Watching some children trying to catch butterflies one hot August afternoon, I was reminded of an incident in my own childhood. When I was a boy of 12 in South Carolina, something happened to me that cured me forever of wanting to put any wild creature in a cage.
We lived on the edge of a wood, and every evening at dusk the mockingbirds would come and rest in the tree and sing. There isn’t a musical instrument made by man that can produce a more beautiful sound than the song of the mockingbird.
I decided that I would catch a young bird and keep it in a cage and that way have my own private musician.
I finally succeeded in catching one and put it in a cage. At first, in its fright at being captured, the bird fluttered about the cage, but eventually it settled down in its new home, I felt very pleased with myself and looked forward to some beautiful singing from my tiny musician.
I had left the cage out on our back porch（门廊）, and on the second day of the bird’s captivity my new pet’s mother flew to the cage with food in her mouth . The baby bird ate everything she brought to it. I was pleased to see this. Certainly the mother knew better than I how to feed her baby.
The following morning when I went to see how my captive was doing, I discovered it on the floor of the cage, dead. I was shocked! What had happened? I had taken excellent care of my little bird, or so I thought.
Arthur Wayne, the famous ornithologist, happened to be visiting my father at the time and, hearing me crying over the death of my bird, explained what had occurred: “A mother mockingbird, finding her young in a cage, will sometimes bring it poison berries. She thinks it better for her young to die than to live in captivity.”
Never since then have I caught any living creature and put it in a cage. All living creatures have a right to live free.The boy caught a mockingbird because___________.
| A．he wanted a pet for a companion |
| B．he liked its beautiful feather |
| C．he wanted it to sing for him |
| D．he had just got a cage |
The mockingbird died because__________.
| A．it ate some poisonous food the boy gave it by mistake |
| B．it ate the poisonous food its mother gave it |
| C．it was frightened to death |
| D．it refused to eat anything |
The word “ornithologist” in the last but one paragraph probably means________.
| A．a religious person |
| B．a kind and sympathetic person |
| C．a schoolmaster |
| D．an expert in birds |
The most important lesson the boy learned from the incident is that______.
| A．birds put in a cage won’t live long |
| B．you have to be very careful about the food you give to young birds |
| C．when you capture a young mockingbird, you should keep it away from its mother |
| D．freedom is valuable to all living creature. |
Do’s and Don’ts in Whale(鲸)Watching
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has developed guidelines for whale watching in Johnstone Strait,where killer whales are found on a daily basis each summer. It is strongly recommended that vessel(船只)operators follow these guidelines for all kinds of whales.
● Approach whales from the side, not from the front or the back.
● Approach no closer than 100 metres, then stop the boat but keep the engine on.
● Keep noise levels down-no horns, whistles or racing of engines.
● Start your boat only after the whales are more than 100 metres from your vessel.
● Leave the area slowly, gradually moving faster when you are more than 300 metres from the whales.
● Approach and leave slowly, avoiding sudden changes in speed or direction.
● Avoid disturbing groups of resting whales.
● Keep at low speeds and remain in the same direction if travelling side by side with whales.
● When whales are travelling close to shore, avoid crowding them near the shore or coming between the whales and the shore.
● Limit the time spent with any group of whales to less than 30 minutes at a time when within 100 to 200 metres of whales.
● If there is more than one vessel at the same observation spot, be sure to avoid any boat position that would result in surrounding the whales.
● Work together by communicating with other vessels, and make sure that all operators are aware of the whale watching guidelines.For whom is this text written?
| A．Tour guides. |
| B．Whale watchers. |
| C．Vessel operators. |
| D．Government officials. |
When leaving the observation areas, the vessel should ________________.
| A．move close to the beach |
| B．increase speed gradually |
| C．keep its engine running slowly |
| D．remain at the back of the whales |
What is the shortest safe distance from the whales?
| A．400 metres. | B．300 metres. | C．200 metres. | D．100 metres. |
Friendship is very pleasant and also essential to people’s life . A man without friends is an angel without wings, whose life will suffer in the long loneliness and depression, Friendship is the mother of our spirit, who’ll warm her kid when hurt occures , We have much to share with our friends in life , confusion, excitement ,bitterness etc, It’s great to keep up a sincere friendship.
It takes many special qualities to make friends, Understanding should come first . Only when we get a better understanding of each other can we gain a believable and meaningful friendship. We may find our hobbies of common interest. This feeling of natural attraction gets us closer and closer.
It also takes a special kind of love that seems to know no end, Never hesitate to show your heartfelt care and kindness to your friend when she /he is in trouble . Love is not selfish , Love is a feeling that we should treasure all our lives,
Tolerance （宽容）is the third necessary part in friendship ,. We are absolutely different persons , This individual difference may cause conflict between us in every aspect of our life. Don’t care yourself too much . Try to tolerate him /her in an easy mood , Saints （圣人）are not perfect , let alone those ordinary people like us. Afterwards, we should get a good communication.
Understanding , love and tolerance are the first three essences that come to a true friendship. Other qualities are also concerned such a s thoughtfulness, trust and patience, Remember, friendship is your spirit’s guard and everyone should treasure it．How many qualities of making friends are mentioned in the passage?
A．Six B．Three． C．Five D Seven．To make a friend，should be the first quality．
| A．tolerance | B．1ove | C．patience | D．understanding |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Friends often have the same character. |
| B．Friends can help us overcome loneliness and depression· |
| C．There shouldn’t be conflict between friends- |
| D．Friends can make us patient and believable． |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The meaning of a true friendship． |
| B．The happiness of having a good friend． |
| C．Special qualities to make friends． |
| D．The importance of friendship． |
SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND
Captain Good Fellow
Do you enjoy interesting stories ,funny games and exciting dances? Captain Good Fellow will be ready to teach all these things to children of all ages at the City Theatre on Saturday morning at，10：00，free．
Walking Tour of the Town
Forget your worries on Saturday morning．Take a beautiful walk and learn about the local history．Meet at the front entrance of City Hall at 9：30．Wear comfortable shoes!
Films at the Museum
Two European films will be shown Saturday afternoon at the Museum Theatre．See Broken Window at 1：30．The Workers will be at 3：45. For further information，call 4987898．
International Picnic
Are you tired of eating the same food every day? Come to Central Park on Saturday and enjoy food from all over the world．Delicious and inexpensive．From noon to 5：00 P．m．
Take me out to the Ballgame
It’s October，and tonight is the last chance to see the Redbirds his year．Get your tickets at the gate．It might be cold…．Don’t forget sweaters and jackets．
Do you want to hear “the Zoo”？
“The Zoo”，the popular rock group from Australia，will give their first U．S．concert tomorrow night at 8 at Rose Hall，City College．You can probably eat Chinese，Italian，and Arabian food at ．
| A．Central Park on Saturday | B．the ballgame outside |
| C．5：00 in the afternoon | D．the front entrance of City Hall |
You can see movies at．
| A．the Citv College | B．the Central Park |
| C．the City Theatre | D．the Museum Theatre |
If you are going on the Walking Tour，don’t forget·
| A．your worries | B．your comfortable shoes |
| C．your beautiful walk | D．your learning about local history |
“The Zoo ”is．
| A．a park with lots of animals | B．the first concert from the U．S． |
| C．a music group from Australia | D．a popular rock band from Europe |
Born into a poor family，two of the Durers' children still had a dream for art，but they knew their father could not afford to send either of them to the academy(院校)．
After discussions，the two boys finally agreed to toss a coin．The loser would go to the nearby mines and support his brother while he attended the academy．Then，when the winner completed his studies，he would support the other brother，either with sales of his art work or，if necessary，by working in the mines．So they tossed a coin．Albrecht Durer won the toss and went to Nuremberg．Albert went to the dangerous mines and financed his brother，whose work at the academy was almost an immediate success，and by graduation，he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his works．
When the Durer family held a dinner to celebrate Albrecht's homecoming， Albrecht drank a toast to his brother，“Now，Albert，it is your turn to go to Nuremberg and follow your dream，and I will take care of you．”
Albert wiped the tears from his cheeks，glanced at the faces he loved，and said softly，“No，brother．It is too late for me．Look….look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been broken at least once，and lately I have been suffering from arthritis(关节炎)so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast，much 1ess make lines on canvas(画布)with a pen or a brush．No，brother …for me it is too 1ate．”
Therefore，Albrecht took pains to draw his brother’s injured hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward．The entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and named it “The Praying Hands”．The passage is mainly about
| A．the early life of Albrecht Durer |
| B．the story behind “The Praying Hands” |
| C．the sacrifice Albrecht made for his brother |
| D．a young man showing his talent through effort |
According to the two brothers’ agreement，．
| A．they let the coin decide who would go to the academy first |
| B．the winner would work at the academy in exchange for the loser’s help |
| C．the loser would go to the mines and earn money to pay for his own education |
| D．the winner would work in the mines after graduation in return for the loser's support |
Albert refused his brother’s offer because．
| A．he was too old to learn drawing |
| B．he suffered an accident. |
| C．he was not used to holding a pen or brush |
| D．his hands were out of shape as a result of hard work |
The artist created the masterpiece “The Praying Hands”
| A．to show kindness to his poor brother |
| B．to encourage people to realize their dreams |
| C．in praise of his brother’s sacrifice and love |
| D．in honor of his brother as a symbol of working people |
Almost 55,000 people who have had a major impact on British society are profiled in a new 60-volume book that has taken 12 years to compile.
It has cost more than ￡25 million and taken 10,000 writers to update the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Murder victims Stephen Lawrence and James Bulger are among those joining the likes of Queen Victoria and Gandhi.
The new version of the dictionary, which was founded in 1882, costs ￡7,500 and takes up 12 feet of shelf space.
Projects director Robert Faber said Stephen Lawrence was included because his death triggered "dramatic developments in British policing and social policy".
Women make up 10% of the entries - double the previous share - and include Queen Elizabeth I, Dusty Springfield, Linda McCartney and Virginia Woolf, whose father compiled the first edition.
Alongside the famous names are lesser known individuals such as the inventor of snooker, army reservist (预备役军人) Neville Chamberlain.
Stephen Lawrence and James Bulger were both included because of the "overwhelming soul-searching (真挚的自我反省、深思) and examination of education and social policy" which followed their deaths.
Mr Faber said: "These are not just people who were killed but people who had an impact. Jill Dando is there as much for her career but also because her death became a public event.
"So many of these people have seized the public imagination and have contributed to public debate."？
|
It can be inferred that Jill Dando _____.
| A．died in a case of murder which drew the public much attention |
| B．isn’t included in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |
| C．is the director of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |
| D．is included in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography only for her death |
_____ are collected in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
| A．Those who were murdered in history | B．Those who have shaped Britain |
| C．Those who are famous all over the world | D．Those who live in Britain |
How much does a volume of the new version cost on average?
| A．More than ￡25million. | B．More than ￡400, 000. | C．￡7, 500. | D．￡125 |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号