What do you think of black cats? Are they unluckier than cats of other colors? Many people in Western countries think so. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), did a study on cat colours and people’s understandings of cat personalities.
The study found that people do judge(判断) cat personalities by color. Scientists did a survey on the Internet. There were 49 statements (描述) matching five cat colorings with 10 personalities. People think orange and bi-coloured (双色的) cats are friendly, tri-coloured (三色的) cats are not generous, and white cats are calm, lazy and shy. As for black cats, people think they don’t have special personalities.
But why do so many people dislike keeping black cats as pets? People think black cats have less special personalities, which might be because of their bad reputation (口碑). They think black cats may bring bad luck, especially at Halloween. Movies and television shows also make people believe that.
Although people have these ideas, UC Berkeley scientists give another reason: people don’t think black cats are pretty enough. After all, nothing can show black cats are unluckier than other cats. “You can’t judge a cat by its colour, because it’s the personality of the cat, not the colour, that will let you know if the cat is right for you,” Cathy Marden, a scientist said.
1.Many people in Western countries may think black cats are .
A. lovely animals B. a sign of bad luck
C. a sign of good luck D. unfriendly animals
2. The main idea of paragraph 2 is that .
A. people often complain about black cats on the Internet
B. people think cats of different colours have different personalities
C. black cats are less popular than other cats
D. the study is a great success
3. According to the study, people think that .
A. black cats have special personalities
B. orange and bi-coloured cats are generous
C. cats with three colours are friendly
D. white cats are calm, lazy and shy
4.People don’t like black cats for the following reasons EXCEPT .
A. black cats often appear in TV shows
B. black cats bring bad luck to people
C. black cats have bad reputations
D. they don’t think black cats are beautiful
5.The passage mainly talks about .
A. why black cats are popular in movies
B. why people are not willing to keep black cats as pets
C. different colour cats have different personalities
D. different people have different ideas on black cats
Cormorant fishing(鸬鹚捕鱼) is a traditional Chinese skill, probably more than a thousand years old. Cormorants are large, black birds, which are good at catching fish. They can dive down 25 meters, and stay under water for up to two minutes.
A fisherman usually goes on a fishing trip on a bamboo boat with his birds. When he reaches the right place, he stops. A piece of grass is tied around the neck of each bird, so that the fish won’t go down into its stomach. He pushes the birds into the water, and then bangs the water heavily with his bamboo pole(竹竿). The fish are frightened by this. The cormorants swim very quickly to catch the fish. Finally, the birds come up one after another to the fisherman. The fisherman takes the fish out of the birds’ mouths and then throws them into a big basket. Later some of the fish are sold, and the rest are divided between his family and the cormorants. At night, a light is hung from the front of the boat. This enables the fisherman see better, and also attracts the fish.
1. A cormorant__________.
A. can catch any fish under water
B. can live up to 1000 years old
C. can stay under water for one minute
D. can swim 25 m/s under water
2. The fisherman ties each bird with a piece of grass in order to __________.
A. help it live longer
B. help it swim more quickly
C. stop it from running away
D. stop it from eating the fish
3.What does the underlined word “bangs” mean in Chinese?
A.插入 B. 拍打C. 划桨 D.泼水
4. What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Fisherman and His Life B. To Live on Fishing
C. Fishing with Birds D. To Go Fishing
Three travelers, Allan, Carl and Paul were sitting on the chairs in a train station. They were waiting for a train that was very late.
To pass the time, they began talking to each other.
At first, they talked about the weather and their work. Then Paul said, "Tell me—what would you most like to do if your doctor tells you that you have only three months to live?"
The other two men thought about this for a while, and then Carl spoke.
“Well,” he said, “if I have only three months to live, I’ll take all my money out of the bank and go to foreign countries for holidays with my best friend, Erik. I'd like to travel to the places in the world as many as possible. And I'll stay at the best hotels and then eat the best food. I think I'll have a wonderful time.”
“That’s very interesting.” Paul said.
With these words, he turned to the other man, saying, “And what about you?”
“I'll tell you a secret,” Allan said. “I always want to be a racing driver. So if I have only three months to live, the first thing I'd like to do is to sell my house. With the money I’ll buy the fastest car in the world. Maybe I can enter all the big motor races.”
Then he laughed, "I might even end up (以……而告终) world champion.”
“Now it's your turn,” Allan went on, “If your doctor tells you the bad news, what would you most like to do?”
“Oh,” said Paul with a smile. “I’ll go and see another doctor.”
1.The three men were talking _____________.
A. in the post office B. in the waiting room
C. on the train D. on the chairs in their office
2.The men began to talk about the weather and the work because they __________.
A. didn't know anything new
B. wanted to pass the time quickly
C. had nothing to do
D. were very interested in each other's work
3."I might even end up world champion." Here the word "champion" means _________in Chinese.
A.名人 B.赛车手
C.大款 D.冠军
An American teenager was in hospital recovering from serious head wounds from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the teenager told the police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his dead to a moving train before he was hit.
A terrorist didn’t pay enough postage for a bomb letter. It came back with Return to sender stamped on it. Forgetting it was a bomb, he opened it and was blown into pieces.
From Laugh Your Head Off
1. Why was the American teenager in hospital?
A. He had a headache.
B. He was hit by the police.
C. He got serous head wounds
2.Why didn’t the terrorist post off the bomb letter?
A. It was dangerous.
B. It needed more postage.
C. It was for the terrorist himself.
3.What happened to the terrorist at last?
A. He was happy.
B. He was dead.
C. He was angry.
Peter was on holiday in a small fishing village near the sea. One day, he saw a localtaking the fish out of his boat while he was walking the beach. Peter asked how long it took the fisherman to fish every day. “Just hours.”
“Why don’t you work and catch more fish?” asked Peter.
“I have for my family.”
“How do you the rest of your day?”
“I play with my children, time with my wife, and visit my friends and play cards.”
Peter explained Jack worked longer and caught more fish, he could make more money. the money, Jack could buy more boats and catch more fish. By selling the fish, Jack could open his own .
“Then what?”
“You’ll probably have to move to the city to the company. Finally, you can sell your company and make dollars,” replied Peter.
“ do I have to spend?”
“At least fifteen years. ”
“Then ?”
“Oh, that’s the best. Then you can retire (退休), buy a near the sea, play with your children, spend more time with your wife, see your friends and play cards,” Peter said.
1.A.businessmanB. policemanC. fisherman D. tourist
2.A.acrossB. along C. inside D. outside
3.A.a few B. a little C.a bit of D. a lot of
4.A.shortest B. longest C. shorter D.longer
5.A.some B. enough C. none D. nothing
6.A.play with B. share with C. do with D. deal with
7.A. spend B.take C. pay D. cost
8.A. if B. that C. how D. who
9.A. Under B. By C. with D. without
10.A.library B. school C.factory D. cinema
11.A. buy B.sell C.thank D.run
12.A. hundreds of B.millions of C. a little D. a few
13.A. How old B. How often C. How long D.How soon
14.A. when B.what C. where D.how
15.A. factory B. boat C. house D.company
—Would you mind my using your computer? —______
A. Yes. Here you are. B. No, you can’t.
C. No, not at all.D. You’re welcome.
