You have probably heard of homing pigeons，which usually appeared in war．From 3000B．C．to the present，homing pigeons have（31）
as postmen．They have been especially useful for carrying messages（32）
war．The telegraph（电报机） is not（33）
to carry about．Sometimes only the little pigeon can take a message where it ought to go．
In 1870，when the Prussians surrounded the city of Paris，the city was cut off from all the usual means of communication（交流）．The people（34）
many different ways of sending news．One way was to let go small balloons carrying mail．（35）
of course，they only drifted（漂移）（36）
the wind carried them．Often they landed inside the enemy's lines．Even balloons large enough to carry a pilot could hardly be well controlled．
It was pigeons that in the end solved the （37）
．Homing pigeons were brought into Paris．Soon they were carrying letters far and wide．The enemy bought hawks to catch pigeons，but the little postmen could fly faster than their （38）
．Strangely enough，pigeons played an important（39）
in war．
During World War I every army unit had a group of trained pigeons．Many of them were honored．Among them（40）
an American pigeon with a French name Cher Ami，which meant"dear friend"．A group of U．S．soldiers were surrounded by the enemy．They had no food and no bullets （子弹）．They nearly died of（41）
．There was little hope for them．Cher Ami made his way（42）
the enemy's bullets and succeeded．At once planes（43）
to drop food and ammunition （军火） to them．With their strength renewed，the soldiers fought back to their own army and were saved．
（44）
can pigeons carry the message？There were various methods．Usually the message is put into a little glass tube．The tube is tied to a leg or behind under （45）
or hung around the neck．
| 31．A．considered | B．served | C．regarded | D．made |
| 32．A．in favor of | B．in need of | C．in charge of | D．in time of |
| 33．A．easy | B．difficult | C．necessary | D．important |
| 34．A．saw | B．did | C．tried | D．managed |
| 35．A．And | B．Though | C．Since | D．But |
| 36．A．which | B．that | C．to which | D．where |
| 37．A．question | B．situation | C．problem | D．mystery |
| 38．A．enemies | B．postmen | C．balloons | D．bullets |
| 39．A．action | B．part | C．ball | D．way |
| 40．A．were | B．was | C．be | D．had |
| 41．A．excitement | B．hunger | C．anger | D．information |
| 42．A．for | B．to | C．in | D．through |
| 43．A．landed | B．found out | C．set out | D．set about |
| 44．A．Why | B．How | C．When | D．Where |
| 45．A．the head | B．a body | C．the foot | D．a wing |