The kiwi bird
The kiwi bird is a flightless bird，about the size of a chicken. It sleeps during the day and is active at nighttime. It has a long beak that is onethird the length of its body, and its beak actually has nostrils (鼻孔) at the end. The kiwi is the only bird with this feature. Another unique feature of the kiwi is that it has no tail. It has thick brown hairlike feathers. This bird has many physical features unlike any other bird on earth.
Kiwi birds have been called a genetic leftover. Their characteristics seem very odd to us probably due to the fact that they haven't evolved much at all. They are suspected to be about 8 million years old. That's 7 million years older than humans. Due to New Zealand's isolated environment, it has been safe from predators(食肉动物) and hasn't needed to do much adapting. They just hang around.
With its long beak, the kiwi digs up and chows down on worms. A kiwi is almost blind; it can see about six feet at night and around two feet during the day，so when it comes to hunting the kiwi is not well equipped.It uses the nostrils on its beak to find its food and then picks up the worms with its beak.
The kiwi bird is native of New Zealand.It is the island country's national bird, and is rare anywhere but here and a few Pacific island neighbors. Of course，it is available for viewing at certain zoos.It has stayed in its native land due to the facts that it is an isolated island and that kiwis can't fly.
Kiwi birds are extremely unique in the bird world. Though they are the size of chickens, they lay eggs the size of ostrich eggs, weighing around a pound each.Their enormous eggs are the largest in the bird world, compared to their bodies. These birds were named after their distinctive shrill cry “keewee keewee”．
小题1:Which of the following is NOT the distinctive feature of the kiwi bird?
A．It has no tail at all.
B．It has a long beak.
C．Its feathers are thick and brown.
D．There are nostrils at the end of its beak.小题2:Kiwi birds haven't evolved much over the past 8 million years probably because ________.
A．the climate is mild
B．they have no enemy
C．something is wrong with their genes
D．they have adapted to living on the island小题3:What plays a key role in looking for food?
A．Its long beak.
B．Its eyes.
C．The nostrils.
D．Its tail小题4:What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?
A．The kiwi bird's habitat.
B．The kiwi bird is New Zealand's national bird.
C．The kiwi bird can not fly.
D．The kiwi bird is available at zoos.小题5:Kiwi birds got their name from ________.
A．the large size of their eggs
B．the food they feed on
C．their appearance
D．their unique cry
