Question

    Last month, I said a final farewell to my lovely old dog, Oscar. I have been missing him terribly. Oscar went everywhere with me. He was my mascot of unconditional love, my loneliness relief and one of the big loves of my life.

Many scientific studies have shown that petting a dog and even having one nearby can reduce stress. Peter Wedderburn, a writer and veterinary surgeon, once said “Dogs become a central part of our lives, offering unconditional love, continual company and an alternative to loneliness. A dog is the ultimate loving companion.”

It’s no wonder I miss him. Oscar also gave structure to my day. His soft furry rub was my early morning wake-up call, plus his walks punctuated my day with a stress-relieving wander by the canal bank. Since his death, I have found myself lying in bed feeling a little low and unmotivated. I’m also spending hours at my desk and not getting out into the light all day.

I didn’t want my mood to spiral downwards, so I have started a new, gentle morning practice. I have decided to put my focus on lighting my fire----both literally and metaphorically. Mornings are cold on my canal boat, so what better way to heat things up than by creating a warming ritual(仪式).

As I piled up old newspapers, placed four logs on the pile and loaded up smokeless coal, I thought about the “fuel” I wanted to use today----the opportunities and tools available to me. Finally, I struck the match, which symbolized the “spark of inspiration”. As the fire started to burn, I wrote about someone or something that had inspired me as the flames slowly heated up the boat.

Oscar naturally lit up my days and life. Without him, I’m having to be more conscious about how I look after my mental health and mood, but I’m now starting to enjoy my new start to the mornings. I still miss my lovely dog, but I always end my morning practice by raising my mug of coffee in gratitude for the privilege of 13 years of love and light that he brought into my life. Love never dies.

1.Why does the author mention scientific studies and quotes from Peter Wedderburn?

A.To introduce the funny stories about Oscar.

B.To illustrate how attachment to dogs forms.

C.To emphasize her sorrow at Oscar’s death.

D.To contrast her love for a dog with others’

2.The underlined phrase “spiral downwards” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to “_____”.

A.darken B.lift

C.improve D.swing

3.What did the warming ritual mean to the author?

A.It was a new routine which kept her warm in the morning.

B.She viewed it as a ceremony to mourn her beloved Oscar.

C.She intended the ritual to honor those that had inspired her.

D.It symbolized a departure from her downward feelings

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.D

【解析】

本文是夹叙夹议文。作者失去养了多年的狗Oscar，感到很悲伤。但是作者不想让自己情绪继续低落下去，决定从一个全新的早晨开始。

1.

推理判断题。根据第二段中“petting a dog and even having one nearby can reduce stress.” 和Peter Wedderburn 所说的话““A dog is the ultimate loving companion. (狗是终极的爱的伴侣。)””，科学研究和Peter Wedderburn的话表明养宠物狗可以减轻压力，狗是人们终极爱的伴侣。作者提到科学研究的结果和Peter Wedderburn所说的话， 表明了Oscar对作者的重要性，从而强调作者对Oscar之死的悲伤之情。故选C项。

2.

词义猜测题。第三段中提到“Since his death, I have found myself lying in bed feeling a little low and unmotivated.”，Oscar去世使作者情绪低落，没有动力；划线词后的一句“so I have started a new, gentle morning practice.”，作者决定从新的早晨练习开始。作者想从失去Oscar的悲伤中振作起来，不想再让自己的情绪继续低落下去。因此可以推断，“spiral downwards”与“darken”意思相近，意思为“使暗淡”。故选A项。

3.

推理判断题。根据文章最后一段“but I’m now starting to enjoy my new start to the mornings. I still miss my lovely dog, but I always end my morning practice by raising my mug of coffee in gratitude for the privilege of 13 years of love and light that he brought into my life.（我现在开始享受早晨的新开始。我仍然想念我可爱的小狗，但我总是在早上练习结束时举起咖啡，感谢他给我的生活带来了13年的爱和光明。）”，作者感谢过去 Oscar给她带来的爱和光明，但是作者想从早晨开始，有一个全新的开始。因此可以推断，这个“暖化仪式”象征着作者从低落的情绪中走了出来。故选D项。