Every day 25 million U. S. children ride school buses. The safety record for these buses is much better than for passenger cars; but nevertheless, about 10 children are killed each year riding on large school buses, and nearly four times that number are killed outside buses in the loading zones. By and large, however, the nation's school children are transported to and from school safely.

　　Even though the number of school bus casualties(死亡人數(shù)) is not large, the safety of children is always of intense public concern. While everyone wants to see children transported safely, people are divided about what needs to be done—particularly whether seat belts should be mandatory (強制性的)•

　　Supporters of seat belts on school buses argue that seat belts are necessary not only to reduce death and injury, but also to teach children lessons about the importance of using them routinely in any moving vehicle. A side benefit, they point out, is that seat belts help keep children in their seats, away from the bus driver.

　　Opponents of seat belt installation suggest that children are already well protected by the school buses that follow the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) safety requirement set in 1977. They also believe that many children won't wear seat belts anyway, and that they may damage the belts or use them as weapons to hurt other children.

　　A new Research Council report on school bus safety suggests that there are alternate safety devices and procedures that may be more effective and less expensive. For example, the study committee suggested that raising seat backs four inches may have the same safety effectiveness as seat belts.

　　The report sponsored by the Department of Transportation at the request of Congress, reviews seat belts extensively while taking a broader look at safety in and around school buses.

　　26. Each year, children killed outside buses in the loading zones are about_______.

　　A. 10 B. 40

　　C. 30 D. 50

　　27. Which of these words is nearest in meaning to the words "are divided" in Paragraph

　　2?

　　A. disagree B. separate

　　C. arrange D. concern

　　28. According to the passage, who has the greatest degree of control of the school buses' "safety"?

　　A. A New Research Council.

　　B. The Department of Transportation.

　　C. The Medical Organizations.

　　D. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

　　29. It may be inferred from this passage that_______.

　　A. many of the opponents of seat belt installation are parents and officials of the Department of Transportation

　　B. proposal of seat belts on school buses would be seriously considered

　　C. an alternate safety device (raising seat backs four inches) may be taken into

　　consideration

　　D. The Department of Transportation may either take the idea of seat belts or other measures when it reviews the whole situation

　　30. The best title which expresses the idea of the passage is_______.

　　A. Making School Buses Even Safer for Children

　　B. Seat Belts Needed on School Buses

　　C. Alternate Safety Devices and Procedures

　　D. Safety in and around School Buses

　　26. B 27. A 28. D 29. D 30. A

　　Laziness is a sin(罪), everyone knows that. We have probably all had lectures pointing out that laziness is immoral, that it is wasteful, and that lazy people will never amount to anything in life. But laziness can be more harmful than that, and it is often caused by more complex reasons rather than simple wish to avoid work. Some people who appear to be lazy are suffering from much more serious problems. They may be so distrustful of their fellow workers that they are unable to join in any group task for fear of ridicule or of having their idea stolen. These people who seem lazy may be ruined by a fear of failure that prevents fruitful work. Or other sorts of fantasies (幻想) may prevent work; some people are so busy planning, sometimes planning great deals of fantastic achievements that they are unable to deal with whatever "lesser" work is on hand. Still other people are not avoiding work; strictly speaking, they are merely procrastinating rescheduling their day.

　　Laziness can actually be helpful. Like procrastinators, some people may look lazy when they are really thinking, planning, researching. We should all remember that great scientific discoveries occurred by chance. Newton wasn't working in the orchard when the apple hit him and he devised the theory of gravity. All of us would like to have someone "lazy" build the car or stove we buy, particularly if that "laziness" were caused by the worker's taking time to

　　check each step of his work and to do his job right. And sometimes, being "lazy"—that is,, taking time off for a rest—is good for the overworked students or executives. Taking a rest can be particularly helpful to the athlete who is trying too hard or the doctor who's simply working himself overtime too many evenings at the clinic. So be careful when you're tempted to call someone lazy. That person may be thinking, resting, or planning his or her next work.

　　26. The main idea of this passage is that_______.

　　A. laziness is a moral sin

　　B. there are advantages and disadvantages in being lazy

　　C. laziness is the sign of deep-seated emotion problems

　　D. lazy people do more careful work

　　27. The passage states that_______.

　　A. laziness is a disease

　　B. laziness is more beneficial than harmful

　　C. a good definition of laziness is emotional illness

　　D. some people appear lazy because they are insecure

　　28. Which of the following conclusions does the passage support?

　　A. Most of the time laziness is a virtue.

　　B. Most assembly workers are lazy.

　　C. The word laziness is sometimes applied incorrectly.

　　D. Most insecure people are lazy.

　　29. As used in this passage, the word "devised"(Para. 2) means_______.

　　A. understood B. wrote

　　C. made D. proved

　　30. Being lazy may be good for_______.

　　A. doctors B. athletes

　　C. executives D. those who overwork themselves

　　26. B 27. D 28. C 29. C 30. D