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 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? Roadkill.
“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 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 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 animals overpass!
1. The writer uses the example of “ocelots” to show that ______.
A. wild animals have become more dangerous
B. the driving conditions have improved greatly
C. the measure for protecting wildlife fails to work
D. an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents
2. From the news story, we know an ecopassage is ______.
A. an underground path for cars                                  
B. a fence built for the safety of the area
C. a bridge for animals to get over a river                    
D. a pass for animals to cross the road
3. When the writer says that animals seem “to be catching on”, he means ______.
A. animals begin to realize the dangers on the road 
B. animals begin to learn to use ecopassages
C. animals are crossing the road in groups                    
D. animals are increasing in number
4. The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because ______.
A. wild animals may attack cars                                  
B. wild animals may jam the road
C. they may see wild animals in the park               
D. they may see wild animals on ecopassages

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