Why do 33% of the households in the USA have cats? And how do you explain why there are 16 million more pet cats than dogs? Yes, kittens are adorable （討人喜歡的）．Yes, they can grow up to be good mousers and are very entertaining to watch．And yes, cats are independent and don't require as much care as dogs．But research shows cats can also be caretakers for us and our families, improve our health and teach us and our children to be kinder, gentler souls．
Theodora Wesselman is 94 and has lived the past two years with her elderly cat, Cleo, at TigerPlace, a retirement community in Columbia, Mo．Their enduring friendship is a classic example of how humans and animals can become family and look out for each other．
Wesselman visits other residents, and her children stop by, but Cleo is her best friend, she says．They've been together nearly 21 years．
"She sleeps on her own pillow right beside mine," Wesselman says．"In the morning, she pecks on my cheek to wake me up．It's really sweet．I pet her, tell her I love her and take her to the kitchen to prepare her food．"
Research shows that being able to care for a pet improves our morale （士氣;精神狀態(tài)）, helps validate us and encourages us to take care of ourselves, says Rebecca Johnson, director of the University of Missouri's Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction．The body of research is leading more retirement communities and universities to roll out the welcome mat for pets．
【小題1】According to the context, where do you think the sentence “They start and end the day together” should appear in the passage?

A．Between para．1 and para．2	B．Between para．2 and para．3
C．Between para．3 and para．4	D．Between para．4 and para．5

【小題2】Which of the following words best describe the author’s attitude towards keeping pet cats?

A．Favorable

B．Critical

C．Reserved

D．Doubtful

【小題3】Why does the author take 94-year-old Theodora Wesselman as an example in the passage?

A．To show that the elderly like Theodora Wesselman in the USA have pet cats．

B．To suggest to what degree humans and pet cats can be caretakers for each other．

C．Because Theodora Wesselman has been living with a pet cat for the past two years．

D．Because Theodora Wesselman pets her cat Cleo and tells her she loves her．

【小題4】What does “to roll out the welcome mat for pets” in the last paragraph imply?

A．To give a special welcome to pets．

B．To make the welcome mat flat on the ground for pets．

C．To open out the welcome mat for pets to sleep．

D．To wrap the welcome mat to make room for pets．

During the week days,  they are luckily busy office people; but on weekends, they are just a brood of（一窩）stay-home animals. A recent survey shows that office workers in China prefer quiet and easy ways to spend their weekends.
In the survey, conducted by job seeking and offering website Zhaopin.com, 32.8 percent of the 6,000 respondents choose to stay home at weekends and have a good rest, the Beijing Morning Post reported.
Twenty percent use their days-off to do housework. And only 19.3 percent are willing to have fun during the break time from work. Their first choice of fun is shopping.
Other choices, though practiced by few, include meeting friends, accompanying the children, trips to the suburbs, and lessons for more skills.
When they. go shopping, 54.5 percent of the white-collars actually shop in supermarkets, while 27.9. percent attend other stores, especially when discounts are offered.
These activities don't seem to cost much, as 60 percent spend average less than 200 yuan (US$26) during weekends, and 30 percent no more than 500 yuan.
When asked whom they would spend the weekends with, about 40 percent mention their partners, and 30 percent prefer a weekend all by themselves. Less than 20 percent hang out with friends.
Only 5.8 percent would kill the time with their colleagues. This is because we tend to avoid too many personal contacts with our co-workers when we don't have to work with them, according to some experts.
【小題1】 How many of the office workers who are the respondents do the housework at weekends?

A．1,968.

B．1,158.

C．1,200.

D．1,674.

【小題2】Why will less than ten percent of office workers kill the time with their colleagues at weekends?

A．Because they can't spare time to play with them.

B．Because they tend to avoid too many personal contacts with hem when they don't have to.

C．Because. they have many things to deal with at weekends.

D．Because some experts suggest they should not keep in touch with their colleagues.

【小題3】Which of the following is TRUE according to the survey?

A．There is the same percentage about people preferring a weekend all by themselves and people spending no more than 500 yuan during weekends.

B．Most office workers can’t afford things in supermarkets, so they prefer to attend other stores, especially when discounts are offered.

C．More than one fifth of office workers like to hang out with friends.

D．All the office workers prefer to relax themselves and no one is willing to learn more skills.

【小題4】 What is the best title of the passage?

A．How to spend the weekends

B．Several ways of spending their weekends for office people

C．How to go shopping on the weekends for office people

D．Office people prefer easy weekends

You must have a favorite line or pet phrase you repeat often in your conversations. Studies say that pet phrases can reflect our changing society and reveal information about a person’s personality. Here are some of the most popular pet phrases among young people.
腦殘---nuts
I love the word and use it whenever I think a person is stupid, or a behavior is crazy. I learned the term from one of my classmates. Once, we saw two high school girls wearing miniskirts on a very cold winter day and my classmate called the two girls “nuts”. I don’t think the word reflects my personality. I use it because it sounds cool.
Diao Yujie, 22, computer science major at Nanjing University.
汗---stunning
I use this word very often. Once, my classmates and I were discussing how amusing QQ is. One guy suddenly burst out, “I have MSN too”. This comment had no relation with the topic we were discussing. I used this word and everybody laughed. I think it is a fantastic word that can change awkwardness to amusement.
Mu Li, 20, journalism major at Beijing Normal University.
暈死---I’m giddy!
I use this word a lot---more often than my classmates. It has became a symbol of me, as my friends sometimes refer to me as the guy who often says the word. I am a person who wants to be different and this word gives me that feeling.
Chen Zhou, 21, Nanjing University.
雷---stunning
I only use this word with my friends. My parents don’t understand it. The word, which is only used among people of my age, is intimate. I think it stands for being young and energetic. And I want to be young forever, so I like the word.
Chen Jianjun, 23, senior at Nanjing University.
【小題1】If a man wearing suit and a tie is climbing a mountain, what can we say to him according to the passage?

A．nuts

B．I’m giddy.

C．汗---stunning

D．雷---stunning

【小題2】What’s the meaning of “pet phrase” in the first paragraph?

A．習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)

B．寵物語(yǔ)言

C．口頭禪

D．座右銘

【小題3】 What’s young people’s attitude to pet phrase?

A．indifferent

B．crazy

C．reasonable

D．a(chǎn)gainst

【小題4】Pet phrase can ________ according to studies.

A．reflect our changing society

B．reveal information about a person’s personality

C．make young people popular

D．both A and B

“If I had one million yuan, I would buy you a palace! Do I have one million yuan? No, I don’t! so I only can spend ten fen(分) on this short message, sending you my best wishes! ”
Today, SMS—Short Message Service is popular, and China Mobile says that every second, there are 410 messages being sent.
Look around you! People are watching their mobiles, smiling or laughing. Thumbs are pressing buttons, bring happiness to their friends. The humor of the words shows how beautiful language is! Through SMS, we know the weather report, share jokes and news, express love and friendship.
“Thumb Culture” is becoming more and more popular. It is reported that 67% of young people like to “Short” to greet each other. Internet SMS will provide more convenience to people. I am grateful for the progress because SMS saves me much money. Just on the tip of thumb, so much joy can be found!
【小題1】The first paragraph is a(n) __________.

A．e-mail.

B．short message.

C．piece of news.

D．story.

【小題2】What can people do through SMS?

A．Buy a palace.	B．Provide food.
C．Learn foreign language.	D．Send messages.

【小題3】The people are smiling and laughing when sending messages because they_________.

A．save much money.	B．know the weather report.
C．enjoy the happiness of SMS.	D．have one million yuan.

【小題4】The writer thinks that_________.

A．SMS helps people a lot.	B．people can find joy on the Internet.
C．greeting can cost much money.	D．thumb has become a kind of culture.

This year 2,300 teenagers ( young people aged from 13-19 ) from all over the world will spend about ten months in U.S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form impressions (印象) of the real American teenagers. American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and have a new understanding of the rest of the world.
Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George's family. In return, George's son, Mike, spent a year in Fred's home in America.
Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months study, the language began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected — much harder. Students rose respectfully (尊敬地) when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
Family life, too, was different. The family's word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than one of the members. Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.
“Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”
At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize (批評(píng)) American schools.” he says. “It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”
【小題1】The whole exchange program is mainly to ____.

A．help teenagers in other countries know the real America

B．send students in America to travel in Germany

C．let students learn something about other countries

D．have teenagers learn new languages

【小題2】What did Fred and Mike agree on?

A．American food tasted better than German food.

B．German schools were harder than American schools.

C．Americans and Germans were both friendly.

D．There were more cars on the streets in America.

【小題3】 What is particular (特別的) in American schools?

A．There is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings.

B．There are a lot of after-school activities.

C．Students usually take 14 subjects in all.

D．Students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car.

【小題4】What did Mike think after experiencing the American school life?

A．A better education should include something good from both America and Germany.

B．German schools trained students to be better citizens.

C．American schools were not as good as German schools.

D．The easy life in the American school was more helpful to students.

From Monday until Friday most people are busy working or studying, but in the evenings and on weekends they are free to relax (放松) and enjoy themselves. Some watch TV or go to the movies; others take part in sports. It depends on individual interests. There are many different ways to spend our spare time.
Almost everyone has some kinds of hobbies. It may be anything from collecting stamps to making model airplanes. Some hobbies are very expensive, but others don’t cost anything at all. Some collections are worth a lot of money; others are valuable only to their owners.
I know a man who has a coin collection worth several thousand dollars. A short time ago he bought a rare (稀有的) fifty-cent piece worth $250! He was very happy about his buying and thought the price was reasonable (合理的). On the other hand, my youngest brother collects matchboxes. He has almost 600 of them but I doubt (懷疑) if they are worth any money. However, to my brother they are very valuable. Nothing makes him happier than to find a new matchbox for his collection.
That’s what a hobby means, I guess. It is something we like to do in our spare time simply for the fun of it. The value in dollars is not important, but the pleasure it gives us is.
【小題1】The underlined word “individual” in the first paragraph most probably means____ .

A．different

B．strange

C．secret

D．one's own

【小題2】In the writer's opinion, ____.

A．a(chǎn)ll hobbies are very expensive	B．some hobbies don't cost anything
C．hobbies are worthless	D．hobbies are valuable to everybody

【小題3】Something that one enjoys doing in one's spare time is a____ .

A．job

B．pleasure

C．hobby

D．habit

For years experts have argued that poor households are consuming less nourishing food than the rest of the population.
But a survey of some of the lowest earners in Britain shows the nutritional value of what they eat is little different to everyone else.
In fact, the same deficiencies in diet were shared by all the population and the findings suggest that poor eating choices are far more widespread than previously suspected - affecting many wealthier families.
These included low fruit and vegetable consumption, not eating enough oily fish and eating too much saturated fat and sugar.
“This is a large and significant study and it shows we are all eating just as bad a diet as each other,” said Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University.
The poorest families were eating only slightly more sugar and slightly less fruit and vegetables, according to the study of 3,728 respondents in the bottom of the population.
Alison Tedstone, head of nutritional science at the Food Standard Agency, said: “ Overall, people on low incomes have less than ideal diets, but their diets are only slightly worse than those of the rest of the population.”
The study also showed that low earners are choosing to eat unhealthily. Their food choices were not linked to their income, their access to shops or their cooking skills.
The findings appear to contradict assumptions that the poor cannot afford healthier foods or are too far away from shops that sell them.
The Low Income Nutrition and Diet Survey showed that like the rest of the population, the poor's daily fruit and vegetable intake on average is below the recommended five portions. Fewer than 10 per cent of respondents hit this target, while around 20 per cent ate less than a portion per day.
More than three quarters (76 per cent) of men and 81 per cent of women did less than one 30-minute session of moderate or vigorous exercise per week.
Some 45 per cent of men and 40 per cent of women were smokers.
This compares with 28 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women in the general population.
【小題1】 According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A．Whether the poor or the rich maybe have a bad diet.

B．Even the poor can enjoy enough fruit and fish consumption.

C．Only the poor have a bad diet.

D．The study was conveyed in both the rich and the poor.

【小題2】What kind of persons maybe eat most sugar?

A．The rich.

B．Men.

C．The poorest.

D．Women

【小題3】 From the passage, we can learn __________.

A．the poor choose unhealthy food because of low income

B．having no access to shops also leads to the poor’s bad diet

C．the poor’s daily fruit intake is as much as general people

D．the number of smokers in the poor is bigger than that in general people

【小題4】 What’s the best title of the passage?

A．The poor’s healthy problem.	B．Keep off junk food.
C．How to have a good diet.	D．A diet survey.

With the rapid social development, the Internet now provides social networks that include online movies and videos．The major television networks have much less control over your mind and their broadcasts for entertainment and, more importantly, advertising．It has long been known that television’s audience will spend more time on the Internet than watching TV．People have found another means of entertainment by going to websites which seem to satisfy their specific interests more completely．This isn’t very good news for the television networks．
The influence of people using DVRs （Digital Video Recorder） also has led to fewer and fewer viewers watching television commercials．Market research indicates the effectiveness of TV ads is getting weaker as a result．Many DVR owners are fast forwarding and skipping television commercials．With viewers now spending an average of four times longer on the Internet and more viewers avoiding commercials, this trend isn’t good for television’s advertising revenues（收益）．
Major TV advertisers know full well that their advertising dollars on TV aren’t as an effective investment as they once were．The major players in advertising have been moving towards the Internet as a serious alternative means of advertising．
For thousands of people involved in Internet marketing, it’s history-making to share the revenue that previously all went to major television networks．There’s already a group of Internet marketers being paid a larger amount of advertising revenue．These are everyday people that work usually from home on their own．Advertisers can direct their advertising to websites where viewer types are more likely to be interested in their product or service．
The development of the Internet and its role and change in our lives cannot be compared to any other form of media created throughout the history of mankind．
【小題1】People are going to websites for entertainment because _______．

A．they’d like to follow the last trend

B．there are fewer commercials

C．there are more movies and videos

D．they can choose what meets their particular needs

【小題2】We can learn from the second paragraph that ______．

A．viewers are bored with television commercials

B．the television viewing time should be limited

C．many television commercials are of poor quality

D．there are more commercials on DVRs than on TV

【小題3】It can be inferred from the passage that _____．

A．people spend time on the Internet mainly for entertainment

B．most people prefer to work at home nowadays

C．the Internet will attract more and more advertisers

D．the appearance of TV changed our lives

【小題4】The passage mainly tells us ________．

A．the rapid social development

B．the fast development of the Internet advertising

C．the way to advertise on the Internet

D．the influence of television commercials

The United States is full of cars. There are still many families without cars, but some families have two or more. However, cars are used for more than pleasure. They are a necessary part of life.
Cars are used for business. They are driven to offices and factories by workers who have no other way to get to their jobs. When salesmen are sent to different parts of the city, they have to drive in order to carry their products. Farmers have to drive into the city in order to get supplies.
Sometimes small children must be driven to school. In some cities school buses are used only when children live more than a mile away from the school. When the children are too young to walk too far, their mothers take turns driving them to school. One mother drives on Mondays taking her own children and the neighbors' as well. Another mother drives on Tuesdays, another on Wednesday, and so on. This is called forming a car pool. Men also form car pools, with three or four men taking turns driving to the place where they all work.
More car pools should be formed in order to put fewer cars on the road and use less gas. Too many cars are being driven. Something will have to be done about the use of cars.
【小題1】 The United States is filled with cars, but             .

A．not every family has a car	B．few families have two cars or even more
C．every American has a car	D．every family has a car

【小題2】What's the main idea of the second paragraph?

A．Workers drive cars to offices and factories	B．Salesmen drive to carry their products.
C．Farmers drive into cities to get supplies.	D．Cars are widely used.

【小題3】Which statement is true according to the third paragraph?

A．Small children are driven to school.

B．All children go to school by bus in some cities.

C．Mothers drive their children who can't walk to school.

D．School buses pick up all children.

【小題4】 Mothers form car pools in order that             .

A．they can drive to school

B．they can take turns driving their children to school

C．they reach school quickly

D．they can drive their children to school in time

【小題5】 The traffic in and around cities is a great problem because              .

A．too many cars are being driven	B．there are too many car pools
C．people put fewer cars on the roads	D．there is less gas

Pairs, Jan. 11--- An armored (武裝) car robbery last night ended in a wild gunbattle that two men dead and a hostage (人質(zhì)) seriously wounded.
The drama (刺激的事件) began when an armored car carrying the contents of safety（儲(chǔ)備）boxes to a bank was struck by a large truck, police said.
The bank guards were helpless when the robbers jumped out of the truck and tied them. The robbers used heavy tools and explosives (爆炸品) to break the armored car.
A passing police car turned to look into the accident as the men were removing the contents of the armored car. Police said the three robbers fled on foot across a nearby highway.
Stopping a private car driven by a teenaged girl, the three escaped for central Pairs with the police car in hot pursuit（追捕）.
A plain clothes policeman saw the car as it drove through the street of Lat in Quarter. The policeman tried to stop the car, but the thieves started shooting at him, witness (目擊者) said.
The girl hostage tried to slip away. Just as she was crawling (爬出) away from the car, she was hit by a bullet. Police said she was out of danger at Central Hospital.
The gunmen gave up the car and got into a shop, pouring fire on more than 50 policemen that surrounded the building. After a wild gunbattle, police broke into the room. They only found two of the gunmen, both seriously wounded. The third thief was believed to have escaped with over $1.3 million in cash and jewellery.
【小題1】The passage is about _____.

A．a(chǎn) gunbattle between the policeman and the government soldiers.

B．a(chǎn) bank robbery in Paris.

C．a(chǎn) group of gunmen's robbery of armored car in the streets.

D．how a teenaged girl got seriously wounded.

【小題2】The robbers came       and they _____.

A．in a police car; stole the armed car.

B．in a truck; blasted (炸毀) the armored car.

C．in an armored truck; drove the money car away.

D．in an armored car; opened the armored car with heavy tools.

【小題3】The three robbers escaped on foot across a nearby highway because_____.

A．a(chǎn) passing police car found them .

B．the explosives were too strong .

C．the contents of the armored car were too heavy .

D．the truck broke down .

【小題4】A plain clothes policeman is ______.

A．not a policeman but a soldier .	B．not a policeman but a gunman .
C．a(chǎn) policeman but he doesn't wear a uniform .	D．a(chǎn) robber .

【小題5】After a wild gunbattle, ______.

A．the robbers were shot dead.

B．the police got back what they wanted.

C．the police failed to get back what they wanted.

D．50 policemen were killed and the robbers were seriously wounded.