Question

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 concerned with how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road.

Millions of animals die each year on U.S. roads, the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact, only about 80 ocelots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the U.S. today. The main reason? Road-kill.

"Ecopassages" 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 human conflicts," said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Conservation 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 lion used the passage.

Builders of some 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 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!

45. The writer uses the example of “ocelots” to show that_________.

A．wild animals have become more dangerous

       B．the driving conditions have improved greatly

       C．the measure for protecting wildlife fails to work

      D．an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents

46. From the news story, we know an ecopassage is_________.

A．an underground path for cars        B．a fence built for the safety of the area

C．a bridge for animals to get over a river D．a pass for animals to cross the road

47. When the writer says that animals seem “to be catching on”, he means_________.

A．animals begin to realize the dangers on the road

B．animals begin to learn to use ecopassages     

C．animals are crossing the road in groups

D．animals are increasing in number

48. The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because_________.

A．wild animals may attack cars B．wild animals may jam the road

C．they may see wild animals in the park    D．they may see wild animals on ecopassages

Answer 1

45---48     DDD  

解析:

45. D 点评：“endangered”意为“濒临灭绝的”，以“ocelots（豹猫）”数量的急剧减少来说明“roadkill”的危害性。

46. D 点评：从第四段前两句话可知，“ecopassages”是专供野生动物横穿公路的生态通道。47. B 点评：考查猜测词义。由上下文可以推断，动物们开始使用这些通道，“catchon”原意为“understand（理解，懂得）”。

48. D 点评：由最后一段可推出答案D。“overpass”意为“天桥，通道”。