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

We have all experienced days when everything goes wrong. A day may begin well enough, but suddenly everything seems to get out of control. It seems as if a single unimportant event set up a chain of reactions. Let us suppose that you are preparing a meal and keeping an eye on the baby at the same time. The telephone rings and this means your troubles are beginning. While you are on the phone, the baby pulls the tablecloth off the table, destroying your half prepared meal. You hang up hurriedly and attend to your baby. Meanwhile, the meal gets burnt. As if this were not enough to bring you to tears, your husband arrives, unexpectedly bringing three guests to dinner.

    Things can go wrong on a big scale, as a number of people recently discovered in Parramatta, a suburb of Sydney. During the rush hour one evening two cars hit each other and both drivers began to argue. The woman immediately behind the two cars happened to be a learner. She suddenly got into a panic and stopped her car. This made the driver following her brake hard. His wife was sitting beside him holding a large cake. As she was thrown forward, the cake went right through the windscreen and landed on the road. Seeing a cake flying through the air, a lorry driver who was drawing up alongside the car, pulled up all of a sudden. The lorry was loaded with empty beer bottles and hundreds of them slid off the back of the vehicle and on to the road. This led to yet another angry argument. Meanwhile, the traffic piled up behind. It took the police nearly an hour to get the traffic on the move again. In the meantime, the lorry driver had to sweep up hundreds of broken bottles. Only two dogs benefited from all this confusion, for they were happily having what was left of the cake. It was just one of those days!

According to the author’s opinion, ______.                                                      

A. a small matter may cause great trouble  B. accidents may happen anytime

C. anyone may have trouble any day      D. troubles always come in groups

When the telephone rings, ______.                                                                

A. your trouble is approaching if you are taking care of your baby

B. you should never go to answer it in a hurry unless you know it’s an important one

C. you’d better have your baby a little distant from your table before going to answer it

D. you’d better just let it ring all the way unless you can find someone to take care of

your baby

What did the police do after the accident?                                                       

    A. They helped the drivers to go on with their journey.

    B. They helped the truck-driver to clean up the road.

    C. They would find out who should be fined.

    D. They tried to stop the people from arguing.

From the story we can see ______.                                                                  

    A. such accidents are usually funny

       B. such accidents are rather common

    C. no one can explain why such accidents happen

    D. some drivers should take responsibility for their carelessness

More American people take their troubles with them on holiday, according to a new survey. Although 40 percent said that the main reason for going away is to escape pressure (压力) from work, almost all said they worry more than they do at home. Only four in every 100 said that they are happy and free of care.

The most common worry is burglary ( 入室盗窃), with four out of 10 worrying about their homes being broken into while they’re abroad. More than a quarter fear they will feel crazy with some other noisy and rough holiday-makers and 22 percent worry they may be attacked or their possessions will be missing. One in five think the car may break down; and the same number worry about the chances of bad weather.

The survey also showed that the stay-at-home Americans are no more. Three out of every five want to have a holiday abroad, a great increase from the figures only three years ago. The hotel holiday is still a winner, with about one third of all Americana preferring to go on a self-catering ( 自助 ) holiday.

56. The underlined word “survey” in the first paragraph most probably means ______.

A. research                B. review            C. exhibition        D. examination

57. According to the text, about ______ of people worry more on holiday than when they are at home.

A. 25%             B. 40%               C. 80%             D. 95%

58. The third most common worry of American holiday-makers is that they may ______.

A. be attacked or lose their possessions  B. have problems with their cars on the road

C. have bad weather on holiday      D. get mixed with some rough fellow holiday-makers

59. Where do American holiday-makers like to stay most?

A. At a hotel.                  B. In a quiet place.         

C. At a friend's house.            D. Where they can cook for themselves.

I still clearly remember that day. I was on the side of the road for close to four hours with my big Jeep. I put signs in the windows that said, “NEED A JACK(千斤顶)”.

Right as I was about to give up, a truck stopped and a man got off. He sized up the situation and went back to take a jack. After about two hours, we finished the job with sweats. We were both dirty. His wife produced a large water jug for us to wash our hands in.

I tried to put $20 in the man’s hand, but he wouldn’t take it, so instead I went up and gave it to his wife as quietly as I could. I thanked them up one side and down the other. I asked the little girl, their daughter, where they lived, thinking maybe I’d send them a gift. She said they lived in Mexico. They were in Oregon now so Mommy and Daddy could pick cherries for the next few weeks. After that, they were going to pick peaches, and then go back home.

After I said my goodbyes and started walking back to the Jeep, the girl called out and asked if I’d had lunch. When I told her no, she ran up and handed me a tamale(玉米粽子). I thanked them again and walked back to my car. When I opened the tamale, what did I find inside? My $20 bill! I ran to the van and the guy rolled down his window. He saw the $20 in my hand, started shaking his head smiling, and with what looked like great concentration said in English: “Today you, tomorrow me.” Then he rolled up his window and drove away, with his daughter waving to me from the back.

This family, working on a seasonal basis where time is money, took a couple of hours to help a stranger while others passed by quietly.

Since then I’ve helped many people like the Mexican family. I didn’t accept money. But every time I was able to help, I felt as if I was putting something in the bank.

1.From the passage we know that __________.

A.the Mexican man couldn’t speak English

B.the author’s car broke down on the road

C.the Mexican family came to Oregon for a visit

D.$20 was a small amount for the Mexican family

2.Why did the author give the money quietly to the man’s wife?

A.Because the man had refused to accept it.

B.Because the man’s wife needn’t wash her hands.

C.Because the author thought the Mexican family was poor.

D.Because the author thought the man’s wife would take it.

3.The Mexican man helped the author because he tended to think that ___________.

A.it was completely wrong for others to pass by quietly

B.it was quite easy to help the author mend the jeep

C.it was possible that everyone might get into trouble

D.the author was a polite stranger and deserved the help

4.Which of the following is TRUE about the author?

A.He hated those who didn’t offer help.

B.He would send a present to the family soon.

C.He wondered why they didn’t take the money.

D.He considered helping others as saving money in the bank.

5.What can we infer from the passage?

A.The Mexican family lived a richer life than the author.

B.The Mexican family did seasonal work in Oregon each year.

C.The author was inspired to help others by the Mexican family.

D.What made the writer moved was the tamale given by the girl.

 

SATURDAY, June 16, 2009 (Health Day News) -- Following simple safety rules can help protect children from injury while they're having fun this summer, say experts from Safe Kids East Central and the Medical College of Georgia's Children's Medical Center

Here are some safety guidelines:

● When riding in a vehicle, children aged 12 and under should be secured in the back seat in a child safety seat, or safety belt that's suitable for their age and size. Children aged 4 to 8, or those weighing more than 40 pounds, should be in a car booster. Children taller than 4 feet 9 inches may use an adult seat belt

● Teach children never to play in or around parked cars. Never leave a child alone inside a car

● Never let a child under age l0 cross a street alone. Make sure all children know when and where to cross a street. Never let children walk alone at night

● Always supervise children at the playground or in the backyard. Make sure they play on a safe surface, such as rubber or free sand. Check that playground equipment is in good shape and safe.

● Children should attend swimming lessons with a qualified instructor, but don't assume that swimming lessons make children "drown-proof". They still need to be supervised when doing water-related activities

● Children should always wear proper protective equipment when using bicycles, scooters, inline skates and skateboards. Teach children the rules of the road

72. The best title for the passage is ___________

A. Some Safety Guidelines                                 B. Rules of the road

C. A Safe Summer Means More Fun for Kids     D. Safety Is Everything

73. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT mentioned?

A. Car riding.     B. Swimming.           C. Climbing.        D. Skating

74. The underlined word "supervise" means_______

A. watch               B. advise                      C. direct             D. command

75. To have a safe summer we should do the following EXCEPT _________

A. never leave a child alone inside a car

B. teach children the rules of the road

C. allow children aged 12 and under sit in the back seat without safety belt

D. make sure children play on a safe surface

 

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