Modern man has cleared the forests for farmland and for wood, and has also carelessly burned them. More than that, though, he has also interfered(干预) with the invisible bonds between the living things in the forests. There are many examples of this kind of destruction. The harmfulness of man’s interference can be seen in what happened many years ago in the forest of the Kaibab plateau (凯亚巴布高原) of northern Arizona. Man tried to improve on the natural web of forest life and destroyed it instead.

The Kaibab had a storybook forest of large-sized pine, Douglas fir, white fir, blue and Engelmann spruce. In 1882 a visitor noted, "We, who have wandered through its forests and parks, have come to regard it as the most enchanting(迷人的)region it has ever been our privilege to visit. "This was also the living place of the Rocky Mountain mule deer. Indians hunted there every autumn to gather meat and skins. The forest also had mountain lions, timber wolves and bobcats that kept the deer from multiplying too rapidly.

Then, in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt made the Kaibab a national game preserve. Deer hunting was forbidden. Government hunters started killing off the deer’s enemies. In 25 years’ time, 6,250 mountain lions, wolves and bobcats were killed. Before the program, there were about 4,000 deer in the Kaibab, by 1924, there were about 100,000.

The deer ate every leaf and twig they could reach. But there was not nearly enough food. Hunting of deer was permitted again. This caused a slight decrease in the deer herd,but a far greater loss resulted from starvation and disease. Some 60 percent of the deer herd died in two winters. By 1930 the herd had dropped to 20,000 animals. By 1942 it was down to 8,000.

1. The destruction of the environment of the Kaibab resulted from ________ .

A. turning the forest into cultivated land

B. interfering with natural cycle of forest life

C. forest fires caused by man’s carelessness

D. cutting the trees for building materials

2. "Engelmann spruce"(Para. 2)is most likely the name of ________ .

A. a tree B. an animal

C. a mountain D. a game

3. The number of the deer in the Kaibab had increased enormously in

________ years’ time.

A.25 B.6 C.18 D.12

4.Years later, large numbers of deer in the Kaibab died mainly because of

_______.

A. the cold

B. the organized kill

C. the shortage of food

D. the poor management

Your next Saturday night takeaway could be brought to you by a robot after a major food delivery company announced plans to use automated vehicles to transport meals. Europe’s biggest online takeaway food company Just Eat has partnered with Starship Technologies to deliver food with robots on the streets of London later this month. “Nobody has ever done deliveries with land-based robots,” said Allan Martinson, the chief operating officer of Starship.

The robot courier can travel up to 4 miles per hour for about 10 miles. It uses a GPS signal and nine cameras to navigate(确定方向). Instead of a person arriving at their door, customers could find themselves receiving a notification(通知) on their phone that says a robot is on its way and a code to unlock the automated courier. “Put the code in, the robot opens up, and there’s your food,” said David Buttress, chief manager of Just Eat.

The robot, which has so far been tested in Greenwich, Milton Keynes and Glastonbury, costs £1 to transport within 3 miles, compared with the £3 to £6 it costs for a human courier. To date 30 robots have driven nearly 5,000 miles without getting into an accident or finding themselves picked on by passers-by. They have driven in more than 40 cities around the world, including London and Tallinn, Estonia.

An initial worry was how the public would react to robots. But Martinson said the public has been calm when passing the delivery machine on the streets. “The most surprising reaction has been the lack of reaction,” said Martinson.

Another significant fear was that people would disrupt(扰乱) the robots, or try to steal them and their contents. To prevent this, the robot is fitted with nine cameras, two way audio, and movement sensors that send a warning if it is lifted off the ground. And it opens only with a pass code provided to the customer via a notification. “It’s much easier to shoplift than it is to steal a robot,” said Martinson.

1.The test of Starship robots shows that ________.

A. they are easy to operate

B. the robot delivery is appreciated in big cities

C. the robot delivery is cheaper than human delivery

D. they can travel for 10 hours continuously

2.Which of the following is one of the worries about Starship robots?

A. People’s indifference to the robots.

B. Safety of the robot delivery.

C. Accuracy of the robot delivery.

D. People’s concern about public traffic.

3.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. Great Improvement of Just Eat

B. Global Trend of Food Companies

C. New Robots to Move on the Road

D. Delivery Robots to Replace Takeaway Drivers

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