Cats are the most popular pets among Americans. So it is not surprising that there are a lot of expressions about cats. Some cats like to catch small birds, like canaries (金絲雀). If someone looks very proud and satisfied with himself, we say “he looks like the cat that ate the canary.”
Sometimes, a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches. So if you “play cat and mouse” with someone, it means that you change between different kinds of behavior when dealing with another person. For example, a girl might offer something sweet to her little brother and then take it away when he reaches for it.
Americans might say that something is “the cat’s miaow” or “the cat’s pajamas(睡衣)” to describe something that is the best or finest. “A copycat” is someone who acts just like someone else or copies another person’s work. “A fat cat” is a person with a lot of money.
If you tell about something that is supposed to be a secret, we say you “l(fā)et the cat out of the bag”. If you are not able to speak or answer a question, someone might ask you if “the cat has got your tongue(舌頭)”
Have you ever watched children in a classroom when their teacher leaves for a few minutes? “When the cat’s away, the mice will play” means people sometimes act badly when there is no supervision (監(jiān)管).
You may have heard the expression “curiosity killed the cat”. This means caring too much about things that are not your business might cause problems.
If you have ever had cats as pets, you know it is difficult to train them or to get them to do something. Cats are not like Sheep or cows that can be moved in a group. So we say a difficult or impossible job is like “herding (放牧) cats “
【小題1】 What can we learn from the passage?

A．The expression “a fat cat” is used to describe someone who is very fat.

B．The expression “play cat and mouse” usually means “play tricks on others”.

C．It is more difficult to keep sheep or cows than cats.

D．There are more expressions about cats than those about dogs.

【小題2】In which of the following situations do we most probably use the expression “curiosity killed the cat”?

A．Someone always asked a lady her age or weight and it made her angry.

B．Someone promised to keep a secret but he failed to do so.

C．Someone won the first prize in an English singing competition and he felt very excited.

D．Someone tried to swim across the Yangtze River with his newly broken legs.

【小題3】Where can you most probably find the passage?

A．In a scientific research paper about cats.

B．On a website telling people how to keep cats.

C．In a magazine telling various jokes and funny stories.

D．In a language book that teaches students how to use American slang.

詞語(yǔ)填空（共10小題，計(jì)10分）

用方框中所給單詞的適當(dāng)形式填空，使短文通順、正確、連貫（每個(gè)單詞限用一次）。

listen, down, you, on, during, become, easy, pleasant, able, clear,

Stress is a bit of a fashionable buzz word. There are similarities and links between stress and anxiety - both can lead to   1 symptoms.（癥狀）

So try these ten easy relaxation（放松）tips to feel more relaxed.

1.Take a short break and leave a stressful situation. If you are at work, offer to run or go for a short walk. A few minutes away can help you think   2  .

2.Take a break from the activity you are working   3  and do something different. Sometimes it helps to come back to a task later when you feel more relaxed .

3. Listen to relaxing music while you are working.  4  to classical or nature music has been shown to lower heart rate and slow breathing.

4. Take regular breaks  5   the day. Spend 5-10 minutes to read something uplifting（使人開(kāi)心的） or humorous, or chat with a friend.

5. Practice mindfulness（警覺(jué)）. Mindfulness is the   6  to be fully aware of the present moment.

6. Change your focus. As people feel more stressed,their attention   7  focused on what they believe to be the cause of their stress and they ignore（忽視）other information.

7. Have a hot bath or shower. This will help to get rid of the tension in your muscles which is a normal result of stress.

8. Write  8  the things that are worrying you. If you are worried, it is very difficult to relax easily.

9. Keep things in a correct way. Ask   9  “how important is it?” “How important will it be in a year’s time?”Many of the things that cause stress are not important when we look at the big picture.

10.Slow your breathing and purposefully(有目的地) relax your body for quick results. This will be   10 than before if you have learned easy relaxation methods that you can use when you need them.

 

American boys and girls love to watch television. Some children spend six hours a day in school and four to six hours a day in front of the television set. Some even watch television for eight hours or more on Sunday.                                                   Television are like books or films. A child can learn bad things and good things from them. Some shows help children to understand the news, others show people and places from other countries or other times in history. With television, a child does not have to go to the zoo to see animals or to the ocean to see a ship. Boys and girls can see play, a concert or game at home. Television brings many places and events(事件) into our homes. Some programs show crime(犯罪) and other things that are bad for children, so parents sometimes help them to find other interesting things to do.
【小題1】Some children spend eight hours or more _____ 
A studying
B. playing game
C. watching TV
D. helping their parents
【小題2】On television children can see _____ .

A．games	B．big animals
C．oceans	D．a(chǎn)lmost everything

【小題3】Children usually spend _____   a day in school.

A．six hours

B．more than eight hours

C．only a few hours

D．four hours

【小題4】“Television brings many places and events into our homes” means “_____ ”.

A．Television makes things happen in homes

B．We can know places and events without going to see them

C．We can see houses and buildings on TV

D．We can find them easily.

【小題5】Parents sometimes help their children find other things to do when there is ____ for children.

A．a(chǎn) bad program	B．a(chǎn)n animal
C．a(chǎn) game	D．a(chǎn)n uninteresting film

Imagine you are an astronaut, you find a new planet that looks like the earth, and when you want to put the flag on it, you find out that this planet has already got population. What would you do?
The US astronaut, Charles “Chuck” Backer, in the new cartoon film Planet 51 just comes across this thing.
Planet 51 is a place where there is no human being. So Chuck arrives in the planet and wants to name it “the US”. But he suddenly finds himself surrounded by lots of little green aliens.
These aliens live in fear that they may be invaded by strange being. They have never seen an alien until Chuck arrives. They think it is terrible and they get ready to defend themselves or attack Chuck. They send him to the Planet 51 Alien Invaders Space Museum. Chuck is very scared and tries to escape. The only thing he can do is to make his spaceship work and fly back to the earth. Luckily, he makes friends with a young alien named Lem. Then the adventure begins.
Planet 51 is a science fiction movie. It tells us that whether we are on the earth or in another society with aliens, we should accept the things that are different in our lives and experience them actively. In this way, we can grow up and understand ourselves better by changing.
The film is very funny and full of happiness. Will Chuck return home? If you want to know, see it!
【小題1】Charles “Chuck” Backer is a ___________.
A. US astronaut            B. green alien               C. US scientist
【小題2】When the green aliens see Charles “Chuck” Backer, they feel ___________。
A. excited                     B. scared                      C. sad
【小題3】What does the word “defend” mean in this passage?
A. 侵略                       B. 隱藏                       C.保護(hù)
【小題4】How can Chuck get out of the bad situation?
A. He must make friends with aliens there.
B. He must make the spaceship work and return to the earth.
C. He must destroy the Planet 51 Alien Invaders Space Museum.
【小題5】 What can we learn from the movie?
A. We shouldn’t explore or invade other planets.
B. We should learn to accept new things in order to improve ourselves.
C. We should experience more on the earth in order to be an astronaut.

American boys and girls love to watch television. Some children spend six hours a day in school and four to six hours a day in front of the television set. Some even watch television for eight hours or more on Sunday.                                                   Television are like books or films. A child can learn bad things and good things from them. Some shows help children to understand the news, others show people and places from other countries or other times in history. With television, a child does not have to go to the zoo to see animals or to the ocean to see a ship. Boys and girls can see play, a concert or game at home. Television brings many places and events(事件) into our homes. Some programs show crime(犯罪) and other things that are bad for children, so parents sometimes help them to find other interesting things to do.

1.Some children spend eight hours or more _____ 

A studying

B. playing game

C. watching TV

D. helping their parents

2.On television children can see _____ .

A．games                                B．big animals

C．oceans                               D．a(chǎn)lmost everything

3.Children usually spend _____   a day in school.

A．six hours

B．more than eight hours

C．only a few hours

D．four hours

4.“Television brings many places and events into our homes” means “_____ ”.

A．Television makes things happen in homes

B．We can know places and events without going to see them

C．We can see houses and buildings on TV

D．We can find them easily.

5.Parents sometimes help their children find other things to do when there is ____ for children.

A．a(chǎn) bad program                         B．a(chǎn)n animal

C．a(chǎn) game                               D．a(chǎn)n uninteresting film