At the age of six weeks, Lilo seemed to be a perfect family pet. But as he grew up, he became aggressive ( 富于攻击性的). One day, as his 9-year-old owner went close, Lilo jumped at her angrily. The girl’s arm got hurt badly. It’s unusual for a family pet to hurt its loving owner. But Lilo should never have been anyone’s pet. He was actually a tiger.
There are thousands of tigers, lions and other big cats kept as pets in American homes.“People love the idea of owning something wild and special,”says Nicole Paquette of the Animal Protection Institute.“But they have no idea how hard it is to take care of them.”
Tigers like Lilo can grow to weigh 650 pounds. They are strong and powerful. Each year many people are hurt or killed by pet tigers and other big cats.
The situation can also be deadly for the big cats themselves. They often end up in small and dirty cages. Living in dirty conditions, the cats become sick and often more aggressive. Many of them die. Others are sold to roadside zoos or to hunting ranches (狩猎牧场).
Shirley Minshew works to help send some big cats to sanctuaries ( 鸟兽保护区). But as Minshew says,“Most of these sanctuaries are already full.”So are big city zoos.
The only way to solve the problem is for people to stop buying these animals.“Although they can be kept in cages, they will never be like a dog or a cat,”says Paquette.“They are wild — and they should be allowed to stay that way.”
1.Lilo was a(n)________ .
A.pet tiger B.6-week-old baby C.aggressive lion D.9-year-old child
2.Which of the following may Nicole Paquette agree with?
A.Americans should keep more pets. B.It’s unusual to see the big cats as pets.
C.It’s difficult to keep wild animals as pets. D.Americans should give more care to their pets.
3.What’s Paragraph 4 mainly about?
A.Where to buy the big cats. B.How to protect the big cats.
C.Sad situation of the big cat pets. D.Importance of keeping the big cat pets.
4.The underlined words“that way”in the last paragraph refer to “________” .
A.being wild B.living in sanctuaries
C.living in big city zoos D.being like a dog or a cat
5.The text is written mainly to ________ .
A.warn people not to keep pets B.share a story about a pet tiger
C.let people know more about the big cats D.ask people to stop keeping the big cats as pets
One afternoon I was cycling and saw a person about 250 meters away in front of me.
I could tell he was cycling a little slower than me and I decided to try to catch up with him. I had about a kilometer to go on the road before turning off (拐弯). I started cycling faster and faster. Two minutes later, I was only about 100 meters behind him, so I really picked up the speed.
Finally, I caught up with him and passed by. I felt so good.“I beat him!”But after I passed him, I found that I had missed my turn. I had cycled six blocks past it! So I had to go all the way back.
Isn’t that what happens in life when we race with others, trying to show that we’re more successful? We spend our time and energy running after them and we miss out on our own paths.
The problem with unhealthy competition is that it’ s a never-ending cycle. There will always be somebody in front of you in one way or another. What you should do is just run your own race and wish others well.
1.When the writer saw a man cycling in front of him, he decided to________
A.ride past the man B.cycle beside the man
C.stay away from the man D.make friends with the man
2.Two minutes later, the writer cycled about________ meters more than the man.
A.100 B.150 C.200 D.250
3.What happened when the writer was trying to“beat” the man?
A.He rode so fast that he fell off his bike. B.The man began cycling faster.
C.The man shouted at him. D.He missed his turn.
4.Which picture has the same meaning as “ a never-ending cycle” ?
A.
B.
C.
D.
5.What’s the main idea of the text?
A.Competition is important in life.
B.Try to get better grades than others.
C.There’ s no need to join in any competition in everyday life.
D.Follow your own road instead of trying to be in front of others.
When four-year-old Derek Paravicini heard the sound of the piano, he ran towards it. Although he was blind, he___________________ to reach the instrument. He pushed the piano player off her chair, _____________________and started to play. Adam Ockelford, a piano teacher, said, “It was_____________________. He was hitting the notes ( 音 键 ) with his hands, his feet, his nose, even his elbows.”Paravicini _____________________ play the music he had just heard and at that moment Ockelford___________________the boy was a genius (天才).
Paravicini was born blind and autistic (自闭症的) on July 26, 1979. He had great learning difficulties as a child._______________________today, he can’t count to ten, and he isn’t able to dress or feed himself. But Paravicini has a great___________________for music. Like Mozart, he can remember every piece of music he hears.
It_____________________when his parents gave him a plastic organ ( 风 琴 ) when he was eighteen months old. He couldn’t see the notes,___________________ he could play music on it. By the time he was four, he could play many pieces on the piano. With Ockelford’s help, Paravicini developed his____________________ and played his first big concert at the Barbican Hall in London, aged nine. He has performed all over Europe and the US and in 2006 he recorded his first CD.
1.A.refused B.stopped C.managed
2.A.sat down B.tried on C.put up
3.A.boring B.amazing C.relaxing
4.A.would B.could C.should
5.A.imagined B.wondered C.realized
6.A.Only B.Even C.Also
7.A.talent B.dream C.wish
8.A.grew B.failed C.started
9.A.but B.if C.or
10.A.plans B.ideas C.skills
—Mr. Jackson, could we bring our mobile phones to school?
— ________ . Students in our school aren’t allowed to bring them.
A.That’s OK B.No, you can’t C.Sorry, I’m busy
—________! We’ll be late for the meeting. —Sorry, but the traffic is so heavy now.
A.Look out B.Come on C.Go away
—What do you think of the TV play?
— ________ . It’ s educational and I like the main characters.
A.I can’t stand it B.I don’t mind it C.I like it
