It’s a common belief that over time, pet owners start to look like their animals, and vice versa. Now conies the terrifying news that cats look up to their owners as role models and copy their behavior.
Next time you reach for your fridge, think twice. If Kitty is watching, she is likely to overeat as well.
What is your cat’s IQ?
In a new study from the University of Messina, it turns out that indoor cats who live closely to their owners “mirror” the lives of their caregivers. They sleep at the same time, eat at the same time,  and can even become more or less social depending on the behavior of their owners.
“Cats are intelligent animals with a long memory, ”Jane Brunt, the executive director of the CATalyst Council, told Discovery News. “They watch and learn from us, noting the patterns of our actions. as evidenced by knowing where their food is kept and what time to expect to be fed, how to open the cupboard door that’s been improperly closed, and where their feeding and toileting areas fife. ”Because cats copy our habits, if you spend a lot of time raiding(搜刮)the fridge, your cat will return to its food bowl for that midnight snack, too. According to the study, this explains why “human and cat overweight rates often seem to match. ”So. if you felt guilty about leaving your precious kitty at home while you go to work, now you call feel even worse：You fife making your cat fat!
There’s no word if drinking green tea and making sure you go to Yoga will benefit your cat, but based on the study. it sounds like sticking to a healthy eating and sleeping schedule is best for both of you.
There’s a lot we can learn from our cats in return. “When they sit on our laps softly purring with rhythmic breathing and half-closed eyes. the sense of peace and calm that comes over us is like a private 1esson in inner meditation. ”Brant said. Sure. But cats don’t have to sit in rush hour traffic for an hour a day or worry about their in-laws. They’re probably pretty good at remaining calm.
So, according to science。even though we assumed that cats were not close to us all these years, it turns out they fife in fact learning from us and looking up to us. Scary, huh?
【小题1】According to the passage. which of the following is NOT true?

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

Dear Aunty,

After years of her crying, I finally gave in and allowed my daughter to have a cat. I now regret my decision. As someone needs to have a clean, tidy house, I no longer feel relaxed in my own home. If I tell her, “sorry, the cat has to go.” She will be heartbroken. What can I do?

-Feline Phobic

Dear Phobic,

I’m an animal lover and on your kid’s and cat’s side. Tell your daughter your problem. Ask her to help you come up with a plan. Perhaps you can agree to allow the cat only in certain areas of the house. This is a chance for your daughter to develop the sense of responsibility owning a pet requires.

Dear Aunty,

I got the highest grade on a biology test. Now the popular kids think I’m brainy, and want me in their lab group. I knew I was being used. Now, they want my homework. What should I do?

-Lily

Dear Lily,

Popularity can come at a price, but it’s no excuse to cheat. Offer to help new friends with their homework, but don’t give them yours.

Dear Aunty,

I’m one of six assistants in a dental (牙科的)office. But I’m new there just four months. I’ve tried to join conversations, but they just ignore me. They go shopping together. No one invites me. How can I break into the circle?

-Crystal

Dear Crystal,

Humans run in packs like dogs. When a new dog enters the pack, a lot of discovery goes on. So bring cookies for everyone! Then try making friends with one co-worker. Invite her to lunch. When you get familiar with each other, tell her how hard you’re finding the situation at work. Chances are, she’ll take you under her wing.

1.Aunty thinks that Phobic should _____.

  A. try to persuade her daughter to give in

  B. spend more time cleaning the house

  C. ask her daughter to help tidy up

  D. find a better way to keep the cat

2.The underlined word “brainy” in the passage means _____.

  A. excited      B. friendly   C. intelligent  D. hard-working

3.According to the passage, _____.

  A. Phobic can’t get along well with her daughter

  B. Aunty is fond of animals like cats

  C. Crystal’s coworkers are cheating her

  D. Lily has no interest in lab experiments

Can dogs and cats live in perfect harmony in the same home? People who are thinking about adopting a dog as a friend for their cats are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found a new recipe of success. According to the study, if the cat is adopted before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get alongswimmingly. Two-thirds of the homes interviewed reported a positive relationship between their cat and dog.
However, it wasn’t all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression and fighting were observed in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body signals were just opposite. For example, when a cat turns its head away it signals aggression, while a dog doing the same signals submission.
In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers observed a surprising behaviour. They are learning how to talk each other’s language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk ‘Dog’, and dogs can learn how to talk ‘Cat’.
What’s interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to develop their intelligence. They can learn how to read each other’s body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than we previously suspected. Once familiar with each other’s presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose to nose, and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom (梳理) each other.
The significance of the research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets ─ to people who don’t get along, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even world superpowers. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.
【小题1】The underlined word “swimmingly” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.

They say that cats have nine lives but our lazy old cat,PJ,had concurrent(并存的)lives and identities. He became well-known for sleeping around the neighbourhood and used to nap in the spare bedroom of elderly couple who lived three doors up from us.While I wasn’t always aware of all his liaisons, it didn’t matter as long as he always came home at mealtimes.

One day we noticed he had gained weight. We guessed he was enjoying snacks at the local takeaway shop bins and so we began to reduce the amount of his food. He didn’t seem to notice.

Some months later. we invited some new neighbours in for drinks. Not long into the evening, our new neighbor saw PJ sitting proudly on the window ledge. “You’ve got my cat!” She exclaimed, laughing.

We let her down gently, and learnt that at their house, PJ was known as Tiger. Thanks to them, he’d been receiving the royal treatment, including removing small insects from his body by spraying medicine. PJ continued living with us until a new cat and a new dog finally tested his patience. He walked out and was missing for ten days before my husband spotted him near his work. He brought our wandering cat home, but it was clear that PJ wasn’t happy. After shouting at him angrily, I let him out and he never returned.

A few months later, our new neighbour told us she’d seen PJ. It seems that an elderly neighbour had welcomed him into her home, and since taking up residence he’d doubled in size and been given his own sitting – room chair to lie. The two had become very fond of each other, ever since he’d followed her home. What a smart cat.

1.By exclaiming “You’ve got my cat,” the neighbour implied that            .

A．she admitted the eat belonged to that author

B．the author had stolen the lovely eat PJ

C．she was surprised at seeing the cat there

D．she was very angry with the author

2.What does the underlined word “He” in Paragraph 4 probably refer to?

A．The cat PJ             B．the author’s husband

C．a new neighbour                   D．a neighbour’s husband

3.It can be inferred from the passage that            .

A．the cat had visited all the neighbours before leaving

B．the author found the cat had gained some weight

C．The author couldn’t provide the cat with medical care

D．the neighbours loved the cat PJ very much