CHENGDU—After flying for five minutes over Wenchuan，Li Xiang finally found a landing place for his helicopter（直升机）on a hill near the earthquake-hit county．

Li，an officer of the Aviation Regiment（陆航团）of the Chengdu Military Area Command，then made a soft landing and waited as his team got off food and medicine while the people around cried，“Thank you，soldiers! Finally，we have hope．”

After the quake，Li's regiment was the first to fly into the counties and towns such as Wenchuan，Maoxian，Yingxiu and Beichuan．

After struggling with all difficulties，the regiment provided a lifeline from the sky for the people who they would have been unable to get to in any other way．

At 2:28 pm on May 12．a heavy shake woke up the pilots who were taking a rest．At 2:48 pm，they were told to fly to the quake-hit area．And Li's regiment started the largest rescue（营救）operation in its history．

By Wednesday，the regiment had carried more than 304 tons of food，medicine and water．It had also flown 959 injured（受伤的）people out of the quake-hit areas and carried 1,232 rescuers and medical workers into the areas．

Since May 12，the regiment has made 815 flights into the quake-hit areas，with a total flying time of 758 hours．

The pilots also risked their lives for foreigners trapped in the high mountains for four days．On May 15，two helicopters transported 35 foreign tourists from Wolong village to Chengdu．The tourists，mainly from the US，the UK and France，could finally put an end to their panda-viewing trip．

1．According to the passage，                   ．

A．the helicopters got to the trapped people easily

B．no one flew to the area before Li’s regiment did

C．the regiment had not gone to any rescue before

D．the helicopters were used as they could land anywhere

2．It can be inferred from the passage that         were among the most needed soon after the quake happened．

A．tents，food and clothes                               B．food，medicine and water

C．food，water and clothes                             D．tents，water and medicine

3．Which of the following may NOT be included in the regiment’s tasks?

A．To carry medicine to the quake-hit areas．

B．To carry rescuers to the quake-hit areas．

C．To take injured people out of the quake-hit areas．

D．To take buried（被埋的）people out of the rubble（瓦砾）．

4．The foreign tourists who were rescued                ．

A．came from Europe，America and Oceania（大洋洲）

B．had been trapped in the mountains for 5 days

C．went to Sichuan to have a look at pandas

D．would continue their journey to Wolong

5．The proper title for the passage is “        ”．

A．They carry a lifeline through the air                     B．They carry things to quake-hit areas

C．They send love to people in danger               D．They bring trapped people to safety

阅读理解

　　Why don't birds get lost on their long flights from one place to another? Scientists have puzzled over this question for many years. Now they are beginning to fill in the blanks.

　　Not long ago, experiments showed that birds rely(依赖) on the sun to guide them during daylight hours. But what about birds that fly at night? Tests with artificial(人造的) stars have proved that certain night-flying birds are able to follow the stars on their long-distance flights.

　　A dove had spent its lifetime in a cage and had never flown under a natural sky. Yet it showed an inborn ability to use the stars for guidance. The birds's cage was placed under an artificial starfilled sky. The bird tried to fly in the same direction as that taken by his outdoor cousins. Any change in the position of the make-believe stars caused a change in the direction of his flight.

　　Scientists think that doves, when flying in daylight, use the sun for guidance. But the stars are obviously their principal(主要的) means of navigation(or flying). What do they do when the stars are hidden by clouds? Obviously, they find their way by such landmarks as mountain ranges, coastlines, and river courses. But when it's too dark to see these, the doves circle helplessly, unable to get their bearings(方位).

1．The reason why birds don't get lost on long flights ________.

[　　]

A．is known by everybody

B．still remains a mystery

C．has been discovered recently

D．has been known to scientists for years

2．Experiments showed that ________.

[　　]

A．birds rely on the sun to guide them

B．birds rely on the stars to guide them

C．birds are likely to get lost if there aren't artificial stars

D．day-flying birds rely on the sun while night-flying birds rely on the stars

3．The experiment on the dove indicated(表明) that ________.

[　　]

A．a bird that has been caged will not fly long distances

B．some birds seem to follow the stars when they fly at night

C．a bird having spent its lifetime in a cage has to- be taught how to navigate

D．birds can fly in the same direction as that taken by their cousins

4．Under artificial stars, the bird in the cage ________.

[　　]

A．tried to fly in the same direction as birds not caged

B．changed direction when the position of the stars was changed

C．would not fly well

D．both A and B

5．In total darkness, doves ________.

[　　]

A．circle helplessly

B．use landmarks

C．find their way by clouds

D．fly back home