Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy. After all, you probably sing when you are happy.
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy. However they sing most of the time for a very different reason. Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.
Do you know what a ‘territory’ is? A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims as its own. Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species are welcome. Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome. If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout. Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.
If so, you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing. But he expects an outsider almost any time, especially at nesting(筑巢) season. So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not. This screaming is what we call a bird’s song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.
Birds sing loudest in spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs.
You can see that birds have a language of their own. Most of it has to do with attracting mates and setting up territories.
1.Some scientists believe that most of the time bird’s singing is actually _____________.
A．an expression of happiness B．a way of warning
C．an expression of anger D．a way of greeting
2.What does the underlined word“territory”mean?
A．A place where families of other species are not accepted.
B．A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice.
C．An area for which birds fight a against each other.
D．An area which a bird considers to be its own.
3.Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?
A．Because they want to invite more friends.
B．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away.
C．Because they want to find outsiders around.
D．Because they want to express their happiness.
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Looking for Teens Interested in Child Care This is a chance for teens to accompany a child through projects and activities, play with them indoors and outdoors, help with arts and crafts, deliver flyers to homes in the neighborhood，and so on. When: We welcome teen volunteers whenever they are available. How often: Our volunteers determine the amount of time they give and their schedule. Where: Wilder Child Development Center, 911 Lafond Ave. St. Paul |
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Library Intern （实习生） Part-time, Temporary $12.48一$13 .87 /per hour Program: Wilder Research Responsibilities: Help with moving to new buildings, record reports and other documents using a specialized library database, get items from area libraries, help library users, help with literature searches, other everyday library chores, and so on. Qualifications: Bachelor's Degree with some library experience or a current Master of Library and Information Science student. Strong attention to detail, good search skills and customer service skills. How to apply: Send resume to Wilder Research, 1295 Bandna Blvd, or send an e-mail to jobs@wilder.org. |
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Site Responder Part-time, Regular $9.46一$10.52/per hour Program: Jackson St. Village Responsibilities: Work at night to handle emergencies, provide services such as lawn care and snow removal, support the needs of residents and take care of the property and buildings. Qualifications: Must have good communication skills and must be able to solve the problems and concerns of the residents, their visitors, and staff. Individuals or teams are encouraged to apply. How to apply: Send resume to Wilder Foundation, 516 Humboldt Avenue, St.Paul, MN 55107 or a fax to （651） 223-7273, or an e-mail to jobs@wilder.org. |
1.As a volunteer in the child center, __________
A．you should follow the schedule of the center strictly
B．you must keep the child you look after indoors
C．you will earn some money for what you have done
D．you yourself can decide how long to stay there
2.What may NOT be needed if you apply to Wilder Research program?
A college degree and library experience.
B. Having knowledge of the Internet.
C. Being willing to help others
D. Being able to handle emergencies.
3.From the third advertisement, we can learn that __________．
A．only individuals can apply for the job
B．applicants should pay close attention to detail
C．applicants are required to do some physical work
D．applicants will deliver flyers homes in the neighborhood.
4.The three advertisements _________．
A．are not all for part-time opportunities
B．are not all chances to make some extra money
C．all can be communicated on the Internet
D．are offered by the same organization
Everyone gets sick of hearing. “Put on your seat belt!”But it’s good advice. People who wear seat belts are 45 percent less likely to be killed while riding in the front seat of a car.
The US government wants more seat belt laws. It says children aged 4 to 15 are often killed in car accidents. In 2005, there were 1,627 children aged 4 to 15 killed in car accidents. More than 1,000 of those children were not wearing seat belts. If they had been wearing seat belts, 500 of those children could be alive today.
These children are too old to be in car seats, but they often sit in the back seat. Seat belt laws in many states, including Wisconsin, only require people in the front seat to wear seat belts. Children who aren’t wearing seat belts can be thrown from the car. The risk of dying in an accident is three times greater if the person is thrown from the car.
New laws could require children aged 4 to 8 to be in booster seats in the car. Booster seats help seat belts fit children properly. Right now, only 5 percent of children aged 4 to 8 are seated in booster seats.
While parents have the choice of whether wearing seat belts or not, children are too young to make that choice. Even if you decide not to wear a seat belt, make sure you children are in seat belts and car seats. It’s the law and it will save their lives.
1.The underlined sentence “Everyone gets sick of hearing”in the first paragraph means“________”.
A．there is something wrong with everyone’s ears
B．all people fall ill when they hear something
C．many people don’t pay attention to wearing seat belts
D．none of the people knows it is a piece of good advice
2.More than two-third of 1,627 children were killed because ___________.
A．they weren’t using seat belts
B．they were too careful when they walked on the road
C．they were not old enough to sit in the car
D．they wore seat belts
3.You must get your children to put on seat belts in order to ________.
A．keep them comfortable in the car seat B．keep them safe
C．keep them awake in the car all the time D．prevent all kinds of traffic accidents
4.What would be the best title of this passage?
A．Children Should Put on Seat Belts.
B．Too Many Traffic Accidents Happened Recently.
C．Traffic Laws Are Very Important.
D．Parents Are Important to Children.
When I was 15, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my short-comings(缺点). Week by week her list grew. I was skinny(瘦的), I talked too loud, I was too proud, and so on. I put up with(忍受)her as long as I could. At last, I ran to my father in tears and anger. He listened to my outburst quietly. They he asked, “Are the things she says the true or not?”True? I wanted to know how to strike back. What did truth have to do with it?
“Mary, didn’t you ever wonder what you are really like? Well, you now have that girl’s opinion. ”Go and make a list of every thing she said and mark the points that are true. You needn’t pay attention to the other things she said.
I did as he told me and discovered to my surprise that about half the things are true. Some of them I couldn’t change(like being skinny), but a good number I could and suddenly wanted to change. For the time in my life I began to get a quiet clear picture of myself.
I brought the list back to Daddy, but he wouldn’t take it.“That’s just for you,”he said.“You know better than any else the truth about yourself, once you hear it. But you’ve got to learn to listen, not close your ears in anger or hurt. When someone says something about you, you’ll know if it’s true or not. If it is ,you’ll find it will echo(共鸣)inside you.”
“I still don’t think it very nice of her to talk about me in front of everybody.”
“Mary, there is one way you could stop others talking about you ever again, and criticizing(批评) you—just say nothing and do nothing. But then, if you do that, you’d find you were nothing. You wouldn’t like that now, would you?”“No, I admitted(承认)”
1.One day the writer ran to her father in tears and anger because__________.
A．she found she talked too much. B．she found she was too proud.
C．her classmates were not friendly to her. D．a girl pointed out many of her shortcomings.
2.The writer’s father asked her ____________.
A．to pay attention to all that her“enemy”said about her.
B．not to pay attention to what her“enemy”said about her.
C．to pay attention only to the points that were true about her.
D．to pay attention only to the points that were not true about her.
3.The writer found that___________.
A．about half the things her“enemy”said were true.
B．most of the things her“enemy”said were true.
C．few of the things her“enemy”said were true.
D．none of the things her“enemy”said were true.
4.The writer’s father thinks__________.
A．if one says nothing and does nothing, people will praise him.
B．one should not do anything because others will talk about him.
C．it is not good to talk about others.
D．everyone is talked about by others.
I was a single parent of four small children, working at a low-paid job. Money was always not enough, but we had a 36 over our heads, food on the table, clothes on our backs, and if not a lot, always 37 . Not knowing we were poor, my kids (孩子们) just thought I was 38 . I’ve always been glad about that.
It was Christmas time, and although there wasn’t enough 39 for a lot of gifts, we planned to hold a family party. And the big 40 for the kids was the fun of Christmas 41 .
They planned weeks ahead of time, asking 42 what they wanted for Christmas. Luckily, I had saved $120 for them to buy 43 .
The big 44 arrived. I gave each kid a twenty-dollar bill and 45 them to look for gifts of about four dollars each. Then everyone scattered(散开). We had two hours to shop; then we would 46 again at the “Santa’s Workshop”.
Driving home, everyone was in high Christmas spirits, 47 my younger daughter, Ginger, who was unusually 48 . She had only one small, flat bag with a few candies — fifty-cent candies! I was so angry, but I didn’t say anything 49 we got home. I called her into my bedroom and closed the door, ready to be 50 again. This is what she told me.
“I was looking 51 , thinking of what to buy, and I 52 to read the little cards on the ‘Giving Trees.’ One was for a little girl, four years old, and all she 53 for Christmas was a doll(玩具娃娃). So I took the card off the tree and 54 the doll for her. We have so much and she doesn’t have anything.”
I never felt so 55 as I did that day.
1. A．roof B．hat C．sky D．star
2. A．little B．less C．enough D．more
3. A．busy B．serious C．strict D．kind
4. A．effort B．room C．time D．money
5. A．improvement B．problem C．surprise D．excitement
6. A．shopping B．travelling C．parties D．greetings
7. A．the other B．each other C．one by one D．every other one
8. A．toys B．clothes C．presents D．bills
9. A．day B．chance C．cheque D．tree
10. A．forced B．reminded C．invited D．begged
11. A．draw B．stay C．move D．meet
12. A．including B．besides C．except D．regarding
13. A．quiet B．excited C．happy D．ashamed
14. A．since B．after C．while D．until
15. A．happy B．angry C．joyful D．glad
16. A．out B．over C．forward D．around
17. A．forgot B．stopped C．failed D．hated
18. A．wanted B．did C．got D．played
19. A．made B．searched C．bought D．fetched
20. A．painful B．rich C．disappointed D．angry
----Do you think I should get a good guidebook when I am travelling in Beijing?
----Yes, of course. _____, you also need a good camera and comfortable shoes.
A．In that case B．In other words
C．By the way D．What’s more
