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 concerned with how the grizzly bear 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？ Road kill. Ecopassages 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 human conflicts, said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Conservation 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 lion used the passage. Builders of some 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 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 bee more dangerousB．the driving conditions have improved greatlyC．the measure for protecting wildlife fails to workD．an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents【小题2】When the writer says that animals seem “to be catching on”， he means .A．animals begin to realize the dangers on the roadB．animals begin to learn to use ecopassagesC．animals are crossing the road in groupsD．animals are increasing in number【小题3】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 ecopassagesD
网友回答
(答案→)D
解析：每年都有大量的动物在过马路时被车辆轧死，因此人们建造了“Ecopassage”生态通道以方便动物们安全穿过马路。这种生态通道都有绿色植物遮掩着，就和天然通道一样，所以现在动物们都从这种通道穿行，减少了动物的死亡。
【小题1】D推理判断题。文中先提到Millions of animals die each year on U.S. roads，，然后讲到豹猫之所以现存数量极少其原因也是横穿道路时被轧死，由此可知作者举豹猫这一例子的目的是想说明道路死亡是大量动物减少的原因，所以D选项正确。
【小题2】B推理判断题。分析文章可知“to be catching on”出现的语境前后都是关于动物使用生态通道的内容，而且上句Builders of some ecopassages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them也是讲建造者对生态通道的仿真设计，其目的就是让动物们认为是天然的通道而敢于使用，所以B选项正确。
【小题3】D细节理解题。从文章最后look around. You might see an animal overpass！可知D为正确选项。