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

My brother Tom has a friend. .________ name is Jim.
A. Its             B. Her        C. His

My brother Tom has a friend. .________ name is Jim.

A. Its             B. Her        C. His

一、听句子，选择正确的答语。(每个句子读一遍)

1．

[　　]

A．OK. See you then.

B．The same to you.

C．It doesn't matter.

2．

[　　]

A．It's about 8:60.

B．It's a nice day.

C．It's windy.

3．

[　　]

A．See you later.

B．A cup of tea.

C．Hurry up, please.

4．

[　　]

A．I'm from Japan.

B．I'm reading in the room.

C．I'm at school.

5．

[　　]

A．Well, thank you.

B．Certainly, one moment, please.

C．Right, see you.

二、听对话及对话后的问题，选择正确答案。(每段对话和问题读两遍)

6．

[　　]

A．Jim has a cold.

B．Jim has a cough.

C．Jim has a headache.

7．

[　　]

A．At 5:00.

B．At 5:03.

C．At 5:15.

8．

[　　]

A．She'd like to come along.

B．She knows her way to the river.

C．It's hot.

9．

[　　]

A．He was doing his homework.

B．He was playing computer games.

C．He was doing some reading.

10．

[　　]

A．To the post office.

B．To the cinema.

C．To the park.

三、根据所听句子，从A、B、C三个选项中选出一个意思与其相同或相近的句子。(每个句子读一遍)

11．

[　　]

A．He is more than thirty years old.

B．He is less than thirty years old.

C．He looks older than he really is.

12．

[　　]

A．The headmaster asked the boy to go to school.

B．The headmaster asked the boy not to come to school again.

C．The headmaster sent the boy a gift.

13．

[　　]

A．This month is August.

B．Next month is October.

C．This month is June.

14．

[　　]

A．Mr. Black has been in the army for many years.

B．Mr. Black wants to join the army.

C．Mr. Black doesn't like the army.

15．

[　　]

A．He started playing football at nine o'clock.

B．He learned to play football when he was a child.

C．He wants to play football.

四、听短文及短文后的问题，选择正确答案。(短文和问题读两遍)

16．

[　　]

A．Because he could neither read nor write.

B．Because it was not easy for him to go home.

C．Because he had to work in the daytime.

17．

[　　]

A．He was Ali's friend.

B．He was a farmer.

C．He was a letter-writer.

18．

[　　]

A．He was in bed.

B．He was at Ali's home.

C．He was at work.

19．

[　　]

A．He was surprised.

B．He was interested.

C．He was polite.

20．

[　　]

A．He wanted to get a lot of money.

B．He wanted to let Ali go away quickly.

C．He wanted to read the letter to Ali's wife.