21-Tuesday 往事 309词
题材： 往事 词数： 309 建议阅读时间： 6.5分钟
阅读下面的短文，选择正确答案。
Watching some children trying to catch butterflies one August afternoon，I was reminded of an incident in my own childhood．When I was a boy of twelve in South Carolina，something happened to me that made me never put any wild creature in a cage．
We lived on the edge of a forest，and every evening at dusk the mockingbirds would come and rest in the trees and sing．There isn't a musical instrument made by man that can produce a more beautiful sound than the song of the mockingbird．
I decided that I would catch a young bird and keep it in a cage and in that way，I would have my own private musician．
I finally succeeded in catching one and put it in a cage．At first，being scared，the bird fluttered about the cage，but finally it settled down in its new home．I felt very pleased with myself and looked forward to some beautiful singing from my little musician．
On the second day of the bird's captivity，my new pet's mother flew to the cage with food in her mouth．The baby bird ate everything she brought to it．I was pleased to see this．Certainly the mother knew better than I how to feed her baby．
The following morning when I went to see how my captive bird was doing，I discovered it on the floor of the cage，dead．I was terribly surprised！What had happened！I had taken extremely care of my little bird，or so I thought．
Arthur Wayne，the famous ornithologist ，who happened to be visiting my father at the time，hearing me crying over the death of my bird，explained what had happened．“A mother mockingbird，finding her young in a cage，will sometimes bring it poison berries．She thinks it better for her young to die than to live in captivity.”
Never since then have I caught any living creature and put it in a cage．All living creatures have a right to live free.
生词
remind v． 提醒，使想起：Did you remind him about that book he borrowed？你有没有提醒他不要忘了把所借的书带来？
creature n． 生物：Worms are very simple creatures．蠕虫是非常简单的生物。
dusk n． 薄暮，黄昏；幽暗：in the dusk of the evening暮色苍茫中
mockingbird n． 嘲鸟，仿声鸟（产于美国南部，善于模仿别种鸟的叫声）
flutter v． （鸟等）振翼，拍翅：The bird fluttered its wings and tried to fly．小鸟振翅欲飞。
captive n． 俘虏 adj． 被俘虏的；受限制的：He was taken captive on the border．他在边境被俘。‖captivity n． 监禁（期）；被俘；束缚：Wild animals are often unhappy in captivity．一般来说，囚在笼中的野生动物都不开心。
major v． 主修，专攻：He majors in physics．他主修物理。
1．Why did the writer catch a mockingbird when he was a boy of twelve？
A．He liked living creatures．
B．He enjoyed watching beautiful birds．
C．He needed a pet as a friend．
D．He wanted the bird to sing for him．
2．The mockingbird died because________．
A．the bird suffered from missing its mother
B．the bird's mother gave it the poisonous food
C．the writer didn't know how to feed the bird at first
D．his father's friend didn't tell him the way of bird's life
3．An“ornithologist ”is probably a person who________．
A．studies birds
B．loves creatures
C．majors in habits
D．takes care of trees
4．From his past experience，the writer probably suggests that________．
A．no one can miss the chance to say sorry
B．all living creatures can make free choices
C．everything can be less worthy than any lives
D．nothing can be more important than freedom
参考译文
八月的一天下午，当我看见一些孩子在抓蝴蝶时，我想起了一件童年往事。那时我12岁，住在南卡罗来纳州，这件事发生后，我再也不把任何野生动物关进笼子里了。
我们家位于森林的边缘，每天一到黄昏，嘲鸟就会来树林里栖息、唱歌。人类制造的任何乐器都无法和嘲鸟的美妙歌声相比。
我决定抓一只小鸟养在笼子里，这样，我就拥有私人乐师了。
最后，我成功地抓住一只小鸟，并把它关在笼子里。一开始，小鸟受了惊吓，在笼子里乱飞，后来，它在新家里安静了下来。我对自己非常满意，期待着我的小乐师能发出美妙的歌声。
在小鸟被抓的第二天，它的妈妈嘴里叼着食物飞到笼边。小鸟吃掉了妈妈带给它的所有东西。我很高兴看到这幅场景。它的妈妈肯定比我更懂得怎样喂它的孩子。
接下来的那天早晨，当我去看抓住的那只小鸟在干什么时，我发现它躺在笼子的底部，已经死了。我万分震惊！到底发生了什么！我对小鸟已经非常照顾了，至少我是这么认为的。
亚瑟·韦恩是著名的鸟类学家，当时他正好在我家拜访我父亲，听见我因小鸟的死去而痛哭，他向我解释了其中的缘由：“如果一只嘲鸟的母亲发现它的孩子被关在笼子里，它有时会带给它一些有毒的蓝莓。它认为，失去自由地活着，还不如死了的好。”
从那以后，我再没有捉过任何动物，更不会把它关在笼子里。所有的生物都有自由生存的权利。
参考答案
Tuesday 1．D 2．B 3．A 4．D
