“You should get a cat,” my doctor said. “A cat?” I couldn’t even look after myself! I took a deep breath and carefully considered the idea of welcoming a feline (猫科的) friend into my life.
Adopting an animal during the height of the pandemic was far from easy. When my partner and I found Cinnamon, her adoption information made her out as the perfect kitten. We filled out the paperwork and had a few weeks to prepare for her arrival.
When she came home, it became increasingly obvious that Cinnamon didn’t understand “no”, “stop it” or “don’t do that”. She was the worst cat I’ve ever owned. I was beginning to doubt my doctor’s advice. We decided to start taking her for walks. I could hardly leave the house before, but my heart couldn’t say no to Cinnamon. Cinnamon showed me what bravery looked like. If there was a dog at a park, she would run toward it. She jumped without knowing where she would land. She loved adventure. I found myself mirroring her behavior after a while, jumping out of bed without a second thought. I began to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning.
Cinnamon unfortunately passed away after a medical accident, leaving a cat-sized hole in my heart the day she left us at only six months old. I’m no stranger to sadness or grief, but losing my pet so suddenly was the most confusing emotional experience I’ve ever had. She was supposed to help me through more of my life than the three short months we had her. She no longer wakes me up at 5 a.m. begging for breakfast, but she is still the reason I get up every morning.
Our time is often cut unpredictably, unmistakably short. It would be a shame to live life being anything less than brave and adventurous.
1. How did the author feel originally when advised to adopt a cat?| A．Thrilled. | B．Ashamed. | C．Shocked. | D．Relieved. |
| A．Because the author was too ill to look after the cat. |
| B．Because the pandemic made it impossible to keep a cat at home. |
| C．Because the author’s family didn’t approve of the plan. |
| D．Because raising the cat was challenging for the author. |
| A．Stupid but adorable. | B．Naughty and adventurous. |
| C．Inactive but courageous. | D．Fierce and aggressive. |
| A．Friendship with pets is short. | B．The short life is predictable. |
| C．The loss of a pet is painful. | D．The courage to take risks is beneficial. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Blind imitation(模仿)is a disaster. To those who do not recognize their unique worth, imitation appears attractive; to those who know their strength, imitation is unacceptable.
In the early stages of skill or character development, imitation is helpful. When I first learned to cook, I used recipes and turned out some tasty dishes. But soon I grew bored. Why follow someone else’s way of cooking when I could create my own? Imitating role models is like using training wheels on a child’s bicycle; they help you get going, but once you find your own balance, you fly faster and farther without relying on them.
In daily life, imitation can hurt us if we subconsciously hold poor role models. If, as a child, you observed people whose lives were bad, you may have accepted their fear and pain as normal and gone on to follow what they did. If you do not make strong choices for yourself, you will get the results of the weak choices of others. In the field of entertainment, our culture glorifies celebrities. Those stars look great on screen. But when they step off screen, their personal lives may be disastrous. If you are going to follow someone, focus on their talent, not their bad character or unacceptable behaviors.
Blessed is the person willing to act on their sudden desire to create something unique. Think of the movies, books, teachers, and friends that have affected you most deeply. They touched you because their creations were motivated by inspiration not desperation. The world is changed not by those who do what has been done before them, but by those who do what has been done inside them. Creative people have an endless resource of ideas. The problem a creator faces is not running out of material; it is what to do with the material knocking at the door of imagination.
Study your role models, accept the gifts they have given, and leave behind what does not serve you. Then you can say, “I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors’ tragedies and declare victory, and know that they are cheering me on.”
1. When is imitation useful according to the passage?| A．When you begin to learn something new. |
| B．When you lose the balance of life. |
| C．When you know you are unique. |
| D．When you get tired of some routine practice. |
| A．We should stay away from stars. |
| B．We should ask others for decisions. |
| C．We should choose the right example. |
| D．We should forget daily fear and pain. |
| A．how to search for more materials |
| B．the absence of practical ideas |
| C．the lack of strong motivation |
| D．how to use imagination creatively |
| A．To criticize the characters of role models. |
| B．To emphasize the importance of creativity. |
| C．To compare imitation with creation. |
| D．To explain the meaning of success. |
【推荐2】Many years ago, I went to watch a dance show with my five-year-old son Tim. The dance was presented by the San Francisco Ballet company.
I gave in to other people’s views and prevented his dream. Dance lessons were put on hold. I let him take baseball classes.
Finally, Tim got to have his dance lessons during high school. His goal was to try out for the school’s dance group which was well-known nationwide. The competition to join it was fierce (激烈的). Tim tried to spare time to practice dancing in an organization that welcomed male dancers. At last, his hard work paid off.
I was proud of my son’s talent. And I regretted that I hadn’t been open-minded and hadn’t supported his interest and dream earlier. After graduation, he asked whether he could continue learning to dance in college. I agreed without hesitation (犹豫). Years later, Tim became a famous dancer.
| A．Therefore, he left the dance group with sadness. |
| B．Tim was so attracted by the dancers’ performance. |
| C．Later, he even stood out in his school’s dance group. |
| D．So it’s okay to be different and never get discouraged. |
| E．However, he paid little attention to the coach’s guidance. |
| F．Tim was determined and seldom accepted others’ advice. |
| G．But there was no positive reaction from the people around him. |
【推荐3】When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek minds whose qualities illuminate(照亮) me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.
When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say: “Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changed into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.
When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend.He was in despair(失望) and 1 was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.
For almost four years I have had a remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind.In my most interesting moments, I often think: “Yes, I must tell…’’We have never met.
It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist, who will only fill up the healing(愈合的) silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.
1. In Paragraph 3, “We gave London to each other” probably means _________.| A．our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us |
| B．we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London |
| C．our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared |
| D．we parted with each other in London |
| A．seek professional help |
| B．be left alone |
| C．stay with her best friend |
| D．break the silence |
| A．Unforgettable Experiences |
| B．Remarkable Imagination |
| C．Lifelong Friendship |
| D．Noble Companions |
【推荐1】Standing out from the crowd isn’t always a good thing.
Birds with uncommon traits like big beaks(喙), long tails and extended wings are more likely to be threatened and face extinction, new research finds.
“We are fascinated by the diversity of the planet’s bird species. At the same time, we are deeply concerned about the threats these birds face,” lead author Jarome Ali, a PhD candidate at Princeton University, says. Ali completed the research at Imperial College London.
For their work, researchers analyzed measurement data collected from 9, 943 bird species, which are about 99% of all living bird species. The information came from both living birds as well as museum specimens(标本). The measurements included beak size and shape, as well as the length of legs, tails and wings. Researchers combined the information on physical traits with the birds’ risk of extinction. Next, they ran simulations(模拟) about what would occur if the most threatened birds were to become extinct.
“All our simulations showed that extinction has worse effects on the diversity of bird shapes than we expected. This is deeply concerning, but not shocking given that we first found that threatened birds were more unique than non-threatened birds,” Ali says.
The researchers weren’t sure what could explain the link between unusual birds and their extinction risk. “Unique birds are likely to play specialized roles in the ecosystem. One possible explanation is that as habitats come under threat, these specialized roles are likely to be the first to be targeted,” Ali says. “For example, if you were a hummingbird and specialized to feed on a small subset of plants, then damage to your habitat would be worse than if you were a less unique bird that eats a whole range of foods.”
“The loss of these rare birds has an impact on the environment because their role in the ecosystem is lost,” Ali says. “Our findings imply that we cannot simply hope that non-threatened species will come in and fill the role of the threatened species.”
1. What did the researchers do for the study?| A．They only focused on living bird species. |
| B．They analyzed data on most bird species. |
| C．They saved a number of threatened birds. |
| D．They made a map of all the extinct birds. |
| A．Relief. | B．Disappointment. | C．Surprise. | D．Concern. |
| A．Rare threatened bird species’ role is unique. |
| B．The loss of rare birds is actually unavoidable. |
| C．Non-threatened species will take the leading role. |
| D．The impact of bird loss can be easily controlled. |
| A．Rare birds are the future of the ecosystem. |
| B．Birds with rare features have lost their place. |
| C．The current ecosystem is going unbalanced. |
| D．Unusual birds are more likely to go extinct. |
【推荐2】Humpback whales are superb singers with complex vocal performances that last for tens of minutes, often repeated for many hours. An album of their songs gained worldwide fame in the 1970s and is still the best-selling recording of nature sounds ever made.
Only male humpbacks sing, and all the singers in a wide sea area deliver the same songs in the same way during each year. But songs vary between populations. North Atlantic humpbacks, for example, sing different ones to those in the North Pacific. Songs also vary every year, sometimes slightly, sometimes with more radical shifts.
These song patterns allowed a team from the University of Queensland, Australia to see how precisely humpbacks in different geographical populations can match each other’s songs. Using seven years of recordings, the researchers took a deep dive into the details of six song types made by humpbacks from eastern Australia, which were learned a year later by whales around New Caledonia — an island group around 1,200 km away.
“We found they actually learned the exact sounds, without simplifying or leaving anything out,” says Jenny Allen, who led the study. “Each year we observed them, they sang a different song, so it means humpback whales can learn an entire song pattern from another population very quickly, even if it’s complex or difficult.”
Such copying is remarkable — a bit like a human hearing opera, then singing it back perfectly. It also suggests cultural sharing. Songs are likely being learned on migration routes or at feeding grounds.
1. Why does the author mention the album of whales’ songs?| A．To stress how popular it is. |
| B．To show humpbacks can sing for long. |
| C．To prove how well humpbacks can sing. |
| D．To explain the necessity of whale research. |
| A．Females sing the same songs with males. |
| B．They change their songs during each year. |
| C．They produce the exact same songs every year. |
| D．Their singing patterns among groups are distinct. |
| A．They learn a song quickly when it is easy. |
| B．They can sing an opera perfectly as humans. |
| C．Different groups keep their songs to their own. |
| D．They can learn a song from another group accurately. |
【推荐3】As a nation of animal lovers, Britain has been rocked by a study that at least ten million pets suffer mental or physical stress.
Two million dogs are left alone daily for longer than recommended and 750,000 rabbits are fed too little grass, at least three million dogs and cats have never been vaccinated(接种疫苗), the research indicates. Shocked animal welfare campaigners are calling on owners to give their pets urgent attention.
A spokesman for animal charity said, “We know that owners love their pets, but many do not understand what their pets need.”
The charity’s survey is the first to measure the well-being of Britain’s 12 million cats, eight million dogs and 1.7 million pet rabbits. It found that five million cats, four million dogs and more than 700000 rabbits would be suffering mental or physical stress because their owners do not look after them properly. About 2.4 million dogs are mainly fed on leftovers(剩饭), rather than nutritionally balanced dog food.
About 1.9 million dogs are left alone each day for more than four hours, even though vets say four hours should be the maximum. Around 15 percent of owners believe it is acceptable to leave a dog for eight hours without attention while four percent say dogs can be abandoned for more than ten hours without suffering.
The survey also showed the Britain’s cats are overfed, with more than half of owners admitting their cats are overweight. Rabbits are also neglected. In the wild they live in large groups, but 67 percent of pet rabbits live on their own, which creates the risk of boredom and stress.
Another spokesman said, “Our report reveals that there is much work to do to raise awareness of what pets need to live healthy and happy lives.”
1. The author has written this article to______.| A．explain what pets should eat to keep healthy |
| B．show the present physical and mental situation of pets |
| C．call on people to take good care of their pets |
| D．tell readers what is a good happy life for pets |
| A．Dogs should be left alone for more than eight hours without suffering. |
| B．About 2.4 million dogs are fed on nutritionally balanced dog food. |
| C．Pet rabbits living together creates the risk of boredom and stress. |
| D．More than half of cats in Britain are overfed and overweight. |
| A．health magazine | B．biology textbook | C．newspaper advertisement | D．book review |
【推荐1】In 2011，during his freshman year at the University of Maryland，Simon was struck by how much food was thrown away in the college cafeteria．"I was shocked to see someone buy a full sandwich，eat half of it，and throw the other half out，"said Simon．"It was not the value I grew up with．"For him．discarded food was a "natural goldmine" where he could source to do good．
Four years later，Simon co-founded Imperfect Produce，a subscription-based home-delivery service for discounted "ugly" fruits and vegetables that are perfectly good on the inside，but otherwise rejected from the food supply chain for their looks．
"Up to 20% of the fruits and vegetables grown on farms in America are thrown away because the produce doesn't meet grocery stores'standards," said Simon．"It's often for discoloration，scarring on the surface caused by the fruit rubbing against a tree limb or an atypical shape，"he said．"Sometimes it's the size．”Simon29，and Chesler，27，decided to source this "ugly" produce directly from farms and deliver it to customers for about 30% less than conventional grocery store prices．
"The reason why we created Imperfect Produce as a direct-to-consumer business is because grocery stores didn't want to partner with us，"said Simon．"So we became our own store．The San Francisco-based service launched in August 2015．Today，Imperfect Produce has more than 200，000 subscribers in 22 cities．The company sources its produce from 250 growers nationwide，and slightly more than half of it is organic．To date，Simon said the service has helped recover 40 million pounds of food from going to waste．
Simon declined to disclose income but said this year's sales are expected to double last year's．The business is not yet profitable，but he hopes to expand the service to 40 cities by the end of 2019 and eventually take the company public at some point．
1. Why are many fruits and vegetables wasted？| A．They are not tasty． |
| B．They are poorly looking． |
| C．They are not nutritious． |
| D．They are not good inside． |
| A．Relatively high prices offered by him． |
| B．His desire to offer convenient service to others． |
| C．The wish to set up his own business． |
| D．Grocery stores' refusal to cooperate with him． |
| A．He thinks a lot about the wasted food． |
| B．He wants to help the poor． |
| C．He expects to make profits from his business． |
| D．He has expanded his service to 40 cities． |
The thought of walking into Larchmont’s office left Andrew weak in the knees. Late in the afternoon he was finally courageous enough to approach his superior. To his delight and surprise, the ever-frugal（一向节俭的）Harvey Larchmont agreed to give Andrew a raise!
Andrew arrived home that evening—despite breaking all city and state speed limits—to a beautiful table set with their best china, and candles lit. His wife, Tina, had prepared a delicate meal including his favorite dishes. Immediately he figured someone from the office had tipped her off!
Next to his plate Andrew found a beautiful lettered note. It was from his wife. It read: “Congratulations, my love! I knew you’d get the raise! I prepared this dinner to show just how much I love you. I am so proud of your accomplishments!” He read it and stopped to reflect on how sensitive and caring Tina was.
After dinner, Andrew was on his way to the kitchen to get dessert when he observed that a second card had slipped out of Tina’s pocket onto the floor. He bent forward to pick it up. It read: “Don’t worry about not getting the raise! You do deserve one! You are a wonderful provider and I prepared this dinner to show you just how much I love you even though you did not get the increase.”
Suddenly tears swelled in Andrew’s eyes. Total acceptance! Tina’s support for him was not conditional upon his success at work.
The fear of rejection is often softened and we can undergo almost any setback or rejection when we know someone loves us regardless of our success or failure.
1. What was Andrew’s plan that Friday?
| A．To request a wage increase from his boss. |
| B．To get a job with the Braer and Hopkins Advertising Agency. |
| C．To celebrate his success with his wife at home. |
| D．To ask his boss to come for dinner. |
| A．felt weak in the knees |
| B．was punished by the traffic policeman |
| C．was too anxious to share the news |
| D．couldn’t wait to enjoy a meal |
| A．Andrew was afraid that his request would lead to disaster. |
| B．Andrew had worked very hard and done his part for the company. |
| C．Andrew’s boss agreed to his request. |
| D．One of Andrew’s colleagues had told his wife the good news. |
| A．She was confident of his getting a pay raise. |
| B．She meant to show her support whatever the result would be. |
| C．She believed that her husband was the best in his company. |
| D．She wanted to express her gratitude for his devotion to the family. |
| A．we should never be afraid to ask for what is due to us |
| B．work hard and you will be rewarded |
| C．many fears turn out to be unfounded |
| D．unconditional love brings courage and strength |
【推荐3】I never imagined that someone telling me I looked skinny would anger me. And yet, I was made very angry when a colleague pinched (捏) my waist and screamed, “Rosa, you’ve lost weight. You look great!” The truth is that I was tired and not taking care of myself. I decided to start a proper weight-loss program.
The first to go would be road rage (路怒). I am in far less control of this weight than any other. Every time something gets in the way, I fly off the handle. I need to lose the road rage! No, no more speed. Instead, I now repeat the words, “I am not in a hurry.” This year, I will drive safely, allowing the “stupid” to happen all around me. From that, I hope to gain patience.
Next is guilt. When guilt drives my conscience to do better, it’s functional. But when it presents itself as an internal dialogue that goes nowhere, it’s useless. This year, I want to stop feeling guilty for not keeping a cleaner house, for spending time away from my children to be with friends, for not attending every party because I’d rather be at home, or for watching TV when I should be reading. My image and performance are not at the back of anyone else’s mind but my own. From this, I hope to gain freedom to be myself.
The last is fear. Fear has held me back. Fear of failure has prevented me from being a writer. Fear of embarrassment has prevented me from giving an opinion. Fear of being rejected has stopped me from aiming higher in my life. Fear of regret has led me into situations that made me uncomfortable. If I can lose any one of these fears, I stand to gain experience.
So, if I can lose the rage, shake off some guilt, and take fear off my plate, I stand to gain patience, freedom, and experience. Pound for pound I have not lost a thing but I will be much lighter. Next time, I hope my colleague looks me in the eye to see my glow instead of pinching part of me that has nothing to do with how great I really look.
1. What does the underlined part “fly off the handle” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Pick up speed. | B．Drive off. |
| C．Desert the car. | D．Lose control of anger. |
| A．Attending too many parties. |
| B．Reading much with her children. |
| C．Wasting her time in watching TV. |
| D．Spending little time with her friends. |
| A．It has prevented her achieving her goals. |
| B．It has made situations complicated for her. |
| C．It has stopped her furthering her education. |
| D．It has made it difficult for her to make friends. |
| A．Stop Body Shaming | B．Lighten You Mind |
| C．Watch Your Weight | D．Avoid Body Contact |
