As dusk was approaching, we made our way down to the beach, as did everyone else. Some people had even brought along a picnic, a family day out. As it got darker, people became quiet and talked less, keeping an eye out on the beach.
Suddenly there was movement at the edge(边缘) of the surf and all heads turned as one. There, standing by the edge of the water was the smallest penguin we had ever seen. He looked left, then right, as if he was considering crossing a busy road and then he ran quickly across to the sand and the penguin burrows(洞穴)．
He must have been the scout,__because after him, there came groups of penguins: some consisted of two or three penguins and some had about ten or fifteen, but they all made that same mad dash across the sand into the burrows, as if they couldn’t get there fast enough. The crowd of penguin watchers was quiet, except for the occasional “oohs” and “ahs” from adults as well as children. The groups started to become fewer in number and finally no more penguins came from the sea.
We sat on the grandstand(大看台) for a while, not talking, just feeling amazed at what we’d just seen. Neither of us had ever seen penguins in the wild before, only in zoos and it was an amazing feeling. You could see the penguins here every evening and morning, but they weren’t in cages or in small pools. The sea was their playground and it is a sight we would recommend to anyone.
After the penguins had gone to their burrows, you could walk along boardwalks and see them there. They make a lot of noise for all the size of them!
So if you are travelling, make a tour of Phillip Island and Summerland Beach. You won’t regret it!
【解题导语】 本文是一篇记叙文。菲利普岛是以神仙小企鹅闻名于世的度假胜地，世界各地许多人慕名来到菲利普岛自然公园的观景台上欣赏企鹅归巢。
1．Why did people gather on the beach at dusk?
A．To have a picnic.
B．To hold a family party.
C．To feed young penguins.
D．To watch penguins return home.
D 解析：细节理解题。由第一段．..keeping an eye out on the beach.和下文的介绍可知，人们晚上在海滩上聚集是为了观看企鹅从海上返回洞穴的景象。
2．The underlined word “scout” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to someone who________．
A．drops out of a group
B．keeps guard for the others
C．depends on others for a living
D．has the highest power in a group
B 解析：词义猜测题。由第二段He looked left, then right和划线词之后的because after him, there came groups of penguins...可知，scout此处意为“侦察兵”。
3．What do we know about people on the grandstand?
A．They were noisy and in a mess.
B．They were quiet but very excited.
C．They were tired and impatient to leave.
D．They quarreled with each other occasionally.
B 解析：推理判断题。由第三段The crowd of penguin watchers was quiet, except for the occasional “oohs” and “ahs” from adults as well as children.可知，看台上的人们很安静，不时发出阵阵激动的喊叫。
4．Which of the following delighted the author most?
A．Travelling to Phillip Island.
B．Seeing the penguins by chance.
C．Seeing the penguins in the wild.
D．Playing with penguins on the sand.
C 解析：细节理解题。由第四段Neither of us had ever seen penguins in the wild before...可知，能够看到野外环境中的企鹅，让作者感到非常高兴。
