One August many summers ago, I was fishing down a small stream. I did not know when the two sparrows discovered me. In the bush beside me, they were deeply upset, spreading their wings, repeating over and over a rough single note.
When I stopped fishing, they flew to another bush upstream. I thought that perhaps they had new babies somewhere nearby and wanted to lead me away from them, but as I had no intention of harming them, I continued my fishing.
Immediately the two sparrows came back, fluttering before my face. I stopped again to watch them. Once more they flew to a bush upstream, but the minute I faced downstream again, they were back around my head. Not until then did it come to me that maybe they wanted me to go with them rather than lead me from something.
As soon as I started going in their direction, they fluttered on, much less noisily now. I followed them for perhaps a hundred feet until they came to rest in another bush. I looked where they were looking.
There, its tiny leg caught in a crack of a tree stem, hung a baby bird. It hung totally lifeless. I went up, carefully got the little body out and held it for several minutes cupped in my hands. Finally its eyes opened and the stretched leg moved. Both the sparrows had already come close to me. They had obviously no fear of me. I put the baby bird on a branch near its parents and released it only when I saw it take hold of the branch.
I went back to my fishing, but nothing that happened during the rest of the day was as exciting as my meeting with the sparrows. Few things that have happened to me have moved me more since then.
1. The two sparrows fluttered beside the author noisily to _______.
A.lead him upstream for more fish | B.seek his help for a trapped baby bird |
C.warn him of the hidden danger in the bush | D.direct his attention away from their new babies |
2. From Paragraph 5 we can learn that _______.
A.the bird parents were too tired to take care of the baby bird |
B.the author was extremely careful so as not to hurt the baby bird |
C.the baby bird was dying because it had been injured by a branch |
D.the bush was not safe so the author had to hold the baby bird in his hand |
3. What moved the author so much that afternoon?
A.His saving the life of a baby bird. | B.His discovering the fearless sparrows. |
C.The sparrows’ deep concern for their baby. | D.The sparrows’ unique way of communication. |