Question

Along the river banks of the Amazon and the Orinoco there lives a bird that swims before it can fly, flies like a fat chicken, eats green leaves, has the stomach of a cow and has claws (爪) on its wings when young. They build their homes about 4.6m above the river, an important feature (特征) for the safety of the young. It is called the hoatzin.

In appearance, the birds of both sexes look very much alike with brown on the back and cream and red on the underside. The head is small, with a large set of feathers on the top, bright red eyes, and blue skin. Its nearest relatives are the common birds, cuckoos. Its most striking feature, though, is only found in the young.

Baby hoatzins have a claw on the leading edge of each wing and another at the end of each wing tip. Using these four claws, together with the beak (喙), they can climb about in the bushes, looking very much like primitive（远古的） birds must have done. When the young hoatzins have learned to fly, they lose their claws.

During the drier months between December and March hoatzins fly about the forest in groups of 20 to 30 birds, but in April, when the rainy season begins, they collect together in smaller living units of two to seven birds for producing purposes.

1.What is the text mainly about?

A．Hoatzins in dry and rainy seasons.

B．The relatives and enemies of hoatzins.

C．Primitive birds and hoatzins of the Amazon.

D．The appearance and living habits of hoatzins.

2.Young hoatzins are different from their parents in that____ ．

A．they look like young cuckoos

B．they have claws on the wings

C．they eat a lot like a cow

D．they live on river banks

3.What can we infer about primitive birds from the text?

A．They had claws to help them climb.

B．They could fly long distances.

C．They had four wings like hoatzins.

D．They had a head with long feathers on the top.

4.Why do hoatzins collect together in smaller groups when the rainy season comes?

A．To find more food.

B．To protect themselves better.

C．To keep themselves warm.

D．To produce their young.

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.A

4.D

【解析】

试题分析: 文章主要介绍了生活在亚马逊和奥里诺科河河岸的小鸟hoatzins，它们的外貌很漂亮，幼鸟和成熟的鸟的生活习性不同以及它们的繁殖习性。

1.总结大意题，由In appearance, the birds of both sexes look very much alike with brown on the back and cream and red on the underside. Baby hoatzins have a claw on the leading edge of each wing and another at the end of each wing tip.可知文章讲的是hoatzins的外表和生活习性，故选D项。

2.细节题，由Baby hoatzins have a claw on the leading edge of each wing and another at the end of each wing tip.可知他们的翅膀处有爪子选B。

3.细节题，由Using these four claws, together with the beak (喙), they can climb about in the bushes, looking very much like primitive birds must have done.可知用他们的四个爪子，可以帮助他们爬行，选A。

4.细节题，由but in April, when the rainy season begins, they collect together in smaller living units of two to seven birds for producing purposes.可知为的繁殖的目的，故选D。

考点：科普类阅读。