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 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? Roadkill.

“Ecopassages (生態(tài)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!

60. 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

61. 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 path for animals to cross the road

62. When the writer says that animals seem “to be catching on”, he means ________.

A. animals begin to realize the dangers on the road   

60. D 通過(guò)“ocelots”的例子來(lái)說(shuō)明前面“Millions of animals die each year on U.S. roads,”這句話，

61. D。 “Ecopassages (生態(tài)通道)” may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars幫助動(dòng)物穿過(guò)馬路而不被車(chē)碰撞

62. B 從 Animals seem to be catching on. Animals as different as salamanders (火蜥蜴) and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.這句話可知?jiǎng)游镌谑褂眠@些橋和路

63. D 讓人們過(guò)馬路時(shí)注意保護(hù)動(dòng)物，不要碰撞到他們。

C. animals are crossing the road in groups               D. animals are increasing in number

63. The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because ________.

A. wild animals may attack cars                       B. wild animals may block the road

C. they may see wild animals in the park           D. they may see wild animals on ecopassages

    閱讀下面的短文，然后按照要求寫(xiě)一篇150詞左右的英語(yǔ)短文。

I have never learned as much math in my life as I did last year. It was because of Ms Vacirca that I truly understood what I was learning. It might not seem like a big deal to some, but to me it is.

I never really wanted to work for good grades in math class. I never knew how to study math and never understood some of the concepts. I can remember trying to sneak out of the classroom before Ms Vacirea caught me and yelled across the classroom, “Lauren, are you coming to extra help during lunch?” It was a nightmare―she would always catch me with one foot out of the door, it never failed. Even then I just thought of it as a thing I HAD to do. It was funny to see how everyone would be in her room during lunch and then again after school. She would encourage everyone to come every day, just so we could do our homework in peace.

Many of the students thought of her as a bit of nag（有點(diǎn)嘮叨）, but inside they knew that she was right and respected for it. Many of her tests were hard at first, but as the year progressed so did I. I knew that it was because of her.

Even outside class, she was caring as ever. She always wanted to know what was going on in my (and everyone else’s) life, and she was always looking out for everyone’s best interest.

Ms. Vacirca is a sweet woman with a sense of humor that you just have to laugh at. When regents were approaching, she was more concerned than ever about everyone doing well. Many of her precious students scored high, and so she expected the same from us. Day after day there were students in the classroom reviewing problems. When it was time for our big test, I knew I was ready. I walked out of that test with my head high. I knew that I was a success and Ms. Vacirca had made me that way. I appreciated all the hard work that she put into helping me and my fellow students. I knew that I would miss her.

[寫(xiě)作內(nèi)容]

1.         以約30個(gè)詞概括作者記憶中的Ms. Vacirca 是一個(gè)怎樣的老師;

2.         以約為120詞就“教師節(jié)和尊敬教師”這個(gè)主題寫(xiě)一篇短文，并包括如下要點(diǎn)：

a. 向老師表達(dá)節(jié)日祝賀；

b. 從一件小事來(lái)回憶老師的教誨和無(wú)私奉獻(xiàn)；

c. 我將如何回報(bào)老師的關(guān)愛(ài)。

[寫(xiě)作要求]

1.         作文中可使用自己的親身經(jīng)歷或虛構(gòu)的故事，也可以參照閱讀材料的內(nèi)容但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

2.         文中不能出現(xiàn)真實(shí)姓名和學(xué)校名稱(chēng)。

[評(píng)分標(biāo)準(zhǔn)]

概括準(zhǔn)確，語(yǔ)言規(guī)范，內(nèi)容合適，篇章連貫。