2017年全国卷1

B

I work with Volunteers for Wildlife, a rescue and education organization at Bailey Arboretum in Locust Valley. Trying to help injured, displaced or sick creatures can be heartbreaking; survival is never certain. However, when it works, it is simply beautiful.

I got a rescue call from a woman in Muttontown. She had found a young owl(猫头鹰) on the ground. When I arrived, I saw a 2- to 3-week-old owl. It had already been placed in a carrier for safety.

I examined the chick(雏鸟) and it seemed fine. If I could locate the nest, I might have been able to put it back, but no luck. My next work was to construct a nest and anchor it in a tree.

The homeowner was very helpful. A wire basket was found. I put some pine branches into the basket to make this nest safe and comfortable. I placed the chick in the nest, and it quickly calmed down.

Now all that was needed were the parents, but they were absent. I gave the homeowner a recording of the hunger screams of owl chicks. These advertise the presence of chicks to adults; they might also encourage our chick to start calling as well. I gave the owner as much information as possible and headed home to see what news the night might bring.

A nervous night to be sure, but sometimes the spirits of nature smile on us all! The homeowner called to say that the parents had responded to the recordings. I drove over and saw the chick in the nest looking healthy and active. And it was accompanied in the nest by the greatest sight of all — LUNCH! The parents had done their duty and would probably continue to do so.

24. What is unavoidable in the author’s rescue work according to paragraph 1?

A. Efforts made in vain.

B. Getting injured in his work.

C. Feeling uncertain about his future.

D. Creatures forced out of their homes.

25. Why was the author called to Muttontown?

A. To rescue a woman.B. To take care of a woman.

C. To look at a baby owl.D. To cure a young owl.

26. What made the chick calm down?

A. A new nest.B. Some food.

C. A recording.D. Its parents.

27. How would the author feel about the outcome of the event?

A. It’s unexpected.B. It’s beautiful.

C. It’s humorous.D. It’s discouraging.

答案解析：

24. A. 根据第一段中的“Trying to help injured, displaced or sick creatures can be heartbreaking; survival is never certain.”，作者提到帮助受伤、无家可归或生病的动物可能会让人心碎，因为它们的生存从不是确定的。这表明在救援工作中不可避免的是努力可能会白费，即Efforts made in vain。更多资料请微信搜索英语巴士小程序。

25. C. 根据第二段中的“I got a rescue call from a woman in Muttontown. She had found a young owl on the ground.”，作者接到一个救助电话，一位女士在Muttontown发现了一只年轻的猫头鹰。这表明作者被叫到Muttontown是为了查看一只小猫头鹰。

26. A. A 根据第四段中的“I placed the chick in the nest, and it quickly calmed down.”，作者把雏鸟放在新做的巢里，它很快就平静下来了。这说明是新的巢使雏鸟平静下来。

27. B. 根据最后一段中的“A nervous night to be sure, but sometimes the spirits of nature smile on us all! ... The parents had done their duty and would probably continue to do so.”，作者描述了一个紧张的夜晚，但是大自然的精灵对我们所有人微笑，猫头鹰的父母履行了它们的职责，并可能会继续这样做。这表明作者认为这个事件的结局是美好的。