Cats are the most popular pets among Americans. So it is not surprising that there are a lot of expressions about cats. Some cats like to catch small birds, like canaries (金丝雀). If someone looks very proud and satisfied with himself, we say “he looks like the cat that ate the canary.”
Sometimes, a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches. So if you “play cat and mouse” with someone, it means that you change between different kinds of behavior when dealing with another person. For example, a girl might offer something sweet to her little brother and then take it away when he reaches for it.
Americans might say that something is “the cat’s miaow” or “the cat’s pajamas(睡衣)” to describe something that is the best or finest. “A copycat” is someone who acts just like someone else or copies another person’s work. “A fat cat” is a person with a lot of money.
If you tell about something that is supposed to be a secret, we say you “let the cat out of the bag”. If you are not able to speak or answer a question, someone might ask you if “the cat has got your tongue(舌头)”
Have you ever watched children in a classroom when their teacher leaves for a few minutes? “When the cat’s away, the mice will play” means people sometimes act badly when there is no supervision (监管).
You may have heard the expression “curiosity killed the cat”. This means caring too much about things that are not your business might cause problems.
If you have ever had cats as pets, you know it is difficult to train them or to get them to do something. Cats are not like Sheep or cows that can be moved in a group. So we say a difficult or impossible job is like “herding (放牧) cats “
【小题1】What can we learn from the passage?

A．The expression “a fat cat” is used to describe someone who is very fat.

B．The expression “play cat and mouse” usually means “play tricks on others”.

C．It is more difficult to keep sheep or cows than cats.

D．There are more expressions about cats than those about dogs.

【小题2】 In which of the following situations do we most probably use the expression “curiosity killed the cat”?

A．Someone always asked a lady her age or weight and it made her angry.

B．Someone promised to keep a secret but he failed to do so.

C．Someone won the first prize in an English singing competition and he felt very excited.

D．Someone tried to swim across the Yangtze River with his newly broken legs.

【小题3】Where can you most probably find the passage?

A．In a scientific research paper about cats.

B．On a website telling people how to keep cats.

C．In a magazine telling various jokes and funny stories.

D．In a language book that teaches students how to use American slang.

阅读短文，用方框内所给单词的正确形式填空，使短文意思通顺、完整。每词限用一次。方框中有两个词是多余的。

surprise     mad    the other    about    from    time     another    on    keep    happen  see   make

Do you learn 1.         your mistakes? I hope so. But have you 2.       the same mistake twice? I have. Sometimes I make the same mistake three or four3.     !

Sometimes, good things 4.      because of mistakes. Once I got 5.      the wrong train. That was a big mistake .But on that train. I 6.     a good friend I was so happy I made that mistake!

  7.       time I ruined（破坏）a surprise. My mother planned a 8.      party for my father. She told me it was a secret. But I was just a little boy and I couldn’t9.     the secret. I told my father about the party .At first, my mother was10.      at me. But then my father said he was happy he knew about it. He said he didn’t like surprises.

 

 

    It is very important to stay healthy. I have a neighbor. She is an old lady. She can do all the housework,   16   newspapers, watch TV and search on the Internet to learn something new. I often see   17   do taijiquan in the morning and dance in the evening. She looks young and beautiful   18   she is over seventy. Last week a reporter from a magazine interviewed her and asked   19   she kept so young and healthy. She replied with a smile:

    I have a secret of staying young and healthy. It is quite   20  . Keep your mind active, take an interest in the world   21   you, and learn at least one new thing every day. Try to do different kinds of housework and do sports as   22   as you can. Don’t think you are too old to go back to   23   . I know a man who entered a medical college when he was 70 years old. He studied there for 6 years and now he is a doctor. Another man went to a tennis school at the age of 71 and now he is good at   24   tennis. Some people may say staying young is easy only for those who live in the future. In fact, no matter how old you are, you can make it.

    Please tell the story to your family. It would be a good start to   25   the lady’s example. I hope all people will stay young and healthy.

1.A. look              B. read            C. see             D. watch

2.A. her           B. him                 C. other           D. others

3.A. than              B. since           C. though          D. because

4.A. what              B. why             C. who             D. how

5.A. early             B. dear            C. easy            D. late

6.A. under             B. around          C. above           D. between

7.A. soon              B. busily          C. hardly          D. often

8.A. place             B. song            C. school          D. dance

9.A. buying            B. losing          C. sending         D. playing

10.A. follow           B. give            C. make            D. bring

 

Millions of young people are writing blogs. Millions of others are reading them. The word“blog”is a short way of saying Web log.

 Many popular Web sites now offer free，easy ways to create personal Web pages and fill them with writings and pictures. Web sites called “ Facebook ” and “MySpace” are some of the most popular blog sites for young people. Many young adults use their blogs to write about daily activities and events in their lives. They also provide a place for people to write their ideas and opinions and how they think of others’ ideas.

 Blogs offer young people a place to show their writings and feelings. They can also be helpful to connect young people with others. But blogs can become dangerous when they are read on the Internet by millions of people all over the world.

 Recent studies show that young people often provide their names, age and where they live on the Internet. That may not be safe for them. This personal information puts them at risk(风险)of being searched out by dangerous people who want to hurt them. Many students do not know about privacy(隐私)and are surprised to learn that adults can read their personal daily records easily. Students can also get into trouble when they put information about others on their blogs.

As a result, many schools have banned (禁止) the use of blogging Web sites on school computers. Many schools have also begun teaching parents about the Web sites. Parents should know what their children are doing online and should read their blogs to make sure they are not giving out private information. One way to keep away from these problems is to use programs so that blogs can be read by “friends only”. People can read the website only if they know a secret word chosen by the blogger.

1.“Facebook”and“MySpace”are         .

A. school subjects      B. computer programmes

C. school online BBS   D. blog sites for young people

2.Blogs may be dangerous because         .

A. they get in the way of studies

B. they are not allowed for school students

C. surfing the Internet is bad for eyes

D. personal information can be found in blogs easily

3.This passage is mainly about        .

A. the safety of children’s blogs

B. how to search the Internet

C. students’ behavior at school

D. communicating with parents at home

4.According to the passage，many schools help children avoid(避免) blog problems by doing everything EXCEPT        .

A. teaching parents about the Web sites

B. asking students to use programs to refuse strangers

C. telling school students not to make any net friends

D. stopping students from blogging on school computers

5.You can enjoy your blog safely if        .

A. you write your blog at school

B. use a secret number for friends to enter your blog

C. your parents have little knowledge about websites

D. you show all your writings and feelings in your blog

 

"Can I see my baby?" asked the happy new mother. When the baby was in her arms, she couldn't believe her eyes. The baby was born without ears.

Time proved(证明) that the baby's hearing was very good though he had no ears. He got on well with his classmates. But one day, he said to his mother, tears in his eyes, "A big boy called me a freak (畸形的)."

　　The boy's father asked the family doctor. "Could nothing be done?"

　　"I believe I could graft (植入) on a pair of outer ears if they could be got," the doctor said. They tried to find a person who was helpful for the young man.

　　One day, his father said to the son, "You're going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But we must keep it a secret who the person is."

　　The operation(手术) was a great success, and a new person appeared. His cleverness and hard work made him a very successful person. He married and lived a happy life.

　　He once asked his father, "Who gave me the ears? I could do enough for him or her."

　　"I do not believe you could, "said the father." The agreement was that you are not to know...not yet."

　　For years they kept it a secret, but the day did come. He stood with his father over his mother's body. Slowly, the father raised the thick, brown hair. To his surprise, the son found his mother had no outer ears.

　　"Mother said she was glad she never needed to cut her hair," his father said in a low voice, "and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?”

1.The mother was surprised to see her baby for the first time because the baby__.

A．had no outer ears	B．was born without hair
C．was in her arms	D．could not hear her

2.The sentence"...a new person appeared." means"______."

A．a new baby was born in the hospital	B．a stranger came into the hospital
C．a new doctor took care of the boy	D．the boy began to live a new life

3.Why did the boy's mother never cut her hair?

A．Because she liked her thick, brown hair.

B．Because her work didn't allow her to do that

C．Because the hair was good for her health

D．Because she wanted to keep the fact a secret

4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．The boy couldn't hear without ears at first.

B．The boy didn't know the truth (真相) until his mother died.

C．His parents often encouraged him to work hard.

D．His classmates were always making fun of him.

5.Which is the best title for the passage?

A．A Clever Boy

B．Kind Parents

C．Great Love

D．An Ear Operation