阅读试题

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 La Riviere 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.

阅读试题

67. 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

68. What happened over the coffee break discussion?

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.

69. What does the underlined phrase "teaching them the ropes" probably means in the text?

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.

70. Which of the following is true of the squirrel 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.

71. What can we learn about Amos Peters?

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.

参考译文

旧金山有缆车。西雅图有太空针塔。朗唯尤有松鼠桥。这座引起国际关注的桥现在是当地的地标。

松鼠桥始建1963年，是当地一个建筑家阿莫斯·彼得斯建造的，此桥旨在给松鼠开辟一条安全通道，使它们能够安全地穿过繁忙的马路而不至于被穿行的车辆压扁。

原桥建于图书馆广场西部边缘，横跨奥林匹亚大道。建桥之前，松鼠们往来公园广场办公大楼必须避开来来往往的车辆，那里有办公室职员为它们准备的坚果盛宴。彼得斯和其他在公园广场内或公园广场附近工作的人都多次目睹松鼠被车辗扁。

一天，彼得斯发现了一只嘴里叼着坚果的死松鼠，然后那天休息时间的话题就变成了松鼠的安全问题。一群商人想出了松鼠桥的主意，并组建了一个委员会去征求市政府的同意。（最后）市政府同意了，女议员贝丝·拉里维埃还给这座桥命名为“坚果小道”。

建筑家设计好这座桥之后，阿莫斯·彼得斯和比尔·哈奇就开始建造。这座铝制的桥离地面60英尺，有消防水带那么长，造价1000美元。

没多久就有报道称松鼠开始使用这座桥。甚至还看见松鼠引导年轻的松鼠并教它们熟悉绳索。故事被媒体报导，并且松鼠桥也出现在世界各地的报纸上。

1983年，在松鼠桥使用20周年后，彼得斯拆下了旧的松鼠桥，对其进行了维修并换下了过梁，褪色的标志也被重新喷刷，1983年7月，成百名动物爱好者参加了新桥的竣工仪式。

彼得斯死于1984年，同时人们在松鼠桥附近放置了一座10英尺的木制松鼠雕塑来纪念这座桥的建立者以及他为这项工作所做的贡献。

答案解析

67. D 考查细节理解。由第二段中的"to give squirrels a way to cross the busy road without getting flattened by passing cars"可知，建立这座桥是为了避免松鼠在过马路时被车撞到，即为了保护松鼠，故选D。

68. B 考查细节理解。由第四段的前两句可知，在看到一只被撞死的松鼠后，Peter和他的同事在喝咖啡时有了一个建座松鼠桥的主意。

69. D 考查意义的猜测。根据画线短语前的"guiding their young"及上下文可推知，画线短语表示松鼠在教幼崽如何过桥。

70. C 考查细节理解。根据倒数第二段的内容可知，这座桥在使用了20年后重建，所以选C项正确。

71. C 考察细节理解。由最后一段可知Amos Peters由于关爱动物而被世人铭记，故选A项。