As humanity has got richer, animal’s roles have changed. People need their services less than before. Fewer wolves and thieves meant less demand for dogs for protection; the internal combustion engine（内燃机）made horses unneeded; modern sanitation（卫生设备）kept rats in check and made cats less useful. No longer necessities, domestic animals became luxuries. Pet-keeping seems to kick in when household incomes rise above roughly $5,000. It is booming.
The trend is not a new one. Archaeologists（考古学家）have found 10,000-year-old graves in which dogs and people are buried together. Some cultures -- such as in Scandinavia, where dogs have long been both working dogs and companions -- have kept pets for thousands of years. But these days the pet-keeping urge has spread even to parts of the world which have no tradition of sinking into a comfortable chair with a furry creature.
The pet business is growing even faster than pet numbers, because people are spending more and more money on them. No longer are they food - waste - recyclers, fed with the remains that fall from their masters’ tables. Pet - food shelves are full of delicacies crafted to satisfy a range of appetites, including ice cream for dogs and foods for pets that are old, diabetic or suffer from sensitive digestion; a number of internet services offer food, tailored to the pet’s individual tastes.
In the business this is called “pet humanisation” -- the tendency of pet owners to treat their pets as part of the family. This is evident in the names given to dogs, which have evolved from Fido, Rex and Spot to -- in America -- Bella, Lucy and Max. It is evident in the growing market for pet clothing, pet grooming and pet hotels.
People still assume that pets must be working for humanity in some way, perhaps making people healthier or less anxious. But the evidence for that is weak. Rather, new research suggests that dogs have evolved those irresistible “puppy - dog eyes” precisely to affect human emotions. It has worked. The species that once enslaved others now works very hard to pay for the care of its pets. Sentimental（多愁善感的）Americans often refer to themselves not as cat-owners but as the cat’s “mommy” or “daddy”. South Koreans go one further, describing themselves as cat “butlers”. Watch an unlucky dog-walker trailing “his” hound（猎犬）, plastic bag in hand to pick up its mess, and you have to wonder: who’s in charge now?
1.Which of the following trends is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A.People’s needs for animal services are decreasing.
B.Both the pet number and the pet business are growing.
C.Pets are increasingly making their owners less anxious.
D.Pet foods are more various and customized than before.
2.Which of the following is referred to as evidence of “pet humanization?”
A.The names given to pets in American families nowadays.
B.Pet’s inbuilt ability to affect emotions of their owners.
C.Human beings ever rising urge for pet-keeping.
D.Pet’s roles as both working staff and companions.
3.Which of the following statements is the author most likely to agree with?
A.Pets should be treated as equals of their human masters.
B.Human beings are getting much benefit from their pets.
C.Pet-keeping is still restricted within certain parts of the world.
D.Some pet owners spend too much money on their pets.
4.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A.The Changing Roles of Animals B.The Urge for Pet-keeping
C.Who Owns Whom D.Love Me, Love My Dog
Agnes de Mille was a dancer and a choreographer (编舞). Early in her career, de Mille had created the choreography for a ballet called Three Virgins and a Devil. She thought it was good work, but nobody made much of it.
A few years later, de Mille choreographed a ballet named Rodeo. Again, she thought her work was solid, but it resulted in little commercial fame.
Then, in 1943, de Mille choreographed Oklahoma!, a musical show that enjoyed nearly instant success. In the coming years, Oklahoma! would run for an incredible 2,212 performances, both around the nation and abroad. In 1955, the film version won an Academy Award.
But the success of Oklahoma! didn’t bring her much happiness. She thought that her work on Oklahoma! was only average compared to some of her other creations. She later said, “After the opening of Oklahoma!, I suddenly had unexpected success for a work I thought was only fairly good, after years of neglect for work I thought was fine. I began to think that perhaps my entire scale of values was untrustworthy. I talked to Martha.”
Martha was Martha Graham, perhaps the most influential dance choreographer of the 20th century. (Although not as well-known by the general public, Graham has been compared to other creative geniuses like Picasso or Frank Lloyd Wright.)
During their conversation, de Mille told Martha Graham about her frustration. “I confessed that I had a burning desire to be excellent, but no faith that I could be.”
Graham responded by saying:
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”
1.What can be learned about de Mille’s ballet named Rodeo?
A.It earned her a large fortune. B.It made her rise to fame overnight.
C.It didn’t enjoy much success. D.It laid a solid foundation for her career.
2.How did de Mille feel about the great success of the musical Oklahoma!?
A.Relieved. B.Ashamed. C.Confused. D.Proud.
3.Picasso and Frank Lloyd Wright were mentioned in the passage to suggest that Martha Graham ______.
A.was outstanding in visual arts and architecture
B.enjoyed the same popularity as them
C.had been influenced greatly by them
D.was the most influential artist in her field
4.Which of the following statements best represents Graham’s words in this passage?
A.Comparing with others prevents you from maintaining uniqueness.
B.You should always keep yourself open to the urges that motivate you.
C.Your action reveals the inner landscape, which is the soul of music.
D.Choosing to be positive is going to determine how you live your life.
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1.To have a Stannah stairlift installed, one needs to _________.
A.remodel one’s living room B.schedule an in-home assessment
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2.Jenny may use the Coupon（优惠券）to save some money only if she_________.
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B.pays for the Stannah model which is on sale
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3.Which statement is TRUE about Stannah stair-lift mentioned in the advertisement?
A.It promises to regularly check on the old people who live independently.
B.It can be installed easily by following instructions in the brochure.
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Christmas was near a season that we took seriously in our house. But a week or so before the 25th, my father would give each of his children $ 20. This was the 1970s, and $ 20 was quite a bit of money.
But I saw it ___. My father trusted me to have the ________ to spend money wisely. Even better, he gave me the ____ to get it. On a very basic level ,my father was giving me a shopping spree（狂欢）every year. But he was also giving me charge over my own fun, trusting my ability to ____ money and making me feel like a/an _______. He didn't buy me Sherlock Holmes, but he gave me the means to walk into the bookstore and choose it for myself, so it felt like a gift from him.
My mother had a/an____for giving me what I needed, usually____at the moment I needed it most. This was when I was 25, I _____at being an adult on my very first try. I had quitted my ___job but had no new one. But when my mother____me a visit, I____a good show, telling her I had started my own company.
My mother knew that I was trying hard and failing at that time. It wasn't until____she left that I noticed at the foot of my bed an envelope thick with _________. She knew how _______ I needed it. She knew that had she just shown up with groceries, or____to pay my rent, she would have made me feel much __________ . The cold, hard cash meant she was helping me. And, funnily enough, the____with which she gave the gift felt like she was giving me space to ___my life and preserve my dignity. My mother and father both did the same thing. One was giving me the means to take my own ____ ,and the other was giving me a second ____ when those decisions had cost me dearly.
1.A.positively B.differently C.naturally D.originally
2.A.intelligence B.passion C.power D.potential
3.A.courage B.suggestions C.discipline D.means
4.A.spend B.carry C.manage D.use
5.A.grown-up B.teenager C.adventurer D.pioneer
6.A.habit B.gift C.approach D.tradition
7.A.approximately B.about C.right D.slightly
8.A.failed B.fooled C.dropped D.fell
9.A.important B.creative C.challenging D.previous
10.A.brought B.suggested C.paid D.gave
11.A.put on B.put away C.put off D.put forward
12.A.before B.after C.when D.as
13.A.credit B.loans C.receipts D.cash
14.A.desperately B.hardly C.eventually D.accurately
15.A.attempted B.offered C.promised D.refused
16.A.better B.more C.less D.worse
17.A.decoration B.love C.distance D.method
18.A.defend B.equip C.fix D.develop
19.A.actions B.opportunities C.risks D.decisions
20.A.solution B.chance C.visit D.assistance
阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写 1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。
This aging of the population is driven by two factors. The first is declining birth rates, which means old generations are large 1.（compare） to younger generations, and so, on average, the population becomes older than before. This is 2.（especial） true in the US. The second reason is 3. people are living longer. A child born in the US today has a very realistic chance of living beyond 100 and needs to plan accordingly.
阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写 1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。
A lonely Japanese billionaire1.(plan) to fly to the moon on Elon Musk’s rocket is looking for the love of his life to join him on his journey. He just hasn’t found her yet.
Yusaku Maezawa, the first paying passenger on Space X’s maiden tourist voyage to the moon in 2023, tweeted a link on Sunday to a website where women can apply to be his companion 2. the week-long space flight. “I’m 44 now,” Maezawa said on the website. “As feelings of 3. (lonely) slowly begin to surge(涌上) upon me, there’s one thing that I think about: Continuing to love one woman.”
