题目内容
San Francisco has its cable cars. Seattle has its Space Needle. And, Longview has its squirrel bridge. The bridge, which has attracted international attention, is now a local landmark.
The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in 1963 by a local builder, Amos Peters, to give squirrels a way to cross the busy road without getting flattened by passing cars.
The original bridge was built over Olympia Way on the west edge of the library grounds. Before the bridge was built, squirrels had to avoid traffic to and from the Park Plaza office building where office staff put out a nutty feast for the squirrels. Many times, Peters and others who worked in and near Park Plaza witnessed squirrels being run over.
One day Peters found a dead squirrel with a nut still in its mouth, and that day’s coffee break discussion turned into squirrel safety. The group of businessmen cooked up the squirrel bridge idea and formed a committee to ask the blessing of the City Council(市政会).The Council approved, and Councilwoman Bess LaRiviere named the bridge “Nutty Narrows.”
After architects designed the bridge, Amos Peters and Bill Hutch started Construction, They built the 60-foot bridge from aluminum and lengths of fire hose(消防水带). It cost 1,000.
It didn’t take long before reports of squirrels using the bridge started. Squirrels were even seen guiding their young and teaching them the ropes. The story was picked up by the media, and Nutty Narrows became know in newspapers all over the world.
In 1983, after 20 years of use, Peters took down the worn-out bridge. Repairs were made and crosspieces were replaced. The faded sign was repainted and in July 1983, hundreds of animal lovers attended the completion ceremony of the new bridge.
Peters died in 1984, and a ten-foot wooden squirrel sculpture was placed near the bridge in memory of its builder and his devotion to the project.
【小题1】The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in order to ________.
A.offer squirrels a place to eat nuts |
B.set up a local landmark |
C.help improve traffic |
D.protect squirrels |
A.The committee got the Council’s blessing. |
B.The squirrel bridge idea was born |
C.A councilwoman named the bridge |
D.A squirrel was found dead. |
A.passing them a rope |
B.Directing them to store food for winter |
C.Teaching them a lesson |
D.Showing them how to use the bridge. |
A.It was replaced by a longer one. |
B.It was built from wood and metal. |
C.it was rebuilt after years of use. |
D.It was designed by Bill Hutch. |
A.He is remembered for his love of animals. |
B.He donated $1,000 to build the bridge. |
C.He was a member of the City Council. |
D.He was awarded a medal for building the bridge. |
【小题1】D
【小题2】B
【小题3】D
【小题4】C
【小题5】A
解析
Though ________ in San Francisco, Dave Mitchell had always preferred to record the plain facts of small-town life.
A.raised |
B.grown |
C.developed |
D.cultivated |
Many people say pennies are not worth saving. After all, a penny is only worth a cent. But one unusual penny turned out to be worth a lot more when a coin collector paid $1.7 million for it earlier this month.
The coin is one of a kind. It is the only penny that the Denver mint(铸币厂) made out of copper, instead of steel, in 1943. Because it is unique, it is also very valuable. No penny has ever sold for so much money.
The Changing Penny
The Lincoln penny first appeared in 1909. For 34 years, the one-cent coin was made out of copper. Then, in 1943, the penny changed. World War II was going on, and copper was needed for equipment. So for one year, pennies were made out of steel instead. At least most of them were.
Only a few coins were made out of unused copper. There are three main mints, or places where coins are made, in the United States. Of the known copper pennies from 1943, twelve were made in the Philadephia mint, and five were made in the San Francisco mint. Only one was made in the Denver mint.
Nobody knows for sure why a copper penny was made at the Denver mint in 1943, coin dealers Andy Skrabalak told Time for Kids. “There is a rumor that a mint employee made the coin in the middle of the night.”
A Special Set
The coin collector who bought the $1.7 million penny wants to remain unknown. But the reason for the trade is known. He already had two copper pennies from 1943 – one from the San Francisco mint and one from the Philadephia mint. To complete the set, he needed the Denver penny. The three coins will go on display at a coin exhibition in Tampa, Florida.
The collector who sold the penny is also keeping his name a secret. It took four years to convince him to give up the rare coin. Now that he has finally donating all of the money to charity.
1.Why is the Lincoln penny worth over one million dollars?
A. Because it has a history of thirty-four years.
B. Because it was made out of a rare material.
C. Because it was made on one night of 1943 by the Denver mint.
D, Because it was the only coin Denver mint made out of copper in 1943.
2.Before the Lincoln penny was sold, people thought one-cent coins __________.
A.were worth collecting for selling later |
B.were surely valuable if not made out of steel |
C.wouldn’t be sold for large amounts of money |
D.were only useful for some coin museums |
3.At least how many copper coins were made in 1943?
A.Five |
B.Twelve |
C.Seventeen |
D.Eighteen |
4.What can we learn about the collector who sold the penny?
A.He already had two copper pennies from 1943. |
B.He wanted to complete the set of copper pennies. |
C.He didn’t want to sell his penny in the beginning. |
D.He was a well-known coin dealer in Tampa, Horida. |