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

In winter，when the sun hides behind the clouds，everyone feels a bit low. You may be tired and find you want to sleep all the time. What you may not know is：you are suffering from (患有) SAD(季节性抑郁症)．

But don't worry—it's normal. Colder temperatures and fewer hours of daylight can steal your energy and put you in a bad mood.

Read on to find out what SAD is and what you can do to help yourself or those around you.

These days，Linda，a US teenager spends most of her holidays sleeping instead of doing sports outside. She has also had trouble concentrating(集中精力) on her homework. When her mother asks her what's wrong，Linda doesn't know what to tell her. Linda may not realize it yet，but she's suffering from SAD. It causes people to sleep，eat sweet food and get sad or angry for no reason.

About 15 percent of American people now suffer from SAD in winter according to the US Department of Health. The US government has taken measures to help people beat it. Local communities encourage people to take part in activities such as exercise，dance or art. And they advise people not to eat too much sweet food.

Like in the US，cold northern European countries such as Finland，Iceland and Russia see a large number of people suffer from SAD every year. So，the sunlamp is widely used in these countries. It's an electric lamp which is just like a “little sun” that gives off light to make people think the sun is shining and feel better.

1.Colder ________ and less ________ are the main causes of SAD.

2.Linda is feeling ________ and doesn't ________ doing sports because she's suffering from SAD.

3.      people suffer from SAD in        northern European countries.

4.In some northern European countries，the ________ is widely used to make people feel____ .

5.Taking an active part in ________ and eating ________ sweet food can help people beat SAD.