Question

For over a century, the Nashua River in Massachusetts provided power for factories, which gave jobs to thousands of people. Over the years, these paper, cotton, wood, and woolen factories had poured their waste into its waters.

By the 1960s,the Nashua River was about as polluted as any river could get. Its waters became red or green or blue with dye(染料) from paper factories lying on its banks. The smokes from this dye blackened the paint on the buildings near the river.

Then along came Marion Stoddart with a simple but overwhelming（压倒性的）idea-clean up the Nashua River. This was no one-woman campaign. Stoddart encouraged the paper factories and the business community to form partnerships to reclaim the river. She carried jars of dirty river water to local officials to demonstrate the seriousness of the problem. Stoddart talked with business leaders about economic problems. She talked with environmentalists about the long-term problems of pollution.

Stoddart knew that the State Water Pollution Control Board would have the final say on forcing the clean-up. When she spoke to the board, she insisted that the Nashua River should be made safe for swimming. They thought her goals were unrealistic.

However, the partnerships Stoddart had helped form and the volunteers who were drawn to her cause never gave up. They all realized that cleaning up the river was in everyone's best interests. By 1993, several water treatment plants had been built, and a conservation area called a "green way" had been created along the banks of the river.

Today factories are still operating along the river, but there are also fish in the river. The Nashua River welcomes boaters, naturalists, and even swimmers. None of this would have been possible without a woman of vision and a community working together.

1.What does the underlined word “reclaim” refer to?

A. enlarge B. rescue C. monitor D. explore

2.What's the attitude of the board to Stoddart's goal of improving the river?

A. Supportive. B. Neutral. C. Doubtful. D. Cautious.

3.What kind of person is Marison Stoddart?

A. Intelligent and creative. B. Stubborn and proud.

C. Independent and broad-minded. D. Determined and far-sighted.

4.What message is conveyed through the no one-woman campaign?

A. It’ll be all right on the night. B. Many hands make light work.

C. Prevention is better than cure. D. Failure is the mother of success.

Answer 1