For an owl (猫头鹰) with one-metre wingspan, the sky should be the limit. But Troy prefers his bird’s eye view to be no higher than 5 feet 10 inches. The one-year-old owl has an inconvenient symptom: he’s afraid of heights. After an unfortunate start in life when he fell from his nest by accident, Troy was raised by Gareth Tonen, a handler (饲养员), who just happens to be 5 feet 10 inches tall.

As a result, Troy has grown up without any great ambitions of his own. When it comes to trees, he can’t see what is about and would prefer to fly along at Mr. Tonen’s side. Only when the 25-year-old handler climbs up a tree can Troy be tempted to leave his comfort zone and join him.

Ashley Smith said, “ Troy’s fear of heights was a result of forgetting how to be a bird. He’s been in captivity (被圈养) for as long as he can remember and has never been higher than his handler can lift him. He sees himself as more of a human than an owl, and he doesn’t know how to sit in trees or hunt. Gareth has to almost act like an owl to get Troy to behave like one.”

As a result, a daily tree climb has become part of Troy’s – and Mr. Tonen’s – routine. Ladders have been fixed so Mr. Tonen can climb into the trees and call for Troy, who will fly up and join his handler but go no higher. Most of the time he flies down again, but occasionally Mr. Tonen has to carry him back to ground level. The afternoon ends with a meal of mouse, rabbit or his favorite, chicken.

Mr. Tonen said, “He now looks upon me as his mum or dad. He’s gaining more confidence and if I have to carry on climbing up trees with him then we’ll do what it takes for him to be a high flyer.

Troy was brought up by Gareth Tonen because he ______.

A. couldn’t fly high                   B. got badly hurt

C. left his parents accidentally            D. couldn’t live in trees

What can you learn from the second paragraph?

A. Troy doesn’t show any interest in flying high up in the sky.

B. Gareth Tonen has spoiled Troy by offering him everything.

C. Gareth Tonen is pleased to see Troy fly along at his side.

D. Troy would like his owner Gareth Tonen to climb up trees.

According to Ashley Smith, Troy doesn’t know he is a bird because ______.

A. he has developed the symptom of fearing heights.

B. he has been raised since he was very small.

C. he can’t learn how to fly higher than his owner.

D. he doesn’t want to fly among trees hunting for food.

Why does Gareth Tonen have to climb up trees every day?

A. To set an example of flying high to Troy.

B. To see how high Troy can really fly.

C. To teach Troy how to get meals in high trees.

D. To get Troy back down to cure his fear of heights.

He's an old cobbler (修鞋匠)  with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris.When I took him my shoes, he at first told me: “I haven't time.Take them to the other fellow on the main street ; he'll fix them for you right away.”
But I'd had my eye on his shop for a long time.Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman. “No,” I replied, “the other fellow can't do it well.”
“The other fellow” was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys “while-U-wait” ­­­— without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys.They work carelessly, and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap (鞋带) you might as well just throw away the pair.
My man saw I wouldn't give in, and he smiled.He wiped his hands on his blue apron (围裙), looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said, “Come back in a week.”
I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf.
“See what I can do?” he said with pride. “Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work.”
When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-new to me.He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange, dusty felt hat, his funny accent from who-knows-where and, above all, his pride in his craft.
These are times when nothing is important but the bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it “pays”, when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption (消费) rather than a way to realize their own abilities.In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done.
【小题1】Which of the following is true about the old cobbler?

A.He was equipped with the best repairing tools.
B.He was the only cobbler in the Marais.
C.He was proud of his skills.
D.He was a native Parisian.
【小题2】The sentence “He was something out of an ancient legend.” ( paragraph 7 ) implies that______
A.nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him
B.it was difficult to communicate with this man
C.the man was very strange
D.the man was too old
【小题3】According to the author, many people work just to__________.
A.realize their abilitiesB.gain happiness
C.make moneyD.gain respect
【小题4】This story wants to tell us that__________.
A.craftsmen make a lot of moneyB.whatever you do, do it well
C.craftsmen need self-respectD.people are born equal

He is a real turtle(海龟).

         Someone who always moves very slowly.

         She is such a sheep.

         A follower; someone who can’t think for him or herself.

         He’s being an ostrich(鸵鸟).

         Someone who hides his/her head in the sand and refuses to face problems or reality.

         He’s a lamb.

         A gentle, patient, understanding person. Nice and considerate.

         What a crab(蟹) he is!

         A grouchy(发牢骚的) person; someone who is often angry and in a bad mood.

1.In which of the following situations are the people acting like sheep?

A. A teenager tells a small child to stop bothering an animal.

B. A young man is driving fast because all his friends do.

C. Someone runs for monitor of the senior class in the school.

D. People are walking and singing together along the road.

2.If a person is like a turtle, which of these is most likely to be a problem to him or her?

A. Keeping the house clean.               B. Learning a new language.

C. Getting to school on time.               D. Saving money for future use.

3.Buddy hates to wake up on Monday morning. He doesn’t speak to his wife or children, and he often shouts at the other drivers on his way to work. Everybody stays out of his way at least until noon time. After that he’s all right. Buddy’s boss says, “ Buddy is a good guy, but on Monday morning, he’s an absolute _________.”

A. crab                         B. lamb                        C. turtle                                D. ostrich

4.Jerry has not been well for weeks. He knows he has a problem but he is afraid to see a doctor .If he is sick, he doesn’t want to know about it. His wife says, “ Jerry, don’t be a(n) __________. Go to the doctor. She can help you get of your illness.

A. crab                         B. lamb                        C. sheep                               D. ostrich

 

    There's a man in the habit of hitting me on the head with an umbrella. At first I couldn't stand it;now I'm used to it.

    I don't know his name. I know he's average in appearance,wears a gray suit,and has a common face. One hot morning,when I was sitting on a tree­shaded bench in Palermo Park,reading the paper,suddenly I felt something touch my head. It was the very same man who now,as I'm writing,keeps striking me with an umbrella.

    On that occasion I turned around filled with anger. He just kept on hitting me. I asked him if he was crazy. He didn't even seem to hear me. Then I threatened to call a policeman. Calmly,cool as a cucumber,he stuck with his task. After a few moments of hesitation,and seeing that he was not about to change his attitude,I stood up and hit him on the nose. The man fell down. But he immediately got back on his feet,obviously with great effort,and without a word again began hitting me on the head with the umbrella. His nose was bleeding and,at that moment,I felt sorry for him. I felt regret for having hit him so hard. After all,the man wasn't exactly hitting me;he was merely tapping me lightly with his umbrella,not causing any pain at all. Of course,those taps were extremely bothersome. As we all know,when a fly lands on your forehead,you don't feel any pain;what you feel is annoyance. Well then,that umbrella was one huge fly that kept landing on my head time after time.

    Convinced that I was dealing with a madman,I tried to escape. But the man followed me,wordlessly continuing to hit me. So I began to run(I should point out many people run as fast as I do). He took off after me,trying to land a blow. The man was out of breath so that I thought,if I continued to force him to run at that speed,he would drop dead right then and there.

1.When the man began to strike the author with an umbrella, the author________.

    A. became angry                     B. called the police

    C. turned around and escaped            D. turned around and fought back

2.The author would most probably agree that the man was ________.

    A. deaf                             B. blind

    C. dead                             D. mad

3.The author felt sorry for the man because________.

    A. the man formed a bad habit of beating others

    B. he hit the man so hard that his nose bled

    C. the man couldn't catch up with him

    D. there was a fly on the man's head

4. It can be learned from the passage that the man ________.

    A. shouted loudly while hitting the author

    B. wanted to tell the author something

    C. ran after the author breathlessly

    D. acted as if he were a fly

 

 

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