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 US roads,' the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact，only about 80 ocelots, an enered wild cat, exist in the US today. The main reason? Road kill.
'Ecopassages (生态通道 ) ' 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!
小题1:The writer uses the example of 'ocelots ' to show that ________.A．wild animals have become more erousB．the driving conditions have improved greatlyC．the measure for projecting wildlife fails to workD．an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents小题2: From the news story, we know an ecopassage is ________.A．an underground path for carsB．a fence built for the safety of the areaC．a bridge for animals to get over a riverD．a path for animals to cross the road小题3: When the writer says that animals seem' to be catching on', he means ________.A．animals begin to realize the ers on the roadB．animals begin to learn to use ecopassagesC．animals are crossing the road in groupsD．animals are increasing in number小题4: The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because________A．wild animals may attack carsB．wild animals may jam the roadC．they may see wild animals in the parkD．they may see wild animals on ecopassages