As soon as I saw the cat in our yard, I knew he was a stray (流浪儿). He looked  36 —a wounded warrior with a badly scarred body.

I started putting out food for him each day, but he wouldn’t come near me if other people were  37 . Winter came, and he still wouldn’t  38  us. Then, one day, a car hit him so we took him to the vet’s.

After a week, we were eager to bring him home to  39  our family. But when we went to take the cat home, the vet told us we should put him to  40  immediately because the cat was so fierce and mean that he would  41  become tame , let alone a pet.

But I have always had  42  in love’s power to  43  even the wildest beasts. I told the vet, “I want to take him home.” We  44  him Paws.

Three days went by, and we only knew Paws was  45  the bed because when we walked past it we heard deep growling.

I wanted to somehow let him know he was  46  and loved. So I put on a hard hat and a pair of welding gloves. I  47  under the bed toward Paws, with my face to the  48  and only the top of my head facing him. I  49  out to stroke (抚摩) him gently over and over again.

He growled and tried to  50  and bite me. It was scary—but I knew he couldn’t  51  me, so I just kept going. Slowly, he began to  52 . Then I slid out from under the bed and left the room.

Several hours later, I noticed a cat on the bed. It was Paws—all  53  on the pillows! I couldn’t believe it.

That dear cat became the  54  of our household. Although Paws finally died of cancer, his legacy(遗赠)—my  55  and firm belief in the power of love — lives on.

1.                A．cute           B．strong          C．fierce    D．smart

 

2.                A．around         B．in             C．out  D．away

 

3.                A．love           B．attack          C．refuse    D．trust

 

4.                A．please         B．join            C．see  D．satisfy

 

5.                A．death          B．sight           C．observation   D．sleep

 

6.                A．simply          B．hardly          C．easily D．gradually

 

7.                A．sense          B．interest         C．faith D．feeling

 

8.                A．comfort        B．convince        C．protect   D．tame

 

9.                A．named         B．appointed       C．accepted D．made

 

10.               A．on            B．beside         C．under D．inside

 

11.               A．hopeful        B．pitiful          C．careful    D．safe

 

12.               A．hid            B．slid            C．sheltered  D．slept

 

13.               A．bed           B．sky            C．floor  D．feet

 

14.               A．turned         B．reached        C．pulled D．picked

 

15.               A．play           B．scratch         C．lick   D．push

 

16.               A．hurt           B．bother         C．avoid D．betray

 

17.               A．get angry       B．give up         C．run away  D．calm down

 

18.               A．stepped out     B．stood out       C．stretched out   D．stuck out

 

19.               A．hope          B．love           C．support   D．comfort

 

20.               A．normal         B．noble          C．strange    D．continued

 

 

The Man was very sad. He knew that the Cat's days were numbered. The doctor had said there wasn’t anything more that could be done, and that he should take the Cat home and make him as comfortable as possible.

A tear rolled down the Man’s cheek and landed on the Cat’s forehead, The Cat gave him a slightly annoyed look. “Why do you cry, Man?” the Cat asked. “Because you can’t bear the thought of losing me? Because you think you can never replace me?” The Man nodded “yes”.

“Pick up that piece of string from the floor. There, my ‘toy’. The Man reached over and picked up the string. It was about two feet long and the Cat had been able to entertain himself for hours with it. “Now take each end of the string in one hand,” the Cat ordered. The Man did so.

“The end in your left hand is my birth and the end in your right hand is my death. Now bring the two ends together,” the Cat said. The man did so. Then the Cat continued, “You have made a continuous circle. Does any point along the string appear to be different, worse or better than any other part of the string?” The Man inspected the string and then shook his head.

“Close your eyes.” the Cat said. “Now lick your hand.” The Man widened his eyes in surprise. “Just do it,” the Cat said. “Lick your hand, think of me in all my familiar places, and think about all the pieces of string.”

Licking his hand, he discovered what a cat must know, that licking a paw is very calming and allows one to think more clearly. He continued licking and the corners of his mouth turned upward into the first smile he had shown in days. He waited for the Cat to tell him to stop, and when he didn’t, he opened his eyes. The Cat’s eyes were closed. The Man stroked(轻抚) the warm, brown fur, but the Cat was gone.

One day, not long after, there was a new cat on his lap. She was a lovely white cat. It is very different from his earlier beloved Cat and very much the same.

1.Why did the Cat give the man a slightly annoyed look?

A．Because the man’s tears made the Cat really anxious.

B．Because the Cat didn’t know what made the man burst into tears.

C．Because the Cat couldn’t go to sleep when the man was in low spirits.

D．Because the man didn’t have to be so sad and concerned.

2.According to the text, which of the following is the reason why a cat licks paws?

A．Licking paws can make a cat remain calm and have a clear mind.

B．Licking paws will make a cat happy and energetic.

C．Licking paws will make a cat find out many unknown secrets.

D．Licking paws can make a cat stay tidy and healthy.

3.What does the underlined word “string” in paragraph 3 stand for?

A．Life.              B．Birth.             C．Hope.            D．Power.

4.What's the main idea of the passage?

A．Pets play an important part in our life.

B．Life has no end and death is just a new beginning.

C．We should take a positive attitude towards life and live life to its fullest.

D．It gives us some suggestions on how to relieve ourselves when a pet passes away.

 

The Man was very sad. He knew that the Cat's days were numbered. The doctor had said there wasn’t anything more that could be done, and that he should take the Cat home and make him as comfortable as possible.
A tear rolled down the Man’s cheek and landed on the Cat’s forehead, The Cat gave him a slightly annoyed look. “Why do you cry, Man?” the Cat asked. “Because you can’t bear the thought of losing me? Because you think you can never replace me?” The Man nodded “yes”.
“Pick up that piece of string from the floor. There, my ‘toy’. The Man reached over and picked up the string. It was about two feet long and the Cat had been able to entertain himself for hours with it. “Now take each end of the string in one hand,” the Cat ordered. The Man did so.
“The end in your left hand is my birth and the end in your right hand is my death. Now bring the two ends together,” the Cat said. The man did so. Then the Cat continued, “You have made a continuous circle. Does any point along the string appear to be different, worse or better than any other part of the string?” The Man inspected the string and then shook his head.
“Close your eyes.” the Cat said. “Now lick your hand.” The Man widened his eyes in surprise. “Just do it,” the Cat said. “Lick your hand, think of me in all my familiar places, and think about all the pieces of string.”
Licking his hand, he discovered what a cat must know, that licking a paw is very calming and allows one to think more clearly. He continued licking and the corners of his mouth turned upward into the first smile he had shown in days. He waited for the Cat to tell him to stop, and when he didn’t, he opened his eyes. The Cat’s eyes were closed. The Man stroked(轻抚) the warm, brown fur, but the Cat was gone.
One day, not long after, there was a new cat on his lap. She was a lovely white cat. It is very different from his earlier beloved Cat and very much the same.
【小题1】Why did the Cat give the man a slightly annoyed look?

A．Because the man’s tears made the Cat really anxious.

B．Because the Cat didn’t know what made the man burst into tears.

C．Because the Cat couldn’t go to sleep when the man was in low spirits.

D．Because the man didn’t have to be so sad and concerned.

【小题2】According to the text, which of the following is the reason why a cat licks paws?

A．Licking paws can make a cat remain calm and have a clear mind.

B．Licking paws will make a cat happy and energetic.

C．Licking paws will make a cat find out many unknown secrets.

D．Licking paws can make a cat stay tidy and healthy.

【小题3】What does the underlined word “string” in paragraph 3 stand for?

A．Life.

B．Birth.

C．Hope.

D．Power.

【小题4】What's the main idea of the passage?

A．Pets play an important part in our life.

B．Life has no end and death is just a new beginning.

C．We should take a positive attitude towards life and live life to its fullest.

D．It gives us some suggestions on how to relieve ourselves when a pet passes away.