TEST 34 Questions 1-7. Match the following headings (A-H) to the texts (Q1-Q7). Note: There is one extra heading which you do not need to use. HEADINGS: A) Bright and safe B) The bus you don’t need to drive C) The story of the name D) Special traffic rules for the bus E) The symbol of the capital F) Watching and learning G) They have to be skilled and attentive H) A perfect way to see the capital Q1.
A walking school bus is a group of children walking to school with one or more adults. It can be informal
— when two families take turns in getting their children to school. It also can be a structured and planned
route with meeting points, a timetable and specially trained volunteers. It’s certainly safer for kids who
would otherwise walk alone to school. A walking school bus provides exercise and security. Q2.
Every day thousands of Londoners use big red buses to move around town. These buses were designed
especially for London, by people who knew what London needed, and they have served their purpose well!
There are hundreds of bus routes all over London. The double-decker bus has become an emblem of
London, just as recognizable as Big Ben or Tower Bridge.
Q3.
Have you ever wondered why school buses are either yellow or orange? Yellow is an attention-grabbing
colour. Scientists have discovered yellow is 1.24 times better for catching our eye than red. People can
detect yellow even from the corner of their eye. Yellow is easier to notice in dim light or bad weather. For
these reasons, school buses in many countries are yellow.
Q4.
Few people know that the word bus is a short form of the Latin word omnibus. A businessman named
Stanislas Baudry started the first horse-drawn omnibus service in the French city of Nantes in 1823. The
first vehicles stopped in front of the hatter’s shop which had a large sign Omnes Omnibus. Soon Nantes
citizens gave the nickname omnibus to the vehicle. The word omnibus means for all in Latin. In 1828,
Baudry launched the omnibus service in Paris too.
