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, claims (声称) as its own. Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species are welcome. Your house is your territory where only your family and friends are welcome.If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you

might shout. Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.

If so, you have actually frightened 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.

1.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

2.What is a bird’s “territory”?

A. A place where families of other species are not accepted.

B. A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice.

C. An area for which birds fight against each other.

D. An area which a bird considers to be its own.

3.Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?

A. Because they want to invite more friends.

B. Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away.

C. Because they want to find outsiders around.

D. Because their singing helps get rid of their fears.

4.How does the writer explain birds’ singing?

A. By comparing birds with human beings. B. By reporting experiment results.

C. By describing birds’ daily life. D. By telling a bird’s story.

The Silk Road is the name of different roads that long ago connected Europe, Africa and Asia. People reached these different places along these roads. Scientists believe people began to travel the Silk Road about 3000 years ago. By the time the Chinese silk trade became important in the world, the Silk Road covered almost 6500 kilometers. It spread from Rome to China, which is from the West to the Far East.

Traders travelling along the Silk Road carried silk, of course. They also carried and traded spices(香料),cloth, valuable stones and gold.

There is a famous old story along the old road. It is said that Roman soldiers(士兵)travelled through central Asia. They started to live somewhere near the ancient Chinese village of Liqian. Some of these Romans married local Chinese women and the story of blue-eyed villages of China was started.

During its busiest period, the Silk Road allowed people from many different cultures and countries to meet each other and mix. The Silk Road allowed the sharing of valuable goods and new ideas. These included people and trading goods from the Mediterranean, Persian, Magyar, Armenian, Bactrian, Indian and Chinese areas. All these peoples travelled the Silk Road, and they shared goods, stories, languages, and cultures.

In modern times, the old Silk Road routes(路线)are still used, but now they are crossed by trains instead of camels and horses. There is even a Silk Route Museum in Jiuquan in China. It has over 35,000 objects from all along the Silk Road. In this way, China protects the history of many countries and peoples.

1.How many kilometers did the Silk Road cover?

A. About 3000. B. Nearly 6500. C. Almost 2000 D. Over 35,000

2.Traders carried all kinds of goods along the Silk Road. Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage?

A. Silk B. Cloth. C. Gold. D. Tea.

3.Who married ancient Chinese women in the story of blue-eyed villages of China?

A. Asian soldiers. B. African soldiers. C. European soldiers. D. American soldiers.

4.What can we infer(推断)from the passage?

A. Valuable things could not be sold along the Silk Road.

B. The Silk Road allowed people from different countries to mix.

C. Ancient Chinese along the Slik Road may be able to speak different languages.

D. The objects in the museum in Jiuquan in China are from all along the Silk Road.

5.Which part of a magazine can this passage come from?

A. History and Geography. B. Sports World. C. Man and Animals. D. Popular Science.

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