One morning I stood beside the window. Across the river, the __1___ decorated the edge of the shore in white. I stood __2____ and looked at what the night’s storm had ___3___.

I leaned forward and stood close to the window. There was a goose out there, quite ___4___, its wings folded to its sides, its feet ___5___ to the ice. Then from the dark skies, I saw a line of swans. They moved in their own ___6___ style, graceful and free.

As I watched, the leader __7___ from the sky and landed on the ice. As the swans surrounded the frozen goose, I __8___ it might be killed by those great swan beaks(鸟喙).

__9__instead, those beaks began to work on the ___10___. The long necks were lifted and curved down, again and again. At last, the goose’s head ___11___; its body pulled. Then the goose was ___12____ and standing on the ice. And the swans stood in the air ___13___. It seemed as if the goose was crying, “I cannot fly.” Four of the swans came down around it. Their powerful beaks cleaned the goose’s ___14___ from top to bottom, chipping off the ice held in the feathers. ___15___at last the goose’s wings were free,  the four swans ___16___  and joined the group.They restarted their eastward journey cheerfully.

I watched them until they ___17____ over the tops of the farthest trees. Only then did I realized that __18____ were running down my cheeks. Believe me! This story is __19____. And I will ask “If so for birds why not for ___20____?”

1.A. flower       B. tree          C. snow       D. picture

2.A. quietly       B. silently        C. happily     D. nervously

3.A. washed      B.painted        C. destroyed   D. cleaned

4.A. hungry       B. thirsty        C. terrible     D. still

5.A. frozen       B. put          C. turned      D. tied

6.A. common     B. ordinary      C. noticeable   D. boring

7.A. dived        B. moved        C. flew       D. circled

8.A. frightened    B. feared         C. hoped      D. knew

9.A. Wonderfully  B. Puzzlingly  C. Surprisingly  D. Disappointingly

10.A. ice          B. earth        C. goose        D. swan

11.A. carried       B. pushed      C. moved        D. lifted

12.A. glad         B. sad         C. free           D. lucky

13.A. listening     B. hearing      C. fighting       D. watching

14.A. head         B. legs         C. feathers       D. body

15.A. While        B. When        C. Before        D. Until

16.A. took off       B. took up      C. got away       D. got up

17.A. climbed       B. stopped      C. disappeared     D. landed

18.A. leaves         B. hairs        C. rivers          D. tears

19.A. actual         B. real          C. true           D. right

20.A. animals        B. man         C. people         D. insects