It seems that there is no middle ground when it comes to cats. People either love them or hate them. These feelings are not new either. All through history, cats have been worshiped or hated. A study of ancient writings and evidence found in tombs indicates that for the past 5,000 years, cats have been kept as pets in China, Arabia, Egypt, and India. However, this isn’t very long compared to dogs, which have been domesticated for 50,000 years. Still, while the period in which cats have been domesticated may be quite short, it has definitely had its high and low points.
Cats were at their highest position of domesticated life in ancient Egypt. There were more cats living in Egypt during the time of the pharaohs than in any other place in the world since that time. This high number of cats was probably due to the laws protecting them. Cats were associated with the moon goddess, Bast, so the Egyptians worshiped them as holy animals. If anyone was caught killing a cat, the person could be put to death. Families in Egypt also mourned the death of a cat and had the body of the dead cat wrapped in cloth before it was finally laid to rest. This respect for cats carried over to the Roman Empire where cats were the only animals allowed into temples. This fact was probably due to the ability of cats to keep the temples free of mice and rats. With the coming of the Dark Ages in Europe, the place of cats in society took a turn for the Empire, Christians began to associate cats with pegan (异教徒) beliefs. Cats had a reputation as helpers of witches. When a person was accused of being a witch, a cat would often be put on trial with the person. The cat would be tortured（拷打） to try and make the person tell the truth, and usually the cat and the person would end up being burned in a bonfire or drowned. Bonfires of collected cats were not uncommon during this time.
The days of hunting witches have ended, but other myths about cats still hold out. For a while, people in some places used to bury live cats under new buildings for good luck. As well, many people today continue to believe that black cats bring bad luck. If a black cat walks in front of a person, that person must take extra care in the near future to watch out for dangerous situations. Regardless of superstition(迷信), cats remain a popular pet today. Some cat experts believe that a cat never truly be domesticated because it may turn wild and run away at any time. However, this claim has not put people off keeping cats in their homes. A third of homes in the United States have cats, and one out of every three of these homes keeps both a dog and a cat. Especially in large cities, many people in small apartments have found that cats make much better pets than dogs.
Cats may not be worshiped as gods any more, but there are people who seem to think of their cat as their children. These cat owners will do almost anything to keep their pets healthy and happy. For those cat owners who have always wondered what their pets are trying to tell them, a Japanese company may have come up with the perfect invention. In 2003, the Takara Company announced the Meowlingual, a cat translation device. The Meowlingual uses a microphone, display, and cat voice analyzer to analyze a cat’s meows to determine which of 200 phrases a cat is trying to say.
According to a company spokesperson, “… cat owners all over the world have been telling Takara, ‘ We want a cat translator!’” Now, the company “is making their dream come true by bringing in a new era of communication between cat lovers and their pets.”Which of these is NOT discussed in the passage?
| A．the status of cats throughout history |
| B．the evolution of different species of cats |
| C．the popularity of the cats today |
| D．communication between cats and their owners |
The second paragraph mainly describes_______.
| A．how Bast became a goddess. |
| B．the low point in the history of cats |
| C．the high point in the history of cats |
| D．the reason why cats are such good hunters |
How were cats treated in Europe during the Dark Ages?
| A．as farm animals | B．as food | C．as magical creatures | D．as honored guests |
According to the passage, what percentage of people in the United States keep both a cat and a dog?
| A．about 10 percent | B．nearly 25 percent | C．about 33 percent | D．close to 50 percent |
EVENTS
Long March exhibition
The Shanghai History Museum is putting on an exhibition to mark the 60th anniversary of the Long March．On show are more than 220 photos and 40 items that explain with pictures how the communist Red Army drew back from its besieged(被围困的) bases in Jiangxi Province and fought its way to northern Shanxi Province in the mid-1930s．Explanations are all in Chinese．The show will end on November 20.
Time: 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Address: 1286 Hongqiao Road
Admission: 8 yuan for Chinese /15 yuan for foreigners
Thai elephants
Eight elephants from Thailand are entertaining visitors at Changfeng Park by riding bikes, playing basketball, balancing on a pole, dancing and blowing a mouthorgan（口琴）．People are encouraged to have a tug-of-war(拔河比赛)with the animals or lie on the ground and have the elephants walk over them．The elephants give three shows a day at 9:30 am, 3:30 pm and 8:00 pm and there is an additional show at l:30 pm at weekends．The show will end on November 15．
Address: 189 Daduhe Road
Admission: 30-40 yuan
Dancing dolphins
Dolphins jumping from the water to touch a ball, swaying their bodies to music, kissing people and doing math by tapping their tails have made the dolphinarium（海豚馆） in Peace Park an attraction for children．Seals and sea lions also perform.
Hours: 10:30 am, 4:00 pm, and 7:30 pm
Admission: 20 yuan for adults and 10 yuan for children.(252 words)If you go to visit the Long March exhibition with an Australian, how much will you pay altogether for the admission?
| A．16 yuan． | B．30 yuan． | C．23 yuan. | D．20 yuan. |
Which of the following is NOT done by the Thai elephants?
| A．Riding bicycles. |
| B．Blowing a mouth-organ． |
| C．Having a tug-of-war with people. |
| D．Doing math． |
The dolphinarium in Peace Park is a hall where you can see ______.
| A．only seals and sea lions perform |
| B．only dolphins perform |
| C．not only dolphins but also seals and sea lions perform |
| D．only seals perform |
Eyesight problems are common among all ages and if they are left untreated, they can cause serious headaches or other problems. The good news is that most eyesight problems can easily be sorted out by wearing glasses.
Regular eye tests are important for everyone. Children and teenagers, under the age of 16 and up to the age of 19 for those full-time education, have the right to have eye tests for free in Britain. As the eye test is free, there’s no excuse for not having a regular eye test. Doctors suggest that it’s better to have an eye test about once a year.
Wearing glasses isnt always regarded as all that cool and teens who suddenly need to wear glasses may find it difficult to accept. If theyve grown up wearing glasses, then they may be more used to it. However, if your eyes are in poor health, not wearing glasses can put even more pressure on your eyes and could make them even worse.
Thankfully, the days of little choice of glasses frames (框架) for teenagers are gone and there’s now a wide selection of frames. If a teen does need to wear glasses, then it’s good to let him or her choose the type, as he or she will be able to choose something he or she feels comfortable. Dont forget to be guided by the experts on glasses too.According to the text, teens in the UK ______.
| A．have few eyesight problems |
| B．can design their own glasses |
| C．change their glasses very often |
| D．can check their eyes without paying |
How often do doctors suggest teens to have an eye test?
| A．Once a month. |
| B．Once every six months. |
| C．Once a year. |
| D．Twice a year. |
It can be learned from the text that teens ______.
| A．find it difficult to buy comfortable glasses |
| B．prefer to wear cool glasses at an early age |
| C．are advised to wear glasses if their eyesight is poor |
| D．think they are much cooler when wearing glasses |
In the past, teens who wanted to buy glasses ______.
| A．were unable to find the right glasses |
| B．only had a few styles to choose from |
| C．could not find an expert to ask for advice |
| D．were worried about the quality of glasses |
When Xia Min started drinking alcohol（酒精，乙醇） with her classmates at a friend’s birthday, she didn’t realize what would happen to her. She drank a lot and fell into a coma (昏迷). The 15year-old girl from Chongqing never recovered.
Xia’s death is warning to other students. A new rule went into effect on January 1, 2006. Teens are not allowed to buy or drink alcohol. Shops are not allowed to sell it to them.
A 1999 Chinese law forbade (禁止) shops to sell alcohol to youths under 18. But it is not taken seriously by shopkeepers because it doesn’t have specific rules. People hope the new rule will work.
“I tasted alcohol when having the dinner of the last New Year’s Eve,” said Lian Yuqi, a 16-year-old girl in Xiamen. She believes that the new rule will stop teens from drinking and help them grow in a healthy way.
“Although it may be a little disappointing not to have beer at parties, I think we can have soft drinks instead,” she said.Xia Min died from alcohol at the age of ______.
| A．15 | B．16 | C．17 | D．18 |
The underlined word it means ________.
| A．a warning sing | B．a shopkeeper |
| C．the new rule | D．a 1999 Chinese law |
We can know that ________.
| A．it is against the new rule for youths under 18 to drink alcohol |
| B．shops can sell alcohol to a 16 years old youth. |
| C．without an ID card, young people cant buy alcohol |
| D．it seems that the young girl, Liang Yuqi, likes to drink alcohol |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The new rule has worked very well. |
| B．Shopkeepers can sell alcohol to teens above 18. |
| C．Chinas legal drinking age is clearly under18. |
| D．Many teens drink alcohol to show theyve grown up. |
If your mother wants to tell you something , she uses words . Birds can not talk as we do . But some birds can make sounds to warn their young of danger . They have their own ways to make the young birds do certain thing .
The jackdaw is a kind of blackbirds that lives in Europe . Jackdaws live together in flocks. (群) Yong jackdaws do not know their enemies . When an older jackdaw sees a dog , it makes a loud tattling (格格响的)sound. The young birds know this sound means an enemy is nearby. The sounds warns them to know their enemy .
If a young jackdaw is in a dangerous place, a jackdaw parent flies over him from behind .The parent bird flies low over the young birds back, the parents’ tail feathers move quickly from side to side, It is trying to say , “ Follow me .”
At the same time , the parent calls out , “ Key-aw ,Key-aw .” The parent means , “ Fly home with me .” The young bird then follows the older one home .
Young jackdaws do not have to learn what certain sounds mean. They know the meaning of these sounds from the time they hatch （孵化，小鸡等出壳）.The jackdaw lives in _____ .
| A．Europe | B．Australia |
| C．America | D．Africa |
When an old jackdaw sees a dog , it _____ .
| A．calls out “Follow me .” |
| B．makes a loud sound |
| C．flies away |
| D．fights the dog . |
Parent jackdaw can use their tail feathers to ______ .
| A．ask their young to follow them |
| B．play a game with the young |
| C．tell the meal time |
| D．give a warning of a fire |
Which of the following does this story lead you to believe ?
| A．All animal parents can talk to their young. |
| B．Dogs are the most dangerous enemies for jackdaws. |
| C．Young jackdaws know the meaning of their parents sound when they grow older. |
| D．Some birds can give certain information to one another. |
New research shows that the healthy brain may hold memories which we don’t even remember. In The Journal of Neuroscience, experts report that the brain might hold more memories than people realize, but that restoring those memories can be tricky.
Memory Check
First, participants saw a list of 120 real words mixed with 80 nonsense words. Next, they saw another word list and tried to remember which words had been on the first list. Meanwhile, their brains were scanned with functional magnetic resonance(核磁共振) imaging.
While participants reviewed the second word list, their brain scans showed more activity in a certain brain area -- the posterior（后部的） median temporal lobe(脑叶) -- when they saw words that had been on the first word list.
But participants didn’t always remember that they’d seen those words before. Sometimes, they goofed and said they hadn’t seen those words before. In other words, the posterior median temporal lobe was more sensitive to memory than participants’ consciousness, the researchers note.
“Album”of Memories
Another part of the median temporal lobe also attracted the scientists’ attention. The anterior（前面的）median temporal lobe showed more activity when participants thought they were seeing a new word, the study shows.
So, why did participants sometimes mess up their memory recall? It might be that two parts of their brain -- the posterior and anterior median temporal lobes -- might be dueling(决斗) for the upper hand in deciding what actually happened in the past, the study notes.
In other words, memories might have a photo album in the brain, but sometimes we forget what’s on all of the photo album’s pages.A person sometimes has difficulty recalling because.
| A．he is unconscious when he gets his memories |
| B．he forgets what is on the pages of the photo album |
| C．there are two parts in his brain dueling for the upper advantage |
| D．the anterior median temporal lobe is more active than the posterior |
According to the passage the researchers are.
| A．studying how a person remembers things |
| B．studying a magazine The Journal of Neuroscience |
| C．examining posterior and anterior median temporal lobes |
| D．doing experiments to find out what disturbs a person’s memory |
What did the experts discover when the participants saw the words on the first word list appear on the second word list?
| A．The instrument worked faster. |
| B．The participants were more conscious. |
| C．The posterior median temporal lobe was more active. |
| D．The anterior median temporal lobe was more active. |
The underlined wordgoofedin the fourth paragraph means.
| A．made a mess of | B．made an answer for |
| C．made out of | D．made the best of |