Oriole’s Nest

 

Picky, Picky

Scientists have no idea exactly why birds choose certain objects to build their nests. But scientists know that the main reason birds build nests is to keep their babies safe, warm and healthy.

    Baby birds grow faster and are healthier when they are warm. They also learn to fly and leave the nests sooner than birds without warm homes.

What A Yarn (纱)

Yarn is big on an oriole’s shopping list during nest building. Scientists are still trying to work out why so many birds choose white yarn over other colors for nest building.

Scientists think that the white objects remind birds of cotton fluff (绒毛) they find in the wild.

Do It Naturally  

Even though birds can help us recycle some of our junk by using it to build nests, they also need to use lots of natural things. Long grass, dried sticks, spider’s silk and mud are some of the natural ingredients that are good for nests, too.

You can make a collection box of things to leave for birds so they can help themselves. Hang a small plastic box with holes on a tree branch. Fill the box freely with nest building goodies. Hang the box on a tree and watch birds climb on board to pick through the junk to find their treasures.

Warning: Don’t let the birds turn into a tasty treat. Keep your bird station away from places where cats hang out.

For The Birds!

Stop! Don’t throw all that garbage out! Give some to the birds. Look and see how your old junk can help beautify and warm a bird’s new home.

1.The baby birds with warm homes are able to _____.

A. choose right objects                     B. leave the nests sooner

C. build good nests                         D. learn to fly higher

2. What can people make for birds to build nests?

A. Holes on the tree.                   B. Food out of the rubbish.

C. A warning board.                     D. A collection box of things.

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A. Birds build nests to store things.

B. Birds regard white objects as cotton.

C. Birds and humans can help each other.

D. Birds and cats fight against each other.

 

Not long ago, the only time you could see a robot was when you were reading a novel or watching a movie such as Star Wars (星球大战) . Today, however, a lot of things in science stories have been science facts. Robots are starting to appear in our everyday lives. These robots have different sizes, shapes, and colors. But they all have the same type of man-made “brain”. Leading the robot revolution （革命）are industrial(企业) robots that work in factories. Industrial（工业） robots can do different kinds of jobs that are often boring and sometimes dangerous. Robots are also coming to American homes, though not as quickly as they are entering factories. These robots aren’t as friendly and bright as those you saw in  Star Wars. But, their makers say, today’s home robots “walk”, sense objects(感知物体) in their way (and sometimes knock into them), and even carry objects (which they sometimes drop). Well, nobody is perfect.
We may laugh at home robot today, but some day they may see and hear better than humans do. We humans can only see certain wavelengths（波长） of light, and hear certain sounds. That’s because the abilities of our eyes and ears are limited. Robots, however, need not have the same limits as we have. Robot may also be equipped with devices that pick up information humans can’t. To understand what their sensing devices(传感器) pick up is a hard job. Remember, man—made brains handle(处理)information, including all kinds of data, as zeroes and ones. Imagine the difficulty in trying to explain to a robot what a football looks like—using only zeroes and ones.
【小题1】 From the passage, we can see that factory robots _________.

A．help to improve other types of robots

B．are most active in industrial revolution

C．are playing a more important role than other types of robots

D．are the tallest type among robots

【小题2】 It seems that home robots are __________________.

A．more widely used than factory robots

B．less common than factory robots

C．capable of doing any kind of housework

D．free from making mistakes while performing(执行) duties

【小题3】 Robots may deal with information that humans can’t. Which of the following is not one of the reasons?

A．They do not have so many limits as humans do.

B．They have man-made brains.

C．They may be equipped with a special kind of sensing device.

D．They handle information by using zeroes and ones.

【小题4】The development of robots suggests that _________.

A．science and technology are developing fast

B．people are interested in new inventions

C．machines are more capable than humans

D．robots can be very interesting

【小题5】 According to this passage, present home robots ________.

A．are better than human in seeing and hearing

B．are as capable as those in Star Wars

C．can pick up objects more quickly than humans

D．sometimes perform wrong actions

Oriole’s Nest
Picky, Picky
Scientists have no idea exactly why birds choose certain objects to build their nests. But scientists know that the main reason birds build nests is to keep their babies safe, warm and healthy.
Baby birds grow faster and are healthier when they are warm. They also learn to fly and leave the nests sooner than birds without warm homes.
What A Yarn (纱)
Yarn is big on an oriole’s shopping list during nest building. Scientists are still trying to work out why so many birds choose white yarn over other colors for nest building.
Scientists think that the white objects remind birds of cotton fluff (绒毛) they find in the wild.
Do It Naturally  
Even though birds can help us recycle some of our junk by using it to build nests, they also need to use lots of natural things. Long grass, dried sticks, spider’s silk and mud are some of the natural ingredients that are good for nests, too.
You can make a collection box of things to leave for birds so they can help themselves. Hang a small plastic box with holes on a tree branch. Fill the box freely with nest building goodies. Hang the box on a tree and watch birds climb on board to pick through the junk to find their treasures.
Warning: Don’t let the birds turn into a tasty treat. Keep your bird station away from places where cats hang out.
For The Birds!
Stop! Don’t throw all that garbage out! Give some to the birds. Look and see how your old junk can help beautify and warm a bird’s new home.
【小题1】The baby birds with warm homes are able to _____.

A．choose right objects	B．leave the nests sooner
C．build good nests	D．learn to fly higher

【小题2】 What can people make for birds to build nests?

A．Holes on the tree.	B．Food out of the rubbish.
C．A warning board.	D．A collection box of things.

【小题3】What can we learn from the passage?

A．Birds build nests to store things.

B．Birds regard white objects as cotton.

C．Birds and humans can help each other.

D．Birds and cats fight against each other.