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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  106
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 may eventually happen with the busing cutbacks?
选项 A、More students may choose to take public transportation.
B、The safety of school buses may be decreased sharply.
C、Competition among bus companies may become fiercer.
D、There may be an increase in carbon dioxide emissions.
答案D
解析 根据题干中的busing cutbacks将本题出处定位到第5段前两句。该段首句提到，但是，校车的削减可能会有不良后果。第2句进行了具体说明：……但是，与之相反，如果太多的父母决定开车送他们的孩子上学，碳足迹的总量就会上升，[D]中提到的an increase in carbon dioxide emissions(二氧化碳排放量的增加)正是对该句提到的the overall carbon footprint can grow的同义转述，故答案为[D]。文中提到busing cutbacks的后果之一是以前乘坐巴士的学生开始walking to school，并非选择乘坐public transportation，所以不能说明更多学生选择公共交通工具，故排除[A]。文中提到用更多家长驾驶轿车来取代巴士会增加安全风险，是因为乘坐轿车没有乘坐巴士安全，并不是因为校车(即巴士)的安全性能大大降低了，故排除[B]。[C]在文中未提及，故排除。
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