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 accidents 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 compulsory.
People in favor of seat belts on school buses-many of them parents and medical organizations-argue that seat belts are necessary not only to reduce fatality 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.
People who object to seat belt installation suggest that children are already well protected by the school buses that follow the Nation Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) safety requirements set in 1977. They also believe that many children won’t wear seat belts anyway, and that may damage the belts or use them as weapons to hurt other children.
A new research council report on school bus safety suggest 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.
【小题1】According to the passage, the “school bus” is _________.

请认真阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后图表中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。

When it comes to the prevention of heart disease, women need to pay attention to their own special risks. And so do men. Surprisingly, even children and teens need to be aware- or at least the parents who want to keep them safe do. Thankfully, scientists have also made great leaps in figuring out the specific prevention strategies that work best for all. So now, knowledge is your best protection.

What Men Need to Know

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), at least half of the people who die suddenly from heart disease each year had no clue they were sick. Some think that half of all heart attacks strike out of the blue. Not true, insists Jennifer Mieres, a spokeswoman for the AHA. A 2004 study found that at least 90 percent of first heart attacks are caused by well-known problems like high cholesterol(胆固醇) or diabetes. “If you look closely,” says she, “you’ll almost always find a risk factor that was undiscovered, ignored, or not adequately treated.”

Lifestyle changes like adopting a healthy diet, getting out for regular exercise, avoiding tobacco, losing weight are the first line of defense.

What Women Need to Know

There are some special considerations for the women who are  healthy and want to make sure they stay that way. First, they shouldn't smoke-no one should, but the habit is even harder on women's heart than it is on men's.

Women who find that they are at risk should talk to their doctor about taking a statin(他汀,药物名). Indeed, statins reduce the risk of heart disease, but there has been not enough evidence that they help high-risk women and it can't guarantee the long-term safety. So it's worth noting that a healthy diet and exercise also reduce cholesterol.

What Parents Need to Know

Last year, a study showed that overweight children and teens have arteries(动脉)that look like those of an average 45-year-old. New guidelines say these children should get a cholesterol test by age ten -- and even urge doctors to consider statins for those most at risk if nothing else works. The recommendations caused oppositions. Lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise are the best strategy, says Dr. Greer, a professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. Statins should be considered only for kids in danger.

Believe it or not, optical illusion(错觉) can cut highway crashes.

Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75 percent using a simple optical illusion. But stripes, called chevrons(人字形), which are painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are, and thus drivers slow down.

Now the American Automobile Association Foundation(基金会) for Traffic Safety in Washington D.C. is planning to repeat Japan’s success. Starting next year, the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes.

Excessive (too great) speed plays a major role in as much as one fifth of all serious traffic accidents, according to the foundation. To help reduce those accidents, the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related danger are the greatest curves, exit slopes, traffic circles, and bridges.

Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted across roads can  cut the average speed of drivers in half at the beginning. However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars.

Chevrons, scientists say, not only give drivers the impression that they are driving faster than they really are but also make a lane appear to be narrower. The result is a longer lasting reduction in highway speed and the number of traffic accidents.

1. On roads painted with chevrons, drivers tend to feel that ______.

A. they should avoid speed-related hazards

B. they are driving in the wrong lane

C. they should slow down their speed

D. they are coming near to the speed limit

2. The advantage of chevrons over straight, horizontal bars is that the former ______.

A. can keep drivers awake    

B. can cut road accidents in half

C. will look more attractive  

D. will have a longer effect on drivers

3. The American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety plans to ________.

A. try out the Japanese method in certain areas

B. change the road signs across the country

C. replace straight, horizontal bars with chevrons

D. repeat the Japanese road patterns

4. The passage mainly discusses ________.

A. a new way of highway speed control

B. a new pattern for painting highways

C. a new way of training drivers

D. a new type of optical illusion