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Animals do some pretty strange things.Giraffes clean their eyes and ears with their tongues.Snakes see through their eyelids (眼睑)...But some strange animal tales are not true.
Myth(谬论)One：Ostriches(鸵鸟)bury their heads in the sand when they're scared.
This is completely wrong！The ostrich is the largest living bird，but its head is pretty small.If you see ostriches picking at the ground from a distance，it may look like their heads are buried in the ground.
Ostriches don't bury their heads in the sand—they wouldn't be able to breathe！But they do dig holes in the dirt to use as nests for their eggs.Several times a day，a bird puts its head in the hole and turns the eggs.So it really does look like the birds are burying their heads in the sand!
Myth Two：Mother birds will refuse to accept their babies if they've been touched by humans.
Sometimes，kindhearted humans who find a baby bird on the ground may want to return it to the nest.But the bird is probably learning to fly and shouldn't be disturbed.The tale may have been invented to keep people from handling young birds.
Most birds have a poorly developed sense of smell；they won't notice a human smell.One exception(例外)is vultures(秃鹫)，who look for dead animals for dinner，but you wouldn't want to mess with a vulture anyway!
Myth Three：Penguins fall over backwards when they look up at airplanes.
It is said that British pilots saw penguins fall over backwards like dominoes(多米诺骨牌)when they looked up at the sky.
The experiment found that penguins are perfectly capable of maintaining their balance，even if they are watching airplanes.But the reality isn't funny，as lowflying aircraft can cause penguins to panic and leave their nests.
【语篇解读】 很多动物都有一些奇怪的行为。而本文介绍的是几件有趣的但被大家误解的事实。
1．What can we learn about ostriches?
A．They don't have their own nests.
B．They dig holes in the dirt for their eggs.
C．They are the birds with the smallest heads.
D．If they are frightened, they will bury their heads in the sand.
B [细节理解题。由Myth One中第三段“But they do dig holes in the dirt to use as nests for their eggs.”可知B项正确；A项文中没有提到；鸵鸟的头并不是世界上最小的，所以C项错误；D项错误。]
2．What can we learn from Myth Two?
A．Most people think the vulture is a lovely bird.
B．Birds prefer to look for dead animals for food.
C．All birds have a strong sense of smell, except for vultures.
D．It might have been invented to keep people from disturbing young birds.
D [细节理解题。由Myth Two中第二段最后一句话可知D项正确；由Myth Two中第三段最后一句话“...but you wouldn't want to mess with a vulture anyway！”可知由于秃鹰的饮食习惯，没有人愿意打扰它们，可推知不可能有很多人认为它是一种可爱的鸟，所以A项错误；由Myth Two部分第三段“...vultures(秃鹫)，who look for dead animals for dinner...”可知B项错误；由Myth Two部分第三段可知C项错误。]
3．Which of the following events is TRUE?
A．Snakes see through their eyeballs.
B．Giraffes clean their eyes and ears with their tongues.
C．Penguins fall over backwards when they look up at airplanes.
D．Mother birds will refuse to accept their babies if they have been touched by humans.
B [细节理解题。由文章开头第二句话可知B项正确；由第一段“Snakes see through their eyelids(眼睑)”可知A项错误；由Myth Two和Myth Three可知C、D项错误。]
4．Where may this text have been taken from?
A．A science magazine.
B．A travel magazine.
C．A health magazine.
D．A geography magazine.
A [文章出处题。文章中对几种动物都做了详细的研究，然后才发现人们对它们的理解有所偏差，所以本文最有可能出自科学杂志。]
