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

The Mystery of the Flashing Fireflies
During summer nights fireflies flash in the darkness. They look like bright spots of light dancing on the breeze. Catching them in a jar for a few minutes can be fun. Fireflies are not really flies, though. They are winged beetles. Scientists are using these special beetles to learn more about our world.
The reason a firefly flashed its light is to find a mate. There are around two thousand species, or kinds, of fireflies. Fireflies mate only with their own species. Each kind of firefly has its own flash pattern. It is important that fireflies recognize this pattern. That way they can find bugs of their own kind. The male firefly flies around in the sky while the female firefly stays close to the ground.
For many years, how a firefly flashes its light was a mystery. Scientists now know that a firefly’s light is a cold light. It gives off all of its power as light. It does not produce heat. A normal light bulb gives off only ten percent of its power as light. The rest of the power is wasted as heat. That is why a light bulb that has been on for a while is very hot. The firefly’s light does not feel hot like a light bulb.
Scientists have also learned that fireflies have a small built-in lantern. This special lantern is located inside a firefly’s body. To create light, a gas flows through tiny tubes. This causes the firefly to light up. A firefly can also turn its light on and off quickly. This puzzled scientists. They learned that short bursts of this gas make the firefly glow. When the gas fades, the light goes out. This process happens very quickly.
Scientists know that what they learn from fireflies will be important. Medical studies using fireflies are helping scientists fight illnesses in human beings. They have made new medicines from the chemicals used by fireflies to make light. Fireflies have also helped with new discoveries. New flashlights and flares have been made based on fireflies. These new flashlights and flares produce a cold light like a firefly. This way all the power makes the light shine. This little bug may be a pleasure to watch, but it is also an important part of our lives.
【小题1】Why did the author most likely include Paragraph 4?

C
People think being an artist must be a wonderful way to earn one's living. Of course, there are lots of great things about working for oneself, at home alone. What I really like is that nobody tells me what time to start in the morning, what to wear; or whether I can take the afternoon off and go to a football match.
But then, I have no one to chat with when I'm bored, no one to discuss last night's match with during the lunch-hour. Sure, I can spend the afternoon doing something I enjoy like swimming, walking the dog, or even sleeping, if I choose. But the work will still be there when I do finally get back home, and it's still got to be finished in time. Unfortunately, working at home means that people can always find me, whether I’m bored or not and once I’ve answered the doorbell, it's too late——my thoughts have been interrupted. No one would dream of calling if I worked in an office, but in an office I find myself making cups of coffee and listening to friends' troubles. As they talk, my ideas disappear and I feel increasingly stressed thinking of my work waiting to be done.
66. What is the writer trying to do in the text?
A. To encourage readers to work at home.     
B. To explain why he has changed his job.
C. To describe his working life.             
D. To say how he would like to work.
67. What can the reader learn from the text?
A. How to start working for oneself.         
B. What it's like to work at home.
C. Why the writer decided to work for himself. 
D. How artists become successful?
68. What does the writer like about his life?
A. He has plenty of opportunities for sport.    
B. He is his own boss.
C. He can see people when he wants to.       
D. He has a comfortable place to work.
69. What does the writer imagine he might do with colleagues ( 同事 ) ?
A. Have meals in restaurants.                
B. Go to the swimming pool.
C. Spend time in the countryside.                 
D. Talk about sport.
70. Which of these notices would be most useful for the writer to put on his door?

Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough, the answer to both these questions is yes. To some extent our intelligence is given us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of a person's intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways.

It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random from the population, it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different. If on the other hand we take two identical twins they will very likely be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.

Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays.

This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence.

1.Which of these sentences best describes the writer's point in Paragraph 1?

A. To some extent, intelligence is given at birth.

B. Intelligence is developed by the environment.

C. Some people are born clever and others born stupid.

D. Intelligence is fixed at birth, but is developed by the environment.

2. It is suggested in this passage that_______.

A. unrelated people are not likely to have different intelligence

B. close relations usually have similar intelligence

C. the closer the blood relationship between people, the more different they are likely to be in intelligence

D. people who live in close contact with each other are not likely to have similar degrees of intelligence

3.Brothers and sisters are likely to_______.

　 A. have similar intelligence             B. have different intelligence

　 C. go to the same university             D. go to the same factory

4.The best title for this article would be_______.

A. On Intelligence　                B. What Intelligence Means

C. We Are Born with Intelligence        D. Environment Plays a Part in Developing Intelligence

Outside her shabby cottage, old Mrs. Tailor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children lay hidden in the leaves of a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she really was a witch.

They watched as she took a broomstick to clean the dirt from her stone steps. But, much to their disappointment, she did not mount the broomstick and take flight. Suddenly, the old lady’s work was interrupted by the cackling of her hen—a signal that an egg had been laid in the warm nest on top of the haystack.

The old broomstick was put aside as she hobbled off towards the haystack followed by Sooty, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap some time back. With only three legs, it was hard for Sooty to keep up with the old lady. The cat provided proof—the children were sure that only a witch could own a black cat with three legs.

There, standing on a wooden box, was Mrs. Tailor, stretching out to gather her precious egg. Taking the egg in one of her hands, she began to climb down when, without warning, the box broke and the old lady fell.

 “We have to got and help her,” whispered Amy.

 “What if it is a trick?” replied Ben.

 “Don’t be silly, Ben. If she were a witch, she would have turned us into frogs already,” reasoned Meg. “Come on Amy, let’s go.” The girls climbed down the tree and ran all the way to the haystack.

Approaching carefully, they could see a wound on the old lady’s face. She had knocked her head on a stone and her ankle was definitely broken. “Go and get Dad,” Amy yelled to her brother. “Tell him about the accident.”

The boys did not need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as thy could for help, hoping that Mrs. Tailor would not wake and turn the girls into frogs.

1.Were the children hiding in the tree?

A. They wanted to watch Mrs. Tailor do her housework closely.

B. They were playing a hide-and-seek game

C. They wanted to find out if the rumors about Mrs. Tailor were true

D. They were pretending to be spies

2.Mrs. Tailor stopped sweeping when____

A. her front steps were clean             B. she noticed the children in the tree

C. she was ready to take a flight          D. she heard the hen cackling

3.Ben did not rush in help Mrs. Tailor because_____

A. he thought that she could be necking them

B. he knew that they could not have been in the tree

C. he did not the old lady fall down

D. he was afraid of the three-legged cat

4.Which of these old sayings best suits the story’s lesson for us?

A. Make hay while the sun shines.

B. Never judge a book by its cover.

C. People in glasshouses should not the stones.

D. A bird in the hands worth two in the bush.