The ostrich(鸵鸟) is a bird in the deserts of Africa. It is the largest of all birds. It has a long neck, a small body and two small wings. Sometimes the ostrich is called “camel bird”. Like the camel, it lives in the deserts, and can live a long time without water.

    The ostrich’s legs are very long and strong, but its wings are small, and it cannot fly. The ostrich can run very quickly—30 miles per hour. The nest of the bird is a great hold in the sand. There the ostrich lays 10 or 12 large eggs. She watches her nest and leaves it only during the hottest part of the day.

The ostrich likes eating. Sometimes it eats small stones that help grind up (磨碎) food. People like their feathers very much. They cut them sometimes, but this does not hurt the birds. The feathers can grow again.

1. Where can people easily find an ostrich in Africa?

A. In the rivers.     B. In the sky.      C. In the forests.        D. In the deserts.

2. How many miles can an ostrich run in three hours?

A. 30.                         B. 60.                 C. 90.                       D. 100.

3. How many eggs can an ostrich lay once?

A. Less than ten.      B. More than fifteen.      C. About ten.         D. About fourteen.

4. Why does the ostrich eat stones?

A. They’re good for it to digest (消化) food.

B. It thinks they are delicious.

C. It has nothing else to eat.

D. They are its main food.

5. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. The ostrich will die if it has no water to drink for two days.

B. The ostrich has wings but it cannot fly like other birds.

C. The ostrich often lays its eggs in the tree.

D. If an ostrich’s feathers are cut, it’ll die.

If you have failed in the past to try to make big changes in life, try again now, one tiny step at a time.
Every year it's the same. As December comes to an end, you think about the new year and all the ways you want to improve your life. But as you start to write down your hopes for the new year, you think about the last year. You excitedly write down all the changes you are going to make, but by the end of January those ideas get lost in your busy life.
Here's a suggestion: Forget the too big, hard-to-achieve goals and just think about the small ones. “We often think that we have to do everything in big steps, even though it's so hard for us to reach it.” said Robert Maurer, who recently wrote the book One Small Step Can Change Your Life. “What we try to do is to begin with such a small step that we can’t find any excuse not to do it.”
“Kaizen”, a Japanese word, is used to mean to change behavior and attitudes (态度). During World War II, American factory managers were able to increase productivity by trying small, continuous improvements instead of sudden changes. After the war, the idea was brought to a rebuilding (重建) Japan. It made Japan develop fast. The Japanese called it “kaizen”, which means “improvement”.
Maurer studied the idea and did some experiments with it. “Kaizen” could possibly help people succeed in doing everything.
【小题1】At the end of December, people usually ___________ .