When nature meets man-made roads, it’s seldom a good thing. Millions of animals get killed by cars every week. So, engineers tried to build green bridges for animals over busy roads. These bridges help keep animals and people safe.

The idea of green bridges isn’t really new. In fact, the first animal crossing appeared in France in the 1950s. As well as Germany, which has made more than 80 green bridges since 2005, Canada and the United States are also trying to protect native wildlife by building animal bridges over the years.

Although there are various designs, most green bridges share something similar. First, they are usually quite wide, giving animals plenty of room to move. Second, they are usually covered with soil and plants to look like the forests that lie on either side of the roads. Lastly, they are wider at the ends, spreading out where they meet the land. This helps gather animals onto the bridge and guide them out when they leave.

People may wonder ________. In Canada’s Banff National Park, 11 kinds of large animals such as bears, elk and cougar s have already gone across these green bridges more than 200,000 times since 1996. In some places, we’ve also seen a 90% drop in accidents between animals and cars where these bridges have been built.

These crossings are clearly a step in the right way to offer living chances and safety to wild animals. And with these bridges, both animal and human deaths on roads will continue to go down.

A．

B．

C．

D．

①“Why don’t you ever listen?”

“You just don’t understand me!”

“You’re of no help at all!”

②Sound familiar? When you’re having a difficult conversation with your parents or friends, accusatory words like those can stop a discussion. As soon as one feels attacked, the defensive (防御的) walls come up, and real communication becomes all but impossible. We focus on the other person’s behavior first, without spending time thinking about and telling why we’re feeling hurt. Here lie the differences between “I” and “you” statements.

③An “I-statement” is a sentence beginning with the word “I” that tells another person how you are feeling in a clear way. For example, you might say, “I feel...” or “I become nervous when....” I-statements are a powerful tool to help you express your feelings to someone else without blaming (责怪) others. “You-statements,” such as those listed above, are statements that begin with the word “you”, pointing out what other people have done wrong. These statements often mean that the listener is responsible for something.

④Why are I-statements important? When you start a conversation by talking about the other person’s actions, you’re sending the message that they’re the problem. For most people, this immediately leads to them becoming defensive and trying to throw blame back onto you. However, starting a sentence with ‘I’ helps us talk about difficult feelings and how the problem is affecting us, and stops other people feeling blamed. This can be seen in the case when you feel left out. Instead of saying “You always leave me out”, you can say “I feel hurt when I’m not invited because it feels like I’m not welcome”. With this I-statement, you’re being honest about your feelings, but you’re not presenting them as something the other person did to you. As a result, the listener tends to experience this as more friendly, opening the possibility of further conversation and hope for a solution.

⑤It’s a simple change, but by being a little more careful of how you express yourself, you may find people are more likely to positively listen to you and understand more about what you are trying to say.

Ada Rios grew up in a town made of trash (垃圾).

Every morning, Ada heard the trash trucks drive down the road to Cateura and dump hundred tons of trash into the landfill (废物填埋场) . Recyclers dug through the trash, trying to find anything they could recycle or sell. Kids had nothing to do after school but played nearby, complaining about life in the landfill. Ada always watched, eyes wide, and wondered what would happen to them and to herself.

Little did Ada know, there was a big surprise waiting for her in the landfill.

One day, she saw a sign on the wall of a church.

Violin, guitar, cello taught Saturdays at 8:00 am.

——Favio Chavez

Ada’s heart sang out as she quickly signed up (报名) . She had a deep love for the violin because of her dad. He always turned up the radio and pointed out the sounds the violin made. Now, she got the chance to learn to play!

At the first class, Mr Chavez had three guitars and two violins to share, but ten kids had signed up. Mr Chavez remembered a band called Les Luthiers, which made its own instruments. That was it! He picked through the trash and searched for materials that hit the right notes. He made oil drums into cellos and packing crates into guitars. Soon there were enough instruments for all the kids.

Mr Chavez set up a strict schedule of three-hour lessons. The kids had no classroom so they played outside, despite the heat and sudden rain. Some kids decided it was too much work and gave up. “Playing an instrument is a process. You cannot learn to play an instrument overnight.” Mr Chavez told the kids. Little by little, they learned to listen to one another, to band together. The Recycled Orchestra was born and it was invited to perform concerts in Cateura shortly after.

Word of this special orchestra spread. Soon Ada and her fellow musicians were asked to perform in other cities and even other countries!

When Ada was sixteen, the Recycled Orchestra was invited to tour with a world-famous rock band. As the orchestra played, the people who had paid to see the rock band sang and swayed to the music. As the performance came to a close, the audience all stood up, cheering for them. The astonished (感到惊讶的) kids bowed, smiling at one another.

They discovered the surprise in the landfill. They could be who they were meant to be.

My name is Maria. It was my job to watch my younger brother and sister as we walked home from school. At a busy corner, I noticed a banner (横幅). It read, “First ________ Race! Get to Jasan Park to Win a Washing Machine!”

It might be fun, but could I walk ________ enough to win?

At home, Mum was making dinner. We had only a stove (炉子), so it took her lots of time to ________ a meal.

After dinner, Mum pulled out a washtub and began washing shirts. From time to time she stopped to ________. I knew doing laundry hurt her back.

I remembered the banner and made a _________.

“This is a walking race,” Mr Park said. “No jogging or running allowed in the whole ten kilometers. Get ready! Go!”

Rocks pressed and hurt my feet, ________ I continued walking.

A tall boy passed me, taking one step for every two of mine. I thought of my ________ bent (弯下) over the washtub. I kept going.

Then a teenage girl strode past. Hot and thirsty though I was, I didn’t want to ________.

With each step, I chanted under my breath, “Washing machine. Washing machine.” We had been walking for ________, and my legs ached and burned. How much longer could I go on?

When I finally reached the park, I saw the teenage girl and the tall boy. The boy’s face told me he had won. Even though I had expected I might not win, the result still made me ________.

A man in a dark suit handed me a big box. “You took ________ place. Congratulations!”

Hugging the prize, I struggled back home. Mum was surprised to see me weak and shaking. She helped me open the box. ________ it was a stove.

“I kept walking, but I could not walk fast enough. Two people passed me. Sorry, I couldn’t win ________ a washing machine.”

“But you did win,” Mum hugged me. “With this stove, cooking will be ________. Thank you. Maria.”

That night, the food tasted extra delicious. Everyone was smiling, especially Mum. It’s fairly a ________ challenge. I thought.

Chinese people usually give money in red envelopes (信封) as gifts. This is one of     51    (important) New Year’s traditions in China. In fact, there are similar traditions in some other Asian countries     52     Japan, South Korea and Malaysia.

During the New Year’s season, kids in Japan usually receive otoshidama     53     means lucky money in Japanese. Similar to     54     Chinese tradition, Japanese place the money in decorative envelopes, but they come in many colours rather than just red.

In South Korea, parents and grandparents give     55     (child) lucky money. However, they don’t use envelopes. Instead, the money     56     (put) in lucky bags.

In Malaysia, there is a special local holiday in spring. People usually give money in green envelopes to the guests     57     they come to visit them during the holiday. They also give money to the elders     58     (wish) them good health and a long life.

Whether through different colours of envelopes or lucky bags, these traditions show people’s wishes to spread joy and good luck to     59     (they) loved ones. As we celebrate the Chinese New Year     60     (happy), keep in mind that the true value of red envelopes lies not in the money but in the act of giving.

Earth Day falls on     66     (四月) 22 every year. It’s hard to believe that clear skies, clean     67     (水) and beautiful green land are facing great danger. On Earth Day 2024, we have a choice: act now or     68     (失去) the natural beauty of our home. It’s time to join in the global movement and make every day Earth Day.

The theme of Earth Day 2024 is “Planet vs. Plastics”. It is about     69     (与……作斗争) the big problem of plastic. Plastic can be found e    70    , in our food, soil, air and even inside us. It’s h    71     to our health. We want a     72     (未来) without so much plastic.

The petrochemical (石油化学) industry is a big part of the problem. People     73     (有时候) build factories in poor areas and it causes some environmental problems. Besides, a large number of plastic bags and drinking bottles are not recycled. If we keep producing plastic products, we     74     (浪费) more energy and make the environment even worse.

That is why the Earth Day organization wants all countries to work together. We must stop single-use plastics and ask for international action. By doing so, we can create a healthier and     75     (好的) world.

76. 假如你是九（1）班的李华，你的学校正在举行“Star Student Award”评选。请仔细阅读下面的海报，选择你的一项优势并结合自身经历写一封自荐信参与奖项评选。