12．Along the river banks of the Amazon and the Orinoco there lives a bird that swims before it can fly，flies like a fat chicken，eats green leaves，has the stomach of a cow and has claws （爪） on its wings when young．They build their homes about 4.6m above the river，an important feature （特征） for the safety of the young．It is called the hoatzin．
In appearance，the birds of both sexes look very much alike with brown on the back and cream and red on the underside．The head is small，with a large set of feathers on the top，bright red eyes，and blue skin．Its nearest relatives are the common birds，cuckoos．Its most striking feature，though，is only found in the young．
Baby hoatzins have a claw on the leading edge of each wing and another at the end of each wing tip．Using these four claws，together with the beak （喙），they can climb about in the bushes，looking very much like primitive birds must have done．When the young hoatzins have learned to fly，they lose their claws．
During the drier months between December and March hoatzins fly about the forest in groups of 20 to 30 birds，but in April，when the rainy season begins，they collect together in smaller living units of two to seven birds for producing purposes．
63．What is the text mainly about？D
A．Hoatzins in dry and rainy seasons．
B．The relatives and enemies of hoatzins．
C．Primitive birds and hoatzins of the Amazon．
D．The appearance and living habits of hoatzins．
64．Young hoatzins are different from their parents in thatB．
A．they look like young cuckoos
B．they have claws on the wings
C．they eat a lot like a cow
D．they live on river banks
65．What can we infer about primitive birds from the text？A
A．They had claws to help them climb．
B．They could fly long distances．
C．They had four wings like hoatzins．
D．They had a head with long feathers on the top．
66．Why do hoatzins collect together in smaller groups when the rainy season comes？D
A．To find more food．
B．To protect themselves better．
C．To keep themselves warm．
D．To produce their young．
分析 本文講述了在亞馬遜和奧里諾科河的河岸生活的一種鳥類，文章介紹了它的生活習(xí)性，外貌特征和氣候?qū)ζ渖畹挠绊懀?/p>
解答 63．D．主旨大意題．縱觀全文，文章主要講的是hoatzin麝雉，這種鳥類的外貌以及生活習(xí)性．故選D．
64．B．．細節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)第一段has claws（爪）on its wings when young，和第三段可知，hoatzin在幼年期是有爪子的，而長大學(xué)會飛之后就沒有了．故選B．
65．A．推理預(yù)測題．根據(jù)文章第三段"Using these four claws，together with the beak （喙），they can climb about in the bushes，looking very much like primitive birds must have done"可知，原始鳥和小麝雉一樣有爪子幫助他們攀登．故選A．
66．D．細節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)文章最后一段"when the rainy season begins，they collect together in smaller living units of two to seven birds for producing purposes．"可知，他們聚集在一起要生產(chǎn)下一代．故選D．
點評 本篇閱讀理解主要考查考生對書面語篇的整體領(lǐng)悟能力和接受及處理具體信息的能力，文章中詞匯的意義比較單一、穩(wěn)定、簡明，不帶感情色彩，具有單一性和準確性的特點．學(xué)生應(yīng)該挖掘寓意，掌握中心思想，推出結(jié)論．要立足于文章整體，再迅速讀一遍短文，短文中的問題和答案的設(shè)置前后都是相關(guān)聯(lián)的，有著一定的連續(xù)性，體現(xiàn)著文章的基本脈絡(luò)．
