Is My Duck Dead

A woman brought a duck to a doctor. The doctor pulled out his stethoscope(听诊器)and listened to the bird's chest. Then he said,”I'm sorry. Your pet【小题1】(pass)away. “

The sad owner cried, “Are you sure?” “Yes, I'm sure. The duck is dead,” the doctor replied. “I mean, you haven't done any testing【小题2】it,” the woman said.

The doctor rolled his eyes,【小题3】(turn) around and left the room. He returned a few moments later with a black dog. As the duck's owner looked in surprise, the dog stood on his rear legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom.【小题4】(look) at the doctor with sad eyes, it shook its head.

The doctor patted the dog and took【小题5】out and returned a few moments later with a cute cat. The cat jumped up on the table and also sniffed the bird from its beak to its tail and back again. The cat shook its head, meowed softly, jumped down and walked out of the room. The doctor said, “I'm sorry, but【小题6】I said, this is most absolutely, 100% certainly, a dead duck.” Then the doctor turned to his computer, hit a few keys, and produced a bill,【小题7】he handed to the woman.

The duck's owner, still in shock,【小题8】(take) the bill. “$150!” she cried, “$150 just to tell me my duck is dead?”

The doctor said, “I'm sorry,【小题9】you'd taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20.【小题10】with the dog and the cat examination, it all adds up.”

A bird habitat can be a natural or man-made area 【小题1】 (provide) birds with an environment that supplies food and water.

Natural bird habitats are most commonly found 【小题2】 there is an ample supply of water for drinking, swimming, and bathing. Birds that hunt for food in the waters of lakes, ponds, or the ocean require access 【小题3】 available water sources.

A man-made bird habitat may 【小题4】 (design) with a focus on conservation and 【小题5】 (protect) for local bird species. Endangered species may be placed in man-made regulated habitats in an effort to protect them.

The advantage of a man-made bird habitat 【小题6】 (be) that it provides a shelter throughout the seasons. Birds raising their young in such a habitat will most likely return 【小题7】 following year. The young of these birds, at maturity, will likely return to the same habitat 【小题8】 (begin) the process of nesting and raising their young.

Nesting areas in bird habitats are specific to the species. Some species prefer to nest in high treetops, while other species nest 【小题9】 (direct) on the ground. Some birds may nest on a beach to be near food sources, while other birds prefer 【小题10】 (hide) places among tree branches.

Fifteen elephants are approaching the Chinese city of Kunming. Altogether the animals 【小题1】 (cover) 500km from their habitat in a nature reserve near the borders with Myanmar and Laos. And they are now near 【小题2】 city of 6.6 million people. They have travelled along highways 【小题3】 through farms over the past few months. And their journey has been attracting the attention of the Chinese public.

Experts are now doing all they can 【小题4】 (keep) the elephants away from Kunming city. They are setting up barriers along the way,【小题5】 (hope) to get them to go back towards the nature reserve. No one knows 【小题6】 the animals have walked so far away from 【小题7】 (they) original habitat. One reason could be a decline in the amount of edible (可食用的) plants in their reserve, especially 【小题8】 (supply) of their favourite foods. Another reason could be a rise in numbers in the wild elephant population in the area, from 193 in the 1980s 【小题9】 around 300 today. A further 【小题10】 (possible) is that the elephants, leader could have led them astray (迷路).