Every day for a week, a strange, happy visitor would drop to play with Vanessa Prior’s pet dog Bobby. Prior thought Bobby had made a new dog friend. It seemed very friendly and got well along with Bobby. They would run after each other, play on the pool cover, gently wrestle (摔跤) or nap side by side.
At first she thought it was a wild dog. But when she posted a photo of the two playing on her Facebook, a pet rescue centre called her. The group told her the Atlanta Wolf Project had been trying to catch the wolf for months, but they failed. Prior gave them new hope.
Because of the wolfs friendship with her pet dog, it was likely to come back to her backyard. Researchers hoped Prior could help them. When they put some traps (陷阱) in the back of her yard, Prior got a very complicated (复杂的) feeling. She couldn’t describe what it was. The wolf would be in a safe place, but she would do something that harmed Bobby’s feelings.
Researchers told Prior that they would take the rare, black wolf to the Yellow River Wildlife Sanctuary where it would live with another wolf. They didn’t think it a satisfying situation for a wild animal like a wolf to have a connection with humans’ life. They need to keep a natural awareness to humans and pets and keep to themselves.
Wolf experts added they would look into the genetics of the animal to try to learn why it liked to get close to people and tried to play with their pets. Some experts believe it could have a history with well-meaning humans. Prior had not expected that she and Bobby should meet such a special and lovely wolf. They just hoped the dear friend all the best.
【小题1】What happened to Vanessa Prior according to the first two paragraphs?A.She didn’t like her dog’s new friend. |
B.She was awarded for her helpful picture. |
C.She realised her dog made friends with a wolf. |
D.She called the pet rescue centre to catch the wolf. |
A.She was afraid to lose Bobby. |
B.She regretted helping the researchers. |
C.She was worried about the wolf’s future. |
D.She had bittersweet feelings about the wolf. |
A.It is a kind and sociable animal. |
B.It was once kept as a human pet. |
C.It will be sent to the wild to live with other animals. |
D.It has a great awareness of keeping away from humans. |
A.In a nature magazine. | B.In a travel guide. |
C.In a medical report | D.In a scientific research. |
Despite being located in a bustling urban part of Huanggang in Hubei, Xiao Yaqin’s apartment block stands out because of its green appearance resulting from being wrapped in green plants. “ It makes me feel very comfortable. When you open the window, fresh air keeps rolling in, ” the 65-year-old said excitedly.
He was one of the first group of residents that recently moved into China’s first “ vertical (垂直的) forest ” residential project, consisting of two 80-meter-tall, 25-story buildings.
The project is the result of cooperation between Easyhome and Italian architect Stefano Boering, often called “ the father of the vertical forest ” . There are 404 trees and 4,620 shrubs (灌木丛) in the vertical forest, which is classified as the “ fourth generation ” of housing. Grasses, flowers and climbing plants cover 2,408m2 of the floor area. The plants are estimated to be capable of absorbing 22 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per year, while generating 11 tons of oxygen.
However, its development hasn’t been met without doubt. For example, mosquito infestations (感染) are one of the reasons why people are reluctant to move in. The irrigation system required to ensure the survival of the plants in the vertical forest and the need to have gardeners cut the branches mean much higher maintenance costs than in regular buildings.
It is not yet known what the future of fourth-generation housing will be in China, but it has at least brought urban residents a new life experience. Xiao, the retiree, said his new apartment has met his expectations for better quality of life. “ You feel you are close to nature, even if you don’t open the window, ” he said.
【小题1】How does the author introduce the topic?A.By presenting Xiao Yaqin’s example. | B.By describing features of the apartment. |
C.By imagining Xiao Yaqin’s life. | D.By showing the apartment’s popularity. |
A.Easyhome designed and built the project. |
B.Its plants produce 22 metric tons of oxygen. |
C.It faces problems of mosquitoes and high costs. |
D.The residents have to look after the plants. |
A.Critical. | B.Concerned. | C.Supportive. | D.Unclear. |
A.To predict the future way of living. | B.To introduce a new type of housing. |
C.To discuss problems facing residents. | D.To advertise the vertical forest project. |
Wildlife crossings don’t just protect animals. They can also mitigate problems related to wildlife-vehicle collisions (碰撞) and save significant money for a community.
Wildlife crossings are man-made structures that help animals move safely around their habitat. They are often paths under or over another existing road or railway, or underground passages for animals to get past for food or avoiding attacks.
Some animals are unable to migrate to survive. People still rely on highways for business and travel, and animals continue to have mobility needs for survival, though. When new roads are built, animals living in a part of their habitat can greatly increase the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions while trying to cross the new barriers.
In a new study, Wisnu Sugiarto, a Washington State University economics doctoral student, examined data for 13 of the 22 wildlife crossings, including bridges and underpasses, in the Washington State. He compared the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions each year before and after the construction of a wildlife crossing. He considered the area within 10 miles of a crossing.
Then he compared his analysis to a separate area in the state with no crossings at all. “The findings reported that wildlife crossing structures reduced the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions by one to three accidents on average per mile per year,” Sugiarto said, “Therefore, building wildlife crossing structures is typically an essential and effective strategy to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.”
“Prior to working on this research, I wasn’t aware of any strategies to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. I also thought we couldn’t do much about it, partly because we wouldn’t be able to communicate with wildlife and control their movement,” Sugiarto added. “ However, it turns out that there are multiple strategies to deal with issues related to wildlife-vehicle collisions and we can do something about them.”
It is reported that the government has invested $ 350 million over five years for the construction of wildlife crossings. Every wildlife crossing offers a mean benefit of between $ 235,000 and $ 443.000 each year.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “mitigate” in paragraph 1 mean?A.Analyze. | B.Study. | C.Reduce. | D.Discover. |
A.How the wildlife crossings are built. |
B.Why wildlife crossings are necessary. |
C.What should be done to cross the roads. |
D.When wildlife-vehicle collisions happen. |
A.Tolerant. | B.Conservative. |
C.Skeptical. | D.Favorable. |
A.Wildlife crossings save wild animals and money |
B.The size of wildlife crossings affects animals greatly |
C.Every wildlife crossing has a great effect on road safety |
D.Wildlife crossings manage to help animals migrate safely |
I believe in holding onto traditions because they helped our family flourish (兴旺) in a new country. But this concept is more concretely expressed this way: I believe in feeding monkeys on my birthday for that purpose — something I’ve done without fail for 35 years.
In the Burmese jungle, monkeys are as common as pigeons. But in America, feeding monkeys means violating the rules.
As a kid, I thought that was cool. I learned English through watching bad television shows and expected that I was the chosen warrior (勇士) sent to defend my family. Dad and I would go to the zoo early in the morning, just the two of us. When the Coast was clear, I would throw my peanuts to the monkeys.
I never had to explain myself until my 18th birthday. It was the first year I didn’t go with my father. I went with my friends and arrived 10 minutes after the zoo gates closed. “Please,” I begged the zookeeper, “I feed monkeys for my family, not for me. Can’t you make an exception?” “Go find a pet store,” she said.
If only it were so easy. That time, I got lucky. I found out that a high school classmate trained the monkeys for the movie Out of Africa, so he allowed me to feed his monkeys. Once a man with a pet monkey suspected that my story was a ploy — that I was an animal rights activist out to liberate his monkey. Another time, a zoo told me that outsiders could not feed the monkeys without violating the zookeepers’ collective bargaining agreement. Once in a pet store, I managed to feed a marmoset (狨) being kept in a birdcage. Another time, I was asked to wear a special suit to feed a laboratory monkey.
It’s rarely easy and, yet, somehow I’ve found a way to feed a monkey every year since I was born.
【小题1】Why has the author fed monkeys all these years?A.To please his father. | B.To develop a new hobby. |
C.To celebrate his birthday. | D.To keep up his family tradition. |
A.They did it in a secret way. | B.They pretended to be warriors. |
C.They did it with the help of friends. | D.They got the zookeeper’s permission. |
A.Joke. | B.Trick. | C.Game. | D.Treat. |
A.By providing examples. | B.By giving explanations. |
C.By following time order. | D.By making comparisons. |
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