Look carefully at the back of a California state quarter. A man with a walking stick is pictured there.A bird
called a California condor (大秃鹫) is flying overhead. Who is this man, and why is he so important that he is
featured (处于显著地位) on the back of a coin?
The man on this quarter is John Muir. Even as a child, Muir loved watching nature. As a young man, he
spent much of his life exploring the beauty of the wilderness. He walked more than a thousand miles across
the country, through fields and woods. John Muir liked writing about the places he visited, describing their
beauty.
Muir also wrote about problems.In order to create more farmland for sheep and cattle, rnany trees were
being cut down.This made Muir unhappy and worried, because he knew that trees were important to forests
and to the animals that lived in them.
Muir believed that nature should be conserved (保护) instead of being changed by human beings.He wrote
articles in magazines and newspapers to spread the word about conserving forests.Soon, others began to
listen. Muir wrote letters to important people,such as President Theodore Roosevelt. The president admired
Muir's love for nature.When Roosevelt came to visit Muir in California. Muir convinced (说服) the president to
go camping with him for three nights under the trees so they could talk about conservation. Later,President
Roosevelt set aside 148 million acres of land for national forests and established (建立) five national parks.
National parks are large areas of land that are protected from development. This means that people cannot build
homes or businesses there. One of these parks is Yosemite National Park,the area that is featured on the back
of the California quarter.
Though it has been almost one hundred years since John Muir died,people continue his work today. His
work as a conservationist helped us to see the beauty of our natural world.John Muir made us understand the
importance of protecting our earth and our resources—then,now,and for the future.
1. What did John Muir spend much of his life doing when he was a young man?
A. Watching natural views.
B. Writing about the places he visited.
C. Exploring the beauty of the wilderness.
D. Creating farmland for sheep and cattle.
2. Why did President Theodore Roosevelt visit John Muir?
A. Because Roosevelt loved watching nature.
B. Because Roosevelt received letters from John Muir.
C. Because Roosevelt admired John Muir's love for nature.
D. Because Roosevelt was sad about the problems with farmland.
3. What happened after President Roosevelt went camping with John Muir?
A. Many trees were cut down.
B. Five national parks were established.
C. More homes and businesses were built.
D. More farmland was used for sheep and cattle.
4. Why is John Muir featured on the back of a California state quarter?
A. Because he walked over a thousand miles across the country.
B. Because he helped people understand the importance of protecting the natural world.
C. Because he wrote articles to spread the word about conserving forests.
D. Because he once wrote several letters to President Theodore Roosevelt.
5. What is the writer's purpose of writing this article?
A. To advise readers to become active conservationists.
B. To make us interested in the story about a great man.
C. To tell us something about an important person in history.
D. To give information about how to conserve the environment.