Special Bridges Help Animals Cross the Road
— Reported by Sheila Carrick
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.
Most people know this joke. But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear(灰熊)and mountain lion can cross the road.
"Millions of animals die each year on US roads," the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact，only about 80 ocelots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the US today. The main reason? Road kill.
"Ecopassages (生态通道 ) " may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars. They are paths both over and under roads. "These ecopassages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid road accidents," said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society.
But do animals actually use the ecopassages? The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an ecopassage that went under a highway. This showed that the lions used the passage.
Builders of ecopassages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them. Animals seem to be catching on. Animals as different as salamanders(火蜥蜴) and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.
The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around. You might see an animal overpass!
1.The writer uses the example of "ocelots " to show that ________.
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A．wild animals have become more dangerous |
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B．the driving conditions have improved greatly |
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C．the measure for projecting wildlife fails to work |
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D．an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents |
2. From the news story, we know an ecopassage is ________.
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A．an underground path for cars |
B．a fence built for the safety of the area |
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C．a bridge for animals to get over a river |
D．a path for animals to cross the road |
3. When the writer says that animals seem" to be catching on", he means ________.
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A．animals begin to realize the dangers on the road |
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B．animals begin to learn to use ecopassages |
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C．animals are crossing the road in groups |
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D．animals are increasing in number |
4. The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because________
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A．wild animals may attack cars |
B．wild animals may jam the road |
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C．they may see wild animals in the park |
D．they may see wild animals on ecopassages |
Today only one person in five in the United States lives within 50 miles of his birthplace. Since the country was first settled, Americans have moved around a great deal, and are often far away from their parents. Because they have broken ties with their past at a young age, chosen their own occupations, established their own homes and developed their own lifestyles, few American children grow up closely surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins as they do in Italy, Nigeria, or India, for example. This along with the fact that modern American families do not have servants has made the “baby-sitter” a vital part of the American scene. A “sitter” is someone who is hired to care for children for a specific length of time—usually relatively short—while the parents are out for an evening, going to a party or a course of study for example. Sometimes the baby-sitter is also hired for longer period, perhaps when the parents are away for a weekend. In such cases the “sitter” is likely to be a mature and motherly woman. For short periods, teen-agers, college students, nursing students, and others are commonly employed on an hourly basis.
From the point of view of convenience, the best sitters are often young people who live in your apartment building or close by in the neighborhood. This gives you a chance to meet the parents and see what they are like. If an emergency occurs, young sitters can call upon their parents quickly for help; you do not have to take them far to see them home at night or pay expensive taxi fares. Another advantage is that young people living close by can usually fill in quite readily on short notice or for short periods of time.
In an apartment house you can ask the superintendent for permission to post a notice for a baby-sitter by the mailboxes. This is often the best way to find out if there is anyone in the building who is interested in baby-sitting. Retired people as well as students are often glad to earn a little money in this way and can be found by such a note.
1.A baby-sitter is a person who________.
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A．helps to do housework |
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B．is a cleaning woman |
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C．looks after children while their parents are out |
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D．takes care of babies and cooks for the family |
2.It is advised that when you are out for short periods, you may hire________ to be baby-sitters.
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A．motherly women |
B．retired people |
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C．young people |
D．mature women |
3.The best title for the passage is________.
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A．American Families |
B．Baby-Sitters |
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C．A Way of Earning Money for Young Students |
D．A Best Way to Find Baby-Sitters |
I will be traveling to Australia as a Student Ambassador with People to People. People to People arranges for American students to travel all around the world to learn about other cultures, and to help others understand American culture. The program was founded by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower to promote peace through understanding.
I had to put in many hours of special work to get to this point. First, a teacher nominated (推荐) me, and then I attended an informational meeting about the program. The application process included an interview, and finally, I was accepted.
That’s when the hard work really began. In addition to attending monthly meetings to prepare for the big trip, my parents encouraged my twin sister Beth (also participating in the program) and me to raise $ 2,000 each to help pay for the cost. And so the fund-raising began. We did everything from selling candy bars to selling an old car to decorating people’s mailboxes during the holiday season. We also babysat, washed cars, held a yard sale, and washed windows. After months of hard work I had raised a total of $2319.87! Combined, Beth and I raised over $ 4500.00!
Now I have a problem-packing. Yes, I know it sounds unimportant, but my suitcase seems to have shrunk (收缩) as I placed my belongings inside. According to airline regulations (规定), a suitcase can be no larger than 54 inches and weigh no more than 44 pounds. For a person who likes to wear a different outfit every day, packing all my clothes into such a small space seemed an impossible task. However, I have lessened my load and my suitcase which started out weighting overweight now checks in at a mere 36. Apart from a slightly bloated (臃肿) carry-on bag, my luggage is definitely manageable.
I doubt that I will not get much sleep tonight because I am so excited! I know that what lies ahead is going to be the trip of lifetime!
1.When does the author write the passage?
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A．Before leaving for Australia. |
B．Several months before the journey. |
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C．Just hours after reaching the destination. |
D．The night when she was accepted. |
2.Which of the following is not the aim of People to People program?
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A．To promote peace through understanding. |
B．To collect money for traveling. |
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C．To make American culture known to others. |
D．To learn about other cultures. |
3.Which is the correct order of the author’ preparation for the journey?
a. being accepted as a member
b. raising money for the trip
c. attending a meeting about the program
d. packing belongings
e. being nominated by the teacher
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A．e, a, b, c, d |
B．a, c, e, d, b |
C．e, c, a, d, b |
D．e, c, a, b, d |
4.What does the author think of the journey?
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A．It could be a tiring expensive journey. |
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B．It could be long-lasting journey, which needs taking all daily necessities. |
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C．It could be an exciting, unforgettable journey. |
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D．It could be an overseas journey, during which she would experience hard labor. |
How he wishes he had grasped the opportunity to get the position; now he feels sadly his career lies .
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A．in rows |
B．in detail |
C．in number |
D．in ruins |
It largely the efforts of the government and those companies whether the housing prices can be brought down to a more reasonable level.
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A．leads to |
B．depends on |
C．results in |
D．carries out |
Remove the batteries when they become weak or when the unit is not in use for extended periods. This will damage to the unit from battery leakage at such times.
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A．disappoint |
B．concern |
C．instruct |
D．prevent |
