Born in Shanghai in 1981，Yang Ji studied accounting in college before becoming a civil servant in 2005，fulfilling his parents' wishes of him securing a stable job．But he only lasted a year in that role． "I've loved animals since I was a child．I raised many animals，such as goldfish，turtles and pigeons during my school years，" he says． "Raising animals was my hobby and my dream．"
   Yang made a career switch in 2006，and started working at a chicken farm to learn about breeding（培育） birds．
   "The first five years were very difficult for me．I made many mistakes along the way，but I also learned a lot，" he says． "For example，there are huge differences between raising a chicken and a swan．"
   He shared that the first swans he bought eventually became crippled （瘸的），and some even died，even though he went to great lengths to feed them good food and ensure that their pens were warm．But after consulting with experienced experts，he learned that the animals just needed to eat grass．In addition，the swans should not have been cooped up in their pens but let out to exercise in the cold water．
   He then went to learn more about the trade with experienced bird keepers and experts from zoos，working alongside them for days and observing how they raised the animals．
   In 2011，Yang bought a small，deserted zoo and renovated （改造） it for his rare-bird breeding center．In 2014，he received his license to breed first-tier protected animals from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration．He has since introduced several endangered birds to his center．
   "They're all native species in China and I've succeeded in breeding and raising their babies，" he says．His breeding center，which supplies birds to zoos around China，isn't all about profit．Yang says that he is planning to release some endangered birds to help grow the population in the wild． "I am passionate with my work and never feel exhausted，" he says． "Living with the birds and seeing them every day makes me a happy man．"

（1）Yang Ji started working at a chicken farm because

B

B

．
A．he loved raising chickens
B．he wanted to learn bird raising
C．chickens were much easier to raise
D．he had a preference for small animals
（2）What mistake did Yang Ji make when he first started breeding swans？

A

A

A．He fed wrong food to the swans．
B．He didn't keep the swans warm．
C．He bought some crippled swans．
D．He let the swans swim in cold water．
（3）What do we know about Yang Ji's breeding center？

C

C

A．It was rebuilt on an open grassland．
B．It has kept all kinds of endangered animals since 2014．
C．It intends to increase the number of some endangered birds by setting them free．
D．It aims at making money out of supplying endangered birds to zoos all over China．
（4）Which of the following can be the best title of this passage？

D

D

A．Yang Ji and His Birds
B．From Chickens to Swans
C．A Successful Career Switch
D．Flying High with His Dreams