Onethingthetourbooksdon’ttellyouaboutLondonisthat2,000ofitsresidentsarefoxes.Theyranawayfromthecityaboutcenturiesagoafterdevelopersandpollutionmovedin.Butnowthattheenvironmentiscleaner,thefoxeshavecomehome,oneofthemanywildanimalsthathavemovedintourbanareasaroundtheworld.

“Thenumberandvarietyofwildanimalsinurbanareasisincreasing,”saysGomerJones,presidentoftheNationalInstituteforUrbanWildlife,inColumbia,Maryland.AsurveyofthewildlifeinNewYork’sCentralParklastyeartalliedthespeciesofmammals,includingmuskrats,shrewsandflyingsquirrels.Asimilarsurveyconductedinthe1890scountedonlyfivespecies.Oneofthecountry’slargestpopulationsofraccoons(浣熊)nowlivesinWashingtonD.C.,andmoose(驼鹿)areregularlyseenwanderingintoMainetowns.Peregrinefalcons(游隼)divefromthewindowledgesofbuildingsinthelargestU.S.citiestopreyon(捕食)pigeons.

Severalchangeshavebroughtwildanimalstothecities.Foremostisthatairandwaterqualityinmanycitieshasimprovedasaresultofthe1970spollution-controlefforts.Meanwhile,ruralareashavebeenbuiltup,leavingmanyanimalsontheedgesofsuburbs.Inaddition,urbanwildliferefuges(避难处)havebeencreated.TheGreaterLondonCouncillastyearspent￡750,000tobuylandandbuild10permanentwildliferefugesinthecity.Over1,000volunteershavedonatedmoneyandclearedrubblefromderelictlots.OneeveninglastyearafoxwasseenonWestminsterBridgelookingupatBigBen.

Forperegrinefalcons,citiesareactuallysaferthanruralcliffdwellings(悬崖栖息地).By1970thebirdshaddiedouteastoftheMississippibecausetheDDThadmadetheireggstoothintosupportlife.Thatyear,scientistTomCadeofCornellUniversitybeganraisingthebirdsforreleaseincities,forcitiesaffordedabundantfood.

Citiescanattractwildanimalswithoutturningthemharmful.Thetrickistocreatehabitatswheretheycanbeself-sufficientbutstillbeseenandappreciated.Suchhabitatscanevenbefunctional.InSanFrancisco,thelocalgovernmentistestingdifferentkindsofrainwatercontrolbasinstoseenotonlywhichonesretain(保持)thecleanestwaterbutwhichwillattractthemostbirds.

小题1:Thefirstparagraphsugges