It's very early in the morning and I'm sitting outside. It's also very cold and dark. With me is Jim Nightingale, and he is the reason I'm up so early. He passes me a hot cup of coffee. "Not long to wait now," he says. I hope he's right.

    After a few minutes there is a very weak light in the east, and then I hear a bird singing. It sings very loud and very clear. "That's the robin(知更鸟)," says Jim. A few more birds start singing with the robin and Jim knows the names of them too. Half an hour later, there are more and more birds singing, and it's very loud! Suddenly, all around us the air is full of the sound of birdsong. This is the dawn chorus(晨鸣), and it's beautiful.

    "Wow, this is amazing!" I tell Jim, who is smiling. "Is there a dawn chorus every morning?"

    "Birds can sing any time of the year but the best time is the end of winter and during the spring. This is when the birds sing most."

    "Really? So, why do they sing?" I ask.

    "Well, there are two reasons," explains Jim. "Most of the songbirds who sing are males. They want to find a female(雌性)so they sing to show how strong they are. The females listen and choose the best singer! The birds also sing to tell other males to go away. They need their own area; they don't like sharing with another male."

    I listen to the birds; the songs seem too much to me. "Do the birds sing a special song in the morning?"

"That's a good question," replied Jim. "The successful birds have many kinds of calls and songs. Sometimes they copy the songs of other birds. This makes it sound like there are many birds in that place already and other males stay away. Also the female likes songs with different notes. Some birds, for example the European wren, have songs that contain over 700 different notes per minute!"

So, how does Jim know so much about birds? Well, he works as a volunteer for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. He is trying to help the birds live in the modern world. "More and more of the birds' habitat disappears every year. The sparrow, for example, was a very common bird in the UK, now it's in danger."

    By now the sun is up and the birds are quiet. It's light so they can start looking for food, they need a big breakfast after all that singing.

1.Why does the writer get up early in the morning?

A. To visit her friend.               B. To drink hot coffee.  

C. To see different birds.                  D. To hear birds sing.

2.A bird sings early in the morning mainly_______.

A. to call a female's attention          B. to fight with other males

C. to find a place to live in      D. to start looking for food

3. According to the text, which of the following statements is true?

A. At first the writer is happy to be up so early in the morning.

B. Male birds have their own ways of fooling other birds.

C. It's easier for the birds to find food early in the morning.

D. Jim has a job with the Royal Society for the Proteciton of Birds.

4.The text is mainly about_______.

A. the robin's songs                          B. the birds' habitat    

C. why birds sing                                D. how to protect birds

Tom and Fred are talking about the year 2020. “What will our world be like in the year 2020?” “I don't know,” says Fred. “What do you think?” “Well, no one knows, but it’s interesting to guess.” “In the year 2020 everyone will carry a pocket computer. The computer will give people the answers to all their problems. We shall all have telephones in our pockets, too, and we’ll be able to talk to our friends all over the world. Perhaps we’ll be able to see them at the same time. ” “A lot of people will live and work under the sea. Perhaps there will be big towns, factories and farms under the sea, too. ” “Machines will do most of the work, and so people will have more holidays, perhaps they’ll work only two or three days a week. They’ll be able to fly to the moon by spaceship and spend their holidays there. ” “I’m looking forward（期待）to the year 2020. I hope to go to the moon! ” “And 1 hope I’ll be able to live under the sea.” says Fred. “Won’t that be very interesting? Just like a fish! ”

1.Tom and Fred talked about ____ .

2.Machines will ____ .

A. do most of the work instead of people

B. B. do some of the work instead of people  

C. do as much work as people

D. do as little work as people

3.From their talk, we know that ____ .

4.Fred said ____ .

5.Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned?

Tom and Fred are talking about the year 2020. “What will our world be like in the year 2020?” “I don't know,” says Fred. “What do you think?” “Well, no one knows, but it’s interesting to guess.” “In the year 2020 everyone will carry a pocket computer(便携式计算机). The computer will give people the answers to all their problems. We shall all have telephones in our pockets, too, and we’ll be able to talk to our friends all over the world. Perhaps we’ll be able to see them at the same time. ” “A lot of people will live and work under the sea. Perhaps there will be big towns, factories and farms under the sea, too. ” “Machines will do most of the work, and so people will have more holidays, perhaps they’ll work only two or three days a week. They’ll be able to fly to the moon by spaceship and spend their holidays there. ” “I’m looking forward（期待）to the year 2020. I hope to go to the moon! ” “And 1 hope I’ll be able to live under the sea.” says Fred. “Won’t that be very interesting? Just like a fish! ”

1.Tom and Fred talked about ____ .

2.Machines will ____ .

3.From their talk, we know that ____ .

4.Fred said ____ .

5.Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned(提及)?

Tom and Fred are talking about the year 2020. “What will our world be like in the year 2020?” “I don't know,” says Fred. “What do you think?” “Well, no one knows, but it’s interesting to guess.” “In the year 2020 everyone will carry a pocket computer. The computer will give people the answers to all their problems. We shall all have telephones in our pockets, too, and we’ll be able to talk to our friends all over the world. Perhaps we’ll be able to see them at the same time. ” “A lot of people will live and work under the sea. Perhaps there will be big towns, factories and farms under the sea, too. ” “Machines will do most of the work, and so people will have more holidays, perhaps they’ll work only two or three days a week. They’ll be able to fly to the moon by spaceship and spend their holidays there. ” “I’m looking forward（期待）to the year 2020. I hope to go to the moon! ” “And 1 hope I’ll be able to live under the sea.” says Fred. “Won’t that be very interesting? Just like a fish! ”

(　 ) 1. Tom and Fred talked about ____ .

　　　 A. their school life　　　　　 　　 B. some interesting news

　　　 C. their life in the past　　　　　 　　 D. their life in the future

(　 ) 2 .Machines will ____ .

　　　 A. do most of the work instead of people B. do some of the work instead of people　

　　　 C. do as much work as people　　 　　 D. do as little work as people

(　 ) 3.From their talk, we know that ____ .

　　 A. only Fred hopes to fly to the moon 　　

B. both of them hope to fly to the moon　　

　　 C. one of them hopes to fly to the moon　　

D. neither of them hopes to fly to the moon

(　 ) 4. Fred said ____ .

　　 A. he liked fish very much 　　　　　　B. he would like to live under the sea like a fish　　　

　　 C. he would go fishing under the sea　 　D. he would spend a few days on the moon

(　 ) 5. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned(提及）?

　　　 A. People will be able to fly to the moon in a spaceship.

　　　 B. People will have more holidays.

　　　 C. Many people will live and work under the sea.

　　　 D. All the factories and farms will be built under the sea