C

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!

61. 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.

62. When you hear a bird sing in the morning，it’s most probably .

A. a robin B. a sparrow C. a male bird D. a female bird

63. 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

64. 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 Protection of Birds.

65. The text is mainly about .

A. the robin’s songs B. the birds’ habitat C. why birds sing D. how to protect birds

VIII.任务型阅读(共5小题，每小题3分，计15分)

Today it is found that most middle school students pay little attention to sports. It’s because they have no interest in sports? It may not be the fact.

They often say they have other more important things to do. What are these important things? Exams! They usually spend over ten hours a day revising for exams. So many of them almost become bookworms. In the summer holidays they could hardly do anything they like. Books keep them from going in for sports. With the pressure from their parents, they have to work hard.

As for the students themselves, they want to get good results so that they can go further for their studies. They don’t have to put all their effort into studying and give up all the sports and hobbies. In fact, education cannot go without physical exercise, because a quick mind hardly goes along a weak body.

All the students should remember: If you don’t have a strong body, you can never achieve anything, let alone a great success in your life.

66题判断正误(“T”表示正确，“F”表示错误);67题完成句子;68题简略回答问题;69题概括本文的主题;70题将文中画线句子译成汉语。

66. Today most middle school students pay much attention to sports.( )

67. are more important for students.

68. Can education go without physical exercise?

69.

70.