Worries about school bus safety have drawn much attention. Now schools in some poor areas are looking   41  some other ways to go to school.
In the countryside, students are living in different places. And there isn’t enough   time for school buses to go around and pick up   42  student. So the most useful way is to let students living in the   43  village take a special school bus which is for them only. And the cost is   44  by their parents and the school.
Each bus is asked to carry only five students on the same route(路线) every day. Traffic police are also making daily checks to make sure drivers don’t carry__45  than 5 students. For a bus like this, the drivers can   46  make any money. So schools pay 300 yuan to drivers every month. The rest comes from the parents’ pockets（口袋）.
The roads to the students’ homes are rough(崎岖的) and sometimes even dangerous,   47  falling rocks and narrow（狭窄的） bridges. After spending at least an hour on the road, the students finally make it home.   48 the money for taking a bus has increased and it’s not easy for parents to make money, they are glad to know that their children will   49  home safely each day. And they feel happy to see their child enjoy their time at school. But one girl says she’s seen the big yellow school   50  on TV, and wonders when she’ll ride one of her own.

Maria lives in the beautiful countryside．She usually gets up early in the morning， 16  she’s never late for schoo1．After getting up，she often showers and has a good breakfast．Then she  17  for school at around 6：30．  18  her home is very far from school，she likes riding her bike better than  19 the bus．It takes her about an hour   20  her bike．It’s so long! On the way，she sings and sings so she always feels  21 ．Also she thinks that it’s good for her health   22  to school by bike．
After school she usually goes back   23  with her friend，Linda．Linda’s home is nearer than Maria’s． It’s only three miles from her home   24  schoo1．Linda likes riding，too．And she also thinks that it is a good  25 of transportation．

Today there are 6 billion people on the earth. By the year 2050 there may be 12.5 billion. There will be a lot of people to feed. We need more food.
One way to produce more food is by growing stronger plants. For thousands of years, farmers have made plants better. Every season, they pick the best plants for the next season. It works very slowly. Since 1983, scientists have been able to change plants more quickly by changing their genetic material(遗传物质). Foods from plants grown in this way are called genetically modified foods(转基因食品), or GM foods.
By changing the genetic material of a plant, it is possible to make new plants. They make plants which are strong against plant diseases. They can also help in our diseases: a kind of rice is being prepared, for example, which stops people from becoming blind.
Rich countries produce GM foods because they are easy to grow and bring in more money. Poor countries are interested in them because they help produce more food.
GM plants are not natural. No one knows how good or bad they are. Making GM foods is only one way of feeding people in 2050. There are strong feelings against them, because they are unnatural. They may feed people, then hurt them or their children later. But, both rich and poor countries are very interested in their use, and they are not going to go away. In 2050 we may think differently about them.

1. 1.

   GM foods ________.

   1. A.
      are a quick way to produce food
   2. B.
      grow in the wild
   3. C.
      are safe
   4. D.
      are grown only in rich countries
2. 2.

   Why do some people not like GM foods?

   1. A.
      They are not useful.
   2. B.
      They are not helpful.
   3. C.
      They are not natural.
   4. D.
      They are not cheap.
3. 3.

   From the reading we know that ________.

   1. A.
      GM foods will disappear one day in the future
   2. B.
      GM foods will not disappear in the future
   3. C.
      people will not be interested in GM foods
   4. D.
      people will have to stop using GM foods

Teens Enjoy Reading

According to a survey on reading conducted by the U.S. National Education Association (NEA), young Americans say reading is important—more important than computers and science. Over 50% of the twelve to eighteen years old children interviewed said they enjoy reading a lot. Seventy-nine percent find it stimulating and interesting, and 87% think it is relaxing. Most of those surveyed (68%) disagree with the opinion that reading is boring, or old-fashioned.
Teens Read Variety of Material
Over half the teenagers interviewed said they read more than ten books a year. The results also showed that middle-school students read more books than high school students. Most teens (66%) like to read fiction, such as novels and stories. Only 26% were interested in non-fiction, such as biographies and history books. Sixty-four percent of students liked reading ‘stories about people of my own age’ as their favorite topic. Mysteries and detective stories came second on the list at 53%. Just under 50% said they were interested in reading about their own culture and heritage.
Other Interests
Of the teenagers who participated in the survey, 49% said that libraries are where they get most of their books. However, many complained that their school libraries do not have enough up-to-date, interesting books and magazines. Even though many teenagers in the U.S. enjoy reading, they still have other interests. When asked which activity would be the most difficult to give up for a week, 48% said listening to music. TV would be difficult to give up for 25% of those surveyed.
           
Another survey which is published by www. SmartGirl.com studied the differences between teenage boys’ and girls’ reading habits. According to the report, more girls than boys read for fun. Many more girls (77%) than boys (6%) read fashion and beauty magazines. More boys (47%)  than girls (7%) read magazines about video games, but an equal number of each like to read adventure stories and newspapers. Girl also read more material about celebrities and social issues such as crime, drugs, or poverty. Boys, on the other hand, read more about sports.
【小题1】Most teens enjoy reading______.