San Francisco has its cable cars. Seattle has its Space Needle. And, Longview has its squirrel bridge. The bridge, which has attracted international attention, is now a local landmark.
The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in 1963 by a local builder, Amos Peters, to give squirrels a way to cross the busy road without getting flattened by passing cars.
The original bridge was built over Olympia Way on the west edge of the library grounds. Before the bridge was built, squirrels had to avoid traffic to and from the Park Plaza office building where office staff put out a nutty feast for the squirrels. Many times, Peters and others who worked in and near Park Plaza witnessed squirrels being run over.
One day Peters found a dead squirrel with a nut still in its mouth, and that day’s coffee break discussion turned into squirrel safety. The group of businessmen cooked up the squirrel bridge idea and formed a committee to ask the blessing of the City Council(市政会).The Council approved, and Councilwoman Bess LaRiviere named the bridge “Nutty Narrows.”
After architects designed the bridge, Amos Peters and Bill Hutch started Construction, They built the 60-foot bridge from aluminum and lengths of fire hose(消防水带). It cost 1,000.
It didn’t take long before reports of squirrels using the bridge started. Squirrels were even seen guiding their young and teaching them the ropes. The story was picked up by the media, and Nutty Narrows became know in newspapers all over the world.
In 1983, after 20 years of use, Peters took down the worn-out bridge. Repairs were made and crosspieces were replaced. The faded sign was repainted and in July 1983, hundreds of animal lovers attended the completion ceremony of the new bridge.
Peters died in 1984, and a ten-foot wooden squirrel sculpture was placed near the bridge in memory of its builder and his devotion to the project.
小题1:The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in order to ________.
A．offer squirrels a place to eat nuts
B．set up a local landmark
C．help improve traffic
D．protect squirrels小题2:What happened over the coffee break discussion?
A．The committee got the Council’s blessing.
B．The squirrel bridge idea was born
C．A councilwoman named the bridge
D．A squirrel was found dead.小题3:What does the underlined phrase “teaching them the ropes” probably means in the text?
A．passing them a rope
B．Directing them to store food for winter
C．Teaching them a lesson
D．Showing them how to use the bridge.小题4:Which of the following is true of the squirrel bridge?
A．It was replaced by a longer one.
B．It was built from wood and metal.
C．it was rebuilt after years of use.
D．It was designed by Bill Hutch.小题5:What can we learn about Amos Peters?
A．He is remembered for his love of animals.
B．He donated $1,000 to build the bridge.
C．He was a member of the City Council.
D．He was awarded a medal for building the bridge.
