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     (Reuters Life! ) - Families in New York and Louisville, Kentucky might be happy to know they live in

two of the safest U.S. cities for children.

     Both urban areas scored high marks in a study that assessed 50 of the largest U.S. cities on 25 safety

criteria such as proximity (接近) of hospitals, bike helmet laws and how quickly local fire departments

respond to determine the safest cities for children.

     "It's clear that most cities are doing great things to improve safety at home and in the community," said Gus Schaefer of Underwriters Laboratories (UL), an independent safety certification provider that conducted the research.

     New York firefighters were the quickest to respond to emergencies, while Louisville pedestrians(行人) were among the least likely to be in a traffic accident, according to the study.

     Boston parents can breathe easy knowing they live in the city with the most hospitals per capita(人

均) and Portland, Oregon got honors for its low drowning rates and air quality.

     Virginia Beach scored high marks because car passengers under the age of 18 have to wear seatbelts, even if they are riding in the back seat.

     Columbus, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seattle and Tampa were also among the safest cities.

     Although the study did not rank the cities, it showed that the vast majority have anti-smoking laws and

all have smoke alarm laws.

     One area where there might still be room for improvement is bike helmet laws. Only 39 of the largest

urban areas have bike helmet laws.

     But 47 out of 50 cities had some non-smoking laws and an equal number required CO alarms. And all

the cities insisted on inspections after construction or remodeling projects.

     In addition to local and state laws to keep their children safe, UL said families can also take measures

to improve the safety of their children, including making sure television stands are well fixed and having a

fire escape plan.

 1. The passage is mainly about         .

A. how to keep children safe          

B. the most popular U.S. cities

C. the safest U.S. cities for kids      

D. the various laws in the U.S. cities

2. What do we know about New York from the passage?

A. New York has the fewest traffic accidents.

B. The air quality in New York remains stable.

C. Car passengers in New York have to wear seatbelts.

D. New York firefighters react quickly in emergencies.

3. What does the underlined phrase "breathe easy" in the passage refer to?

A. Stop worrying                

B. Enjoy better health.    

C. Do their jobs happily.          

D. Breathe without difficulty.

4. The safety criteria in the study include all the following EXCEPT        .

A. non-smoking laws  

B. bike helmet laws  

C. traffic rules  

D. families' fire escape plans

5. What did the 50 cities in the study have in common?

A. They all had anti-smoking laws.        

B. They all required factories to fix CO alarms.

C. Their hospitals provided high-quality service.  

D. They had careful examinations of newly completed buildings.