If you have ever had a cat, or have watched one of the many funny cat videos online, you'll know that cats have a mind of their own. A lot of the things they do are hard to understand—they like to climb up tall furniture, fit themselves in small spaces and attack(攻击) small objects for no reason at all.
Now scientists have managed to work out what exactly is going on in the brains of our little friends. According to Tony Buffington, a professor at Ohio State University in the US, cats' strange behavior(行为)largely comes from their way of life back in the wild. "Cats today still have many of the same natural abilities that allowed them to live in the wild for millions of years." he said in a TED Talk. "To them, our homes are their jungles(丛林)."
Cats' bodies and great balancing(平衡)abilities allow them to climb to high places to better look at the environment. Even though they don't have to hunt(猎食)any more in human houses, they still keep the old habit of observing the living room from, for example, the top of the fridge.
Cats' hunting abilities also make them attack small things like keys and USB drives.
In the wild, they hunt whatever they can get for food, and most of the animals they kill are small. However, a cat can also be prey. This explains why they like to stay in small spaces like drawers or washing machines—they are hiding, or they think they are hiding, from more dangerous animals. This is also why cats prefer a clean box: a dirty one with an unpleasant smell could easily show enemies where they are.
Knowing how cats' minds work is not only useful for better understanding them, it may also help cats' owners to better meet cats' needs. For example, owners could try to make climbing easier for cats by moving their furniture around. They could also use "food puzzles" to make eating feel more like hunting instead of just giving food to the cats.
1.According to the passage, Tony Buffington agrees that ________.
A.cats' strange behavior is hard for people to understand
B.cats are more used to living in the wild than in humans' homes
C.cats' natural abilities are still helpful to make them get food today
D.cats act strangely mainly because of their natural abilities in the wild
2.The word "prey" in Paragraph 4 probably means"________".
A.an animal that lives in the jungles
B.an animal that likes keeping itself clean
C.an animal that likes playing hiding games with people
D.an animal that becomes others' food after being hunted
3.According to the writer, cats' owners can better meet cats' needs by ________.
A.creating hunting games at home B.giving them delicious food
C.making them go back to the wild D.putting them in the furniture
4.What is the writer's main purpose in writing this passage?
A.To describe cats' past wild experience to readers.
B.To tell cat owners how to make life easier for cats.
C.To explain the reasons behind cats' strange behavior.
D.To compare cats' behavior in human homes with that in the wild.
I'm a girl, Rosie. Racing on the 1, 500-meter track(跑道), I'm so tired. I want to stop but a voice is repeating in my head, "No one knows what the result will be. Everything is still possible. "Today, I have to fight with myself.
Nine years ago, when I was a 6-year-old girl, my mother took me on a trip. We went to the foot of a high mountain which she told me that we would climb. I had never done this before and the thought of it made me very happy.
At the beginning, I was so excited, and climbed fast. But half an hour later, when I was thirsty and tired, I just stopped and sat on the ground, completely silent. My mom came and sat next to me.
She said, "Get up and go on!"
Crying, I almost shouted, "Never! It's too tiring and I am thirsty. I want to go back home now. "
Patiently she explained, "Listen, my dear. If you try your best, anything is possible. If you don't try, your dream will never come true. You will never know how beautiful the sights(风景) look unless you reach the top of the mountain. "
Hearing her words, I stopped crying and started to climb again. Finally I did reach the top of the mountain and enjoyed the fantastic view.
Today I'm on the racing track. I'm going to keep running because I know it's always valuable. And in the end I made it—I got through the finish line.
Although it was really difficult and I did not win, I did finish it. "Never stop fighting until you arrive at your destined(命定的)place."
1.Why did Rosie want to stop running at first?
A.Because she was sad. B.Because she was thirsty.
C.Because she was tired. D.Because she was excited.
2.What did her mother do when Rosie wanted to give up during the trip?
A.She shouted at her. B.She explained to her patiently.
C.She fought with her. D.She was silent and went on climbing.
3.What can we learn from Rosie's experience?
A.We should keep running every day.
B.We should keep fighting until we achieve our goals.
C.When we climb mountains, we should try to climb fast.
D.When we are on the racing track, winning is the most important.
Interesting Festivals in the World
| Tuna(金枪鱼)Throwing Festival—Australia The Tuna Festival celebrates a good fishing harvest. It is on January 26 in Port Lincoln, Eyre Peninsula. The most exciting part of the festival is a special competition—the tuna throwing. It attracts a lot of local people and tourists to take part in and watch. |
| London Pillow Fight—England London Pillow Fight happens on the first Saturday in April. It is a good way to deal with the pressure(压力). So ladies and gentlemen in London are turning to pillow fights to relieve their stress（减压）. Once the fight begins, the pressure is gone |
| Ottawa Winterlude(冰雪节)—Canada Winterlude is a festival that celebrates winter. It usually starts in February and lasts for three weekends. Winterlude is a very large festival of outdoor activities including public skating, music concerts, largest ice playground, and so on. |
| White Squirrel(松鼠)Festival—America White Squirrel Festival usually comes in May in Brevard. It's a festival for some special wild animals, the white squirrels. This fun street festival is a perfect way to experience two-and-a-half days of live music. Best of all, it's FREE. |
1.When is Tuna Throwing Festival?
A.In January. B.In April. C.In February. D.In May.
2.Which festival can help people deal with the pressure?
A.Ottawa Winterlude B.Tuna Throwing Festival
C.London Pillow Fight D.White Squirrel Festival
3.Where will you go if you want to experience public skating?
A.Canada B.England C.Australia D.America
A Musical Astronaut
Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big dream—to play the drums in a band. But one big problem lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to _______a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them were sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really make them _______. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement(地下室), a kitchen, and even in a shower. However, there was always someone it would annoy(打扰). To practice as much as she could, Brenda spent most of her time playing on books and boxes, and looking for new places to practice.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she _______ that sound cannot travel in space, because there's no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda _______ a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out(吸出)all the air inside. Only a set of drums and a chair would be _______ inside the bubble. Brenda also made herself a space suit. She put on the suit, entered the bubble, turned on the _______, and played those drums like a wild child.
Soon Brenda Bongos became very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Then she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. As her fame(名气)spread_______, the government suggested that she should be part of a special space journey.
Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first dream of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: "If those old people next-door hadn't mattered so much to me, I wouldn't have found a(an)_______, and none of this would have ever happened. "In the face of difficulties, Brenda showed her kindness, she worked hard and never stopped trying.
1.A.practice B.learn C.talk D.smile
2.A.unreal B.unfriendly C.uncomfortable D.unlucky
3.A.hoped B.thought C.guessed D.heard
4.A.drew B.built C.bought D.found
5.A.sold B.changed C.left D.remembered
6.A.machine B.computer C.light D.screen
7.A.slowly B.widely C.quietly D.secretly
8.A.introduction B.invention C.explanation D.solution
—Mary, could you tell me________?
—Sure, next week.
A.when will Mr. Brown come back B.when Mr. Brown will come back
C.when did Mr. Brown come back D.when Mr. Brown came back
Alice is my classmate. She ________ in our school since 2017.
A.studies B.studied C.has studied D.is studying
