C
The African grey parrot’s ability to talk and mimic sounds makes it a charming companion. African grey owners often report that their greys oftentimes talk in context and can understand their people’s emotions (情感). The African grey parrot is not just a top talker - this bird is also known for its extreme intelligence, which gives them the name “The Einsteins of the Bird World”.
The bird is medium-sized, dusty-looking and almost pigeon-like. It has a bright red tail, intelligent orange eyes, and a stunning scalloped (扇形的) pattern to its feathers. Their diet in the wild consists mostly of nuts, seeds, fruits, and leafy matter.
At home, African greys need plenty of toys that challenge their intelligence, such as food searching and puzzle toys. Nutri-Berries by Lafeber Company are a perfect choice, which, with a balance of grains, seeds and other nutrients in the shape of a berry, encourages African greys to hold, bite off, and even play with, just as they do in the wild.
African greys seem especially affected by stress and disturbing noise in their environment and can be put more at ease by placing one corner of the cage against a wall as opposed to in the middle of a room.
African grey parrots are more likely to suffer from lack of Vitamin-A/beta-carotene, and therefore benefit from eating vegetables high in beta-carotene, such as cooked sweet potato and fresh kale. Lack of Vitamin-D is another concern, especially for greys on a poor diet. Offering a balanced, pill-shaped diet, such as Nutri-Berries, helps prevent vitamin and mineral shortage.
8. Why are African grey parrots called “The Einsteins of the Bird World”?
A. Because of their brain size. B. On account of their intelligence.
C. Owing to their rich emotions. D. Due to their talking ability.
9. What can “Nutri-Berries” probably be?
A. A brand of bird food. B. Puzzle toys for birds.
C. A type of round fruit. D. Wild Intelligence games.
10. What is the characteristic of African grey parrots?
A. They may get ill due to lack of Vitamin
B. They prefer to stay in the middle of the room.
C. They are dusty looking with blue eyes.
D. They are smart and love to have fun.
11. Where can we most probably find the passage?
A. In a wildlife magazine. B. In science fiction.
C. In a travel guide. D. On a shopping website.
【答案】8. B 9. A 10. D 11. A
【解析】
本文是一篇说明文，介绍了鸟类世界的爱因斯坦——非洲灰鹦鹉的特点，包括外表、饮食、性格等
【8题详解】
细节理解题。根据第一段中的“The African grey parrot is not just a top talker - this bird is also known for its extreme intelligence, which gives them the name “The Einsteins of the Bird World”.”可知，非洲灰鹦鹉非常善于学舌，它们还以非常聪明而闻名，这使它们被称为鸟类世界的爱因斯坦，故B项正确。
【9题详解】
推理判断题。根据第三段中的“Nutri-Berries by Lafeber Company are a perfect choice, which, with a balance of grains, seeds and other nutrients in the shape of a berry,”可知，拉斐伯公司生产的纽崔莓是一个完美的选择，它被制成浆果的形状，含有均衡搭配的谷物、种子和其他营养物质， 由此判断出，纽崔莓应该是一种鸟粮，故A项正确。
【10题详解】
细节理解题。根据第一段中的“this bird is also known for its extreme intelligence, which gives them the name “The Einsteins of the Bird World”.”可知，非洲灰鹦鹉以非常聪明而闻名，这使它们被称为鸟类世界的爱因斯坦；再根据第三段中的“Nutri-Berries by Lafeber Company are a perfect choice, which…encourages African greys to hold, bite off, and even play with, just as they do in the wild.”可知，拉斐伯公司生产的鸟粮纽崔莓能让非洲灰鹦鹉像在野外一样玩耍，这说明它们非常爱玩，由此可知，非洲灰鹦鹉非常聪明，而且还喜欢玩乐，故D项正确。
【11题详解】
推理判断题。通读全文可知，本文主要介绍了鸟类世界的爱因斯坦——非洲灰鹦鹉的特点，包括外表、饮食、性格等，这属于动物范畴，因此文章最有可能出现在野生动物杂志上，故A项正确。
