Our family has had a relationship with Bozo, an ancient desert tortoise（龟）whose life averages 80 to 100 years, for about 50 years. We first met him in the early 1970s in the backyard of an older woman who lived a few houses down from us in our suburb. Our three kids, Sheldon, Detra and Ryan, visited regularly and our neighbor loved to entertain them and teach them about desert tortoises. The kids were ages 10, 8 and 2 at the time. Our neighbor estimated that Bozo was around 60.
In the late 1980s, our neighbor passed away, and her husband gave Bozo to our oldest son. Sheldon. He and Bozo have always shared a special bond. Sheldon is always patting Bozo's shell and head when they are together, which Bozo loves.
Bozo happily lived with Sheldon until 2008, when Sheldon and his family had to move a bit farther north, where the climate was too cold for Bozo. He's lived in our backyard ever since. We feed him vegetables, but he primarily feeds on the grass in our yard. He digs his burrows（洞穴）to hibernate（冬眠）in during late fall and winter, waking up in the spring.
My son-in-law dug a big burrow, about six feet long and 12 inches wide for Bozo, which has since made some expansions and decorations. We now have more than 12 feet of burrows in our yard. with dirt and rocks covering the entrance. Bozo loves his burrows, but he comes out of hiding when he hears our voices. In 1995, someone asked Sheldon if he'd like another desert tortoise, a female named Mindy. Desert tortoises shouldn't be taken out of the wild, but they won't adapt if returned to nature after they've been domesticated（驯养）. She needed a home, so Mindy became Bozo's mate.
注意：
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In the summer, we will always find eggs in the burrows.
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Well protected, Bozo is over 100 and remains energetic.
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2 . Kathleen Rooney knew that writing Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey, from the point of view of a pigeon, was a risk. Rooney, perhaps best known for her 2017 bestseller, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, says her interest in a feathered narrator was excited by one of her students at DePaul University, where she is an English professor. “A student named Brian mentioned Cher Ami in a poem. It blew my mind that this pigeon was so heroic and is stuffed and on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.”
Rooney learned that Cher Ami, a British homing pigeon, helped save a group of American troops during a horrific, multi-day World War I battle. The story of this amazing pigeon and the extraordinary man who commanded the battle, Major Charles Whittlesey, was altogether attractive.
In Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey, Charles reflects on his happier prewar days in New York City, where he ran a law firm with a college classmate. When it came time for battle, though, he and his fellows found themselves cut off from supply lines, surrounded by enemy German troops.
Carrier pigeons were the group’s only hope of contacting headquarters and getting the other Americans to stop dropping bombs on them. Cher Ami flew through gunfire to deliver Charles' message, which finally stopped the attack. She lost an eye and a leg, among other wounds, but was eventually able to hobble (蹒跚) on a tiny wooden prosthesis (义肢) that the Army made for her. She lived another year before dying of her injuries in 1919, but in the novel she continues speaking to readers behind glass in the Smithsonian where she’s been since her death.
There’s an interesting lesson to be learned from Charles’ decisions in the battle, too. “He was famous for something we’d describe as passive,” Rooney says. “Once they were in the pocket, he waited as long as he could. I’m an impatient, active person ... His act was stillness, waiting, keeping everybody’s spirits up. The way he did that was amazing.”
Rooney also hopes the book, with its portrayal of the charming and brave Cher Ami, will boost the appreciation of our furry and feathered friends.
1. What inspired Rooney to write the book?| A．Visiting a national museum. | B．Reading a student’s poem. |
| C．Some comments on her bestseller. | D．Experiences of raising pigeons. |
| A．An exhibition featuring a heroic battle. |
| B．Historic events happening to Cher Ami. |
| C．Americans’ poor strategies during the war. |
| D．Charles’ methods for training Cher Ami. |
| A．Charles’ humor and optimism. |
| B．Charles’ affection for carrier pigeons. |
| C．Charles’ patience and motivation. |
| D．Charles’ quick response to the attack. |
| A．A message of hope | B．Braving World War I |
| C．An effort to protect pigeons | D．Finding the lost commander |
