Have you heard of a bike bus? It carries a group of children to school in the same way a school bus does, except everyone is on bikes. The “bus driver”—an adult on a bike—guides a slowly moving group along a route (路线) that has already been chosen. Kids and their parents join the group on their own bikes when the group rides by.

Bike buses are a way for everyone to bike together for fun, convenience and safety. On busy streets, a big group of five to ten kids is much more visible (明显的) than one or two kids biking alone.

Sam Balto is a PE teacher. He leads a bike bus to school. His bus is especially visible because it has hundreds of shouting kids and parents. It stretches out over several blocks (街区). Sam vlogs his bike bus trip. As the parent of two kids, I can’t watch his videos without crying. The bike bus calms my fear that the kids will get hurt on the road. Laughing kids! Outside, in person! Together! So when a friend asked if I would lead a bike bus in our neighborhood, of course I said yes.

Using active transportation to go to work and school—whether that’s a biking bus, or even a walking bus—has many advantages. Yes, people are healthier and happier when they’re more active, but reducing the number of cars around a school can also reduce heavy traffic and air pollution.

I was shocked by what starting or driving a bike bus meant to different people. For Luke Bornheimer, the leader of the San Francisco Bike Bus, it’s amazing to see children take care of themselves. “Kids are really smart and strong.” Bornheimer says. “They get how to ride responsibly (负责任地) and have fun. We’re just giving them that chance.” For me, the bike bus was the start of rejoining my community. My kids love the bike bus, but we parents might love it even more. We talk about everything, from the bike bus to other topics, such as planning neighborhood roller skating meetups and party nights.

I do accept that getting more kids to safely bike and walk in more places will take a lot more work than parents just trying to get their kids to school every day. But our efforts are a start. We live on a planet that has many environmental problems. Maybe the best way to remind ourselves that we and the Earth are worth (值得的) protecting is by moving through it, not in cars, but with fresh air on our faces and the sounds of kids’ laughter echoing in our ears.

【小题1】According to the passage, a bike bus is __________.

A．a special bus that parents take to go to their workplace

B．a school bus with parents riding bikes as guides in front

C．a fun game for children as they’re on their way to school

D．a way for children to ride to school with a “driver” on a bike

【小题2】Why did the writer want to lead a bike bus?

A．She couldn’t stand her kids shouting.

B．She decided to do something for the school.

C．She liked how it kept children safe on the road.

D．She thought cycling was a popular outdoor activity.

【小题3】What can we learn from the passage?

A．The writer is the leader of her neighborhood activities.

B．Different people started the bike bus in different ways.

C．Bike buses offer kids chances to be responsible on the road.

D．The writer started riding a bike because of the heavy traffic.

【小题4】What is the writer’s purpose of writing the passage?

A．To introduce the good and bad points of active transportation.

B．To invite some experienced bus drivers to be bike bus leaders.

C．To advise the local government to offer more public services for kids.

D．To ask people to help kids and the environment by starting bike buses.