—I
—Only if she
8 . Gently holding a baby hummingbird, Catia Lattou says, “Hello, cute little guy. Are you hungry?” It’s the newest patient at her apartment in Mexico City, where she has nursed hundreds of the tiny birds back to health over the past ten years. Under Catia’s gentle touch, the bird relaxes little by little, allowing her to examine it. This is often how Catia’s days have gone since she turned her apartment into a home for sick, injured or baby hummingbirds.
Catia began caring for hummingbirds a year after surviving colon cancer in 2011. It started with one hummingbird that had an eye injured by another bird. A friend encouraged her to try to help it. She named it Warrior after the brand (品牌) of the glasses case she kept it in. The bird became her inseparable companion, resting on her computer screen while she worked. “It wrote me a new life,” she said of the nine months the bird stayed with her. It helped pull Catia out of the sadness and loneliness she had experienced after her husband’s death followed by her cancer.
Later, friends began bringing her more hummingbirds, and the need for her services has jumped since last year. She began studying how to better care for the tiny birds that are native to the Americans. Someone put a video about her work on the social platform TikTok, which has been viewed more than 1.5 million times.
Catia says she never turns away a bird. She cares for the birds from 5 a. m. into the night. Most of the hummingbirds stay in Catia’s bedroom until they are strong enough to fly and feed themselves before they are finally freed.
The city is filled with menace to hummingbirds. There are other birds that attack them and destroy (毁掉) their home as well as modern building projects that replace flower gardens. But Catia remains positive and is certain that other bird lovers will plant more flowers to feed the birds. “Nothing is ensured,” she said. “But we do everything possible.”
1. What can be learned about Warrior?| A．It survived for only nine months. | B．It made Catia’s cancer disappear. |
| C．It became well-known for its name. | D．It helped Catia through tough times. |
| A．Warning. | B．Noise. | C．Pollution. | D． Danger. |
| A．By growing more flowers. | B．By introducing more birds. |
| C．By freeing the injured ones. | D．By putting up more buildings. |
| A．Selfless and honest. | B．Kind and hard-working. |
| C．Sociable and humorous. | D．Knowledgeable and frank. |
9 . When Kelvin Kiptum lined up for his first competition in 2018, the new marathon star of Kenya did it in borrowed running shoes, because he could not afford a pair of his own.
At the Chicago marathon of October, 2023, as Kiptum set an amazing world record of two hours and 35 seconds, the story of his rise in marathon running is just as unbelievable as the long steps he takes. “It has been a long journey for me,” the Men’s World Athlete of the Year told the Sports Channel. “It has come true, and I am really happy.”
The father-of-two is among a new group of Kenyan athletes who began their careers on the road, different from the past tradition of athletes starting on the track before shifting to longer distances. Kiptum says his unusual choice was simply decided by a lack of resources (资源). “I had no money for track training,” he explained. “So I started training with road-running guys, and that’s how I got into marathon.”
Kiptum’s love for running arose from watching his cousin running as a top marathon athlete, but he had to make his family believe that he could make it in athletics. “My father wanted me to be an electrician but I was saying that I needed to be an athlete—I had that eagerness,” Kiptum recalled. “That period was very hard for me because I trained for four years, yet there were no successes and they were disappointed in me. But I kept on pushing.”
Kenya is home to some of the world’s greatest marathon runners, but Kiptum has qualities that make him special, says reporter Martin Franklin. “The level of fearlessness that Kiptum shows in his race is what is needed to rise to the top,” Martin adds. “Although his lightning-fast speed will lead to injuries in the future, Kiptum has made up his mind to become the first man to break the two-hour limit in marathon.”
1. What was Kiptum’s unusual choice?| A．Starting with road training. | B．Seeking training resources. |
| C．Mixing road and track training. | D．Running with others on the track. |
| A．He runs at a great speed. | B．He holds more world records. |
| C．He has greater courage to face challenges. | D．He has a good plan to avoid possible injuries. |
| A．From Electrician to Top Marathoner | B．From Borrowed Shoes to World Records |
| C．Kelvin Kiptum: A Tough Fighter for National Honor | D．Marathon: Life-changing Career for African Athletes |
10 .
HIGHFIELD COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL SCHOOL REPORT Form Teacher: G. Baker Pupil’s Name: Simon WatkinsTerm: Spring 2019 Form: Ⅳ B | |||
| Subject | Exam | Classwork | Comments |
| English | 59 | 61 | Simon has reached a satisfactory standard but now needs to apply himself with more determination. |
| Mathematics | 77 | 85 | Sound work and progress throughout the year. Well done! |
| History | 46 | 53 | A disappointing exam result. He is unable to give attention to this subject for long. |
| Chemistry | 78 | 85 | His obvious ability in the subject was not fully reflected in his exam work, but I have high hopes for him nevertheless. |
| Physics | 86 | 94 | An excellent term’s performance. He goes from strength to strength. A born scientist, I feel. |
| Biology | 57 | 60 | This time next year he will be taking the “0” exam. He needs to concentrate on the work, not on class conversation. |
| French | 41 | 46 | Clearly he didn’t bother to revise. His general attitude is far too casual. |
| Physical Education | / | 31 | Weak. It’s time he exercised his body more and his voice less. He should try to work with a team. |
| FORM TEACHER’S REMARKS | HEADMASTER | ||
| Basically satisfactory work and progress though he will now have realized, I hope, that in certain subject areas he needs to make speedy improvement. | I shall be keeping an eye on his progress in his weaker subjects though his success in the sciences is most pleasing. | ||
1. According to the comments of the Physical Education teacher, Simon _______.
| A．is too talkative in the class |
| B．doesn’t exercise his body at the right time |
| C．likes to work with his classmates |
| D．becomes weak because he doesn’t exercise at all |
| A．Biology and Maths. | B．History and French. |
| C．English and Chemistry. | D．Physics and Physical Education. |
| A．He has made great progress in language classes. |
| B．His potential has been fully reflected in science classes. |
| C．His grade in maths makes him a born scientist. |
| D．He needs to improve his attitude on certain subjects. |
