It’s 2023 now. Peanut is a chicken from a no-kill farm in Michigan. 21 years ago, her owner was getting ready to throw some bad eggs when she heard a chirp (鸣叫声) from one of them. “I heard a second chirp, and I realized that the chick was    △    and didn’t seem to have an egg tooth to get out of its shell,” Marsi Parker Darwin said. “I got it out of the egg, and there was this wet little chick, sitting in my hand.”

This little chick was very small at first, but it never grew past one pound, about one-third of the size of the other chickens on the farm, so Marsi named her “Peanut”. Marsi never imagined that the chick would be with her and her husband for over twenty years.

Marsi said that she was encouraged to apply (申请) for a Guinness Record by a friend who is also a chicken lover. He knew about a chicken named Matilda who had before held the record at age 14, only to die a couple of years later. Peanut had already beaten her record by several years, so he encouraged Marsi to apply.

Peanut is now well on her way to challenging the title of oldest chicken in recorded history. At about 21 years and a half, she is pretty close to beating the record set by Muffy, who was 23 years and 152 days old when she died 12 years ago.

1.Which is the best word to be put in “ △ ” ?

A strong

B hungry

C alive

D dead

解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据前面的“bad eggs”、“a chirp”和“a second chirp”可知，21年前，Marsi正准备把一批看起来腐烂的鸡蛋扔了，这时她听到其中一只鸡蛋里面发出微弱的鸣叫声，因此她意识到里面的小鸡还活着。故选C。

2.What made Marsi name the little chick “Peanut”?

A Its hobby.

B Its favorite food.

C Its color.

D Its size.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第二段第一句的“This little chick was very small at first, but it never grew past one pound, about one-third of the size of the other chickens on the farm, so Marsi named her ‘Peanut’.”可知，这只鸡一开始很小，但是它的体重也从未超过一磅，大约是农场里其他鸡的三分之一大，所以Marsi给它取名为“花生”。故选D。

3.Who encouraged Marsi to apply for a Guinness Record?

A Her friend.

B Her husband.

C Her teacher.

D Her classmate.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据第三段第一句的“Darwin said that she was encouraged to apply for a Guinness Record by a friend”可知，一个朋友鼓励她去申请吉尼斯世界纪录。故选A。

4.When did Muffy die?

A In 2021.

B In 2011.

C In 2001.

D In 1991.

解析：选B。B数字计算题。根据最后一段最后一句的“who was 23 years and 152 days old when she died 12 years ago.”可知，Muffy在（2023-12=）2011年去世。故选B。

5.Which of the following is in the right order according to age?

A Matilda > Peanut > Muffy

B Peanut > Matilda > Muffy

C Muffy > Peanut > Matilda

D Matilda > Muffy > Peanut

解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据倒数第二段的“Peanut had already beaten her record by several years”可知，Peanut比Matilda年龄大；根据最后一段的“At about 21 years and a half, she is pretty close to beating the record set by Muffy”可知，Peanut非常接近打破Muffy创造的纪录，即Peanut比Muffy年龄小。故选 C。