Grey squirrels are abundant （丰富的） in many parts of the United States． They have babies twice a year-in early spring and late summer． Grey squirrels typically have three to four babies in each litter （一窝）． By four weeks of age， the babies" eyes open and by six weeks， the young are making their way out of the nest． By the time they reach eight or nine weeks of age， baby squirrels are no longer nursing and are generally able to survive on their own in the wild．
What should you do if you find a baby squirrel in need of help？ For starters， you should assess whether or not the squirrel is injured． Is it bleeding or does it appear to have broken bones？ Was the squirrel being attacked by a cat？ If you answered "yes" to any of these questions， contact your local wildlife emergency center as soon as possible． If you're not sure whom to call， start with your local animal shelter or police station． They should have contact information for your nearest wildlife hospital or rehabilitation （恢复） center． If the squirrel is not injured， and it looks like it weighs around half a pound or so， it may just be old enough to survive on its own． A good rule of thumb is that if the squirrel is old enough to run from you， it is old enough to take care of itself．
According to the Wildlife Center of Virginia， if the squirrel's tail is fluffed out （抖松） and it weighs more than 6.5 ounces， it does not need human help in order to survive． If not， the squirrel may still need to nurse and be cared for by its mother． If you can locate the nest， place the baby in a box with an open lid at the base of the tree where the nest is located． If it is cold out， add a bag of warmed rice or hand warmers to the box to keep the baby warm while it waits for its mother． Check back frequently to see if the mother has found and relocated her baby． If not， call your local wildlife center to reassess the situation．
Whatever you do， do not attempt to bring the baby squirrel home and raise it as a pet． While they may seem cute as babies， squirrels are wild animals and it won't take long before they need to get back into the wild． But too much time around humans could make it more difficult for a squirrel to survive on its own．



Which of the following is true about grey squirrels？ ______

A. They are commonly seen all over America．
B. They give birth to the young every two years．
C. A grey squirrel can at most have three or four babies all its life．
D. Baby squirrels are independent of their mothers when they are 8or 9weeks old．

When you come across a baby squirrel needing help， the first thing you should do is that ______ ．

A. answer some questions raised by your local wildlife emergency center
B. call your local wildlife emergency center as soon as possible
C. check whether it is suffering from any form of injury
D. take it to your nearest wildlife hospital

It is suggested that when finding a baby squirrel needing nursing， you should ______ ．

A. build a nest for it
B. take it home if its mother can't be found
C. let nature take its course after putting it in a box
D. make sure it goes back to its mother

The last paragraph tries to tell us ______ ．

A. why we shouldn't take a baby squirrel home as a pet
B. how long it will be before a baby squirrel lives on its own
C. squirrels should grow in its natural habitat
D. humans and squirrels should get along well with each other