So many well-fed cats have achieved fame in today’s world of social media that it is difficult to imagine a time when the funny behavior of cats went largely unrecorded. Fortunately, creative types have long seemed to enjoy their company and some past literary greats were only too happy to put pen to paper in celebration of their favourite cats.
Dr Samuel Johnson, is best remembered today for compiling (编纂) the first modern English Dictionary. The entry for cats is hardly flattering: “A domestic animal that catches mice, commonly considered by naturalists the lowest order of the lionlike species.” Yet, Johnson is known to have been devoted to his own pets, particularly Hodge, whom he once famously described as “a very fine cat indeed”.
During the Bronte sisters’ childhood, the three famous 19th-century novelists enjoyed the company of a black cat, named Tom. Charlotte included a description of a pet in Jane Eyre, while Emily wrote an essay in French in praise of cats entitled Le Chat. The title character of Anne’s first novel, Agnes Grey, decides her future husband is the man for her when he rescues a cat.
Edgar Allan Poe’s story, The Black Cat, is so vivid in its description of animal cruelty that it is difficult to imagine its author as an animal lover. Yet, in real life Allan and his cat Catterina were so obviously devoted to each other that, in 1849, they passed away at the exact same moment even though they were many miles apart.
Cats appear in some of the US humorist and novelist’s best-known works such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Twain’s favourite cat was Bambino, whom he taught to switch off the lamp at night and took great delight in having it show off this party trick when visitors came to the house.
In the early 1940s, Hemingway moved to Cuba. Boise became the author’s constant companion. Hemingway later featured a cat of the same name in his novel, Islands in the Stream, which shared many characteristics of his real-life cat including a fondness for hunting fruit rats.
1. What is Paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The majority of people recorded their pet cats. |
| B．Some past creative people liked cats and wrote about them. |
| C．Most of the funny behavior of cats was not recorded. |
| D．Modern people like to show off their cats on social media. |
| A．The cat in the entry is vividly described. |
| B．The description makes the cat attractive. |
| C．The definition of the cat is objective. |
| D．The entry for the cat is eye-catching. |
| A．Devoted. | B．Adorable. | C．Merciless. | D．Reliable. |
| A．They enjoyed the company of their pet cats. |
| B．They took great delight in showing off their cats. |
| C．They named the cats in their works after their pet cats. |
| D．They achieved fame because of the cats they wrote about. |
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The dog was painfully thin. So Julie ran home to get some of our dog’s food while I tried to encourage the dog. After Julie came back, we sat down on the sidewalk while our new friend made short work of the food. Eventually we got her home.
After trying for many times we got a response from the number. A lady came around with a bunch of flowers for us. She explained that Tara had been her father’s dog. She was very old and got lost that morning. So, Tara was safely returned home.
Here is the truth of the story:
Actually Julie and I were out that morning because I was leaving. She was trying to persuade me to come back, but I wasn’t hearing anything that made that sound likely.
I was about to turn and go when an old black dog walked between us and almost fell down. Suddenly we had something more important than
We did help it. And here I am writing the story in my own home, in my own family.
In the song “Love Is Not a Fight” Warren Barfield talks about marriage. At one point he sings, “And if we try to leave, may God send angels (天使) to guard the door.”
Sometimes angels come disguised (伪装) as dogs.
1. How was the dog when found?
| A．Too weak to walk. | B．Thin and worn out. |
| C．Unable to eat food. | D．Homeless but gentle. |
| A．the dog didn’t go with the writer |
| B．the writer had his own pet dog |
| C．Julie bought some food for the dog |
| D．the dog didn’t eat any of the food |
| A．the writer didn’t want to take Julie’s advice |
| B．an old black dog appeared in front of them |
| C．Julie disagreed with the writer’s travel on business |
| D．the couple had some trouble with their marriage |
| A．An Angel Dog | B．A Helpful Couple | C．Saving the Dog | D．A Famous Song |
【推荐2】
When the natural climate changes due to global warming, it can surely affect seals. The majority of them live in the Antarctic region so as the ice is melting, their natural habitat can be seriously affected. These changes don’t take place overnight. They can be the result of many years of additional temperatures in the area. The seals then have to find ways to adapt.
Seals depend on the cool air currents to bring plenty of food for them. When the temperature gets higher there is less and less food and the seal population starts to shrink. Mothers aren’t healthy enough to feed their babies. Many of them end up abandoned as the mothers have to leave to find their own source of food.
The fact that their desire to produce young can be changed by the warmer temperature is frightening too. It is also believed that the warmer temperature can allow different diseases and viruses to attack the seals. This is a huge concern as they can rapidly wipe out huge numbers of seals out there.
However, these changes in climate and temperature aren’t all bad for other species of seals. Scientists have found that those living in warmer climates are producing more young due to the changes. Research also shows that the females are moving further to find food and water. When they are out of the reach of the governing males, they are more willing to accept the moves of other males in the group.
This is good news too because it means that there will be more selection in the gene pool (基因库) for future generations. It can help the seals as a species adapt to changes in their natural environment more easily.
The climate change problem for seals is directly linked to humans.When we take action to change what we let out into the environment, we will make positive changes for the seals. However, it is going to take a very long time to reverse (彻底改变) the effects of what has already been done.
1. What does the author regard climate changes for seals as?| A．A double-edged sword. |
| B．An unavoidable disaster for existence. |
| C．A mirror of evolution. |
| D．A requirement for more choice in the gene pool. |
| A．Their number will be on the increase. |
| B．The female seals will be in the lead. |
| C．Their genes will change a great deal. |
| D．The females will keep away from the males. |
| A．The Importance of Protecting Seals |
| B．Seals’ Adaptation to Climate Change |
| C．How Climate Change Affects Seals |
| D．Why Are Seals Becoming Less and Less |
【推荐3】On the 5-square-metre balcony(阳台) of Zhong Lan’s apartment, there is a mini-farm filled with lemons, tomatoes, eggplants and blueberries. Zhong’s idyllic(田园诗般的)city lifestyle started in 2020 when people were required to work from home due to COVID-19. “I grew garlic(大蒜) for the very first time as I didn’t want to throw it away. It grew roots in just seven or eight days. It opened up a new world to me,” she said. Zhong is not alone. An increasing number of city people have picked up the hobby of growing vegetables on their balconies as working from home has changed many people’s lives in the cities across the country.
In the first quarter of 2022, sales of vegetable seeds on Taobao’s Tmall rose quickly year on year, according to a report released by Taobao, China’s e-commerce platform giant. Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou became the cities with the largest number of seed buyers in China, it added.
Zhong has started sharing her journey on social media this year, which has brought her more than 100,000 followers. In a chat group made up of over 100 young balcony green thumbs(园艺高手) across the country, they share the growth of their vegetables every day and discuss what plants are more suitable for balcony planting. “Balcony gardening can slow down the pace of busy city life. We grow the plants we like and look forward to the harvest, and experience the happiness of the idyllic moments,” Zhong said.
Chinese city managers and social organizations are also looking for new methods to rebuild the relationship between city people and nature through vegetable gardens. The government of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, started a city vegetable garden project last March, providing seeds and farm tools as well as organizing agricultural experts to provide online Q&A for local people, in an effort to encourage them to get in touch with nature through balcony planting.
1. The following cities had the largest number of seed buyers in the first quarter of 2022 EXCEPT| A．Guangzhou | B．Beijing | C．Hangzhou | D．Shanghai |
| A．Grow crops in the field. | B．Create 100 vegetable balconies. |
| C．Share ideas about balcony planting. | D．Exchange their travel experiences. |
| A．To seek new ways of vegetable growing. |
| B．To organize agricultural experts together. |
| C．To choose proper tools for balcony planting. |
| D．To encourage people to get close to nature. |
| A．Zhong’s Success of Balcony Gardening |
| B．Balcony Gardening’s Effect on Seed Sales Online |
| C．Balcony Gardening’s Rising Popularity Among City People |
| D．Chinese Government’s Contribution to Balcony Gardening |
【推荐1】Faced with a declining population and workforce, Japan has been increasingly turning to robots for help. Over the years, the robots have carried out a large number of human tasks, including building products and providing care for the elderly.
However, the robots currently being used by companies, like Walmart and Amazon, are only able to perform single, repetitive tasks, such as stacking boxes. Model-T, on the other hand, has a wider range of movement and is able to hold, pick and place objects of several different shapes and sizes into different locations, making it ideal for convenience and grocery stores, which sell a large variety of items.
Model-T robots are operated from a distant location by human “pilots” wearing a virtual reality (VR) headset and special gloves, which allow them to feel the product the robot is holding in their hands and guide it to the right shelf.
The VR-controlled robots are ten times cheaper than automated robots, because they don’t require advanced programming and are easier to develop and maintain. And their easy-to-use controls require little training. Tomohiro Kano, a general manager in charge of development at FamilyMart, believes this will enable the chain to recruit workers who would typically not work in stores.
Though Model-T appears to be getting rapidly through the experiments, it is not quite ready to enter the workforce. Besides being a lot slower than humans, it is also only able to lift packaged items, and cannot get hold of things such as fruits and vegetables. The company is working to improve the weaknesses and hopes to introduce a faster, more skillful Model-T within the next two years. They believe that in addition to the stores, the robots could also be useful in hospitals, allowing doctors to do operations from remote locations.
1. What is one of the features of Model-T according to the text?| A．It works much faster than humans. | B．It can easily hold all kinds of objects. |
| C．It can be operated from a distance away. | D．It is harder to produce than an automated robot. |
| A．The low price of Model-T. | B．The easiness to operate Model-T. |
| C．The low-level programming of Model-T. | D．The strict training for maintaining Model-T. |
| A．Model-T is now being massively produced. |
| B．Japan’s workforce will be reduced by Model-T. |
| C．The weaknesses of Model-T have been overcome. |
| D．Model-T may be used in wider fields in the future. |
| A．Technology. | B．Economy. | C．Lifestyle. | D．Environment. |
【推荐2】It was 3: 45 in the morning when the vote was finally taken. After six months of arguing and final 16 hours of hot parliamentary debates, Australia’s Northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to allow doctors to take the lives of incurably ill patients who wish to die. The measure passed by the convincing vote of 15 to 10. Almost immediately word flashed on the Internet and was picked up, half a world away, by John Hofsess, executive director of the Right to Die Society of Canada. He sent it on via the group’s on-line service, Death NET. Says Hofsess: We posted bulletins all day long, because of course this isn’t just something that happened in Australia. It’s world history.
The full import may take a while to sink in. The NT Rights of the Terminally Ill law has left physicians and citizens alike trying to deal with its moral and practical implications. Some have breathed sighs of relief, others, including churches, right-to-life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the bill and the haste of its passage. But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In Australia — where an aging population, life-extending technology and changing community attitudes have all played their part — other states are going to consider making a similar law to deal with euthanasia (安乐死). In the US and Canada, where the right-to-die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling.
Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death—probably by a deadly injection or pill—to put an end to suffering. The patient must be diagnosed as terminally ill by two doctors. After a cooling off period of seven days, the patient can sign a certificate of request. After 48 hours the wish for death can be met. For Lloyd Nickson, a 54-year-old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally Ill law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition. I’m not afraid of dying from a spiritual point of view, but what I was afraid of was how I’d go, because I’ve watched people die in the hospital fighting for oxygen and clawing at their masks, he says.
1. From the second paragraph we learn that ________.| A．the objection to euthanasia is slow to come in other countries |
| B．physicians and citizens share the same view on euthanasia |
| C．changing technology is chiefly responsible for the hasty passage of the law |
| D．it takes time to realize the significance of the law’s passage |
| A．observers are taking a wait-and-see attitude towards the future of euthanasia |
| B．similar bills are likely to be passed in the US, Canada and other countries |
| C．observers are waiting to see the result of the game of dominoes |
| D．the effect-taking process of the passed bill may finally come to a stop |
| A．face his death with calm characteristic of euthanasia |
| B．experience the suffering of a lung cancer patient |
| C．have an intense fear of terrible suffering |
| D．undergo a cooling off period of seven days |
| A．opposition | B．suspicion | C．approval | D．indifference |
【推荐3】Whenever we turn on the TV or radio, read the newspapers and surf the Internet, we’ll see the word “diet”. We have so easily been attracted by the promise of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that do bad things to us psychologically (心理地) and physically (身体地).
It’s obvious that diet products weaken us psychologically. They allow us to jump over the thinking stage that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption (消耗) of fat. All we have to do is to recognize the word “diet”on food labels (标签).
What’s more, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie (卡路里) drink, we are telling ourselves that we don’t have to work to get results. Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without doing exercises.
As a matter of fact, the danger that diet products bring not only lies in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm they cause. Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals (化学品) to produce these wonder products. And they can indirectly harm our bodies because having them instead of healthy foods means we are stopping our bodies having basic nutrients. Diet products may not be nutritional (营养的), and the chemicals that go into diet products are dangerous.
Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals. Think twice before buying diet products. Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore, prevent the psychological and physical harm that comes from using them.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?| A．Diet products are misleading people. |
| B．People have trouble choosing diet products. |
| C．People should not watch TV or turn on radio. |
| D．Diet products are in our daily life. |
| A．People tend to think before they enjoy diet products. |
| B．People tend to pay attention to their daily diet. |
| C．People tend to watch their weight rather than their diet. |
| D．People tend to try out many kinds of diet products. |
| A．Diet products cause no pain. |
| B．We should put on weight. |
| C．Diet products are free of fat and calories. |
| D．Losing weight is easy. |
| A．Diet products are short of basic nutrients. |
| B．Diet products are rich in chemicals. |
| C．Diet products must be wonderful products. |
| D．Diet products are healthy food. |
