Worries about school bus safety have drawn much attention. Now schools in some poor areas are looking   41   some other ways to go to school.

In the countryside, students are living in different places. And there isn’t enough   time for school buses to go around and pick up   42   student. So the most useful way is to let students living in the   43   village take a special school bus which is for them only. And the cost is   44  by their parents and the school.

Each bus is asked to carry only five students on the same route(路线) every day. Traffic police are also making daily checks to make sure drivers don’t carry__45   than 5 students. For a bus like this, the drivers can   46   make any money. So schools pay 300 yuan to drivers every month. The rest comes from the parents’ pockets（口袋）.

 The roads to the students’ homes are rough(崎岖的) and sometimes even dangerous,   47   falling rocks and narrow（狭窄的） bridges. After spending at least an hour on the road, the students finally make it home.   48  the money for taking a bus has increased and it’s not easy for parents to make money, they are glad to know that their children will   49   home safely each day. And they feel happy to see their child enjoy their time at school. But one girl says she’s seen the big yellow school   50   on TV, and wonders when she’ll ride one of her own.

1.A. at                 B. up               C. for          D. through

2.A. all             B. every             C. both        D. either

3.A. near           B. far              C. same         D. poor

4.A. bought         B. spent            C. paid         D. took

5.A. few           B. fewer            C. many         D. more

6.A. always            B. often             C. sometimes    D. hardly

7.A. and            B. but              C. with         D. without

8.A. Because        B. Although         C. If           D. When

9.A. get B. arrive at           C. arrive in        D. reach to

10.A. desks             B. bags             C. buses        D. bikes

Do you have to be very smart to live a happy life? The character of McDull (麦兜) tells you that this is not true. He is famous for having a birthmark on his right eye. He is not very clever, but he has a heart of gold. He is also happy, with lots of dreams. McDull wanted to visit the Maldives (马尔代夫). But his mother didn’t have enough money for a trip there. So she lied to him and took him to a place called Hong Kong. The place has a sign that says, “Go to the Maldives”. It made McDull very happy. He thought he was really excited in the Maldives!
The cartoon pig character was created (创造) in Hong Kong by Alice Mark and Brian Tse. McDull is just a common pig. He has many dreams, but they never come true. That doesn’t stop him trying. McDull lives his life in a simple and happy way. His idea towards life is “Never give up”.
【小题1】McDull is famous for ________.