阅读理解
People normally think of dogs as man's best friend, but to Brian Wilson,
his two pet parrots are his best friends.
It
all began in 1995, when Brian was still a firefighter. A car accident caused
serious damage to his brain. After several months of treatment, Brian's doctors
said that he would never talk again and that he would have to spend the rest of
his life in a nursing home.
However, according to Brian, his two pet parrots didn't give up easily.
They kept talking to him day and night, until one day, he said one word, then
another, and all of a sudden was talking like a normal person again!
Brian
was so thankful that he decided to set up a home for birds which are not wanted
by their owners. Now, his house is home to about 80 birds, including a great
variety of birds like several macaws, cockatoos and African gray parrots. The
birds fly around from room to room, some cackling (咯咯叫), others talking
like humans. Though they all have big cages, Brian lets them fly freely
inside the house.
Over
the years, Brian has developed a special relationship with birds. The birds
that bite other humans, seem to like him and can get along with him well. He is
now called a bird whisperer (鸟语者). Brian pays for most of the costs of looking after the birds with
his own money, but has recently established a foundation (基金会) to accept donations. He and his birds also earn money by
performing at birthday parties, weddings and other social events.
For
people who want to adopt (领养) Brian's birds, they have to volunteer at the foundation for three
months before they can take the pet home.
