Have you heard about Post Office Cats in Britain? They are mouse hunters. The post office has actually employed cats since 1868. They are not employed to sort or deliver mail, of course, but to protect the mail and keep the population of mice under control. They make sure your morning post arrives free from damages caused by rats and mice.
London post offices were the first to try out the experiment. Within a few months the population of mice had shrunk sharply. Other post offices all over the country were soon using cats in the war against rats and mice as well. Within ten years the pay of the cats was improved from one and a half old pence a day to six or nine pence a day. Now the average rate of pay is about a few pounds a month.
Some of the hard-working cats have become quite famous. In 1980, a cat named Lucky stopped an attempted robbery in a Worcestershire post office on her own. As the two burglars made their way in through the window, Lucky started an attack and they fled empty-handed. Another excellent cat was Jerry, of Earls Court post office in London. He served the building for 16 years and was on duty for 24 hours every day. He drove all the mice away.
However, there are fewer cats employed by the post office than at any time in the past. With the faster movement of the mail and better surroundings, post office cats are not always needed. But many post offices still employ them and they become great friends with the postmen. According to the post office, there is no plan for their services to be discontinued in the foreseeable future.
小題1:Cats were introduced to British post offices to ________.
A．help sort and deliver mails and papers
B．guard the building against thieves
C．keep mails and papers undamaged
D．search for certain dangers in mails
小題2:The underlined word “shrunk” in the second paragraph probably means “________”.
A．decreased B．increasedC．narrowedD．expanded
小題3:The cat named Lucky became famous because________.
A．She served the post office for 16 years around the clock.
B．She alone drove two burglars away from the post office.
C．She protected mails from being bitten by mice.
D．She was employed to sort and deliver mail.
小題4:We may learn from the last paragraph that________.
A．the duty of the cats has been replaced by machines
B．a(chǎn)ll the post offices are now completely mice free
C．cats are now considered of little use in post offices
D．cats will still be seen in service for quite a long time

小題1:C
小題2:A
小題3:B
小題4:D

試題分析：文章介紹英國的郵局使用貓控制老鼠的數(shù)量，防止郵件被老鼠毀了，有些貓因為工作優(yōu)秀而出名，雖然現(xiàn)在郵局不再需要貓了，但是這項服務(wù)還會繼續(xù)。
小題1:細節(jié)題：從第一段的句子：They are not employed to sort or deliver mail, of course, but to protect the mail and keep the population of mice under control. They make sure your morning post arrives free from damages caused by rats and mice. 可知在英國的郵局引進貓是為了防止郵件被老鼠毀了，選C
小題2:猜詞題：從第一段的句子：but to protect the mail and keep the population of mice under control. 可知在英國的郵局引進貓是為了控制老鼠的數(shù)量，所以幾個月后老鼠的數(shù)量減少了，shrunk=decreased，選A
小題3:細節(jié)題：從第三段的句子：In 1980, a cat named Lucky stopped an attempted robbery in a Worcestershire post office on her own. As the two burglars made their way in through the window, Lucky started an attack and they fled empty-handed. 可知叫Lucky的貓是因為趕走了兩個盜賊而出名的，選B
小題4:推理題：從文章的最后一段的句子：But many post offices still employ them and they become great friends with the postmen. According to the post office, there is no plan for their services to be discontinued in the foreseeable future. 可知郵局未來還沒有計劃停止這種服務(wù)，就是說郵局會在很長時間內(nèi)使用貓。選D
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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Thank you for trusting me. I enjoy exchanging my ideas with yours
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Improve your player or your free throwing skills by following the tips below:
Make it personal. The truth is, there is no rule on how one should handle and throw the ball in a free throw. What matters is that the player should shoot the ball from the free throw line no matter how he does it. So when trying to improve your free throw shooting, better stick to what works the best for you. Do not copy other people’s techniques. Make it your own and leave those techniques as theirs.
Formulate (公式化) a repetitive way of shooting the ball. A free throw should be personalized. But it should also be repetitive. You should be able to repeat your free throw techniques whether you are in your court or in another court, whether you are energized or tired. You can’t say you have a personal free throw technique if you can’t repeat it over and over again.
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小題1:Why do so many players fail to make a successful free throw?
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B．Because they are lacking in practice and tips.
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C．Keep active in the court.
D．Learn to throw in different locations.
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B．How to improve your basketball throw skills.
C．How to gain more points in throwing.
D．How to improve your basketball free throwing.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Fans of US television dramas watch their favorite series for different reasons: some want to improve their English skills, others just want to kill time.
Some TV series are more than pure entertainment―they have a certain depth. Mad Men, which returned with a sixth season recently; Monday Mornings, which just finished its first season; and Modern Family, which sweeps the awards every year, are just a few examples.
Why do these shows stand out among so many similar ones? TV critics Raymond Zhou will give you an idea of why some shows are better than others.
Period drama—More than time travel
Period dramas are intended to capture the ambience (氣氛) of a particular era. Directors must therefore attract audiences as much by their recreation of a historical setting as by an interesting storyline.
Mad Men is an excellent example of this balance being struck. Set in New York during the 1960s, it accurately shows US attitudes in the workplace through the alcoholism and chain-smoking common of the time, and places an absorbing plot right in its center.
But rather than merely presenting a past decade, Mad Men’s subtle (微妙的) description of the struggles of white-collar workers at the time, both male and female, makes it stand out.
“The series’ attention to detail is superb,” Raymond Zhou said. “For example, creator Matthew Weiner makes Don Draper―the leading role of the series―drive a Buick instead of a Cadillac, because Weiner thinks the ad man lacks the self-pride to buy a luxury car. It’s this kind of attentiveness that raises the show’s artistic value.”
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Another period drama that works is Broadwalk Empire, set during the prohibition period of the 1920s and 1930s in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Heather Havrilesky at Salon magazine noted how the show “revels in the oddities(怪事) of its time, peeling back the layers of polite society to reveal a shadow world of criminals and politicians working together to keep the liquor flowing.”
Why does it appeal to viewers? Because they know that the “l(fā)iquor” is a metaphor (暗喻) for today’s political scandals (丑聞).
小題1: How many US TV series are mentioned in this passage?
A．One.B．Two.C．Three.D．Four.
小題2: The following statements are the reasons why many people are attracted by US television dramas EXCEPT that __________.
A．US television dramas merely present a past decade
B．directors recreate a historical setting and adopt interesting storylines
C．the dramas can improve their English skills, and help people kill time
D．some TV series are more than pure entertainment, and they have a certain depth
小題3: According to Raymond Zhou, Don Draper’s driving a Buick instead of a Cadillac shows __________.
A．Mad Men attaches much importance to details
B．Mad Men places an absorbing plot right in its center
C．the director wants to raise the show’s artistic value
D．Mad Men’s description of the struggling white-collar workers makes it stand out
小題4: What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．Directors of US dramas.B．US dramas and their storylines.
C．US period dramas to kill time.D．US dramas and their magic touch.

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