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 （讨人喜欢的）．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 （士气;精神状态）, 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．

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

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

       A．Favorable B．Critical     C．Reserved   D．Doubtful

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．

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．

第二节完型填空（共20小题，小题1．5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文所给各题的四个选项（A, B, C, D）中选能填入相应空白处的最佳选项。
Wings of Angel
I used to hate myself because I wasn’t “normal”. Everyone else could play on the monkey bars and ride on a bicycle, but not   36  . I had a severe spinal cord disorder(脊髓病) and I knew I would always be much   37  than others.
I hated going to school and I hated   38   at me. I hated seeing others smiling broadly and standing   39  and tall. And most of all, I hated looking in the   40  and seeing an ugly and hunchback(驼背).
My friends found me   41  because I didn’t let other get close to me. I thought I was going to go on like this for the rest of my life   42  Angela appeared.
That afternoon, I was sitting by myself in a corner of the school—a spot where no one would
43  me. That’s when I first heard your voice.
“Hi. Can I sit down?”
I raised my head and there she was, with an irresistible smile on her round face.
“What are you looking at?” you asked.
“Ants.”
“What are they doing?”
“No   44  .”
“I bet they’re playing games and make friends. Don’t you think so?”
That was how our   45  started and it didn’t stop. We talked about everything under the sun—the ants, the clouds, my little niche(处境)—until it was sunset.
Then suddenly, you saw my   46  . She just stared.
My heart   47  . What I feared most had happened and I knew for sure she would   48   me now.
She stood up, pointed at my back and said, “49 I know why your back is hunched.”
I closed my eyes like a criminal waiting to be   50  . I begged in my heart for her to   51  , but you just kept on going. “I know what you’ve got in there. Do you?”
“No,” I answered   52  .
She bent and whispered in my ears.
“Your back is bunched because you’ve got a pair of wings from the angels.”
I was   53  . I looked into your eyes and her   54  touched my heart. From that day on, I started to learn to   55  myself because I have the wings of an angel and a kind – hearted friend.
36．A．them B．it      C．mo    D．her
37．A．sadder      B．shorter      C．weaker     D．slower
38．A．looking    B．smiling     C．aiming      D．glaring
39．A．still   B．alone C．straight     D．together
40．A．street B．sun    C．corner      D．mirror
41．A．distant      B．stubborn   C．hopeless    D．unfortunate
42．A．after  B．before      C．since D．until
43．A．disturb     B．seek  C．interrupt   D．ignore
44．A．wonder     B．idea   C．sign   D．action
45．A．connection       B．competition      C．conversation     D．comprehension
46．A．face  B．back  C．eyes  D．shoulders
47．A．sank  B．beat   C．broke       D．ached
48．A．care for    B．rely on     C．look down upon      D．put up with
49．A．that   B．how  C．whether    D．why
50．A．accused    B．arrested    C．punished   D．sentenced
51．A．relax B．leave C．stop   D．pause
52．A．shyly B．weakly     C．proudly    D．firmly
53．A．astonished B．ashamed   C．annoyed    D．amused
54．A．wisdom    B．generosity C．honesty     D．kindness
55．A．control     B．like   C．comfort    D．enjoy

第二节 完型填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项

Wings of Angel

    I used to hate myself because I wasn’t “normal”. Everyone else could play on the monkey bars and ride on a bicycle, but not   31  . I had a severe spinal cord disorder(脊髓病) and I knew I would always be much  32 than others.

I hated going to school and I hated   33   at me. I hated seeing others smiling broadly and standing   34  and tall. And most of all, I hated looking in the   35  and seeing an ugly and hunchback(驼背).

My friends found me   36  because I didn’t let other get close to me. I thought I was going to go on like this for the rest of my life   37  Angela appeared.

That afternoon, I was sitting by myself in a corner of the school—a spot where no one would

  38  me. That’s when I first heard your voice.

“Hi. Can I sit down?”

I raised my head and there she was, with an irresistible smile on her round face.

“What are you looking at?” you asked.

“Ants.”

“What are they doing?”

 “No   39 .”

“I bet they’re playing games and make friends. Don’t you think so?”

That was how our   40  started and it didn’t stop. We talked about everything under the sun—the ants, the clouds, my little niche(处境)—until it was sunset.

Then suddenly, you saw my   41 . She just stared.

My heart   42  . What I feared most had happened and I knew for sure she would   43   me now.

She stood up, pointed at my back and said, “I know   44__ your back is hunched.”

I closed my eyes like a criminal waiting to be   45  . I begged in my heart for her to   46  , but you just kept on going. “I know what you’ve got in there. Do you?”

“No,” I answered   47  .

She bent and whispered in my ears.

“Your back is bunched because you’ve got a pair of wings from the angels.”

I was   48  . I looked into your eyes and her   49  touched my heart. From that day on, I started to learn to   50  myself because I have the wings of an angel and a kind – hearted friend.

31．A．them B．it         C．mo     D．her

32．A．sadder        B．shorter       C．weaker       D．slower

33．A．looking       B．smiling       C．aiming        D．glaring

34．A．still     B．alone C．straight      D．together

35．A．street         B．sun     C．corner        D．mirror

36．A．distant       B．stubborn    C．hopeless    D．unfortunate

37．A．after  B．before        C．since  D．until

38．A．disturb       B．seek   C．interrupt    D．ignore

39．A．wonder      B．idea   C．sign    D．action

40．A．connection         B．competition       C．conversation      D．comprehension

41．A．face   B．back   C．eyes   D．shoulders

42．A．sank   B．beat   C．broke D．ached

43．A．care for      B．rely on        C．look down upon D．put up with

44．A．that   B．how   C．whether     D．why

45．A．accused     B．arrested    C．punished    D．sentenced

46．A．relax  B．leave C．stop   D．pause

47．A．shyly  B．weakly        C．proudly       D．firmly

48．A．astonished         B．ashamed   C．annoyed     D．amused

49．A．wisdom      B．generosity C．honesty      D．kindness

50．A．control       B．like     C．comfort      D．enjoy

Scores of farms across he country are opening up to overnight guests．The best have all the appeal of a first-rate inn（小旅馆） — plus here a moo, there a moo．

Sure, you and your kids have a plan for the theme parks．In the meanwhile, why not make a little hay（干草）? Farm stays are fast becoming the great American alternative to the pre-packaged vacation．

LIBERTY HALL FARM

Rochester, Vt．; 802/767-3926; www．libertyhillfarm．com．Adults $75, teens $50, kids 12 and under $35, including breakfast and dinner; shared baths．

Beth and Bob Kennett run a farm straight out of a storybook．You’ll find Beth in the kitchen, rolling out dough（生面团） for a pie．Bob’s busy with other work．Guests sleep in seven sunny bedrooms right in the farmhouse and can participate in any of the farm jobs．Maybe you and your kids won’t be up at 6 am to meet the milk truck, but you can help with the milking twice a day, collect eggs, and pick sweet corn and wild blackberries in season．

HULL-O FARM

Durham, N．Y．; 518/239-6950; www．hull-o．com; Adults $110, kids 10-14 $60, 5-9 $50, 2-4 $35, under 2 free, including breakfast and dinner; private baths．

It started in 1993 as a way to bring in some extra money at a time of falling milk prices．But soon after Frank and Sherry Hull opened their Catskill Mountains dairy farm to overnight visitors, they discovered they loved it．As you drive up, Sherry greets you on the porch（入口处） of the 1825 farmhouse with a cow-shaped cookie jar．Before long your kids are playing around with the cows, sheep, ducks, goats and getting ready for a hayride．

MERAMEC FARM CABINS

Bourbon, Mo．; 573/732-4765; http://www．wine-mo．com Doubles with private bath $75, $10 per additional person．Trail and riding fees extra．

Climb on the back of the Ford pick up and catch up with the herd．One gentle cow named Cricket will even let the kids sit on her back．At the barn（牲口棚） Carol will introduce you to the horses — 15 Missouri Fox Trotters — and lead you on a ride over the hills and down along the spring-fed Meramec River, where everyone swims．Grab a fishing pole and head back to the river．When you have your fill of the wild, try Carol and Dave’s favorite restaurants, within 20 miles of the farm．

1.The underlined sentence in the first paragraph implies that _____．

2.We can learn from the three ads that ____．

3.The Browns have a 13-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter．If they stay on Liberty Hill Farm for one night, how much will they pay?

4.Who will be most likely interested in the webpage?

Chinese writer Mo Yan’s Nobel Prize for Literature might ignite an explosion of global interest in Chinese literature and lead to more titles translated into English, European experts say.
“Hopefully, the award means more people will read Chinese literature and more works will get translated,” says Michel Hockx, professor of the Languages and Cultures of China and Inner Asia from University of London. “Many very good Chinese writers have been accepted globally for a long time already. Mo Yan is probably the most translated Chinese writer alive, with at least five of his novels made available in English over the past 20 years.”
Jonathan Ruppin, web editor of bookseller Foyles, says Mo’s win coincides with growing interest in Chinese literature and recognizes the talents of a distinctive and visionary（富于幻想的）writer. “We are very excited by the fact that English translations of more of his books should now become available,” Ruppin says. He made the comment after Mo became the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in its century-long history.
As East-West cultural exchange has been booming, Chinese literature has been attracting growing attention in recent years. Hockx explains, “It’s mainly because there are many more opportunities for Chinese writers to visit other countries, to publish their works outside China and to interact with readers abroad. At the same time, more and more people globally are learning Chinese and taking an interest in the Chinese language and culture.”
University of Oxford lecturer in modern Chinese literature Margaret Hillenbrand says, “The obvious reason for the growing global presence of Chinese literature is the growing global presence of China itself. People have come to realize that there is a serious knowledge deficit between China and its international counterparts — in particular, China knows incomparably more about Europe and America than the other way round — and reading Chinese literature is an effective, simple means of solving that gap.”
【小题1】The underlined word “ignite” in Paragraph 1 probably means  “________”.