阅读理解
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 kong 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.
Attemose''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 Ahemoses 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 toworking with local residents.
"The key to protecting these remarkable lands is connecting with the local community," Cook said. "The people who live here respect the land. They value quiet 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.me.org.
单选题
The purpose in naming the Poeonos as one of America''s "Last Great Places" is to ________.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】根据题干查找到第2段最后一句“To protect the Poconos’ natural beauty from irresponsible development， The Nature Conservancy named the area one of America''s‘Last Great Places’为保护Pocono美丽的自然风景免遭由一些不负责任的开发所造成的破坏，大自然保护协会命名该地区为美国‘最后的神奇土地’之一”，可以很容易地选出正确答案B项。
单选题
We learn from the passage that ________.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】本题各选项需要逐一看过。原文中没有提到Pocono地区野生动植物的死亡和当地居民的安全问题，所以选项D项、C项排除；原文中有关farmland的陈述在第4段中可以找到，但我们并不能从中得出该地区farmland在快速萎缩这一结论，故此，也可排除D项。至于选项A项所表达的意思，我们可以在第2段第1句“…have also attracted more people to the region……也吸引了越来越多的人们来到这里”和第2句“Open spaces are threatened by plans for housing estates广袤的大地正受到来自房地产规划的威胁”找到根据，两者综合起来可推出，A项为正确答案。
单选题
What is important in protecting the Poconos according to Cook?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】根据题干中人名Cook查找到原文倒数第2段第1行“The key to protecting these remarkable land8 is connecting with the local community保护好这些重要土地的关键是要与当地人民紧密合作”，以及第3段第2行“Cook is working with local people and business leaders to balance economic growth with environmental protection库克正在与当地人民和商业领导合作，以努力平衡好经济发展与环境保护之间的关系”。至此，可以清楚地选出正确答案C项。
单选题
What does Bud Cook mean by "having a local presence" ( Line 1, Para. 5 ) ?