Question

【题目】 Alex knew colors and shapes. He learned about 150 English words. With his language ability he made himself known as perhaps the world’s most famous talking bird.

But Alex，a parrot，died two weeks ago when he was 31. Irene，a psychologist(心理学家) at Harvard University，studied and worked with the parrot for nearly 30 years.

In 1977，Irene，then an excellent student in chemistry at Harvard，bought Alex from a pet store. At that time，scientists were not quite sure whether birds could learn to communicate with humans.

But using the methods of teaching. Irene helped Alex to learn about 150 words，and to count small numbers，as well as colors and shapes.

In experiments，Irene would give Alex a small reward，like a grape. Alex learned to ask for the grape by watching what the trainer was doing to get it. The researchers then worked with the bird to help him with pronunciation.

Alex showed a surprising ability to learn. For example，when he was shown a blue paper circle. he could tell what color the paper was. what shape it was，and after touching it，what it was made of.

Like other parrots，he also picked up some words when staying in the lab，like“calm down”and“good morning”. He could also show his happiness and sadness.

Even before the week he died，Alex was working with Irene on difficult words. As she put him into his cage for the night that Thursday，Irene said that Alex looked at her and said，“You be good. See you tomorrow. I love you. ”

He was found dead in his cage the next morning.

【1】Alex is the name of ________.

A.an excellent studentB.a clever bird

C.a trainerD.a psychologist

【2】How did Irene get the parrot?

A.A friend gave it to her.B.She caught it in a forest.

C.She bought it from the market.D.The passage doesn’t mention it.

【3】The underlined words“picked up”in the seventh paragraph mean ________.

A.捡到B.挑选C.举起D.学到

【4】The best title of the passage can be .

A.A Thinking ParrotB.The Owner of a Parrot

C.How to Teach a Parrot to SpeakD.Parrots, our Close Friends

【5】The passage is probably taken from a ________.

A.history textbookB.novel(小说)C.newspaperD.dictionary

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】C

【3】D

【4】A

【5】C

【解析】

本篇主要讲述了一只名叫亚历克斯的鹦鹉，它活了31岁，在科学家的训练下它知道颜色和形状。并且学了大约150个英语单词。凭借他的语言能力，他使自己成为世界上最著名的会说话的鸟。

【1】细节理解题。根据文中With his language ability he made himself known as perhaps the world’s most famous talking bird. 可知Alex是一只世界著名的会说话的鸟，能学会说话，说明很聪明。故选B。

【2】细节理解题。根据文中In 1977，Irene，then an excellent student in chemistry at Harvard，bought Alex from a pet store.可知鹦鹉是在商店买的。和C项意思表示一致。故选C。

【3】词义猜测题。根据文中短语所在的句子Like other parrots，he also picked up some words when staying in the lab，like“ calm down ”and “good morning”. 和其他鹦鹉一样，他在实验室里也……了一些单词，比如“冷静下来”和“早上好”。推断短语是“学到”的意思。故选D。

【4】最佳标题题。A Thinking Parrot一只思考的鹦鹉；The Owner of a Parrot鹦鹉的主人；How to Teach a Parrot to Speak如何教一只鹦鹉说话；Parrots, our Close Friends鹦鹉，我们的亲密朋友。通读全文，都是关于鹦鹉亚历克斯的，里面讲到了它很聪明，学会的许多东西。对比选项，A比较符合文章主旨。故选A。

【5】推理判断题。全文讲的是一件真实的事件，并且属于奇闻趣事。通常可以在报纸上看到。故选C。