TheUnitedStateshasaround475,000schoolbuses.Eachdaytheycarrymorethan25million children,halfofalltheschoolchildreninthecountry.
Thesebuses,onaverage,use4litersofdiesel(柴油)fueltotravellessthan16kilometers. When theschoolyearbeganlastfall,dieselaveraged55centsaliternationally.Thepricenearlydoubledby theendofschool inJune.
BobRileyisthespokesmanfortheAmericanSchoolBusCouncil.Hesaysfuelpricesnegotiated(商议) for schools arenot lower thanothers have to pay. Asaresult,schoolsarelookingfor waystoreducetransportationcosts.Busroutesarebeing redrawnor,insomecases,canceled.Someareas arebuyingbusesthatuse naturalgas orother alternativefuels.
Otherstepsincludefewerfieldtrips andlesstravel bysports teams.Someschool districtsmayend any busservicenotrequiredby law.
Studiesshowthatschoolbusesarethesafestform oftransportationtoandfrom school.
The AmericanSchoolBus Councilsayscutsinbus serviceare badfor childrenandpossiblythe environment.Itsaysremovingbusesfromtheroadwillmeananincreaseinothervehiclestransporting students. Spokesman Bob Riley saysanotherconcern is thatreducing busservicemightreduce attendance.
It couldalso getmorechildren to walkor bicycle to school.That wouldsurely makepeople happy attheNationalCenterforSafeRoutestoSchool.Morekidswalkingorbikingsafelytoschoolisthe aimofa3-year-oldfederal program,partofaninternationalmovement.Thegoalis toincreasephysical activity and reduce air pollution.
【小题1】Inthesecondparagraph,theauthorwantsto provethat .A．toomany schoolchildren takebuses every dayB．thecost offuelhasincreasedC．theschoolbusesconsumemorefuelthanaverageD．the school busesusuallygoon long routes【小题2】Inthe thirdparagraph,what doesBobRiley mean'?A．Thefuel pricesforschool busesneed to be negotiated again.B．High fuelprices are also affecting the efficiency of their services.C．The fuelprices for school are much higher thanothers pay.D．TheAmericanSchool BusCouncilshould workforstudents’benefit.【小题3】Whatistheadvantage ofreducingschoolbusserviceaccordingto thepassage?A．Morefuelwillbesaved.B．Studentscangotoschool inasaferway.C．Studentscanexercisebywalkingorriding toschool. D．Trafficjams willbereducedduringrushhour.【小题4】Whatisthesixth paragraphmainly about?A．Bob Riley's concern about the resultsof reducing school buses.B．Theconvenience brought by school buses.C．Thebad effectsofreducingschool buses.D．Thestudiesabout students'choicescarried out by theAmericanSchool BusCouncil.B
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(答案→)B
解析：文章讲述了随着油价的不断上升，美国校车的运行也受到了影响，正计划减少校车的数量，这样一来有好处也有坏处。
【小题1】推理题。根据第二段后两行可知今年的油价是去年的两倍了，说明油费大大增加了。
【小题2】推理题。根据第三段最后三行Bus routes are being redrawn or, in some cases, canceled. Some areas are buying buses that use natural gas or other alternative fuels.说明高油价影响了校车的运营。
【小题3】细节题。根据文章最后一段第一行It could also get more children to walk or bicycle to school.可知答案为C。
【小题4】段落大意题。根据这一段的are bad for children and possibly the environment，another concern is that reducing bus service might reduce attendance.可知本段主语谈论的是减少校车的不好之处。