Reading makes men full. Do you like reading novels in your spare time?

Set in the German city of Hamburg, the Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly is about a seagull called Kengah. While diving into the sea for food, she is suddenly hit by the “curse of the sea”—a wave in oil coming from an oil tanker (油轮) in trouble. With great effort, the seagull reaches Hamburg and lands on the balcony of a house. A fat black cat called Zorba lives there. Before dying, Kengah gives her first and last egg to Zorba, asking him to keep three promises: First, that he does not eat the egg; second, that he takes care of it until the chick is born; and finally, and most surprisingly, that Zorba teaches the chick how to fly.

Zorba promises to take care of the baby seagull and keeps his word. He sits on the egg until the chick is born. With the help of his cat friends, he raises the baby seagull with love and protects her from danger. The little seagull is named Fortunata, the “lucky one”. However, the trouble comes when Zorba teaches Fortunata how to fly. Of course, being a cat, it is not easy. After many failed tries, Zorba and his friends turn to a human—a poet. Thanks to their help, Fortunata is finally able to fly and returns to her own world—the sky.

The book is a story about seagulls, flying over the Hamburg sky. It is a story about Zorba and his cat friends, who raise the chick, protect her from danger, and above all, teach her to fly. It is a story about a poet who is able to fly with words.

It is a story about friendship and courage. At the end of the story, when Fortunata takes her first flight, Zorba talks to the poet, “On the brink of the abyss (在悬崖边上), Fortunata understood the most important thing finally.”

“Oh yeah? And what did she understand?” asks the poet.

“Only those who are brave can fly!”

【小题1】What caused Kengah’s death?

A．Giving birth to her baby.	B．Flying a long way.
C．Oil coming from a tanker.	D．Not having food to eat.

【小题2】Where does the cat Zorba live?

A．In a house with a balcony.	B．In a house near the sea.
C．In a house next to a poet’s.	D．In a house on the abyss.

【小题3】What does the word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to (指的是)?

A．Teaching the seagull how to fly.	B．Asking a human for help.
C．Looking after the chick with love.	D．Protecting the chick from dangers.

【小题4】What makes Fortunata fly successfully?

A．Bravery.

B．Love.

C．Friendship.

D．Kindness.