Backyard owls bring smiles后院猫头鹰带来笑容

张世玉

费希尔一家的后院飞来了一对猫头鹰夫妇，这让身处疫情又身患癌症的费希尔感受到了对未来的希望，也让人们从大自然中感悟到：一切都会变好的。

主题语境：人与动物 篇幅：305词 建议用时：6分钟

1 Vince and Shawna Fisher have lived on Bayou Texar in Pensacola for years. Theyare used to seeing dolphins， ospreys and even the occasional bald eagles. But when somethingnew showed up then， they were surprised and thrilled！

2“One morning， I was in the yard and I could hear her hooting but I couldnt findher. I think it was a couple of mornings later Shawna started yelling，‘There are owls in theosprey nest！”

3 While most of us were fascinated by owls and would be thrilled to watch an avian （鸟类的）“family drama”play out in our back yard， the owls unexpected arrival and the birthof the cute baby owl meant a little more to the Fishers. They said that along with the usualsigns of spring， the owl nest represented hope.

4“Ive had cancer for six years，”said Vince.“Every second means more to me thanmost peoples days or years. I see things I didnt see before. I think about things I didntthink about before.”The Fishers and I talked about illness， the pandemic， and all theweird and sometimes terrible weather weve been through the past year， agreeing that itsbeen a tough year for everyone. They hope the story of these owls will stir up hope in all ofus that better times are on the horizon.

5“It brings a new vision， an awakening， and gives you hope that things are okay andtheyre gonna be okay，”Shawna said. Vince added，“Because this （nature） was here along time before all this mess started， I guess it shows that there is going to be a recov?ery and it is going to get back to normal.”

6 Both of the Fishers said they believe its important to slow down and really look at nature thats around us.

Reading Check

Detail 1. Why were the Fishers excited？

A. They lived near the sea.

B. They could see eagles.

C. Because of the arrival of the owls.

D. Because of the birds drama they watched.

Inference

2. Whats Vinces attitude towards his cancer？

A. Unconcerned. B. Pessimistic.

C. Cautious. D. Positive.

Inference

3. What might be the relationship between the author and the Fishers？

A. Teacher and students. B. Old friends.

C. Employer and employees. D. Relatives.

Inference

4. What can we learn from the Fishers story？

A. Owls always bring hope. B. Hope is always around us.

C. The pandemic is unacceptable. D. Nature heals itself.

Language Study

Difficult sentenceBecause this （nature） was here a long time before all this mess started， I guess itshows that there is going to be a recovery and it is going to get back to normal. 因為这（自然）在所有这些混乱开始之前就已经存在了很长时间，我想这表明，一切都会开始复苏并恢复正常。

【点石成金】该句为主从复合句，主句为I guess it shows that...normal，主句中that引导宾语从句作shows的宾语，且宾语从句中含and连接的there be句型和一个简单句；从句为because引导的原因状语从句，其中又包含一个before引导的时间状语从句。