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.”

1.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

2.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

3.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

4.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

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.”
【小题1】Which of these is NOT discussed in the passage?

I arrived at my mother's home for our Monday family dinner. The smells of food      over from the kitchen. Mother was pulling out quilt (被子) after quilt from the boxes,     showing their beauties. She was        for a quilt show at the Wooden Church. When we began to fold and put them        into the boxes, my attention was        by something at the bottom of one box. I        it out. “What is it?” I asked.

“Oh?” Mom said, “that's Mama's quilt.”

I        the quilt. It looked        a group of school children had        it together: irregular designs, childish pictures, a crooked        on the right.

“Grandmother made this?” I said,       . My grandmother was a        at making quilts. This didn't certainly look like any of the quilts she had made.

“Yes, right before she died. I brought it home last year and made some       ,” she said. “I’m still working on it. See, this is        I’ve done so far.”

I looked at it more closely. She had made straight a crooked line. At the center of the quilt, she had stitched a piece of cloth        those words: “My mother made many quilts. She didn't get all line       . But I think this is beautiful. I want to see it finished. Her last quilt.”

“Oh, this is so nice, mom,” I said. It        to me that by completing my grandmother’s quilt, my mother was        her own mother. I realized I held in my hands a family       . It started with the loving hands of one woman, and continued with the loving hands of another,        two generations.

1.A. flew                         B. rushed                          C. floated                          D. wandered

2.A. proudly          B. slightly                        C. calmly                     D. hopefully

3.A. trading                     B. reaching                      C. asking                D. preparing

4.A. up                    B. down                             C. back                   D. off

5.A. drawn             B. shocked              C. embarrassed      D. excited

6.A. raised                       B. pulled                           C. caught                D. held

7.A. pressed          B. folded                C. spread                D. arranged

8.A. even if                     B. if only                 C. as if                              D. only if

9.A. picked                          B. added                 C. chained                         D. pieced

10.A. line               B. bar                                C. stick                             D. mark

11.A. delighted      B. scared                           C. surprised                    D. worried

12.A. master                    B. beginner                      C. scholar                          D. customer

13.A. decisions     B. dresses              C. changes                       D. progress

14.A. how                       B. which                 C. where                D. what

15.A. to                            B. with                              C. for                               D. by

16.A. straight             B. wrong                     C. mixed                     D. respectable

17.A. occurred               B. happened                    C. replied               D. struck

18.A. promoting             B. moving               C. honoring                     D. approaching

19.A. custom         B. treasure                       C. memory                      D. award

20.A. passing         B. holding                         C. satisfying                      D. covering

五、短文改错（共10小题，每题1分，满分10分。要求规范答题）

What should you do when your parents become angry?             76. ________

If they get mad, try have a conversation with them about           77. ________

the problem. Remembering not to shout at them. Usually,          78. ________

they will try to change, and it will take some time because        79. ________

they have got angrily all their lives, and that is all they know.    80. ________

You might have to change your method couple of times.           81. ________

Do some nice things for your parents that they didn’t         82. ________

expect, like cooking, doing the dishes, washing cloth, or            83. ________

clean the house. If this doesn’t work, bring in a friend that        84. ________

you feel comfortable with, and have him or her to help you.      85. ________