It seems that there is no middle ground when it comes to cats. People either love them or hate them. These feelings are not new either. All through history, cats have been worshiped or hated. A study of ancient writings and evidence found in tombs indicates that for the past 5,000 years, cats have been kept as pets in China, Arabia, Egypt, and India. However, this isn’t very long compared to dogs, which have been domesticated for 50,000 years. Still, while the period in which cats have been domesticated may be quite short, it has definitely had its high and low points.
Cats were at their highest position of domesticated life in ancient Egypt. There were more cats living in Egypt during the time of the pharaohs than in any other place in the world since that time. This high number of cats was probably due to the laws protecting them. Cats were associated with the moon goddess, Bast, so the Egyptians worshiped them as holy animals. If anyone was caught killing a cat, the person could be put to death. Families in Egypt also mourned the death of a cat and had the body of the dead cat wrapped in cloth before it was finally laid to rest. This respect for cats carried over to the Roman Empire where cats were the only animals allowed into temples. This fact was probably due to the ability of cats to keep the temples free of mice and rats. With the coming of the Dark Ages in Europe, the place of cats in society took a turn for the Empire, Christians began to associate cats with pegan (異教徒) beliefs. Cats had a reputation as helpers of witches. When a person was accused of being a witch, a cat would often be put on trial with the person. The cat would be tortured（拷打） to try and make the person tell the truth, and usually the cat and the person would end up being burned in a bonfire or drowned. Bonfires of collected cats were not uncommon during this time.
The days of hunting witches have ended, but other myths about cats still hold out. For a while, people in some places used to bury live cats under new buildings for good luck. As well, many people today continue to believe that black cats bring bad luck. If a black cat walks in front of a person, that person must take extra care in the near future to watch out for dangerous situations. Regardless of superstition(迷信), cats remain a popular pet today. Some cat experts believe that a cat never truly be domesticated because it may turn wild and run away at any time. However, this claim has not put people off keeping cats in their homes. A third of homes in the United States have cats, and one out of every three of these homes keeps both a dog and a cat. Especially in large cities, many people in small apartments have found that cats make much better pets than dogs.
Cats may not be worshiped as gods any more, but there are people who seem to think of their cat as their children. These cat owners will do almost anything to keep their pets healthy and happy. For those cat owners who have always wondered what their pets are trying to tell them, a Japanese company may have come up with the perfect invention. In 2003, the Takara Company announced the Meowlingual, a cat translation device. The Meowlingual uses a microphone, display, and cat voice analyzer to analyze a cat’s meows to determine which of 200 phrases a cat is trying to say.
According to a company spokesperson, “… cat owners all over the world have been telling Takara, ‘ We want a cat translator!’” Now, the company “is making their dream come true by bringing in a new era of communication between cat lovers and their pets.”
小題1:Which of these is NOT discussed in the passage?
A．the status of cats throughout history
B．the evolution of different species of cats
C．the popularity of the cats today
D．communication between cats and their owners
小題2:The second paragraph mainly describes_______.
A．how Bast became a goddess.
B．the low point in the history of cats
C．the high point in the history of cats
D．the reason why cats are such good hunters
小題3:How were cats treated in Europe during the Dark Ages?
A．a(chǎn)s farm animalsB．a(chǎn)s foodC．a(chǎn)s magical creaturesD．a(chǎn)s honored guests
小題4:According to the passage, what percentage of people in the United States keep both a cat and a dog?
A．a(chǎn)bout 10 percentB．nearly 25 percentC．a(chǎn)bout 33 percentD．close to 50 percent

小題1:B
小題2:C
小題3:C
小題4:A

試題分析：文章主要說明了貓在古埃及、歐洲等地的地位，數(shù)量，以及現(xiàn)在世界各地貓與人的關(guān)系。
小題1:細(xì)節(jié)題，由文章中這些細(xì)節(jié)People either love them or hate them./This high number of cats was probably due to the laws protecting them/ Cats were at their highest position of domesticated life in ancient Egypt./According to a company spokesperson, “… cat owners all over the world have been telling Takara, ‘ We want a cat translator!’”可知選B.文章沒有討論貓的進化演變。
小題2:細(xì)節(jié)題，由第二段Cats were at their highest position of domesticated life in ancient Egypt.可知第二段主要講貓的高地位。故選C。
小題3:細(xì)節(jié)題，由第二段With the coming of the Dark Ages in Europe, the place of cats in society took a turn for the Empire, Christians began to associate cats with pegan (異教徒) beliefs. Cats had a reputation as helpers of witches可知貓被認(rèn)為是由魔力的生物。故選C。
小題4:細(xì)節(jié)題，有第三段A third of homes in the United States have cats, and one out of every three of these homes keeps both a dog and a cat.可知選A。
點評：這是一篇說明文，主要考查細(xì)節(jié)問題，考生只要找到與問題相關(guān)的細(xì)節(jié)并理解這些細(xì)節(jié)就可做出正確選擇。
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A．economyB．geography
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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A．a(chǎn) teddyB．a(chǎn) carC．a(chǎn) dollD．a(chǎn) ball
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

More than half of rich Americans have not shown their full wealth to their children, a new survey showed last Tuesday.
The survey, published by the Bank of America, studied the rich with＄3 million or more in possessions. It found that “surprisingly few of those surveyed have well-developed plans to preserve and pass on their possessions to their children”.
The majority of the 457 people surveyed are self-made, first-generation rich. Fifty-two percent of parents have not chosen not to tell their children just how wealthy they are，and 15 percent have given away nothing about the family wealth. One in three parents said they had never thought to do it.
They are worried that their children would become lazy, spend money freely，make bad decisions and even become a target for attractive women who use their looks to get money from rich men.
Only 34 percent strongly agreed that their children would be able to handle any inheritance（遺產(chǎn)）they plan to leave them.
“There is an expectation about the wealthy parents that they have a responsibility to pass down their fortune to the next generation,” said Sallie Krawcheck，president of the Global Wealth and Investment Management of the Bank of America. “Our research, however, uncovered changing views of what one generation owes the next.”
The trend is led by the world’s richest man Bill Gates, who promised in 2008 that he would leave his $58 billion fortune to the charity started by him and his wife, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation（基金會），and not to his children.
“ We want to give it back to society in the way that it will have the most positive effect,” he said.
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小題1:We can learn from the passage that              .
A．rich parents may not know how to manage their inheritance
B．rich parents don’t equal rich kids, at least in the US
C．American children don’t get to inherit their parents’ wealth
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A．think they owe their children nothing
B．think it best to give their money back to society
C．doubt their children’s ability to handle wealth
D．a(chǎn)re confident of their children’s ability to handle wealth
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A．responsible children
B．Bill Gates and his wife
C．first-generation rich
D．rich parents
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A．the trend of leaving no inheritance to children
B．the positive effect of charity on society
C．the way of giving back to society
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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The machine squirts (噴射) out chocolate and, via computer instructions, allows the user to build any shape they like out of the food. But makers Choc Edge have missed the Easter rush. Even so, they hope the printer will be snapped up by retailers (零售商) immediately they come to the market. Britain’s biggest chocolatiers Thornton’s have already said they are interested. Because of the high cost, however, few individuals are likely to buy one. But the devicecould one day allow people to design their own 3D objects after submitting their designs on a website. Dr Hao, founder of Choc Edge came up with a prototype (原型) last year and has only just perfected it so that it can now go on sale. “We’ve improved and simplified the machine, so now it is really easy to use,” he told the BBC. “You just need to melt some chocolate, fill a syringe (注射器) that is stored in the printer, and get creative printing of your chocolate.”     
3D printing is a technology where a three dimensional object is created by building up successive layers of material. The technology is already used in industry to produce plastic and metal products, but this is the first time the principles have been applied to chocolate. The research has presented many challenges. Chocolate is not an easy material to work with because it requires accurate heating and cooling cycles. Dr Hao said, “What makes this technology special is that users will be able to design and make their own products. From reproducing the shape of a child’s favourite toy to a friend’s face, the possibilities are endless. It could be developed to help consumers design many products from different materials, but we’ve started with chocolate as it is easily available, low cost and harmless.” “There is also no wastage as any spoilage (損壞物) can be eaten.” Dr Hao added, “Eventually we may see many mass-produced products replaced by unique designs created by the customer.”
EPSRC chief executive Professor Dave Delpy said, “This is a good example of how creative research can be applied to create new manufacturing and retail ideas. By combining developments in engineering with the commercial potential of the digital economy，We can see the new market prospect (前景)—creating new jobs and, in this case, the chocolate printer is called sweet business opportunities.”
小題1:Which is the advantage of the chocolate printer?
A．It is easilyavailable, low cost and harmless.
B．It mainly produces children’s favourite toys.
C．The user can build the shape they like via computer instructions.
D．The designs made by it are the same as many mass-produced products.
小題2:What can we conclude from the passage?
A．The printer sold well during last Easter.
B．The technology of 3D printing promises a good future.
C．The printer was perfected and went on sale many years ago.
D．It’s the first time that the technology has been used in industry.
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A．doubtfulB．supportiveC．negativeD．critical
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