Question

Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy. After all, you probably sing or whistle 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 as its own. Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species 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 threaten 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 the 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.

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 does the underlined word “territory” mean?

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 bird’s 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

Answer 1

1.B

2.D

3.B

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：有没有想过鸟儿为什么要唱歌呢？你可能会认为它们是因为开心才唱歌的。一些科学家认为鸟儿唱歌有一部分原因是因为心情好，但是大多数时候，它们是为了保卫自己的领地才不停地叫，也就是我们所指的歌唱。

1.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.”可知，科学家认为，大部分时候，鸟儿的歌唱是一种警告，告诉其它小鸟远离它的领地，故选B。

2.A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims (声称)as its own.”可知，territory的意思是动物的“领地”，故选D。

3.Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.”和第四段“But he expects an outsider almost any time, especially at nesting season. So he is screaming all the time, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.”可知，鸟儿不停地叫是为了吓走外来者，故选B。

4.Your yard and house are 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.”和第四段“If so, you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing.”可知，作者拿人类作对比，一个人的院子和房子是私人领地，陌生人未经允许不能进入。一旦发现有外人侵犯，他可能会通过喊叫来吓走侵犯者。鸟儿也是通过叫声来赶走其它外来者的，故选C。

考点：自然科学类短文阅读