The plunging waterfalls and soaring crags chiseled by the Merced River draw millions of visitors
each year, but the crowds are precisely what threaten the waterway and the park. Efforts to safeguard the
Merced have spawned a court battle over the future of development in Yosemite National Park’s most
popular stretch. The case may come down to the challenge facing all of America’s parks: should they
remain open to everyone, or should access be limited in the interest of protecting them? In November, a
federal judge barred crews from finishing 60-million-dollar construction projects in Yosemite Valley. The
judge sided with a small group of environmentalists who sued the federal government, saying further
commercial development would bring greater numbers of visitors, thus threatening the Merced’s fragile
ecosystem. The government is appealing, fearing the ruling could force the National Park Service to limit
the number of people allowed into Yosemite each day, a precedent it does not want to see echoed in other
parks. The case has Yosemite’s most loyal advocates sharply divided over how to balance preservation
with access to public lands. Even environmentalists cannot agree on how to minimize the human
footprint—some believe cars should be kept out entirely; others say visitors should have to make
reservations in advance. 【題組】45 According to the passage, how did the federal judge rule in the case of construction projects in Yosemite
Valley?
(A) The federal government won the case. (B) The environmentalists won the case.
(C) The National Park Service won the case. (D) The commercial developers won the case.
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