My cat Toto is aging,and as she ages,her body is failing her.Mentally,she seems sharp,but after nearly sixteen years,Toto’s hips are causing her obvious trouble.In fact,they make it so that she can’t use a litter box effectively.She tries to squat(蹲坐),but mostly she just pisses(撒尿)out the back end of the box.
I spent the summer working with my vet to find things to help Toto,but nothing works.Since we can’t stand the smell of cat urine in the house,two weeks ago I took drastic measures.I banished Toto outside.(She gets to come in while I work,but I put her out for 80%of the day and night.)
Because Toto now lives outside,she eats and drinks outside.I’ ve set up a heating pad on the porch.and given her own food and water area nearby.She seems perfectly content with this arrangement except when she’s out of food,or she wants to be petted.
Strangely enough,she’s been out of food a lot lately.“I think another cat is eating Toto’s food.”I told Kris when I first noticed how quickly she was going through her bowl.
“Actually,”I said a couple of days later,“maybe it’s a dog.Whoever is eating Toto’s food keeps knocking the bowl over.”
But a few days after that,I realized that the food thief probably wasn’t even a dog.Whatever the critter(动物)was,it was messy. Every morning,Toto’s water dish was filled with mud.The food bowl was tipped over and the porch scattered with mud and debris(残渣).“I’ ll bet it’s a coon(浣熊),”I told Kris.Though we live in a residential neighborhood not far from Portland,we’ ve seen plenty of raccoons in the six years since we moved in.
Today I got to see the cat-food thievery first-hand.Turns out it’s not one raccoon-it’s a family of four.I was lucky enough to have my camera handy as they performed their daring raid:My favorite part of this video is how Toto simply sits on her heating pad and watches the raccoons eat her food.She isn’t bothered at all.Which of the following about Toto is true?
A.She is physically sharp. |
B.She is at least sixteen years old. |
C.She can’t use a litter box properly. |
D.She stays outside all the while recently. |
The underlined part in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to________.
A.drove away or forced somebody or something to leave |
B.put away or stored something |
C.protected somebody or something from being harmed |
D.threw something away |
What does the writer like most about what he filmed?
A.How Toto fought against the raccoons. |
B.A family of raccoons stole the food together. |
C.Toto’s casual attitude toward the raccoons. |
D.How the raccoons made the writer’s porch dirty. |
What would be the best title of the passage?
A.My Aged Cat | B.A Banished Cat |
C.An Unforgettable Experience | D.The Raccoons on My Porch |
For years scientists have been worried about the effects of air pollution on the earth's natural conditions. Some believe the air inside many houses may be more dangerous than the air outside.
Most scientists agree that every modern house has some kind of indoor pollution. People began to notice the problem in the early 1970s. When builders began making houses and offices, they did not want to waste energy. To do this they built buildings that limited the flow of air between inside and outside. They also used man-made building materials which are now known to let out harmful gases.
As the problem became more serious, scientists began searching for a way to deal with it. They discovered a natural pollution control system for building green plants.
Scientists believe that a plant's leaves absorb the pollutants (污染物). In exchange the plant lets out oxygen through its leaves. Studies of different plants show that each absorbs different chemicals. So the most effective way to clean the air is to use different kinds of plants.Indoor air pollution may be more dangerous than the air outside mainly because .
A.the building are too high |
B.the flow of air indoor is limited |
C.the building materials are harmful |
D.people don't want to waste energy |
Some kind of indoor pollution can be found in .
A.all kinds of offices | B.all kinds of houses |
C.every modern house | D.every old house |
In the last paragraph the word“ absorb” may mean .
A.take in | B.bring up | C.give out | D.turn into |
Scientists believe that plants can.
A.change oxygen into pollutants |
B.absorb all the pollutants |
C.make your houses more prettier |
D.absorb pollutions and let out oxygen |
According to the last paragraph, we should to clean the air.
A.plant all kinds of plant |
B.plant more trees. |
C.have the same kind of plant |
D.have different kinds of plants |
The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet (彗星) is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our plant, but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth.
On 17 July, a piece four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere(大气层) with a massive explosion. About half of the piece is destroyed, but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the sea bed. Huge waves are created and spread outwards from the hole. The wall of water, a kilometer high, rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned.
Before the waves reach South America, the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina. Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Mountains. The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean. The cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes. Millions of people in the southern half of the earth are already dead, but the north won’t escape for long. Because of the explosions, the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, and temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. The sun won’t be seen again for many years. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later, no more than 10 million remain alive.
Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space. The dinosaurs couldn’t live through the cold climate that followed and they died out. Will we meet the same end?What is mainly described in the passage?
A.An event of imagination. |
B.A scientific adventure. |
C.A research on space. |
D.A historic discovery. |
When the first piece hits the South Atlantic , it causes _____
A.an earthquake | B.damages to cities |
C.an Earth explosion | D.huge waves |
Why can’t the northern half of the earth escape for long?
A.Because the light and heat from the sun can not reach the earth. |
B.Because the land is covered with water |
C.Because people there can not live at the temperature of zero. |
D.Because wars break out among countries. |
By giving the example of dinosaurs, the author tries to prove______
A.the Earth could be hit by other objects in space |
B.what happened 65 million years ago was an invented story |
C.the human beings will die out in 2094 |
D.animals could not live in the cold climate |
We may guess that the writer is ______________.
A.worried | B.practical |
C.a scientist | D.full of imagination |
Tayka Hotel de Sal
Where:Tahua,Bolivia
How much:About $95 a night
Why it’s cool:You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood,but salt?That’s something few can claim. Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt—including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses(床垫) and blankets).The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni,a prehistoric driedup lake which is the world’s biggest salt flat. Builders use the salt from the 4,633squaremile flat to make the bricks,and glue them together with a paste (糊) of wet salt that hardens when it dries.When rain starts to dissolve the hotel,the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.
Green Magic Nature Resort
Where:Vythiri,India
How much:About $240 a night
Why it’s cool:Taking a pulley(滑轮)operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure.As you look out of your open window—there is no glass!—you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy(罩篷).Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel,or just sit on your bamboo bed and read.You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulleydrawn “elevator”.
Dog Bark Park Inn B&B
Where:Cottonwood,Idaho
How much:$92 a night
Why it’s cool:This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet. Sweet_Willy is a 30foottall dog with guest rooms in his belly. Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side.You can relax in the main bedroom,go up a few steps of the loft(阁楼) in Willy’s head,or hang out inside his nose.Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters,there is also a toilet in the 12foottall fire hydrant(消防栓) outside.
Gamirasu Cave Hotel
Where:Ayvali,Turkey
How much:Between $130 and $475 a night
Why it’s cool:This is caveman cool!Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago,when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash.But your stay will be much more modern.Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel,and the white volcanic ash,called tufa,keeps the rooms cool,about 65in summer.(Don’t worry—there is heat in winter.)
What do we know about Tayka Hotel de Sal?
A.It is located on a prehistoric lake. |
B.It should be protected against the rain. |
C.Everything in the hotel is made of salt. |
D.You have to cross a rope bridge to the hotel. |
What is the similarity of the four hotels?
A.Being expensive. |
B.Being comfortable. |
C.Being natural. |
D.Being unique. |
What does the underlined words “Sweet Willy” refer to?
A.The name of the hotel.
B.The name of the hotel owner.
C.The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.
D.The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner.
Which of the hotels makes you have a feeling of living in the far past?
A.Tayka Hotel de Sal.
B.Green Magic Nature Resort.
C.Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.
D.Gamirasu Cave Hotel.
There are thousands of products of all colors and shapes in a supermarket, making you believe that they are worth a try. How? Packaging is the silent but persuading salesman.
There on the shelves, each bottle, can ,box, and jar has been carefully designed and measured to speak to the inner self of the consumer, because he/she is buying not only a product but also his/her belief in life. Scientists have studied consumer behavior recently and found that the look of the package has a great effect on the “quality” of the product and on how well it sells, because “consumers generally cannot tell between a product and its package. Many products are packages and many packages are products.”, as Louis Cheskin, the first social scientist studying consumers’ feelings for packaging, noticed.
Colors are one of the best tools in packaging. Studies of eye movement have shown that colours draw human attention quickly. Take V8 for example. For many years, the bright red color of tomatoes and carrots on the thin bottle makes you feel that is it very good for your body. And the word “green” today can keep food prices going up.
Shapes are another attraction. Circles often suggest happiness and peacefulness, because these shapes are pleasing to both the eye and the heart. That’s why the round yellow M signs of McDonald’s are inviting to both young and old.
This new consumer response to the colors and shapes of packages reminds producers and sellers that people by to satisfy both body and soul.
According to the passage, _____ seems to be able to persuade a consumer to buy the product.
A.the pleasing color of the package |
B.he special taste of the product |
C.the strange shape of the package |
D.the belief in the product |
If a package or a product is round in shape, it can ____________.
A. bring excitement to the consumers
B. attract the consumers’ attention
C. catch the eye movement of the consumers
D produce a happy and peaceful feeling
“And the word green today can keep food prices going up ” This sentence suggests that consumers today are _________.
A.starting to notice the importance of new food |
B.enjoying the beauty of nature more than before |
C.beginning to like green vegetables |
D.paying more attention to their health |
It can be inferred from the passage that V8 is a kind of ________.
A vegetable dish B. healthy juice
C. iced drinkD red vegetable
Elizabeth and I are 18 now, and about to graduate. I think about our elementary school friendship, but some memories have blurred(模糊). What happened that day in the fifth grade when Beth suddenly stopped speaking to me? Does she know that I’ve been thinking about her for seven years? If only we could go back, and discover what ended our relationship.
I have to speak with Beth. I see her sometimes, and find out school is “fine”. It’s not the same. It never will be. Someone says that she’s Liz now. what happened to Beth?
I can’t call her. Should I write? What if she doesn’t answer me? How will I know what she’s thinking?
Yes, I’ll write her a letter. These things are easier to express in writing. “Dear Be-,” no, “Dear Li-” no, “Dear Elizabeth,” I begin. The words flow freely, as seven-year-old memories are reborn. I ask her all the questions that have been left unanswered in my mind, and pray she will answer. I seal my thoughts in the perfect white envelope, and imagine Beth looking into the mailbox. Will she know why I’m writing? Maybe she once thought of writing the same letter.
As the mailman takes my envelope from me forever, I wonder if I’ve made the right decision. Do I have the right to force myself into Beth’s life again? Am I simply part of the past? I have taken the first stop. Beth has control of the situation now.
One day has passed. Are my words lying on the bottom of the post office floor.
Two days are gone. I’m lost in thought and don’t even hear the phone ring.
“Hello? It’s Elizabeth”
What can we learn about Beth?
A.She had a quarrel with the author in the fifth grade |
B.She moved to another school in the fifth grade |
C.She is now called Liz instead of Beth |
D.She hasn’t seen the author for seven years |
Why does the author decide to write a letter instead of calling?
A.She is sure that Beth will not answer |
B.She’s afraid that they’ll quarrel on the phone |
C.She doesn’t know Beth’s telephone number |
D.It is easier to express her feelings in writing |
What does the underlined sentence mean in the fifth paragraph?
A.It’s up to Beth to decide what to do next |
B.Beth is to be blamed for the ending of their friendship |
C.Beth is in the same situation as the author is |
D.The author is completely in the hands of Beth now |
What might happen at the end of the story?
A.Beth answers her letter two day later |
B.The letter doesn’t reach Beth at all |
C.They make up their friendship |
D.Beth refuses to make peace with her |