 1. 1.26 million
• 2. 1.37 million (correct)
• 3. 1.48m