Many people are afraid of flying in airplanes, but they shouldn’t be. Over time airplanes     1     (improve) their safety measures. Flying has become one of the safest ways to travel. In fact, when measured per mile, flying is     2     (actual) far safer than driving, or travelling by train.

Not only is flying the safest mode of transport,     3     it is also the fastest. Just a hundred years ago if you wanted to travel from China to the United States, you would have to travel by boat     4     many weeks. Fortunately now, you can get there in less than 24 hours. Airplanes are also quite     5     (comfort), and often offer in-flight entertainment, such as movies. This helps explain     6     travelling by plane is now the first choice for long     7     (distant) journeys.

Of course, that doesn’t stop some people from being afraid of flying. People can be frightened,     8     (think) about flying through the atmosphere (大气层) at hundreds of miles per hour. One of the main reasons that people are afraid to fly is that     9     (passenger) lack any control over the airplane, and have to place their trust in the hands of the pilots. Many people intend     10     (remain) in control.

6 . 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.”

Nowadays many people want to have a more interesting experience when arriving in a new city or country. Here are some better ways to travel, both for you and for the environment.

Get out of the car and walk.     1     It’s slower but it’s the greenest way to travel. It’s also the most rewarding way to see a city, but remember to wear comfortable shoes. You can slow down your pace, enjoy fresh air and beautiful scenery along the way.

    2     骑自行车也是一个好的选择。 Many hotels now offer free bikes to guests. It is convenient for people to travel around the city. Some also provide electric bikes that make it easier to go up hills and on longer journeys. Some cities also have Mobikes and you can pick up one easily.     3     它不免费但很便宜。

If you have to take transport in a city, try to take public transport. Most cities now offer lots of information and very cleat maps about the public transport at the city’s websites.     4     So search for them at the websites when you arrive in a city.

    5     If possible, take trains or ships to travel from city to city. They are usually greener than cars and planes.