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 animal, considers as its own. Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species(物种) 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 frighten 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.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 |
What does the underlined word “territory” mean?
| A．An area which a bird considers to be its own. |
| B．An area for which birds fight against each other. |
| C．A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice. |
| D．A place where families of other species are not welcome. |
Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?
| A．Because they want to invite more friends. |
| B．Because they want to find outsiders around. |
| C．Because they want to express their happiness. |
| D．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away. |
How does the writer explain birds’ singing?
| A．By telling a bird’s story. |
| B．By describing birds’ daily life. |
| C．By reporting experiment results. |
| D．By comparing birds with human beings. |
Choose the best choice from A，B or C according to what you read．
66．The charts above are about ．
| A． |
traffic accidents |
| B． |
safety |
| C． |
health |
67．Which is not the factor from drivers？
| A． |
Drunk driving |
| B． |
Speeding |
| C． |
Road environment |
68．How many factors cause traffic accidents？
| A． |
7 |
| B． |
4 |
| C． |
3 |
69．What does the word"vehicle"mean in Chinese？
| A． |
安全带 |
| B． |
机动车辆 |
| C． |
行人 |
70．From the charts we know that ．
| A． |
road environment is the main factor of traffic accidents |
| B． |
tired driving is the most factor from drivers |
| C． |
a quarter of the drivers don't use seat belts． |
Have you ever seen a horse with toes？Millions of years ago，horses had many toes．They had four toes on each front foot．They had three toes on each back foot．The horses were no bigger than the cats．These small horses lived in the forest．The toes helped the horses run on the soft，wet ground．
At first，it was very hot in the forest．But the weather changed．It became very cold．Many trees could not live in cold weather．The trees died and fell．Open fields took the place of forests．The sun made the ground dry and hard．
Horses began to change，too．They began to get bigger．This took a long time．On the dry，hard land，horses needed only their middle toes for running．Their middle toes became hard．After a long time，horses had only one hard toe on each foot．Now we call this hard toe a hoof（蹄子）．
Judge the following sentences true （T） or false （F） according to the passage．
61．A horse had fourteen toes in total millions of years ago．
62．At first the weather in the forest was very hot．
63．The horses were much bigger than the cats millions of years ago．
64．On the dry，hard land，horses needed only their middle toes for running．
65．Horses didn't have any changes over the years at all． ．
Mum and I were just going out when it began to rain．We had to stay at home，and I（1） （feel） quite bored．Mum got（2） idea． She suggested teaching me to make dumplings．I thought it could be fun，so I said OK．Mum cut the meat and cabbages into small pieces（3） （quick）．Then she showed me（4） to mix them with salt and oil．"Mixing is the most important of all the（5） （step），" she said．I also made some other preparations with her help．When everything was ready，dad came back home（6） his office．Together the three of（7） （we）wrapped （包） the dumplings． At last， we （8） （cook） them．They were so delicious that I ate （9） （many） than twenty． That was the （10） （one） time I learnt to make dumplings． It was enjoyable!
I have a photo album （相册）． It's a present from my classmate﹣David．
I got to know David on the （1） （two） day of middle school． We both liked playing basketball and collecting stamps， （2）s we always had a lot of things to talk about． Once I traveled with him to his hometown in the countryside． He showed me （3）a and I saw many interesting things． We had a （4） （wonder） time． It is really nice to have such （5） good classmate．
However， last summer， David （6） （go） to another city because of his father's job． Before leaving， he gave （7） （I） a photo album． "It has the memorable events we have experienced together． I have also written some （8） （note） under each of these photos，" he said． I was （9） （deep） moved．
I always look at the album when I think （10） David． I really miss him．
Critical thinking（批判性思维） is trying to improve the way you think． People use critical thinking in every area of life to solve problems and evaluate claims（评估主张）．
Like every other skill， critical thinking takes practice． When a problem comes our way， we need to think critically to decide how to solve it． When we see an advertisement， for example， we should stop and think． Advertisements are made to make people feel certain that they are true， and then people can buy the products． But is what the advertisement says true？ Is it making a claim？ Or does it only interest us？ Critical thinking is important and stops us from making poor choices． In fact， we are using it if we ask questions naturally about what we see．
Practice makes perfect． While you are growing in critical thinking， you'll become a wiser and more thoughtful person． There are many ways of doing practice． Here are a few．
★ Read about a topic people disagree on． Look at articles or books on all sides of the subject． For each side of the subject， think carefully and evaluate it．
★ When you see or hear a claim， ask questions about it． Who is making the claim and why？
★Evaluate your own thinking． Where and why do you think uncritically？ How can you improve？
Critical thinking should be part of everything we do． It may help you to succeed at work or school ．Make yourself into a habit of critical thinking． Change your thoughts and change your world．
（1）、（2）题完成句子；（3）题简略回答问题；（4）题找出并写下第二段的主题句；（5）题将文中画线句子译成汉语．
（1）People use critical thinking to and evaluate claims．
（2）Critical thinking can stop us from ．
（3）What kind of person will you become as you grow in critical thinking？
（4）
（5）
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