-
More than anything else in the world, Lion liked being King of the jungle. He walked around, showing off his power and pride.
Each day Lion took a long lazy sleep under the shade of his favorite tree. He always dreamed of weaker animals bowing(鞠躬) before him.
One day Mouse ran through the jungle and tripped over Lion’s huge paws. Lion woke up with a start. “How dare you wake me up!” he shouted angrily. Lion grabbed(抓住) Mouse with one paw. “On the second thought, I’m in the mood for the snack, and you’ll make a delicious meal.” he said.
Mouse cried out, “King Lion, please spare（饶恕） me! If you let me live, I’ll always remember your kindness. And, some day, I might be able to help you.”
“How could such a powerless little mouse ever help me?” That thought made Lion laugh so much that he decided to let Mouse go. A week later, Lion was walking through the jungle on the way to his favorite tree when he stepped onto a hunter’s net. The net scooped him up. No matter how he twisted (扭动) and turned, he couldn’t escape.
When Mouse heard Lion’s frightened shouts, he raced to help. Mouse quickly chewed（咬）through the ropes to make a hole in the net. Soon, Lion moved out and was free. Lion looked down at the little mouse. “Thank you for saving my life,” said Lion, smiling his widest smile. “I was mistaken. You are not a powerless little mouse. You are a great friend!”
1.What did Lion do each day?
A. He stepped onto a hunter’s net.
B. He bowed before weaker animals.
C. He showed kindness to animals in the jungle.
D. He had a good sleep under his favorite tree.
2.How did Mouse wake up Lion?
A. He made a hole in the net.
B. He shouted at Lion angrily.
C. He tripped over Lion’s paws.
D. He prepared a delicious meal for Lion.
3.Why did Lion let Mouse go?
A. Because he was trapped in the net.
B. Because he took Mouse as his good friend.
C. Because he believed Mouse could save him.
D. Because he doubted if Mouse could be of any help.
4. What do you think of Mouse?
A. Clever and honest. B. Silly and lazy
C. Humorous and stubborn D. Proud and selfish.
5.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Pride makes you lose what you have.
B. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
C. Even the small can show great strength.
D. When the cat’s away, the mice will play.
-
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(调查) on the Internet. There were 49 statements (描述) matching five cat colorings with 10 personalities. People think orange and bi-colored (双色的) cats are friendly, tri-colored (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 color, because it’s the personality of the cat, not the color, 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(抱怨) about black cats on the Internet
B. people think cats of different colors 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-colored cats are generous
C. cats with three colors 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 color cats have different personalities
D. different people have different ideas on black cats
-
Young people and older people don’t always agree. They sometimes have different ideas about living, working and playing. But in one special programme in New York State, adults and teenagers live together in a friendly way.
Each summer 200 teenagers and 50 adults live together for eight weeks as members of a special work group. Everyone works several hours each day. They do so not just to keep busy but to find meaning and enjoyment in work. Some teenagers work in the woods or on the farms near the village. Some learn to make things like tables and chairs and build houses. The adults teach them these skills.
There are several free hours each day. Weekends are free, too. During the free hours some of the teenagers learn photo taking or painting. Others sit around and talk or sing. Each teenager chooses his own way to spend his free time.
When people live together, rules are necessary. In this programme the teenagers and the adults make the rules together. If someone breaks a rule, the problem goes before the whole group. They talk about it and ask, “Why did it happen? What should we do about it?”
One of the teenagers has this to say about his experience, “You stop thinking only about yourself, You learn to think about the group.”
1.In one special programme in New York State, young and older people _______ .
A. don’t work well together.
B. are friendly to one another.
C. teach one another new ways of building houses.
D. spend eight weeks together, working as farmers.
2.All the members work some time every day mainly to _______ .
A. lead a busy life.
B. learn new skills of farming;
C. get used to the life on the farms
D. find value and pleasure in work
3. Living together, _________ .
A. the teenagers don’t have to obey(遵守) the rules
B. the teenagers have to obey the rules the adults make
C. the members have no free time on weekends
D. the members are not allowed to break the rules they make together
4.The last paragraph shows that the teenager thinks his experience in the programme is ____ .
A. unpleasant B. tiring C. helping D. boring
5.The best title for the passage is __________ .
A. The rules of living together
B. Life in New York State
C. Teenagers in the special group
D. Free hours in the special work group
