A new scheme for getting children to and from school is being started by the education authorities in part of Eastern England. This could end the worries of many parents fearful for their children's safety on the roads.

　　Until now the Country Council has only been prepared to provide bus services for children living more than three miles from their school, or sometimes less if special reasons existed. Now it has been decided that if a group of parents ask for help in organizing transport they will be prepared to go ahead, provided the arrangement will not lose money and that children taking part will be attending their nearest school.

　　The new scheme is to be tried out this term for children living at Milton who attend Impington school. The children live just within the three-mile limit and the Council has said in the past it will not undertake to provide free transport to the school. But now they have agreed to organize a bus service from Milton to Impington and back, a plan which has the support of the school's headmaster.

　　Between 50 and 60 parents have said they would like their children to take part. Final calculations have still to be carried out, but a council official has said the cost to parents should be less than £6. 50 a term.

　　They have been able to arrange the service at a low cost because there is already an agreement with the, bus company for a bus to take children who live further away to Impington. The same bus would now just make an extra journey to pick up the Milton children. The official said they would get in touch with other groups of parents who in the past had asked if transport could be provided for their children, to see if they would like to take part in the new scheme.

　　四級閱讀試題訓練題目：

　　21. The children the Council ran buses for in the past were those______.

　　A. whose parents were worried about them

　　B. who would have had to walk otherwise

　　C. who could not walk

　　D. who had to travel a long way

　　22. Taking part in the Council's trial scheme are children who______.

　　A. live in Milton and go to Impington school

　　B. live in Impington and go to Milton school

　　C. live in Milton and go to Milton school

　　D. live in Impington and go to Impington school

　　23. The new bus service will run______.

　　A. on morning journeys to school only

　　B. in connection with an existing service

　　C. only for children living more than three miles away

　　D. only in wet weather

　　24. Agreement to pay for the new bus service has been obtained from______.

　　A. the school's headmaster B. the education department

　　C. the bus company D. the parents

　　25. The parents the Council is now going to contact are those______.

　　A. who had not yet answered letters B. who didn't want to pay

　　C. whose children stayed away from school D. who had asked about transport before

　　四級閱讀試題訓練答案：

　　21. D 22. A 23. B 24. D 25. D