Owls(猫头鹰) are mysterious creatures. We often think of them as scary. They sometimes live in abandoned houses. They fly without a sound through backyards at night. In stories, they appear with ghosts. When we hear an owl's familiar “whooo...whooo...”，it can make us feel very frightened. Owls fly silently, without even a whisper of wings moving through the air. It's as though they appear out of nowhere—like ghosts on wings. Owls fly and hunt on the darkest of nights. An owl's night habits make it unique. Do these creatures of the night possess strange powers?
Owls possess unusual powers of sight and hearing, but they are not supernatural powers. They are natural adaptations that let them live most efficiently(高效地) at night. There is no reason to fear owls. Their habits make them helpful to humans. By hunting mice and other rodents(啮齿目动物)，owls help to keep a natural balance between plant and animal life. Without owls, there would be a large number of rodents in farmers' fields and storage barns.
More than 100 species of owls occupy a variety of habitats around the world. A few oceanic islands and the Antarctic have no owls. The world's owls come in different sizes. For example, the Eurasian eagle owl—one of the largest—has a body that is two to three feet long, with a wingspan(翼展) of up to five and onehalf feet. The North American elf owl (the world's smallest owl) is five to six inches long and has a wingspan that measures slightly more than one foot.
Most male and female owls of the same species look alike, although females are usually larger. In some species, the female's colors are like those of the trees or grass where she makes her nest.
Baby owls, called chicks, stay with their parents until they are about three months old. They soon find their own hunting areas, where they may stay for the rest of their lives. Some owls can live 20 years or more.
1.Most people regard owls as________.
A．clever B．hardworking C．shy D．terrifying
2.Owls help humans in that they________.
A．frighten rodents away from humans
B．help preserve the balance of nature
C．have unusual powers
D．help guard backyards
3.What is special about owls?
A．They fly silently.
B．They are night hunters.
C．They possess supernatural powers.
D．They can be found around the world.
I fell in love with England because it was quaint（古雅）---all those little houses, looking terribly old-fashioned but nice, like dolls’ houses. I loved the countryside and the pubs, and I loved London. I’ve slightly changed my mind after seventeen years because I think it’s an ugly town now.
Things have changed. For everybody, England meant gentlemen, fair play, and good manners. The fair play is going, unfortunately, and so are the gentlemanly attitudes and good manners---people shut doors heavily to your face and politeness is disappearing.
I regret that there are so few comfortable meeting places. You’re forced to live indoors. In Paris I go out much more, to restaurants and nightclubs. To meet friends here it usually has to be in a pub, and it can be difficult to go there alone as a woman. The cafes are not terribly nice.
As a woman, I feel unsafe here. I spend a bomb（大量的钱）on taxis because I will not take public transport after 10 p. m. I used to use it, but now I’m afraid.
The idea of family seems to be more or less non-existent in England. My family is well united and that’s typically French. In Middlesex I had a neighbor who is 82 now. His family only lived two miles away, but I took him to France for Christmas once because he was always alone.
1.The writer doesn’t like London because she______.
A. has to be polite to everyone she meets there
B. has lived there for seventeen years
C. prefers to live in an old-fashioned house
D. is not used to the life there now
2.Where do people usually meet their friends in England? ______.
A. In a cafe. B. In a restaurant
C. In a night club D. In a pub.
3.The underlined part “it” (in Para. 4) refers to______.
A. a taxi B. the money
C. public transport D. a bomb
I am a music store owner. One day, when I was cleaning the instruments in my store, I saw an old man come in. His short steps dragged on the carpet. “Is 77 too old to learn the banjo (班卓琴)?” he asked.
“You can learn to play it well,” I replied, holding back my doubts. My mind told me I was giving false encouragement. I reached the instructor’s schedule and gave the rates, the available time and the additional information that he would need. To my surprise and delight, the old man, Carl, began banjo lessons three days later with my most patient teacher.
With nothing to do at home but practice, Carl made surprising progress. After breakfast he practiced for his required half hour. While waiting for lunch he picked up his banjo again for just a couple of minutes. Since TV was difficult for him to see and hear, he often played the banjo in the evenings. Carl was always early for lessons so it was a surprise that he didn’t arrive one Tuesday.
The next morning I listened to the answering machine with sadness. “Carl’s in hospital,” the voice recorded.
Two months later, I shared the newspaper obituary with the banjo teacher. We both shed tears for a surprisingly clever banjo student.
Several months later, a woman came into the store carrying a plant. “This is for Carl’s banjo teacher,” she said. “I’m his wife, Mary.”
“Why did Carl want to play the banjo?” I asked. Mary took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Carl was at some show when he was 10 years old. He came close to the stage to watch the performers. When they were packing up their instruments, the banjo player said to Carl, ‘You want to see this up close?’ Carl climbed up on the stage and from then on he wanted to play the banjo.” Carl had waited 67 years to realize a dream! Mary gave the plant to Carl’s banjo teacher. “Thank you for the best six months of his life,” she said.
1.How did Carl learn to play the banjo well?
A. By taking short cuts.
B. By working hard.
C. By asking his wife to help him.
D. By finding the best teacher.
2.From Paragraph 2, we can know the author ______.
A. encouraged Carl though he had doubts
B. was giving true encouragement
C. didn’t want to encourage Carl
D. was unwilling to help Carl
3.The underlined word “obituary” in Para.5 means a notice that _______.
A. announces a good piece of news
B. announces somebody is needed
C. announces somebody has died
D. announces a gift for somebody
4.Why did Carl want to learn banjo?
A. He wanted to become a banjo performer.
B. He wanted to make his dream of his young age come true.
C. His wife encouraged him to learn it.
D. He wanted to spend the last best six months of his life.
She was chosen to be the first secretary of the state government and has regular and immediate ___________ to the president.
A. opportunity B. control C. effect D. access
In English-speaking countries, a person with a large vocabulary is _______ a walking dictionary.
A. referred to B. compared to
C. thought of D. devoted to
Enough of it! Nobody here thinks what you are saying should make any ______.
A. excuse B. sense C. use D. value
