One thing the tour books don't tell you about London is that 2,000 of its residents are foxes. As native as the royal family, they fled the city about centuries ago after developers and pollution moved in. But now that the environment is cleaner, the foxes have come home, one of the many wild animals that have moved into urban areas around the world.
The number and variety of wild animals in urban areas is increasing, says Gomer Jones, president of the National Institute for Urban Wildlife, in Columbia, Maryland. A survey of the wildlife in New York's Central Park last year tallied the species of mammals, including muskrats, shrews and flying squirrels. A similar survey conducted in the 1890s counted only five species. One of the country's largest populations of raccoons now lives in Washington, D.C., and moose are regularly seen wandering into Maine towns. Peregrine falcons dive from the window ledges of buildings in the largest U.S. cities to prey on pigeons.
Several changes have brought wild animals to the asphalt jungles — and, vice versa. Foremost is that air and water quality in many cities has improved as a result of the 1970s pollution control efforts. Meanwhile, rural areas have been built up, leaving many animals on the edges of suburbia. In addition, conservationists have created urban wildlife refuges.
The Greater London Council last year spent $750,000 to buy land and build 10 permanent wildlife refuges in the city. Over 1,000 volunteers have donated money and cleared rubble from derelict lots. As a result, pheasants now strut in the East End and badgers scuttle across lawns near the center of town. A colony of rare house martins nests on a window ledge beside Harrods, and one evening last year a fox was seen on Westminster Bridge looking up at Big Ben.
For peregrine falcons, cities are actually safer than rural cliff dwellings. By 1970 the birds were extinct east of the Mississippi because the DDT had made their eggs too thin to support life. That year, ornithologist Tom Cade of Cornell University began raising the birds for release in cities, for cities afforded abundant food in the form of pigeons and contained none of the peregrines natural predators.
Before they were exterminated, some migrated to cities on their own because they had run out of cliff space, Cade says. "To peregrines, buildings are just like cliffs." He has released about 30 birds since 1975 in New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Norfolk, and of the 20 pairs now living in the East, half are urbanites. "A few of the young ones have gotten into trouble by falling down chimneys and crashing into window glass, but overall their adjustment has been successful.”
1.The first paragraph suggests that_______.
A.environment is crucial for wildlife
B.tour books are not always a reliable source of information
C.London is a city of fox
D.foxes are highly adaptable to environment
2.The selection is primarily concerned with_______.
A.wildlife of all kinds returning to large cities to live
B.falcons in New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Norfolk
C.moose stumbling into plate-glass storefronts
D.foxes returning to London
3.In the 4th paragraph the pheasants, badgers, and martins, etc are mentioned to_______.
A.explain their living habit
B.make known their habitat
C.show the endeavors of Londoners to make the city habitable for wildlife
D.to encourage volunteers to do something for the species
4.Para. 3 denotes_______.
A.that air and water quality has improved in the cities
B.why wildlife likes the noise and commotion in the cities
C.that wildlife refuges have been built in the cities
D.why wildlife is returning to cities
5.Cities make good homes for peregrine falcons because they provide_______.
A.bountiful nesting areas, abundant food, and rainwater control basins
B.abundant food, buildings that resemble cliffs, and no natural predators
C.large buildings with chimneys, other wildlife, and well lighted nesting areas
D.abundant food, chimneys, rubble and window sills
长难例句分析
［长难例句］Foremost is that air and water quality in many cities has improved as a result of the 1970s pollution control efforts.
［结构分析］这是一类典型的同位语表达结构，但要注意as a result of这样一个表示原因的名词性短语在翻译时要前置，而且转化为一个原因从句的表达。
［参考译文］最主要的变化是自从20世纪70年代颁布的控制污染法实施以来，许多城市的空气和水质都有很大的改善。
［长难例句］By 1970 the birds were extinct east of the Mississippi because the DDT had made their eggs too thin to support life.
［结构分析］主语the birds 有一个修饰语east of the Mississippi在句式上为了避免头重脚轻而后置，另外从句中的too... to结构表达的是“太……而不能”的意思。
［参考译文］到了20世纪70年代，在密西西比东部地区，由于DDT的使用使得游隼的蛋壳变得太薄，难以维持生命，它们几乎绝迹。
全文参考译文
旅游指南没有告诉你有关伦敦的一件事是：它的居民中有2000个是狐狸。如同英国皇室一样，它们也是土生土长，只是在几个世纪以前，当开发商和污染到来之后，它们才逃离了这座城市。但是现在这里的环境比过去干净，狐狸也回家了，它们是世界上把家搬到城市的许多野生动物之一。
马里兰州哥伦比亚市城市野生动物国家研究院院长Gomer Jones说：“市内地区野生动物的数量和种类正在不断增加。”去年对纽约中央公园野生动物的调查发现10种哺乳动物，包括麝鼠、鼩鼱和鼯鼠。1890年所做的类似的调查仅仅找到5种哺乳动物。目前在华盛顿特区生活着全国数量最大的浣熊群体，人们也常常能够见到驼鹿漫不经心地进入缅因州的城镇。在美国的一些大城市，游隼从天俯冲而下，到高大建筑的窗台上捕捉鸽子。
城市所发生的一些变化把野生动物带到了这些柏油丛林——反之亦然。最主要的变化是自从20世纪70年代颁布的控制污染法实施以来，许多城市的空气和水质都有很大的改善。同时，农村的开发也已兴起，把许多动物赶到了郊区的边缘。此外，自然资源保护者也已在市区建起了野生动物庇护所。
大伦敦区市议会去年斥资75万美元购买土地，并在市区兴建了10个永久野生动物避难所。1000名志愿者捐款，清除废物场的碎石。结果是：雉鸡如今在伦敦东区高视阔步，獾在市中心的草坪上东奔西跑，一群家燕在哈罗德大楼旁边的窗台上筑巢；去年一天傍晚，人们看到一只狐狸在威斯敏斯特桥上翘望大本钟。
对于游隼来说，城市实际上要比乡间悬崖峭壁上的家更加安全。到了20世纪70年代，在密西西比东部地区，由于DDT的使用使得游隼的蛋壳变得太薄，难以维持生命，它们几乎绝迹。在同一年，康奈尔大学鸟类学家Tom Cade开始喂养这种鸟，然后在城市放飞，因为城市可以提供以鸽子的形式存在的充足的食物，而没有它的天敌。
Cade说：“在其灭绝以前，一些游隼自动迁徙进入城市，这是因为悬崖上已经没有更多的空间了。对于它们来说，大楼就是悬崖。”自1975年以来，他已经在纽约、巴尔的摩、费城和诺福克放飞了30只游隼。现在生活在东部的20对游隼中，有一半是城市“居民”。一些小游隼遇到麻烦，它们掉进了烟囱、撞碎玻璃窗户，但是总的说来，它们已经成功地适应了城市生活。
题目答案与解析
1.第一段暗示________。
A.环境对于动物至关重要 B.旅游指南并不是一个可靠的信息来源
C.伦敦是一个狐狸的城市 D.狐狸的环境适应能力强
【答案】A
【解析】推理暗示题。随着开发商的到来，城市出现了污染，狐狸就离开了。后来环境清洁了，狐狸又回来了。显然，第一段暗示环境对于动物至关重要。B、C和D三项均与原文不相符合。通过第一段推断得出A项为正确选项。
2.本选段主要在讲________。
A.各种的野生动物回到大城市生活 B.纽约、巴尔的摩、费城和诺福克的游隼
C.驼鹿碰碎了商店的玻璃门 D.狐狸返回了伦敦
【答案】A
【解析】细节判断题。第一段写狐狸回到了城市，第二段写城市中动物的数量和品种在增加，第三、第四、第五段写人为因素使城市适合动物的生存，最后一段写动物自己回到城市生活。总的说来，是写动物回到城里生活。从全文把握，可知A项为正确答案。
3.第四段提雉鸡、獾、燕子等，是为了________。
A.解释它们的生活习性
B.让大家知道它们的生活习性
C.说明伦敦市民在把城市建设成为野生动物的栖息地方面所做的努力
D.鼓励志愿者做点什么来保护物种
【答案】C
【解析】推理暗示题。原文提到这些动物是在详释伦敦人为使动物回到城里所付出的人力和物力的结果。A、B和D项均与原文主要内容及题干意思不相符。从第四段中可知，伦敦市议会投资75万美元兴建动物避难所；1000名志愿者捐款改善环境，这些都表明了伦敦人为使野生动物成为城市居民所做的努力。
4.第三段指出，________。
A.城市里水和空气的质量都得到了改善 B.为什么野生动物喜欢呆在喧闹的城市里
C.城市里已经建立了野生动物避难所 D.为什么野生动物正在返回城市
【答案】D
【解析】推理暗示题。第三段主要写城市所发生的一些变化把野生动物带回城市，故此段的主要意思是由于环境的改善，野生动物们返回城里，D项与此意相符，A、B、C项均不符合题意。
5.城市是游隼生存的好地方，是因为这里有________。
A.大量可以筑巢的地方、丰富的食物和有雨水的水池
B.丰富的食物，建筑物像悬崖峭壁，没有天敌
C.带烟囱的大型建筑物、其他野生动物、阳光充裕的筑巢地
D.丰富的食物、烟囱、碎石和窗台
【答案】B
【解析】细节判断题。从倒数第二段for cities afforded abundant food in the form of pigeons and contained none of the peregrines natural predators可知，答案为B项。
