TV Shows and LongBus Trips Long bus rides are like televisions shows.They have a beginning,amiddlle,and an end-with commercials thrown in every three or four

minutes.Thecommercials are unavoidable.They happen whether you want them or not.Everycouple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window.“Buy Super

CleanToothpaste.""Drink Good‘n’Wet Root Beer.""Fill up withPacific Gas."Only if you sleep,which is equal to turning the televisionset off,are you spared the unending cry

of"You NeedIt!Buy It Now!" The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhatexciting,even if you've traveled that way before.Usually some things havechanged-new

houses,newbuildings,sometimes even a new road.The bus driver has a style of driving andit's fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so.If the driver isparticularly reckless

or daring,the ridecan be as thrilling as a suspense story.Will the driver pass the truck intime?Will the driver move into the right or the left-hand lane?After a while,of

course,theexcitement dies down.Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of theride.Food always makes bus rides more interesting.But you've got to be carefulof

what kind of foodyou eat.Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops. The end ofthe ride is somewhat like the beginning.You know it will soon be over

and there’s a kindof expectation and excitement in that.The seat,of course,has become harder asthe hours have passed.By now you've sat with your legs crossed,with your

hands in yourlap,with your hands on the arm rests-even with your hands crossed behind yourhead.The end comes just at the right time.There are just no more ways to sit.What is thepurpose of this passage?

A.To give thewriter's opinion about long bus trips.

B.To persuade you totake a long bus trip.

C.To show thedifferences between long bus trips and TV shows.

D.To describe thebillboards along the road.