3 . Our mother has to leave home every day before we go to school. She has to walk twelve blocks to take the bus to work. We think it’s terrible that there is no bus that comes closer to our street.

I said to my mother, “This is a public transportation system. It is our system. It should come closer to our home. I do not want you to walk that far to get to the bus.” She agreed, but she said it would take more than one family to get the bus line to change. I told my mother I would ask my teacher about it. We could do a study and maybe start a petition (请愿书).

My teacher liked the idea. He said we could do the survey. So our class surveyed all our parents. We collected our survey data and made a table. We found that 90% of all the parents would use the bus more if it was easier to get to. We also found that only 20% of the parents could get to it easily, just by walking five blocks. For all the others, it took between 6 and 12 blocks.

We made a map to show how the bus route (路线) could be changed to reach people in our community more easily. Then my teacher called the alderman (市议员) to see if we could meet to talk about our study.

The alderman was impressed. She said we had done a really good job of thinking out the problem and a solution. She promised she would talk with the head of the transportation system about it.

Now my mother can leave later, and she only has to walk four blocks to get to the bus. When she leaves in the morning, she always says, “Son, I’m so glad you got the bus route changed.”

1. According to the first two paragraphs, the author wanted to ______.

A．get the public transportation system improved

B．walk with his mother to the bus stop

C．invite more families to take the bus

D．ask his teacher about a study plan

2. What did the author and his classmates find in the survey?

A．90% of the parents took the bus to work because it was easier to get to.

B．20% of the parents lived within five blocks to the bus stop.

C．Most parents used to wait for the bus to pick them up.

D．Only a few parents sent their kids to school by bus.

3. What does the underlined word “impressed” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Worried.	B．Annoyed.
C．Moved.	D．Relaxed.

4. What can we learn from the author’s experience?

A．We should take notice of our family life.

B．We should communicate with others.

C．The harder we study, the greater progress we’ll make.

D．As long as we make efforts, we’ll make a difference.

7 . When it comes to comfort, most travelers would pick trains over planes any day. Trains usually offer more leg and elbow room than airplanes. Besides, there are no seat belt signs to keep you from getting up and moving around. And yet, being stuck in a seat for hours on end means long train rides can still be challenging on the body and mind.    1    

If budget permits, upgrading your seat is perhaps the most important thing you can do to make a long train ride more comfortable.    2     Therefore, you can lie down on overnight rides, or a first-class or business-class seat instead of a spot in coach to land yourself more legroom and a footrest.

A tablet (平板电脑) stocked with books, movies, and music can be a lifesaver on long train rides. However, you’ll need a plan for keeping it charged.     3     Make sure you have the right adapter for your charger if you’re traveling in a foreign country. Consider bringing along some low-tech forms of entertainment, too, like travel games or even a simple pack of cards.

    4     Similarly, window seats on trains appeal to train riders. After all, you’re even more likely to have scenery worth seeing out the windows of a train.

Part of the appeal of traveling by train is watching a variety of landscapes slip by outside your window, but once darkness falls — or if you simply need a nap — you might want to escape from the outside world for a while.    5    

A．No two train rides are made alike.

B．Some trains have power ports at every seat.

C．That might mean booking a sleeper cabin instead of a seat.

D．Taking plenty of snacks is a wise idea to kill your time on board.

E．Noise-free headphones are a good choice if you like to fall asleep to music.

F．The following tips will help make your next long rail journey more comfortable.

G．Window seats on planes are popular with travelers who like to enjoy the views.

9 . Since it’s made up of over 7,000 islands, the Philippines is not a train-heavy nation. That means coach buses are going to be your best choice for getting city-to-city. There is a small light rail system in the Manila metro area (called the Light Rail Transit System or “LRT” for short), but it has a bad name for being delayed most of the time.

If the phrase “coach bus” calls forth images of old Greyhounds, you’re off the mark. Because coaches in the Philippines are the primary means of intercity transit, many popular bus companies actually feature onboard attendants (think flight attendants, but, you know, on a bus) as well as entertainment centers, posh seats, and other comfortable accouterments (配备).

There’s no one central bus company in the Philippines, so central bus stations are uncommon. That means you need to know which company you want to take, what bus to get on, and where to catch it. Connect with a Filipino local for help when you’re planning your trip. They’ll help you figure out the who/what/where/when of bus transit and walk you through the entire process.

Besides coach buses, jeepneys are also very popular. They are old military jeeps left over from the US occupation of the Philippines which have since been converted into colorful, uniquely-Filipino private buses. They’re cheap, usually around 7 pesos or 0.25 per ride, they’re everywhere, and they’re probably the most popular form of mass transit in the Philippines.

More than anything though, jeepneys are colorful. The owners take lots of pride in their rides, and it’s common to see richly-painted jeepneys on most major roads. Where do you catch a jeepney and where do they go? Make it easy on yourself: have your local trip planner contain at least one jeepney ride into your travel plan—they’ll give you all the information you need.

1. How does a coach bus in the Philippines differ from a Greyhound?

A．Often running behind the schedule.

B．Traveling within the city area of Manila.

C．Painted with bright colors with low cost.

D．Comfortable equipment with fine service.

2. What can be impressive transit if you travel in the Philippines?

A．LRT.

B．Train.

C．Jeepney.

D．Coach bus.

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Jeepneys are popular as they are modern and comfortable.

B．A Filipino local is the best choice to help you plan your trip.

C．A central bus station can give you the information you need.

D．Coach buses provide the experience of a flight with low cost.

4. What can be the best title of the passage?

A．Tourist attractions in the Philippines

B．Cheap unique transit in the Philippines

C．Options of transportation in the Philippines

D．Special traveling experiences in the Philippines