This site , all-birds. com, is about bird watching. Enjoy your browsing. There is much to learn and see.
Bird Watching Equipment
Some items that might make bird watching more enjoyable are binoculars （ 雙目望遠(yuǎn)鏡） , a camera, some kind of system for keeping notes, and maybe a back pack． Birders often keep lists of the birds they see along with notes about the habits． There is some great bird log software that will let you keep records on your computer． For more details on choosing binoculars see our Binocular -Optics page．
Clothes
If you are walking through a wooded area just wear clothes you would wear on any hike or field trip． You are best off wearing clothes with dull colors that mix into the background． Greens, browns, and grays are good． Avoid fabrics that rustle（沙沙響）easily． Depending on the birds you are watching you may want to get rain gear, rubber boots and warm clothing． For birds such as owls that you might look for in the evening a strong flashlight is also handy．
Choosing a Bird Field Guide
Take a good field guide to identify birds． Look for clear color pictures that make it easy to recognize one bird from another． Next to each picture should be detailed descriptions of each bird's anatomy, habits, and what it eats． The guide should have information about what habitat each species uses． Many guides have maps showing the range of different birds along with their migration patterns．
Where and When to see Birds
Learning the habitats of birds in your area will increase the number of birds you see, and make  your birding more enjoyable． If you know that Meadow larks are likely to be in open grassy areas, and  dippers are forage along stream beds, you may be looking for them if you are in those types of  habitats． Edge areas where different types of habitats meet will likely have more species in them． You  are more likely to see specific birds at certain times of the day． For example songbirds are easier to see  two to three hours after dawn, or just before sunset． This is when songbirds are most actively feeding．  Many small birds will be silent or even hidden during the rest of the day． After sunup is the best time to see eagles and hawks． Visibility is best for hunting at this time, and they can soar on the thermal currents from the warmed air． Birds like owls are more likely to be seen in the evening． Many  shorebirds and waders rest at high tide and feed when the water rises or falls．
Photographing Birds
Patience in Bird Photography
Most birds are afraid of people, and all species have their own comfort zone． With a little  time you can learn the comfort zone of the birds you are photographing． Once they know that you  are not a threat you may be able to get closer．
Type or Style
Your reason for photographing birds may determine your style and the kind of equipment you  use． If you are just recording the kinds of birds you see you don't need to get as close, and you  can use less expensive equipment, then you need for high quality prints.
Photographing Birds in Flight
Photographing birds in flight can be fun． Many digital cameras have a tracking function． With these you focus on the bird, and then as you track it the lens will keep focus．
Use Your Yard
Choose an open area where the birds will get direct sunlight, showing off their magnificent colors．
Try using props
Birds will often land on a stick or post near a seed feeder before going to the feeder． The background was just an out of focus fence but you can use anything you want for a background, and then wait for a bird to perch.
【小題1】The main purpose of the passage is to _____.

A．a(chǎn)ttract more people to photograph birds

B．help birders learn how to identify and understand birds

C．call on people to set some comfort zones for birds

D．inform birders of the results of a scientific research on birds

【小題2】Clothes in ______ are highly recommended when you are going bird watching．

A．red

B．yellow

C．brown

D．blue

【小題3】________ are likely to be seen at 7 in the morning．

A．Owls

B．Shorebirds

C．Songbirds

D．Larks

【小題4】Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the passage?

A．A stick in the yard may scares birds off when you are photographing them．

B．It will be wise for birders to hire a guide for themselves．

C．Birders have to bring some notebooks to keep records of birds' habits．

D．A flashlight will come in handy when you look for owls．

Half of the world’s population is affected by Asian monsoons（季風(fēng)）, but monsoons are difficult to predict. American researchers have put together a 700-year record of the rainy seasons, which is expected to provide guidance for experts making weather predictions.
Every year, damp air masses，known as monsoon，produce large amounts of rainfall in India, East Asia, Northern Australia and East Africa. All this wet air is pulled in by a high pressure area over the Indian Ocean and a low pressure area to the south.
According to Edward Cook , a weather expert at Columbia University in New York., the complex nature of the climate systems across Asia makes monsoons hard to predict. In addition, climate records for the area are too recent and not detailed enough to be of much use. Therefore, he and a team of researchers spent more than fifteen years traveling across Asia, looking for trees old enough to provide long-term records. They measured the rings, or circles, inside thousands of ancient trees in more than 300 places.
Rainfall has a direct link to the growth and width of rings on some kinds of trees. The researchers developed a document they are calling a Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas. It shows the effect of monsoons over seven centuries, beginning in the 1300s.
Professor Cook says the tree-ring records show periods of wet and dry weather. “If the monsoon basically fails or is a very weak one, the trees affected by monsoons at that location might put on a very narrow ring. But if the monsoon is very strong, the trees affected by that monsoon might put on a wide ring for that year. So, the wide and narrow ring widths of the chronology that we developed in Asia provide us with a measure of monsoon variability.” With all this information, researchers say they can begin to improve computer climate models for predicting the behavior of monsoons.
“There has been widespread famine and starvation and human dying in the past in large droughts. And on the other hand, if the monsoon is particularly heavy, it can cause extensive flooding.” said Eugene Wahl, a scientist with America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “So, to get a sense of what the regional moisture patterns have been, dryness and wetness over such a long period of time in great detail, I would call it a kind of victory for climate science.”
【小題1】What’s the passage mainly about？

A．The effects of Asian monsoons.

B．The necessity of weather forecast.

C．The achievements of Edward cook.

D．A breakthrough in monsoon prediction.

【小題2】It is difficult for experts to predict Asian monsoons because _______.

A．it is hard to keep long-term climate records.

B．they are formed under complex climate systems.

C．they influence many nations.

D．there is heavy rainfall in Asia.

【小題3】What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Long and detailed climate records can offer useful information for monsoon research.

B．The Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas has a monsoon record for about 1,300 years.

C．The trees affected by monsoon grow fast if the monsoon is weak.

D．The rainfall might be low although the monsoon is strong in monsoon-affected areas.

【小題4】According to Professor Cook, the rings of the trees _______.

A．determine the regional climate.

B．have a great influence on the regional climate.

C．offer people information about the regional climate.

D．reflect all kinds of regional climate information.

【小題5】Which of the following best describes the tone of this passage?

A．Matter-of –fact

B．Pessimistic

C．Humorous

D．Friendly.

Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy. After all, you probably sing or whistle when you are happy.
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy. However, they sing most of the time for a very different reason. Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.
Do you know what a “territory” is? A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims as its own .Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species are welcome. Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome. If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout. Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.
If so, you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing. But he expects an outsider almost any time, especially at nesting season. So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not. This screaming is what we call a bird’s song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.
Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs.
You can see that birds have a language all their own. Most of it has to do with attracting mates and setting up territories.
【小題1】What is a bird‘s “territory”？

A．A place where families of other species are not accepted.

B．A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice.

C．An area for which birds fight against each other.

D．An area which a bird considers to be its own

【小題2】.Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season？

A．Because they want to invite more friends.

B．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away.

C．Because they want to find outsiders around.

D．Because their singing helps get rid of their fears.

【小題3】How does the writer explain birds‘ singing？

A．By comparing birds with human beings.	B．By reporting experiment results.
C．By describing birds’ daily life.	D．By telling

How would you like to sleep with one half your brain asleep and the other half awake? Dolphins sleep this way. Recently, scientists at Indiana State University have discovered that ducks sleep this way too. They found that ducks sleep half awake so they can rest and watch for danger at the same time.
After putting their ducks in a row and videotaping them, some researchers found ducks on the end of each row spent more time asleep with one eye open, apparently looking for predators.
“The more the ducks felt threatened, the more they slept with one eye open,” said lead author Niels C. Rattenborg, a graduate student at Indiana State University, Terre Haute. “The unique aspect is not that they do it, but that they control it. When they sleep at the edge of a group, they tend to realize greater danger, so they spend more time sleeping with one half of their brain.” Ducks with one eye open were still awake enough to detect predators, said the authors of the study, which appears today in the journal Nature.
The researchers studied four groups of four ducks held in plastic boxes, which were arranged in a row. Ducks on the end were found to sleep with one eye open 31.8 per cent of the time, compared to 12.4 percent of the time for ducks in the central position.
Also, ducks in the central position did not open one eye more than the others, while ducks on each end kept the eye facing away from the group open 86.2 per cent of the time. Brain wave readings of the ducks showed that the half of the brain receiving signals from the closed eye indicated that half of the brain was sleeping. Signals from the half of the brain receiving signals from the open eye showed a state between fully awake and asleep.
【小題1】The under lined word “predator” is most likely to mean      .

A．a(chǎn)n animal that is likely to be friends with ducks

B．a(chǎn) human being who looks after and feeds ducks

C．a(chǎn) scientist who does research work on animals

D．a(chǎn)n animal that hunts, kills and eats other animals

【小題2】Ducks at the end of each row sleep with one eye open because      .

A．they are looking for food

B．they are watching out for danger

C．they want to enjoy the scenery

D．they are unique in their sleeping habit

【小題3】Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Ducks with one eye open at the edge can still enjoy a certain degree of sleep.

B．Ducks with less sense of duty usually choose to stay in the center of a row.

C．Ducks on the northern end of a row would keep their eye facing the south open.

D．A video tape recorder was the only electronic device used in the experiment.

After a busy day of work and play, the body needs to rest. Sleep is necessary for good health. During this time, the body recovers from the activities of the previous day. The rest that you get while sleeping enables your body to prepare itself for the next day.
　　There are four levels of sleep, each being a little deeper than the one before. As you sleep, your muscles relax little by little. Your heart beats more slowly, and your brain slows down. After you reach the fourth level, your body shifts back and forth from one level of sleep to the other.
　　Although your mind slows down, from time to time you will dream. Scientists who study sleep state that when dreaming occurs, your eyeballs begin to move more quickly (Although your eyelids are closed). This stage of sleep is called REM, which stands for rapid eye movement.
　　If you have trouble falling asleep, some people recommend breathing very deeply. Other people believe that drinking warm milk will help make you drowsy. There is also an old suggestion the counting sheep will put you to sleep!
【小題1】A good title for this passage is ____.

A．Sleep

B．Dreams

C．Good Health

D．Work and Rest

【小題2】The word drowsy in the last paragraph means ____.

A．sick

B．a(chǎn)sleep

C．stand up

D．a(chǎn) little sleepy

【小題3】This passage suggests that not getting enough sleep might make you _____.

A．dream more often

B．have poor health

C．nervous

D．breathe quickly

【小題4】During REM, ____.

A．your eyes move quickly

B．you dream

C．you are restless

D．both A and B

【小題5】The average number of hours of sleep that an adult needs is ______ .

A．a(chǎn)pproximately six hours	B．a(chǎn)round ten hours
C．a(chǎn)bout eight hours	D．not described here

Eating too much fatty food, exercising too little and smoking can raise your future risk of heart disease. But there is another factor that can cause your heart problems more immediately: the air you breathe.
Previous studies have linked high exposure (暴露）to environmental pollution to an increased risk of heart problem, but two analyses now show that poor air quality can lead to heart attack or stroke (中風(fēng)）within as little as a few hours after exposure. In one review of the research, scientists found that people exposed to high levels of pollutants (污染物）were up to 5% more likely to suffer a heart attack within days of exposure than those with lower exposure. A separate study of stroke patients showed that even air that the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers to be of “moderate” (良好）quality and relatively safe for our health can raise the risk of stroke as much as 34% within 12 to 14 hours of exposure.
The authors of both studies stress that these risks are relatively small for healthy people and certainly modest compared with other risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure. However, it is important to be aware of these dangers because everyone is exposed to air pollution regardless of lifestyle choices. So stricter regulation by the EPA of pollutants may not only improve environmental air quality but could also become necessary to protect public health.
【小題1】The text mainly discusses the relationship between ______ .       

A．heart problems and air quality	B．heart problems and exercising
C．heart problems and smoking	D．heart problems and fatty food

【小題2】The underlined word “modest” in Paragraph 3 most probably means ______ .    

A．relatively high	B．extremely low
C．relatively low	D．extremely high

【小題3】 What can we learn from the text? 

A．Eating fatty food has immediate effects on your heart.

B．The EPA conducted many studies on air quality.

C．Moderate air quality is more harmful than smoking.

D．Stricter regulations on pollutants should be made.

【小題4】The author’s purpose of writing the text is most likely to _______.

A．inform

B．persuade

C．describe

D．entertain

When my brother and I were young, my mom would take us on Transportation Days.
It goes like this: You can't take any means of transportation more than once. We would start from home, walking two blocks to the rail station. We'd take the train into the city center, then a bus, switching to the train, then maybe a taxi. We always considered taking a horse carriage in the historic district, but we didn't like the way the horses were treated, so we never did. At the end of the day, we took the subway to our closest station, where Mom's friend was waiting to give us a ride home—our first car ride of the day.
The good thing about Transportation Days is not only that Mom taught us how to get around. She was born to be multimodal (多方式的). She understood that depending on cars only was a  failure of imagination and, above all, a failure of confidence—the product of a childhood not spent exploring subway tunnels.
Once you learn the route map and step with certainty over the gap between the train and the platform, nothing is frightening anymore. New cities are just light­rail lines to be explored. And your personal car, if you have one, becomes just one more tool in the toolbox—and often an inadequate one, limiting both your mobility and your wallet.
On Transportation Days, we might stop for lunch on Chestrut Street or buy a new book or toy, but the transportation was the point. First, it was exciting enough to watch the world speed by from the train window. As I got older, my mom helped me unlock the mysteries that would otherwise have paralyzed my first attempts to do it myself: How do I know where to get off? How do I know how much it costs? How do I know when I need tickets, and where to get them? What track, what line, which direction, where's the stop, and will I get wet when we go under the river?
I'm writing this right now on an airplane, a means we didn't try on our Transportation Days and, we now know, the dirtiest and most polluting of them all. My flight routed me through Philadelphia. My multimodal mom met me for dinner in the airport. She took a train to meet me.
【小題1】 According to the writer, what was the greatest benefit of her Transportation Days?

A．Building confidence in herself.

B．Reducing her use of private cars.

C．Developing her sense of direction.

D．Giving her knowledge about vehicles.

【小題2】 The underlined word “paralyzed”(in Para.5) is closest in meaning to “________”．

A．displayed

B．justified

C．ignored

D．ruined

【小題3】 Which means of transportation does the writer probably disapprove of?

A．Airplane.

B．Subway.

C．Train.

D．Car.

The fourth round of heavy smog to hit Beijing in four weeks has sent more people to the hospital with respiratory (呼吸的) illnesses and led to calls for laws to control the pollution.
Pan Shiyi, a celebrity, said he is planning to propose a Clean Air Act to the local government. As a representative to the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, he started an online survey at 9:20 a.m. Within three hours, more than 25,000 web users, or 99 percent of total respondents (應(yīng)答者) , welcomed his proposal.
They have good reasons to stand alongside Pan. The latest round of haze（霧霾）reduced visibility to under 500 meters in many parts of the city. The smog has also led to a great increase in respiratory illnesses, particularly among children and the elderly. Anxious parents and doctors almost all blame the smoggy air for the illnesses. Though most schoolchildren are home for the winter holidays, the bad air can easily move indoors. Besides, ordinary medical masks fail to provide enough protection, so some people have turned to gas masks.
The causes of the frightening smog are rather mysterious, though experts blame too much emissions (排放) and the mountains around Beijing that trap pollution in winter, unless there is enough wind to clear it away. Some critics blamed China’s top two oil firms, China National Petroleum Corp and China Petrochemical Corporation, saying the companies’ outdated production technologies produce large quantities of high-polluting gas fuel.[來源:學(xué)|科|網(wǎng)]
Meanwhile, some Beijingers have moved their brainstorming discussion to computers. If Pan’s proposal for a Clean Air Act is adopted, netizens say the new law should include items providing for “car-free days” in times of smog, higher standards for vehicle fuel, stricter limit to industrial and engine gas emissions, and more effective protection for the public.
Beijing is not the only city that has ever lost the blue sky. Five days of thick fog caused thousands of deaths in Britain in December 1952, urging the government to pass the first Clean Air Act in 1956, which introduced smokeless zones and cleaner fuels to reduce pollution. That may provide some experience for Beijing to refer to.
【小題1】Why did Pan Shiyi started an online survey?

A．To know the public’s opinions on pollution

B．To tell people the danger of the smoggy weather

C．To call on people to support his proposal

D．To collect supporting evidence for his proposal

【小題2】What can we learn from the passage?

A．People are clear about the causes of the smoggy weather.

B．Children staying indoors will not get respiratory illnesses.

C．Smog is worse for people with lower resistance to diseases.

D．Masks can give people protection against the smoggy weather.

【小題3】Britain is mentioned in the last paragraph to ______.

A．suggest Beijing should learn from other countries

B．let people know many places have this problem

C．tell people the situation in Britain is worse

D．call on the government to pass Britain’s Clean Air Act

【小題4】 What’s the best title for this passage？

A．The Use of Gas masks and Engines

B．Beijingers Call for Clean Air Act

C．Effective Protection for Blue Sky

D．The Mysterious Causes of the Scary Smog

The World's Largest Insect .This giant insect can be used as a toy.
A child ties one end of a string to a stick and the other end around the "neck" of an insect. Holding the stick, the child lets the insect go. With a loud whirring sound, the insect takes off, pulling the string in a large curve over the child's head. The child laughs as the stick jumps around. The child is African, and the toy is the African Goliath beetle, the largest insect in the world.
The Goliath is a true insect because it has six legs and a body that is divided into three parts. Like all beetles, it has two pairs of wings. The front pair are thick and stiff and protect the back pair, which are soft. It is these soft back wings that make the beetle fly forward. They also cause the loud whirring sound the beetle makes when it flies. To steer, the beetle twists and turns its legs the same way you steer a bike by turning its front wheel.
African children often use the Goliath beetle as a toy. Although it is over 15 centimeters long, it is quite harmless.
【小題1】 The African Goliath beetle is _______. 

A．the world's largest insect

B．a(chǎn) toy used in many parts of the world

C．the only insect found in Africa

D．the world's smallest insect

【小題2】What do African children often use the Goliath beetle as?

A．a(chǎn) tool.

B．a(chǎn) toy.

C．harmfull insects.

D．Good animals.

【小題3】We know the Goliath beetle is a true insect because it _______. 

A．makes a whirring sound when it flies	B．has both soft and hard wings
C．has six legs and a body with three parts	D．can fly

【小題4】When flying, the Goliath steers by_______. 

A．turning its soft back wings

B．twisting and turning its hard front wings

C．twisting and turning its legs

D．twisting and turning its whole body

My house is made out of wood, glass and stone. It is also made out of software.
If you come to visit, you’ll probably be surprised when you come in. Someone will give you an electronic PIN （個人身份號碼）to wear. This PIN tells the house who and where you are. The house uses this information to give you what you need. When it’s dark outside, the PIN turns on the lights nearest you, and then turns them off as you walk away from them. Music moves with you too. If the house knows your favorite music, it plays it. The music seems to be everywhere, but in fact other people in the house hear different music or no music. If you get a telephone call, only the nearest telephone rings.
Of course, you are also able to tell the house if you want something. There is a home control console (控制臺), a small machine that turns things on and off around you.
The PIN and the console are new ideas, but they are in fact like many things we have today. If you want to go to a movie, you need a ticket. If I give you my car keys, you can use my car. The car works for you because you have the keys. My house works for you because you wear the PIN or hold the console.
I believe that ten years from now, most new homes will have the systems that I’ve put in my house. The systems will probably be even bigger and better than the ones I’ve put in today.
I like to try new ideas. I know that some of my ideas will work better than others. But I hope that one day I will stop thinking of these systems as new, and ask myself instead, “How will I live without them?”
【小題1】What does the passage mainly discuss?

A．How to develop a new system.	B．The function of the PIN.
C．A home for the future.	D．Easy life in the future.

【小題2】What’s the purpose when the writer wrote the fourth paragraph?

A．To let readers know why his ideas are new.

B．To let readers know how special his house is.

C．To explain the importance of the PIN and the console.

D．To explain more easily what the functions of the PIN and the console are.

【小題3】What is the writer most likely to be according to the passage?

A．An IT expert.	B．A famous doctor.
C．An idealist	D．An experienced teacher.