My first dependant was a duck called Mr. Kite. As a cream-faced four-year-old, it was my job at the nursery to turn the eggs in the incubator (恒温箱) every day: one side “O”, the other side “X”.

We lived in a small, inner-city house with a long, thin garden in east Oxford at the time. As a gentle-hearted vet's (兽医的) daughter, my mum couldn't resist adopting these ducks. I named them Buttercup, Mr. Kite and Drakey. We made them a pond. The bottom was a mosaic (马赛克) made from all the bits of plate and cup that had been broken during family rows. Within 30 seconds,the pond was so full of duck droppings that we never saw the mosaic again.

One of the most magical moments during my caring for ducks was the night it snowed. Mum, over whelmed by pity and grandmotherly concern, insisted that Mr. Kite and her friends — yes, Mr. Kite was female — be spared another freezing night in the wooden house my dad had built for them at the end of the garden; we caught them, flapping and shouting, and brought them in to sleep in the kitchen.Have you ever seen three ducks go wild in a tiny kitchen? It was one of the best moments of my childhood. It smelled like the underside of hell's socks by the time they had left.

I used to spend my summers lazing in a swimming pool with Mr. Kite and the others. Eventually, though, our neighbour complained that they were being woken at 4:45 a.m.. So, the feathered three went to live with an old couple in the country. Fair enough — you don't move to the city to have the dawn torn apart by quacking   — although it must have made a change from student parties and the sound of 19-year-olds being sick by the bins.

I wonder now if this early experience of duck adoption is the reason that, at least three times a week, what ever the weather, you will find me swimming in the Thames or a nearby lake with the ducks. Although they never say hello.

【小题1】Why were there marks of “O” and “X” on eggs?

A．To have fun.	B．To count the eggs.
C．To tell sides apart.	D．To distinguish males from females.

【小题2】What was the initial reason for duck adoption?

A．Family preference.

B．A nursery assignment.

C．The mother's occupation.

D．Neighbour' support.

【小题3】What does paragraph 3 imply?

A．The ducks' smells drove the author mad.

B．The energetic ducks brought much pleasure.

C．The ducks were hard to feed in cold weather.

D．The ducks were offered luxury accommodation.

【小题4】What was the author's response to the neighbor' complaints?

A．Rejecting firmly.	B．Ignoring deliberately.
C．Explaining patiently.	D．Accepting unwillingly.