A study into character, intelligence and usefulness shows dogs are better pets than cats—but only by a whisker.

Staff at New Scientist magazine first listed the areas where cats fared better. These included having bigger brains—compared to their body size. Cats’brains also contain 1.4 million more cells, devoted to complex functions such as memory and attention, than dogs. Cats’second point was given for being more popular, with 204 million living in the top ten cat-owning nations compared to 173 million dogs in the ten countries where dogs are favored. Cats also get more attention from humans, with purrs （呼噜声）and miaows easily to be noticed. Although dogs can vary their barks, they cannot match the attention-seeking of cats. It is a similar story when it comes to senses. Cats can see in lower light than dogs and have a far wider hearing range and a sharper sense of smell. They are also said to be’greener’pets because their smaller appetites mean less area of land required to farm their food.

But in the other six categories examined—many of which related to getting on with humans dogs had the edge.

Dogs have a longer shared history with humans, maybe as long as 135,000 years. Cats are relative newcomers to our homes. Similarly, dogs have a greater ability to bond with their masters. Even four-month-old puppies choose a human companion over another dog. Dogs scored a third point for their better powers of understanding and following human gestures. One study found that a dog called Rico had mastered the meaning of more than 200 words. The ability to perform roles such as being a guide dog for the blind meant dogs were rated better than cats when it came to their problem-solving abilities. And they are easier to train.

With the scores tied at five-all, the deciding point fell on usefulness—with dogs coming out on top.

Dogs, studies show, help cut human stress, while taking them for walks keeps their owners fit and helps them meet new people. New Scientist says: “Dogs can hunt and guard. They can sniff out drugs and bombs; they guide blind and deaf people, find someone buried in ruins, and possibly even predict earthquakes.”

And in a conclusion certain to set off argument, it adds: “Cats are good if you have rodents （啮齿类动物）.”

1.Which of the following is not cats’ advantage?

    A．Better at grasping their owners’ instructions.

    B．Having relatively larger brains.

    C．Affecting the environment less.

    D．More likely to drawing attention.

2.The underlined phrase “by a whisker”（paragraph 1）probably means “        ”.

     A．quite considerably             B．just a little bit

     C．most significantly                 D．in some aspects

3.We can learn the fact from the passage that          .

    A．Dogs are far from satisfactory in terms of their ability to catch rodents

    B．Dogs can better help people who have problems with their sight and hearing

    C．Comparatively speaking, cats have a better interaction with humans

    D．Dogs beat cats when it comes to their senses of sight, heating and smell

4.Which would be the best title for the passage?

     A．Cats beat Dogs                      B．Fight like Cat and Dog

     C．Cats versus Dogs                D．Cats away, Dogs Play

A study into character, intelligence and usefulness shows dogs are better pets than cats—but only by a whisker.

Staff at New Scientist magazine first listed the areas where cats fared better. These included having bigger brains—compared to their body size. Cats’brains also contain 1.4 million more cells, devoted to complex functions such as memory and attention, than dogs. Cats’second point was given for being more popular, with 204 million living in the top ten cat-owning nations compared to 173 million dogs in the ten countries where dogs are favored. Cats also get more attention from humans, with purrs （呼噜声）and miaows easily to be noticed. Although dogs can vary their barks, they cannot match the attention-seeking of cats. It is a similar story when it comes to senses. Cats can see in lower light than dogs and have a far wider hearing range and a sharper sense of smell. They are also said to be’greener’pets because their smaller appetites mean less area of land required to farm their food.

But in the other six categories examined—many of which related to getting on with humans dogs had the edge.

Dogs have a longer shared history with humans, maybe as long as 135,000 years. Cats are relative newcomers to our homes. Similarly, dogs have a greater ability to bond with their masters. Even four-month-old puppies choose a human companion over another dog. Dogs scored a third point for their better powers of understanding and following human gestures. One study found that a dog called Rico had mastered the meaning of more than 200 words. The ability to perform roles such as being a guide dog for the blind meant dogs were rated better than cats when it came to their problem-solving abilities. And they are easier to train.

With the scores tied at five-all, the deciding point fell on usefulness—with dogs coming out on top.

Dogs, studies show, help cut human stress, while taking them for walks keeps their owners fit and helps them meet new people. New Scientist says: “Dogs can hunt and guard. They can sniff out drugs and bombs; they guide blind and deaf people, find someone buried in ruins, and possibly even predict earthquakes.”

And in a conclusion certain to set off argument, it adds: “Cats are good if you have rodents （啮齿类动物）.”

48．Which of the following is not cats’ advantage?

       A．Better at grasping their owners’ instructions.

       B．Having relatively larger brains.

       C．Affecting the environment less.

       D．More likely to drawing attention.

49．The underlined phrase “by a whisker”（paragraph 1）probably means “_________”.

     A．quite considerably                    B．just a little bit

     C．most significantly                   D．in some aspects

50．We can learn the fact from the passage that________ .

       A．Dogs are far from satisfactory in terms of their ability to catch rodents

       B．Dogs can better help people who have problems with their sight and hearing

       C．Comparatively speaking, cats have a better interaction with humans

       D．Dogs beat cats when it comes to their senses of sight, heating and smell

51．Which would be the best title for the passage?

     A．Cats beat Dogs                      B．Fight like Cat and Dog

     C．Cats versus Dogs                     D．Cats away, Dogs Play

Homestay provides English language students with the opportunity to speak English outside the classroom and the experience of being part of a British home.  
What to Expect
The host will provide accommodation and meals. Rooms will be cleaned and bedcovers changed at least once a week. You will be given the house key and the host is there to offer help and advice as well as to take an interest in your physical and mental health.
Accommodation Zones
Homestays are located in London mainly in Zones 2, 3 and 4 of the transport system.   Most hosts do not live in the town centre as much of central London is commercial and not residential (居住的). Zones 3 and 4 often offer larger accommodation in a less crowded area. It is very convenient to travel in London by Underground.
Meal Plans Available
*  Continental Breakfast
*  Breakfast and Dinner
*  Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner
It’s important to note that few English families still provide a traditional cooked breakfast. Your accommodation includes Continental Breakfast which normally consists of fruit juice, cereal (谷物类食品), bread and tea or coffee. Cheese, fruit and cold meat are not normally part of a Continental Breakfast in England. Dinners usually consist of meat or fish with vegetables followed by desert, fruit and coffee.
Friends
If you wish to invite a friend over to visit, you must first ask your host’s permission. You have no right to entertain friends in a family home as some families feel it is an invasion of their privacy.
Self-Catering Accommodation in Private Homes
Accommodation on a room-only basis includes shared kitchen and bathroom facilities and often a main living room. This kind of accommodation offers an independent lifestyle and is more suitable for the long-stay student. However, it does not provide the same family atmosphere as an ordinary homestay and may not benefit those who need to practise English at home quite as much.
【小题1】 The passage is probably written for ________.

第二节完形填空（20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
A Washed Day
In the faint light of the attic（阁楼）, an old man, bent down and made his way to a pile of boxes . Brushing aside a lot of  36  , he began to lift out one old 37  after another.
He  38  opened the long buried treasures and soon was 39  in a sea of memories.
Setting  40  one of the dusty albums, he pulled from the box what to be a  41  from his grown son's childhood. He  42  not recall ever having seen it before,  43  that his son had ever kept a journal. Opening the  44  pages, he glanced over a short reading, and his  45  curved in an unconscious smile.  46  his eyes brightened as he read the words. It was the voice of the little boy who had grown up far too fast in this  47  house, and whose voice had grown fainter and fainter over the  48 . The words of a  six-year-old  49  the old man back to a time  50  totally forgotten.
Reminded that he had kept a daily journal of his  51 activities over the years, he closed his son's journal. Opening a glass cabinet door, he reached in and  52  an old business journal. Then he sat down at his desk and  53  the two journals beside each other. As he opened his journal, the old man's eyes fell upon several words that  54 .  In his own neat handwriting were these words:
55 the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn't catch a thing. With a deep sigh and a shaking hand, he took Jimmy's journal and found the boy's entry for the same day: Went fishing with my dad. Best day of my life.
36.A. sweat       B. water         C. dust       D. rain
37.A. diary        B. album         C. book      D. dictionaries
38.A. carefully       B. carelessly      C. casually      D. anxiously
39.A. surprised      B. disappointed      C. interested   D. lost
40.A. aside        B. up             C. off         D. out
41.A. photograph   B. letter          C. journal          D. card
42.A. could       B. would         C. should     D. might
43.A. and              B. so              C. but        D. or
44.A. colored     B. yellowed       C. turned     D. touched
45.A. nose         B. eyes           C. ears       D. lips
46.A. Thus        B. Then          C. Even      D. However
47.A. very         B. just            C. poor      D. big
48.A. hours       B. weeks         C. months       D. years
49.A. forced      B. carried              C. left        D. made
50.A. seldom     B. hardly         C. almost     D. never
51.A. politics     B. business        C. science       D. holiday
52.A. pulled up      B. Pulled off      C. pulled out   D. pulled over
53.A. placed      B. threw         C. hid        D. read
54.A. picked out    B. stood out       C. worked out D. took out
55.A. Spend      B. Enjoyed        C. Spared         D. Wasted

The friendship between us never fades. Mary Allen was my best friend—like a sister I never had. We did everything together: piano lessons, movies, swimming, horseback riding, and so on.
When I was 13, my family moved. Mary and I   36  in touch through letters, and we saw each other on special  37  — like my wedding and Mary’s. Soon we were  38  with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less. One day a card that I sent came back,  39  “Address Unknown.” I had no idea how to   40   Mary.
Over the years, I thought of Mary often. I wanted to  41  stories of my children and then grandchildren. I need to share my   42 when my brother and then my mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Mary could  43 .
One day I was reading a newspaper   44  I notice a picture of a young woman who looked a lot like Mary and whose last name was Wagman— Mary’s married name. “There must be thousands of Wagmans,” I thought,  45 I wrote to her anyway.
She called as soon as she got my letter. “Mrs. Tobin!” she said excitedly, “Mary Allen Wagman is my mother”. Minutes later I heard a voice that I  46   at once, even after 40 years. We laughed and cried and asked about each other’s   47  .
Now the empty place in my heart is filled, and there is one thing that Mary and I know for sure: We won’t lose each other again!