What is a bird?

Any animal that has feathers is a bird. All birds have two wings and two legs. Modern birds have no teeth, but they have a hard mouth part. It helps them catch and eat their food. All she-birds lay eggs, and most birds build their homes. Birds — like people — are “warm-blooded”. Their body temperature stays about the same no matter how hot or cold the air is.

Why do birds have feathers?

Feathers help a bird to keep warm. In cold weather, their feathers act as a blanket by holding in body heat. In warm weather, a bird squeezes (挤) its feathers against its body to let body heat escape.

Feathers also help a bird to fly. While flying, a bird uses its outer wing feathers to move forward in the air. Wing feathers and tail feathers are used to keep balance (平衡).

What do birds eat?

Different kinds of birds eat different kinds of food. Usually birds have favorite foods, but will eat some other things, too. Many birds like worms and insects (虫) best. Birds that live near water often eat fish. Some birds eat meat — snakes, smaller birds, and other animals. Some birds eat fruit. Many small birds live on seeds.

Now you know more about birds.

56. What is the passage about?

      A. Feathers.       B. Birds.                C. Food.                  D. Weather.

57. Modern birds have a hard mouth part to help them ______.

     A. fly in the sky                                       B. take a rest

C. run on the ground                              D. catch and eat their food

58. If weather changes, birds’ temperature ______.

      A. stays about the same                              B. changes a lot  

C. goes down                                        D. comes down

59. Birds have feathers ______ in cold weather.

      A. to keep them warm                                B. to wash their faces

      C. to move fast                              D. to keep young

60. Birds that live near water often eat ______.

      A. fish             B. insects               C. snakes         D. fruit

I was walking down the road one day when my cellphone rang. I heard a little girl on the other end 36  ,“Dad, please come back soon. I miss you so much!” Because I just have a little 37 , I knew it was a wrong number. So I rudely 38 “you’ve dialed the wrong number!”and then 39 .

During the following days, I got the same call 40 .But I didn’t care much about it.

Then one day she continually called me, 41  I didn’t answer. In the end, I answered the phone and heard a torpid(有气无力的) voice, “ Dad, please come back. I miss you so much! Dad , I m 42 so much pain! Mom said you were too busy to take 43  of me. But, Dad ,please 44  me again, OK?” The kind of 45  was difficult to reject. I made a loud kiss on the phone and heard the 46  voice say, “Thank you … Dad , I am so … happy… ”

Shortly after this, I became 47  about who had been on the other end of my phone. So I called back, and a woman answered, “Sorry, sir. I am really sorry to have 48  you. My daughter has suffered from bone cancer 49   she was born. And her father … died in a(n) 50  last week. I 51  not tell her the news. Poor  baby. When she couldn’t 52  the painful chemotherapy(化疗), she would cry for her dad, who had always 53  her. I really couldn’t bear it, so I gave her a random(任意的)phone number …”

     “How is your daughter now?” I couldn’t 54  to ask.

     “She has 55 . You must have kissed her on the phone, because she went with a smile,” she said, “and I am glad that she gets rid of the pain and stays with her father forever.”

     I couldn’t keep my tears back.

1.A .shout                 B. cry         C. scream            D. call.

2. A .money               B. time        C. son              D. daughter

3. A .replied               B. returned        C. announced        D. questioned

4. A .hung on        B. held on          C. held up      D. hung up

5.A .from then on     B. now and then   C. more or less      D. for the moment

6.A .even if               B. as if         C. in case         D. now that

7.A .of                 B. on              C. in           D. at

8.A .charge                B. control      C. notice        D. care

9.A .hug                     B. kiss       C. love           D. see

10. A .demand              B. command        C. request      D. action.

11.A .sweet                  B. deep         C. loud          D. weak

12.A .curious               B. interested         C. content            D. amazed

13.A .confused            B. bothered           C. displeased   D. sought

14. A .until                    B. when        C. while         D. since

15.A .matter                 B. event        C. accident      D. affair

16.A .must                   B. dare        C. need           D. should

17.A .tolerate               B. undertake        C. calm                 D. master

18.A .encouraged        B. persuaded          C. excited     D. delighted

19.A .stop                    B. help         C. wait          D. keep

20.A .recovered           B. missed         C. lost             D. gone

Most American kids love Halloween treats, but a bucket of Halloween candy can be a dentist’s nightmare. Some parents try to get rid of half of the candy after their children go to bed, but dentists say parents also need to separate the good kinds of treats from the bad.

It is not exactly what a child eats that truly matters, but how much time it stays in his mouth. According to pediatric dentist Dr. Kaneta Lott, the most damaging stuff is something that is sticky or very hard and thus stays in the mouth for a long time. This is because we all have bacteria in our mouths. When we eat, the bacteria take our food as their food and produce an acid that destroys the surface of the teeth, causing cavities to form. The longer the food stays in the mouth, the more likely cavities will develop. Therefore, potato chips are worse than candy because they get stuck between teeth. For the same reason, raisins and crackers are not the best choice. Hard candies take a long time to consume and are also a bad choice for Halloween treats.

   If children really love candy, dentists recommend that they eat chocolate instead. Unlike hard candies, chocolate dissolves quickly in the mouth. Besides, chocolate contains tannins, which help to kill some of the bacteria in the mouth. But no matter what a child eats, brushing after each meal is still the best way to fight cavities.

56．What is the main purpose of this passage?

     A．To discuss how cavities can be treated.

     B．To point out the problems with Halloween celebrations.

     C．To tell parents what sweets are less damaging to their children’s teeth.

     D．To teach parents the meaning of Halloween candies for their children.

57．Why are hard candies especially bad for teeth?

     A．They may break the child’s teeth.        B．They help bacteria to produce tannins

     C．They contain too much sugar.               D．They stay in the mouth for a long time.

58．According to the passage, which of the following is a better choice for Halloween treats?

     A．Chocolate.         B．Crackers.           C．Raisins.             D．Potato chips.

59．According to the passage, which of the following is true of tannins?

     A．They are produced when the bacteria digest the food.

     B．They help to get rid of some bacteria in the mouth.

     C．They help chocolate to dissolve more quickly.

     D．They destroy the surface of the teeth.