Passage 4
Two hours from the tall buildings of Manhattan and Philadelphia live some of the world’s largest black bears. They are in northern Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, a home they share with an abundance of other wildlife.
The streams, lakes, meadows (草地), mountain ridges and forests that make the Poconos an ideal place for black bears have also attracted more people to the region. Open spaces are threatened by plans for housing estates and important habitats (栖息地) are endangered by highway construction. To protect the Poconos natural beauty from irresponsible development, the Nature Conservancy (大自然保护协会) named the area one of America’s “Last Great Places”.
Operating out of a century-old schoolhouse in the village of Long Pond, Pennsylvania, the conservancy’s bud Cook is working with local people and business leaders to balance economic growth with environmental protection. By forging partnerships with people like Francis Altemose, the Conservancy has been able to protect more than 14,000 acres of environmentally important land in the area.
Altemose’s family has farmed in the Pocono area for generations. Two years ago Francis worked with the Conservancy to include his farm in a county farmland protection program. As a result, his family’s land can be protected from development and the Altemoses will be better able to provide a secure financial future for their 7-year-old grandson.
Cook attributes the Conservancy’s success in the Poconos to having a local presence and a commitment to working with local residents
“The key to protecting these remarkable lands is connecting with the local community,” Cook said. “The people who live there respect the land. They value quiet forests, clear streams and abundant wildlife. They are eager to help with conservation effort.
For more information on how you can help the Nature Conservancy protect the Poconos and the world’s other “Last Great Places,” please call 1-888-564 6864 or visit us on the World Wide Web at www.tnc.org.
36. The purpose in naming the Poconos as one of America’s “Last Great Places” is to ________.
A) gain support from the local community
B) protect it from irresponsible development
C) make it a better home for black bears
D) provide financial security for future generations(B)
37. We learn from the passage that ________.
A) the population in the Pocono area is growing
B) wildlife in the Pocono area is dying out rapidly
C) the security of the Pocono residents is being threatened
D) farmlands in the Pocono area are shrinking fast(A)
38. What is important in protecting the Poconos according to Cook?
A) The setting up of an environmental protection website
B) Support from organizations like The Nature Conservancy
C) Cooperation with the local residents and business leaders
D) Inclusion of farmlands in the region’s protection program(C)
39. What does Bud Cook mean by “having a local presence” (Line 1, Para. 5)?
A) Financial contributions from local business leaders
B) Consideration of the interests of the local residents
C) The establishment of a wildlife protection foundation in the area
D) The setting up of a local Nature Conservancy branch in the Pocono area(D)
40. The passage most probably is ________.
A) an official document
B) a news story
C) an advertisement
D) a research report(D)
这是一篇推广目的很强的实用性文章，文末给出了联系方式，可见这篇文章有头有尾，不同于许多阅读真题中的节选材料。完整引用原文也使这篇材料段落较多，内容较长，加大了阅读的难度。
文章的主要内容是介绍美国一处自然野生环境面临遭到破坏的危险，以及相关人员和机构为保护这一自然环境奔走努力的经历，写作目的是吸引公众对此事的关注，从而为这一野生环境的保护赢得更多的社会力量。
全文一共七段，前两段按部就班道出了文章的核心内容。开头介绍了这一野生环境的基本情况，如大体位置(Two hours from the tall buildings)，主要物种(生长着黑熊)。第二段介绍这一地区所面临的威胁——空地受到房地产建设的威胁，栖息地受到高速公路建设的威胁——以及相关机构的环保努力(Nature Conservancy named the area one of……)。
接下来的二段继续对Nature Conservancy机构的环保行动做进一步的说明。第三段引出了该机构的工作人员Cook，叙述他保护这一地区环境的具体做法：主要是与当地居民和商业领袖共同合作(working with local people and business leaders)。段落最后指出他的工作卓有成效(protect more than 14,000 acres of environmentally important land)。第三段是从环保机构的角度进行叙述，第四段则从考(试^大当地人的角度讲述环保工作的效果。文章以Altemoses的家庭为例，叙述他们二年前接受Conservancy的环保计划后的变化，一是土地受到保护(land can be protected from development)，二是获得了经济上保障(a secure financial future for their 7-year-old grandson)。
行文至此，读者可知这样一个信息，Conservancy机构的环保工作是成功的。后面两段马上经Cook之口说出了他们成功的秘诀，即与当地人合作(protecting these remarkable lands is connecting with the local community)，原因是当地人热爱家乡的自然环境，他们有强烈的保护家乡环境的愿望，更能协助该机构开展工作。
文章最后给出了免费电话和网站地址，希望更多的人能够了解和参与该机构的环保行动。
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