3．
American schools are looking for ways to save money on bus transportation （交通） because of high fuel （燃料） prices．More children may have to walk，ride their bikes or find other ways to get to school．
But，as another effect of the high prices，they may not have to go to school as often．Some schools，especially in the countryside，are changing to a four-day week．That means students may have longer days instead of the traditional Monday through Friday timetable．
Beginning in the fall，students in the Maccray School District in Minnesota will not be in school on Mondays or weekends．In order to get the same time as the five-day week，each school day will be sixty-five minutes longer．
The head of the government Greg Schmidt says the district expects to save about sixty-five thousand dollars a year in transportation costs．The district has about seven hundred students living in an area of nine hundred square kilometers．
In the future，the growth of online classes could make it possible to require even fewer days in school．High fuel prices are driving college students to take more online classes．And in some states，high school students can take them，too．
A four-day school week sounds like a great idea for students and teachers．But working parents may have to pay for child care for that fifth day．In the countryside，though，it can mean an extra day of helping on the family farm．
The Lake Arthur School District has just one hundred sixty students．Lake Arthur used a four-day timetable for twelve years．But a few years ago it went back to five days．Michael Grossman heads the district．He says two studies there failed to show any real educational improvement using the four-day week．And he says not much instruction was taking place during the last hour of school，since teachers and students were too tired．
41．Some schools want to use the four-day school timetable in order toC．
A．protect the environment
B．give students more free time
C．save money on transportation
D．encourage students to take more online classes
42．When schools in Minnesota change their timetable to a 4-day week，students will go to schoolB．
A．from Thursday to Sunday
B．from Tuesday to Friday
C．from Monday to Friday
D．from Monday to Thursday
43．How much class time do students in the Maccray School District probably have in a school day before the four-day week timetable？A
A.4hours and 20minutes．
B.5hours and 25minutes．
C.6hours and 30minutes．
D.8hours．
44．The Lake Arthur School District went back to a five-day timetable becauseD．
A．fuel prices in the district became low
B．it had only one hundred and sixty students
C．students didn't like the new way of going to school
D．the four-day week timetable couldn't improve students'studies．
45．Which of the following is one of the disadvantages a four-day school week has？B
A．Both teachers and students have too much spare time．
B．Working parents have to spend more money looking after children．
C．Students have fewer activities or homework at home when they are free．
D．Parents will ask children to spend the extra day helping work on the farm．
