13．For age the word has been going around that the dog is the man's best friend．I agree．A dog can be hardly as a night watchman around the house，as a pointer on a hunting trip，as a guardian and playmate for the children．But I think that having a dog for a pet is so expensive and annoying that I can do without such a friend．
Providing for the dog's needs is so expensive that the animals should be an income tax deduction（扣除）．There's the medical bill for shots to keep the animal healthy．Unless it's kept in the house 24hours a day，a female must be given"preventive maintenance"a ten-to twenty-dollar investment．Otherwise，before you know it，you'll have more"income tax deductions"in your family．And dogs have to eat．Don't think you can buy a case of Ken-L-Ration and be done with it．A dog can be as particular about food as a French expert．To feed even a Chihuahua，a very small Mexican dog，you'll spend three to five dollars a week．If you own a big，you need a large dog-house．They're expensive．A carpenter will build a luxurious model for about seventy-five dollars．For about thirty dollars'worth of materials，a weekend's work，and a smashed thumb，you can build a simple one yourself．And these are only the major costs．
A dog is so annoying that no one in his right mind would want to own one．Consider the dog owner blessed with a dog that fetches-slippers，rubber toys，newspapers．Have you eased your bare feet into slippers bitten by dogs，seen a living room destroyed by a toy boxer，tried to read a newspaper chewed to wet pieces by an obedient Boston bull？And dogs make noise．Some huge dogs bark all night．But you aren't the only one to endure sleepless nights； your neighbors let you know they didn't sleep either．Policemen are frequent visitors to dog owners'homes．They inquire about holes reported dug in neighbors'flower beds，prize cats injured and bleeding，and pet chickens and ducks sent to their reward．Suspect：your dog!You deny everything，of course．Rex，you assure the officers，was asleep by the door．But you secretly suspect him，because you don't really know where Pex was all week．And you remember wondering why feathers were floating in his water bowl yesterday．Dogs are annoying．Neither a fire-breathing mother-in-law nor a talkative wife prove more annoying to man than a dog．
Dog lovers will，of course，claim my argument one-sides，even exaggerated．They might consider me as cruel as the Russians，who possibly attempting to solve their own canine crisis--shot Fido into orbit．But the fact remains，if our best friends caused us the expense and annoyance our dog does，we'd soon encouraged them to become astronauts．
74．Which statement is NOT true about the dog as man's best friend？A
A．A dog will help to watch people．
B．A dog will guard your house at night．
C．A dog will play with your children．
D．A dog will serve as a guide for the hunters．
75．In paragraph2，"preventive maintenance"meas a measure toC．
A．keep the dog in the house the whole day
B．invest ten to twenty dollars in female pregnant
C．prevent a female dog from becoming pregnant
D．provide for the food that dogs eat
76．Policemen frequently visit dog owners'homes becauseB．
A．the police station was destroyed by dogs
B．neighbor's domestics pets were killed or injured．'
C．they want to ask about neighbor's flowers
D．they can't stand sleepless nights any more
77．From the last two paragraphs，we can learn thatD．
A．a dog is not as annoying as a fire-breathing mother-in-law
B．it is more difficult for man to cope with a talkative wife than with a dog
C．dog lovers prove to be as cruel as the Russians in the argument
D．a dog is a troublemaker that causes its owner the most annoyance．
分析 本文主要讲述了狗虽然是人最好的朋友，可以作为房子的守夜人，可以作打猎的指引者，可以作守护者和孩子的玩伴．但作者认为有一个宠物狗是如此昂贵，烦人，他能做的是没有这样的一个朋友，为狗狗提供的需求是十分昂贵的，而且狗很讨厌．
解答 74．答案A．细节理解题．根据文章第一段A dog can be hardly as a night watchman around the house，as a pointer on a hunting trip，as a guardian and playmate for the children．知，狗可以作为房子的守夜人，可以作打猎的指引者，可以作守护者和孩子的玩伴．A．狗可以帮助看人；B．狗可以在晚上看家；C．狗可以陪孩子玩；D．狗可以作为打猎的引导．故选A．
75．答案C．推测词意题．A．让这只狗在家呆一整天；B．在雌性怀孕投资10到20美元；C．防止雌狗怀孕；D．提供食物给狗狗吃．根据文章第二段内容，可推测出preventive maintenance意为防止雌狗怀孕的措施．故选C．
76．答案B．推理判断题．根据Policemen are frequent visitors to dog owners'homes．They inquire about holes reported dug in neighbors'flower beds，prize cats injured and bleeding，and pet chickens and ducks sent to their reward．Suspect：your dog!知，原因是领居的宠物受伤．故选B．
77．答案D．判断大意题．根据文章后两段But the fact remains，if our best friends caused us the expense and annoyance our dog does，we'd soon encouraged them to become astronauts．知，狗是麻烦制造者是使主人烦恼的原因．ABC均不符合文章内容．故选D．
点评 本文考查学生日常生活类的阅读水平，学生需要认真阅读原文，把握文章大意，对文章脉络有整体的了解，能仔细查找文中细节，并能根据文章内容进行合理的推测判断．
