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

1根据材料完成下列各题。

Beethoven

Born in 1770 in Germany

A  musician (音乐家)

Died in 1827

Florence Nightingale

Born in Italy on May 12th, 1820

An English nurse

Died in 1910

Bill Gates

Born in I955 in the USA

Wrote Business @ the Speed of Thought

Owns Microsoft

Thomas Edison

Born in 1847 in the USA

Made over 1,000 inventions (发明)

Died in 1931

Yao Ming

Born on September 12th, 1980 in Shanghai, China

A basketball player

Played for the Houston Rockets, the USA

1.Thomas Edison is from _       _.

A. Canada        B. Italy          C. America       D. China

2.The             was born in 1770.

A. musician       B. nurse         C. businessman    D. scientist

3.Business@ the Speed of Thought is the name of a_______.

A. song      B. book          C. school       D. film

4.Nightingale died in _        _

A. 1931         B. 1827      C.1847           D. 1910

5.Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Yao Ming is a football player.

B. Edison made over l, 000 inventions.

C. Nightingale was a scientist.

D. Bill Gates worked in Microsoft in 1955.

1.Thomas Edison is from.

A．Canada           B．Italy              C．America          D．Australia

2.The ______was born in 1770.

A．musician          B．nurse             C．businessman       D．scientist

3.Business @ the Speed of Thought is the name of a ______.

A．song             B．book             C．school            D．Movie

Name????????????? Personal information

Ludwig Von Beethoven????????????? Born in 1770, in Germany. A musician, Died in 1827

Florence Nightingale????????????? Born in Italy on May 12th, 1820?? An English nurse??? Died in 1910

Bill Gates????????????? Born in 1955 in the USA?? Wrote Business @ the Speed of Thought? Own Microsoft

Thomas Edison????????????? Born in 1847 in the USA? Made over 6000 inventions??? Died in 1931

Lin Shuhao????????????? Born on August 23rd, 1988 in California, USA?? A basketball player?? Playing in the Houston Rockets, USA

1.Thomas Edison is from_________ .

A. Canada??????? B. Italy???????? C. America???????? D. Australia

2.The?????? _ was born in 1770.

A. musician? ????????????? ? B. nurse?? ????????????? ???? C. businessman? ????????????? D. scientist

3.Business @ the Speed of Thought is the name of a ????? .

A. song????????? B. book???????? C. school????????? D. movie

4.Florence Nightingale died in????? .

A. 1931????????? B. 1827???????? C. 1847?????????? D. 1910

5.Which of the following is true?

A. Lin Shuhao is playing basketball in America.

B. Beethoven made over 1000 inventions.

C. Edison was born in 1820 .???

D. Bill Gates worked in Microsoft in 1955