One day a few years ago we had an uninvited guest — a sparrow. __21__ the little bird had flown into our open garage. Then I __22__ the bird before I saw it.
“What's that？” I asked when I first heard the sound.
“It's coming from the __23__.”my wife, Anita, said. “Maybe it's one of the little __24__.”
I looked into the garage. No children at all. But there was that sound again, coming from right up there. And that's __25__ I saw the sparrow. It was flying __26__ just inches below the ceiling. It was clearly __27__ to get out, but couldn't see the way out was not up, but __28__ and out through the garage door. So the bird continued flapping its wings and bumping its little head __29__ the ceiling.
I tried to terrify it out, but only succeeded in driving it into the __30__ open space between the door and the ceiling. Then I tried to show the bird how to fly down a few feet __31__ it could get outside, but that only seemed to __32__ it more.
“Why don't we just leave for a few minutes，” Anita __33__.“I'm sure he'll figure it out eventually.”
We went back into the house, where we __34__ to hear the ongoing struggle between the sparrow and the ceiling. Then suddenly, it was __35__ and our uninvited guest was gone.
I've __36__ that little sparrow through the years, and I've decided that birds are not different much from people. We think we were __37__ to fly ever upward, and we don't even consider the __38__ that something good might happen if we just fly down a little bit. Once we figure out that we can make __39__ without banging (碰) our heads against ceilings, we can usually save ourselves much __40__.
21．A. Still B. Somehow
C. Instead D. Perhaps
22．A. heard B. caught
C. searched D. observed
23．A. house B. backyard
C. garage D. basement
24．A. birds B. guests
C. cats D. kids
25．A. when B. how
C. why D. whether
26．A. quickly B. anxiously
C. cautiously D. slowly
27．A. deciding B. hesitating
C. trying D. choosing
28．A. up B. backward
C. forward D. down
29．A. against B. off
C. along D. into
30．A. free B. small
C. wide D. dark
31．A. in case B. even if
C. as though D. so that
32．A. puzzle B. confuse
C. frighten D. disturb
33．A. suggested B. explained
C. insisted D. demanded
34．A. attempted B. continued
C. refused D. failed
35.A. fierce B. empty
C. safe D. silent
36.A. looked after B. worried about
C. thought about D. brought up
37．A. forced B. determined
C. born D. urged
38．A. idea B. possibility
C. challenge D. problem
39．A. progress B. peace
C. decisions D. efforts
40．A. panic B. pressure
C. loss D. trouble