The united States has about 475,000 school buses -- all painted yellow. Each day they carry more than 25,000,000 children, half of all schoolchildren in the country. But these buses, on average, use four liters of diesel   fuel to travel less than sixteen kilometers. When the school year began last fall, diesel averaged 55 cents a liter nationally. The price nearly doubled, to a dollar and 8 cents, by the end of school in June. Bob Riley speaks for the American School Bus Council. He says fuel prices for schools are not much lower than others have to pay. As a result, schools are looking for ways to reduce transportation costs. Bus routes are being redrawn or, in some cases, canceled. Some areas are buying buses that use natural gas or other alternative fuels. Other steps include fewer field trips and less travel by sports teams. And some school districts may end any bus service not required by law. Studies show that school buses are the safest form of transportation to and from school. The American School Bus Council says cuts in bus service are bad for children and possibly the environment. It says removing buses from the road will mean an increase in other vehicles transporting students. Spokesman Bob Riley says another concern is that reducing bus services might reduce attendance. But it could also get more children to walk or bicycle to school. And that would surely make people happy at the National Center for Safe Routes to School. More kids walking or biking safely to school is the aim of a three-year-old federal program, part of an international movement. The goal is to increase physical activity and reduce air pollution. The United States will celebrate Walk to School Day on October eighth this year. But for some students, high fuel prices could make every day a walk-to-school day. In order to cut down transportation cost, many schools take the following measures EXCEPT  _  . A) changing some bus routes B) stopping some bus routes C) asking parents to drive children to and from school D) using other types of fuels
C

Dear David, I'm glad you would like to share your feelings with me.It's hardly surprising that your feelings of not being "grown up" have come on strongly at this point in your life,just before you're about to become a father.You are asking:will I make a good father?How will I cope? Should I have brought another little person into the world? Can l provide for it? Help! I think nearly every sensitive about-to-be-parent must have these occasional feelings of self-doubt and  inadequacy before the birth and it would be most unusual if you didn't share them.It's difficult,honestly,to feel grown-up unless you have something less grown-up to relate to. The boss with a hen-pecking wife may feel like a seven-year-old when he's at home.But as he walks through the office door,and knows he's going to be surrounded by staff looking to him for Advice,he grows into a fully mature man.And I think it's a mistake to imagine that we all feel,as we age,a kind of progression of states,from the baby to the adult.Most people feel,on Tuesday,about three years old,and on a Wednesday,around 80. There's a common remark that "all men are little boys",but it's not true.It's more true that men often behave like little boys.But nearly all people,at some moments in their lives,are capable of groat maturity. Once your baby arrives,you'll soon feel less childlike,or rather,less often.When your child tries to put its fingers into the electric plug,the adult in you will rise up to prevent it.You'll see you have very little in common with a needy child,particularly if it's looking to you for comfort and support. Comfort yourself,David,with two truths.One is that your friends laugh when they talk about  this subject because they,like you,feel frightened.And remember that people who haven't grown up don't go around talking about the fact that they don't feel grown-up. Hope my advice will be helpful and good luck to you and your little one. Yours sincerely Miss Advice Miss Advice holds that  _  . A) all men behave like little boys B) people tend to laugh at the subject C) men with a baby feel more grown-up D) people enjoy talking about their immaturity
C

Teaching materials for learning Chinese are provided here. There are sites where you may find interesting instructions suitable for you. Here are some sites to begin your surfing. You may start with these pages from this website -- just to get a little taste of it without working too hard. * A Is For Love Flash cards for learning a few Chinese words * Listening to the sound of Chinese Play a few words of Chinese on your computer. * A few Chinese words Each word is enlarged for easy study. If you are studying Chinese, these tools can help. * Zhongwen site More than a dictionary! * Clavis Sinica Excellent program by Professor David Porter. It displays a whole document in Chinese [GB] or [BIG5], and gives individual word's definition, pronunciation as well as much more information when you click on that word. If you are studying Chinese, this is a very useful tool. * Chinese Character Visual Dictionary If you like to know more, go to the following sites on the Internet. * The Chinese Outpost Pronunciation, Character and Grammer By Mark Andrew Baker. The best. A must-visit site. * Learn Cantonese / Mandarin Online * Internet Based Chinese Teaching and Learning * Rainland Kids discover Chinese -- Site is in Germany If you want to have a better understanding of China, go to this one. * Wanfang Data As an affiliate   of Chinese Ministry of Science && Technology, Wanfang Data has been the leading information provider in China since 1950s. With a wide range of database resources and value-added services, Wanfang Data has become a gateway to understanding Chinese culture, medicine, business, science, etc. This passage is most probably from   _  . A) a TV programme B) a teacher's lecture C) a newspaper D) the Internet
D

If you have a chance to go to Taiwan, there's one place you should not miss-- the Taipei Palace Museum. The museum has around 650,000 pieces of ancient Chinese treasures. These treasures were originally in the Palace Museum in Beijing. But how did they get to Taiwan? In 1931, the Japanese invaded the northeast part of China. To protect the national treasures from the Japanese, the government of the Republic of China decided to move some important pieces to Nanjing. However, they did not stay long in Nanjing. In 1949, the people's Liberation Army won in the Liberation War. The Guomindang government went from Nanjing to Taiwan. Along with them they took the art pieces. The Taipei Palace Museum was set up in 1965 to hold the national treasures. Taiwan people are very proud of the Taipei Palace Museum. Some of the collections are world famous. One of the most visited art pieces in the museum is the "Jade Cabbage". It is made from a single piece of jade . If you take a close look, you can see two grasshoppers on the leaves, a large one and a small one, which were the symbol of many children in a family. If you are interested in the treasures, you could take a look at a TV programme called Taipei Palace Museum. It gives a picture of the treasures of the Taipei Palace Museum. There are also interviews with over a hundred experts about the stories behind some of the pieces. The treasures stayed in Nanjing for about   _   years. A) 10 B) 16 C) 18 D) 34

C