A. Eating and drinking have become more hazardous.
B. Measures must be taken to improve food production.
C. Health food is no longer a dream in modern society.
D. There is no cause for alarm about food consumption.
Passage Four
The estimates of the numbers of home-schooled children vary widely. The
U.S. Department of Education estimates there are 250, 000 to 350, 000
home-schooled children in the country. Home-school advocates put the
number much higher – at about a million.
Many public school advocates take a harsh attitude toward home
schoolers, perceiving their actions as the ultimate slap in the face
for public education and a damaging move for the children. Home
schoolers harbor few kind words for public schools, charging
shortcomings that range from lack of religious perspective in the
curriculum to a herdlike approach to teaching children.
Yet, as public school officials realize they stand little to gain by
remaining hostile to the home-school population, and as home schoolers
realize they can reap benefits from public schools, these hard lines
seem to be softening a bit. Public schoolers have moved closer to
tolerance and, in some cases, even cooperation.
Says John Marshall, an education official, “We are becoming relatively
tolerant of home schoolers.” The idea is, “Let’s give the kids
access to public school so they’ll see it’s not as terrible as they’
ve been told, and they’ll want to come back.”
