学进去

In Pontevedra, a city in Spain, people don't shout. Since cars are banned (明令禁止) in the city, there are no noises from cars. People don't have to try hard to make themselves heard. What you hear in the street, instead, is the singing of birds.

Miguel Lores, the mayor (市长), opens the windows of his office, and the sound of human voices1． (rise) from the street below. Lores says, "More than 14,000 cars used to pass along this street every day. There 2．(be) more cars passing through the city in a day than people living here."

Lores became mayor in 1999. He spent months3．(walk) around the city. "The historical city is dead," he said one day. "It is full of cars. It4．(pollute) heavily. There are a lot of traffic accidents. The elderly and children aren't able to use the streets because of cars. People who had a chance to leave have done so."

At first, Lores thought of improving traffic conditions. However, he couldn't come up with a good plan. After lots of discussions, the government finally decided5．( take ) action to ban cars.

The change6．(bring ) Pontevedra many advantages since then. Traffic accidents seldom happen. CO₂emissions (排放物) are down 70 percent. Many people are moving to the city, making it lively again. Most local people in the city like the change. Ramiro Armesto, a mother of two young children, said, "In the past, the first thing to see in the morning was traffic jams. Now, the city is cleaner, quieter and safer." Raquel Garcia, another parent, said she had stayed in many cities around the world. However, she had never lived in a city as "easy to live in" as Pontevedra. "Even while it7．(rain). I walk everywhere. The feeling is wonderful," she added. "Pontevedra is paradise(天堂)”.