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  3. Until last spring, Nia Parker and the other kids in her neighborhood commuted to school on Bus 59. But as fuel rose, the school

Until last spring, Nia Parker and the other kids in her neighborhood commuted to school on Bus 59. But as fuel rose, the school

admin2012-11-22  58
问题     Until last spring, Nia Parker and the other kids in her neighborhood commuted to school on Bus 59. But as fuel rose, the school district needed to find a way to cut its transportation costs. So the school’s busing company redrew its route map, eliminating Nia’s bus altogether. Now, Nia and her neighbors travel the half mile to school via a "walking school bus" — a group of kids, supervised by an adult or two, who make the walk together.
    Like the rest of us, school districts are feeling pinched by rising fuel costs—and finding new ways to adapt. The price of diesel fuel has gone up 34 percent in the past two years. For the typical American school district, bus bills total 5 percent of the budget. As administrators look to trim, busing is an inviting target, since it doesn’t affect classroom instruction (or test scores). More than one third of school administrators have eliminated bus stops or routes in order to stay within budget.
    Many parents are delighted to see their kids walking to school, partly because many did so themselves: according to a 1969 survey, nearly half of school kids walked or biked to school, compared with only 16 percent in 2001. Modern parents have been leery of(对......存有戒心) letting kids walk to school for fear of traffic, crime or simple bullying, but with organized adult supervision, those concerns have diminished.
    Schools and busing companies are finding other ways to save. In rural areas where busing is a must, some schools have even chosen four-day school weeks. Busing companies instruct drivers to eliminate extra stops from routes and to turn off the engine while idling. They are also using computer software to determine the most fuel-efficient routes, which aren’t always the shortest ones.
    There could be downsides, however, to the busing cutbacks. If every formerly bused student begins walking to school, it’s an environmental win—but if too many of their parents decide to drive them instead, the overall carbon footprint can grow. Replacing buses with many more parent-driven cars can also increase safety risks: A 2002 report concluded students are 13 times safer on a school bus than in a passenger car, since buses have fewer accidents and withstand them better due to their size. And some students complain about the long morning hikes, particularly when the route contains a really big hill.
What do we learn about the "walking school bus" from the passage?
选项 A、It is a heavy burden on the traffic.
B、It does not consume fuel at all.
C、It is very popular with school kids.
D、It aims to keep children strong and healthy.
答案B
解析 根据题干中的walking school bus将本题出处定位到首段末句。该句提到Nia和她的邻居通过“walking school bus”上学，破折号后面对“walking school bus”进行了解释：一群孩子在一位或两位成人的监护下一块步行上学。既然是步行上学，不乘坐任何交通工具，那肯定不会消耗任何燃料，故答案为[B]。步行上学不会造成交通拥堵，故排除[A]“给交通造成很大压力”。[C]与末段末句矛盾，故排除。学生步行上学是因为学校取消了校车，并不是为了使孩子保持强壮和健康，故排除[D]。
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