The streams, lakes, meadows, 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 are endangered by highway construction. To protect the Poconos’ natural beauty from irresponsible development. The Nature Conservancy named the area one of America’s “Last Great Places”.

　　Operating out of a century�瞣ld 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�瞴ear�瞣ld grandson.

　　“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 quite forests, clear streams and abundant wildlife. They are eager to help with conservation efforts.”

　　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.【2005年6月】

　　距離高樓林立的曼哈頓和費(fèi)城兩小時(shí)車程的地方，棲息著一些世界上最大的黑熊。 這些黑熊棲息于賓夕法尼亞州北部泊科勒山區(qū)，這里也是很多其它野生動(dòng)物的樂園。

　　小溪、湖泊、草地、山脊還有森林使得泊科勒不僅是黑熊的理想棲息地，同時(shí)也吸引了大批游人前往。建設(shè)房屋危及這里的開放空間，而修建高速公路更是這塊野生動(dòng)物棲息地的莫大威脅。為保護(hù)泊科勒山的自然風(fēng)光免受不負(fù)責(zé)任的開發(fā)之害，大自然保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)將此處命名為美國的“最后勝地”。

　　在賓夕法尼亞長湖的百年老校的教室里，大自然保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)的搭檔庫克正與當(dāng)?shù)孛癖姾蜕探珙I(lǐng)袖商討如何協(xié)調(diào)經(jīng)濟(jì)增長和環(huán)境保護(hù)二者的關(guān)系。通過與弗朗西斯·艾特莫斯一樣的當(dāng)?shù)孛癖娡�力合作，大自然保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)已成功地保護(hù)了超過14,000公頃且有重要環(huán)境影響的土地。

　　艾特莫斯一家?guī)状�人都在這塊土地上耕作。兩年前，弗朗西斯與大自然保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)合作，并參與了包括他的農(nóng)場(chǎng)在內(nèi)的一項(xiàng)農(nóng)田保護(hù)計(jì)劃。結(jié)果皆大歡喜，弗朗西斯一家的土地可以不受當(dāng)?shù)匕l(fā)展的侵?jǐn)_，同時(shí)他還有可靠的資金來源以便為他7歲孫子的將來作打算。Cook attributes the Conservancy’s success in the Poconos to having a local presence and a commitment to working with local residents.

　　庫克促成了大自然保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)在泊科勒地區(qū)取得成功，他代表大自然保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)與當(dāng)?shù)孛癖姾献饕员Ｗo(hù)這塊土地。

　　“保護(hù)這塊神奇土地的關(guān)鍵是與當(dāng)?shù)厣鐓^(qū)聯(lián)系在一起，”庫克說：“住在這塊土地上的居民都很看重他們的土地。他們非常重視大片的森林，清澈的溪水以及多種多樣的野生動(dòng)物。他們也希望能夠?yàn)楸Ｗo(hù)這片土地而努力。”

　　想要獲知如何與大自然保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)一起保護(hù)泊科勒地區(qū)以及世界上其它的“最后勝地”方面的信息，請(qǐng)撥打1-888-5646864或登錄我們的網(wǎng)站www.tnc.org。

　　1. 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

　　2. 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

　　3. 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.

　　4. What does Bud Cook mean by “having a local presence” (Line 2, 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.

　　5. The passage most probably is .

　　A)an official documentB)a news story

　　C)an advertisementD)a research report

　　livevi. ①居住 ②生活，生存 ③(回憶等)難忘adj.①(作定語)活的，有生命的 ②實(shí)況轉(zhuǎn)播，現(xiàn)場(chǎng)直播

　　【考點(diǎn)】live on 以……為主食；靠……生活；

　　live by 靠……為生；

　　live by one’s hands 自食其力；

　　live through 度過，經(jīng)受住；

　　live up to 不辜負(fù)；

　　live with 承認(rèn)，接受(不愉快的)