Black-tailed godwits (黑尾塍鹬), a migrating bird that can be found in Europe, Asia, north Africa and north Australia, fly south every winter. Then, they return home to spend the summer months with their life long partner. Now, scientists have found, pairs of godwits often return to their summer breeding grounds within three days of each other, even though they spend the entire winter apart.
Researchers in England, put colored leg bands on the birds. Then, they asked birdwatchers around Europe to report by email when and where they saw the birds during the winter. The simplest way for birds to return at the same time would be to spend the winter together. After all, if they’re in different places, they can’t call each other on the phone and talk about when they’ll meet again. But, the survey found that couples usually spent their winters in different countries up to 1,000 kilometers apart. One male, for example, spent the winter on the coast of Ireland while his mate was in France.
These findings are important for protecting the birds, scientists say. Black-tailed godwits live for up to 25 years. They spend their summers in Iceland, where they mate, but they spread all over other parts of Europe in winter. Once a pair mates, there’s a 90 per cent chance that they’ll return to mate with each other again the next year. So, protection of their wide web of holiday destinations is very important.
29. Black-tailed godwits are birds that .
A. live in five continents B. feed on fish
C. make a long journey in winter D. all gather in England in winter
30. The passage tells us that .
A. pairs of godwits have fixed the date of migration in advance
B. British researchers spend plenty of time watching godwits
C. British researchers learn the local position of godwits by email
D. scientists have found out how godwits arrange their date of return
31. Why are the findings about godwits important?
A. To help people observe them.
B. To help godwits find their mates.
C. To help them to find their destination
D. To help people protect their habitats.
32. The best title for the passage is .
A. The brief introduction of godwits’ life
B. The migration of godwits interests scientists
C. Godwits are well protected
D. Godwits come back home for love