When the Great Backyard Bird Count （GBBC） began last Friday，Steve and Janet Kistler of Hart County，Kentucky，joined in.They've done so every year since the now-global tradition began 25 years ago.
For Moira Dalibor，who teaches math at a school，this was the first count.She led a group of students and parents to an arboretum （植物園） for an exercise in data-gathering.They were among hundreds of thousands of people around the world counting and recording over four days.Last year，about 385，000 people from 192 countries took part in the GBBC.
   This global data goes into the eBird database used by scientists for research on bird populations，which have declined sharply overall in past decades.It's part of a rise in "citizen science" projects in which volunteers collect data about the natural world for use by researchers.
   Many bird-watchers use eBird year-round，and it has collected huge amounts of data — often between 1 million and 2 million bird checklists a month from around the world in the past couple of years，says Becca Rodomsky-Bish，the project's leader at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology，in Ithaca，New York. "Observing birds is a good way to connect with the natural world.Birds are everywhere.You don't have to leave your house.They will come.And they're charismatic because they're fun and interesting to watch."
   This is how it works：Participants watch birds，whether that means looking out of the window for 15 minutes or taking a longer trip to a nature area.Organizers recommend the Merlin bird ID app to distinguish birds by size，shape，song or other characteristics.Many participants also carry field guides and binoculars （雙筒望遠鏡） along with their phones.They then enter the findings into the eBird app.Those numbers help researchers track the ups and downs of various species，which then help determine the direction of conservation efforts.
   Dalibor prepared her classes with information about local species and practiced with the Merlin app.The kids recorded bird sightings with pencils and drawing boards，and parent volunteers entered those numbers on phones.

（1）Why did Dalibor lead her students to an arboretum？
A．To do exercise for health.
B．To observe different plants.
C．To practice their math skills.
D．To collect information about birds.
（2）What does the underlined word "charismatic" in paragraph 4 probably mean？
A．Attractive.
B．Beautiful.
C．Rare.
D．Shy.
（3）What can people use the Merlin bird ID app to do？
A．To record their findings.
B．To identify different birds.
C．To help determine the birds' habitat.
D．To track the ups and downs of various species.
（4）What's the best title of the text？
A．Great Backyard Bird Count：a strange activity
B．Watching birds contributes to students' education
C．Moira Dalibor：a pioneer and responsible teacher
D．Great Backyard Bird Count shows power of citizen science

【考點】說明文；自然科學研究成果．

【答案】D；A；B；D