Who is the superstar of the cat world? It has to be Uncle Cat. Uncle Cat is a fat white cat living in the countryside of Japan. He is already nine years old, as old as our 50-year-old uncle in cat years. That’s why he gets the nickname(绰号) Uncle Cat.

Uncle Cat is a lazy cat. He often half shuts his eyes and lies in the sun. It makes him look relaxed and peaceful. He also enjoys himself in a basket, so he has another name: Basket Cat.

Uncle Cat is clever. He knows exactly how to make himself look cool—to wear a pair of sunglasses. From hats to flowers, Uncle Cat likes everything that makes him a different cat.

Uncle Cat’s owner likes to take pictures of Uncle Cat. To his surprise, these photos are very popular on the internet. They make people from all over the world to know and love this cute cat.

Recently, a big earthquake happened in Uncle Cat’s hometown. But don’t worry. Uncle Cat is also a lucky cat. He is safe and sound. That means there will be more photos of Uncle Cat on time and he will soon bring us more fun!

1.What do you know about Uncle Cat’s looks?

A. He is a fat white cat.

b. He is already nine years old.

C. He is a lonely cat.

D. He lives in the country of Japan.

2.The main reason why Uncle Cat is called Basket Cat is that           .

A. He often half shuts his eyes.

b. He always lies in the sun.

C. He enjoys himself in a basket.

D. He looks relaxed and peaceful.

3.People from all over the world get to know and love Uncle Cat            .

A. during a big earthquake.

b. on the Internet.

C. from photo collections.

D. in the newspaper.

4. Which of the following can best explain “Uncle Cat knows exactly how to make himself look cool”?

Jim is my friend. His grandparents, parents, 1 brothers and one sister are in his family. Jim’s family like collections. Jim’s grandparents like to collect 2 .

They have many old photos, and they have many stories  3 these photos. Jim’s parents like books. Two big  4 are in their room and many books are in  5 . Jim’s brothers, Jack and Tony, like 6 . Jack likes basketball, and he   7  it with his classmates every day. He has five basketballs. Tony likes soccer. He plays it  8  his friends at school. He has four soccer balls. Jim’s sister likes pens, and she 9 12 different pens now. Jim likes sports, too, but he doesn’t play it. He only 10 them on TV. He has a great sports collection—— eight ping-pong balls and four bats, two basketballs and four tennis balls.

1. A. one        B. two       C. three

2. A. colors      B. numbers    C. photos

3. A. about      B. with       C. on

4. A. computers  B. desks      C. bookcases

5. A. it         B. them       C. they

6. A. schools    B. soccer      C. sports

7. A. does      B. watches     C. plays

8. A. with      B. for         C. to

9. A. gives      B. thinks      C. has

10.A. says      B. watches    C. finds

What is the hottest English word of 2013? It’s “selfie”, according to Oxford dictionaries. Selfie is a photo that one takes of oneself, according to the Oxford online dictionary. People usually take selfies with a smart phone(智能手机) and send them to a social media website.
The word was first used in 2002. In the past 12 months, its frequency (出现频率) in the English language has increased by 17,000 percent, said Oxford dictionaries. Now, almost everybody knows it.
“Almost every day, I take a photo of myself at school, and save it in my Qzone (QQ空间),” said Huang Xu, 13, from Hunan. These photos record her happy and sad moments.
Pop stars also take a lot of selfies. Li Chunping, 14, from Harbin, is a big fan of Yang Mi. “She has used many selfies to tell us what’s going on in her personal life,” said Li.
What makes people love selfies? Some people say it’s narcissism (自恋). “The rise of the selfie is a perfect symbol for our narcissistic culture. We’re crying out: Look at me!” said US psychiatrist(精神科医生) Carole Lieberman.
Young people are using selfies to make friends online, Jonathan Freedland wrote in The Guardian. “The usual purpose of taking a selfie is to share online. They express a human need to connect with others,” wrote Freedland.
Huang Xu agrees with that. “During summer vacation, my classmates and I shared many selfies online. Hair or clothes were not our interests. Through these photos, we got to know each other’s holidays and feelings,” said Huang Xu.

【小题1】According to the story, a “selfie” is _______.

—Why did you put these photos on your desk?

—Because they can ______ me of my old classmates and friends.

A．remember        B．memorize         C．regard            D．remind