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 ________.

2. From the news story, we know an ecopassage is ________.

3. When the writer says that animals seem" to be catching on", he means ________.

4. The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because________

The people below are going to make a trip in Australia. After the description of these people, there is information about six advertisements of organized tours A-F. Decide which tours would be most suitable for the person mentioned in descriptions 1-5 and then mark the correct letter (A-F) on your answer sheet. There is one extra paragraph about one tour which you do not need to use.

____ 1. Victor is fond of nature and adventure and he is making a study tour into geology in Australia. So he wants to make a whole day trip, enjoy the natural beauty and study geological phenomena as well.

____ 2. Vanessa is planning a short city tour of Sydney so that she can enjoy the highlights of the city and attend an important lecture given by Professor Brown Smith at 2:00 pm at the University of Sydney.

____ 3. Charlie and his friends are making their first journey in Australia. Having traveled around the city of Sydney, they plan to visit Canberra, the capital and political center of the country.

____ 4. Jenny, a European woman with her children is visiting her relatives in Australia. They want to relax themselves by enjoying the sunshine on the sandy beaches along the coast and have fun with dolphins.

____ 5. Mike and Susan are from Brazil. They have been traveling in Australia for a couple of days. This weekend, they would like to have a change and travel to the countryside to have some idea of Australia grape farming and wine producing instead of making city tours around.

A. City Highlights, Manly Beach, Northern Beaches

B. New Parliament House, National Museum, Australian War Memorial

C. Cuddle a Koala, Kangaroos, Harbour Luncheon Cruise

D. Hunter Valley Wineries, Wine Tasting, Traditional Aussie Towns

E. Port Stephens, Central Coast Beaches, North Coast, Dolphin Watching

F. Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains, Adventure Caves

“Don’t go down to that pond — it's dangerous!” Stephanie angrily shouted at her children. She’d overheard them talking about playing near the water on the golf course close to their apartment. It was a Saturday, and 8-year-old Jeremiah was heading outside with his 11-year-old sister, Tiara, and their 13-year-old cousin, Evon McDuffie. They often went to the George Wilson Community Center in Newark, Delaware, just three houses away from their apartment building.
The Wilson center was a good place of activity for the community, especially in warm weather. But January 20, 2006, was a rainy day with winds. It’s a good day to play inside the center. Unfortunately, the three children had other ideas.
Taking no notice of what Stephanie had said, Evon, Tiara and Jeremiah walked beyond the tree line at the back of the community center and headed toward the large pond. The kids climbed through a gap in the fence, then passed a No Entering sign posted on a metal gate nearby. As they reached the pond, they also walked by a No Skating sign.
Tiara and Evon first stepped on the surface ice, and when it held, the children went out on the pond. Evon shouted out to Jeremiah, “I bet you can't cross the whole thing.”
“I bet you I can,” Jeremiah replied, and he took off across the pond.
He made it to the other side, but as he came back, Jeremiah stepped on the thinner ice. The thin surface collapsed under his feet, and the boy sank into the cold water. Evon raced back to the apartment for help, while frightened Tiara tried to reach Jeremiah as he struggled to keep his head above water. But he kept slipping beneath the surface.
When firefighters arrived, all they could see was Jeremiah's coat floating on the water. As the unconscious child was rushed to the hospital, his life was saved, for now, but the effects of hypothermia (降低体温) and lack of oxygen left Jeremiah with serious brain damage.
1. Stephanie shouted at her children because_____________.
A. the children didn’t behave very well at home
B. they were too young to play outside
C. it was raining
D. the children secretly planned to go to the pond
2. It was __________ that made Jeremiah take courage to cross the ice.
A. Evon’s challenge              B. the mother’s words
C. No Entering sign                 D. the view on the other bank
3. What does the underlined word “collapsed” probably mean?
A. changed suddenly             B. broke into pieces
C. became thinner            D. floated away
4. Which of the following is the right order of the events that happened to Jeremiah?
a. Firefighters came and rescued Jeremiah.
b. The kids climbed through the fence and to the pond.
c. Jeremiah walked across the ice.
d. The kids planned to play on the pond.
e. When Jeremiah made a way back, he sank.
A. b, d, c, e, a B. d, b, a, e, c     C. d, b, c, e, a       D. a, e, c, d, b

14 days from just ￡ 2,090 pp

Fully inclusive from the UK

Price covers: International airfares, departure taxes, fuel charges, local transportation, accommodation, all meals, entrance fees, guides, daily tours and visas for UK citizens.

◆Days 1-3: UK---Shanghai

Fly to the great city of Shanghai and in the evening sample traditional Shanghai food. Visit the beautiful Yu Gardens, Old Town, Shanghai Museum, cross the Great Nanpu Bridge and tour the Pudong area. Also explore Xintiandi with its 1920’ s style Shikumen buildings and end your stay in Shanghai with an amazing Huangpu River evening tour.

◆Days 4-7: Shanghai---Yangtze River Tour

Fly to Yichang and change (approx: one hour)to board your Yangtze River ship for the next four nights. Enjoy a tour of the Three Gorges Dam (三峡大坝)before sailing on the grand Yangtze River, passing through the impressive Three Gorges. We take a side trip to the Lesser Three Gorges or travel up the Shennong Stream in a peapod boat and enjoy various shore trips along the way.

◆Day 8: Chongqing---Chengdu

Get off in Chongqing and drive to Chengdu for an overnight stay.

◆Days 9-10: Chengdu---Xi’an

Visit the famous Panda Reserve to see the lovely animals. We then fly to the historic city of Xi’an for two nights’ stay and enjoy traditional Shui Jiao. Next day, explore one of the most important discoveries of the 20th Century — the Terracotta Warriors(兵马俑) ，followed by the ancient City Wall and a performance of Tang Dynasty dancing.

◆Days 11-13: Xi’an---Beijing

Visit Little Wild Goose Pagoda and see the ancient objects at the well?known Shaanxi Provincial Museum before walking through the lively Muslim Quarter to see the Great Mosque. Later fly to Beijing for three nights’ stay and try Peking Duck. During our stay in Beijing, we stroll through Tiananmen Square to the Forbidden City, the largest and best preserved collection of ancient buildings in China, and visit the Summer Palace. Next day we take a walk on the Great Wall, tour the unique Temple of Heaven and enjoy an attractive Chinese Acrobatic Show.

◆Day 14: Beijing---UK

Fly back to the UK, arriving home later the same day filled with happy memories.

1.

 The underlined word “sample” in the passage probably means “________”.

A. buy    B. reserve        C. taste     D. make

2.

The first and last scenic spots to be visited in Xi’an are________.

A. the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Mosque

B. the Terracotta Warriors and Shaanxi Provincial Museum

C. Little Wild Goose Pagoda and the Great Mosque

D. Little Wild Goose Pagoda and the Muslim Quarter

3.

Which of the following is TRUE according to the ad?

A. The tourists will have to pay extra for fuel and meals.

B. The tourists will visit the 1920’s Shikumen buildings in Beijing.

C. The tourists will take a side trip to the Three Gorges Dam during the tour.

D. The tourists will stay in Beijing for three nights before leaving for the UK.

4.

The ad is mainly intended to________.

A. encourage the British to travel in China 

B. attract the British to traditional Chinese food

C. offer services of booking air tickets to tourists

D. provide the British with a better understanding of China

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Richard’s father died when he was five. Later he lost his mother. An old woman felt sorry for the poor boy and often helped him. Of course he had no money to go to school. He had to work for a rich farmer. The man paid him nothing except food and clothes  1. . He found some old books near the school and taught himself to read and write.

2. .It connected the village and the town. One morning people found there was a big stone on it. It stopped them from going to town. They had to move it away, or they had to cross the mountain if they had something to do in the town. But the stone weighed thirty tons at least and the strongest young men couldn’t do that.  3.   Richard looked at it carefully for a while and said, “I have a way to move it away.” But few men believed him. 4.  Night fell and people went home. Only the boy stayed there. To their surprise, the villagers found the stone was gone the next morning. They didn’t know which spirit had moved it away5. .

   “How could he?” the rich farmer called out, “ He’s only fifteen! He couldn’t move it at all.”

   “He dug a big hole beside the stone” said the old woman, “And then he could easily push it into the hole!”  Looking at each other, the farmer couldn’t say a word.

A.  There seemed to be nothing strange in the village.

B.  An old woman said Richard had done it all.

C.  There was a narrow path between two mountains.

D.  But the boy didn’t lose heart.

E.  Some farmer even laughed at the boy.

F.  The boy hoped he could do something for the villagers some day.

They discussed for a long time, but nobody knew what to do.