It seems that there is no middle ground when it comes to cats. People either love them or

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 (异教徒) 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.”
【小题1】Which of these is NOT discussed in the passage?A．the status of cats throughout historyB．the evolution of different species of catsC．the popularity of the cats todayD．communication between cats and their owners【小题2】The second paragraph mainly describes .A．how Bast became a goddess.B．the low point in the history of catsC．the high point in the history of catsD．the reason why cats are such good hunters【小题3】How were cats treated in Europe during the Dark Ages?A．as farm animalsB．as foodC．as magical creaturesD．as honored guests【小题4】According to the passage, what percentage of people in the United States keep both a cat and a dog?A．about 10 percentB．nearly 25 percentC．about 33 percentD．close to 50 percentB

(答案→)B 解析：文章主要说明了猫在古埃及、欧洲等地的地位，数量，以及现在世界各地猫与人的关系。【小题1】细节题，由文章中这些细节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!’”可知选B.文章没有讨论猫的进化演变。【小题2】细节题，由第二段Cats were at their highest position of domesticated life in ancient Egypt.可知第二段主要讲猫的高地位。故选C。【小题3】细节题，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 (异教徒) beliefs. Cats had a reputation as helpers of witches可知猫被认为是由魔力的生物。故选C。【小题4】细节题，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.可知选A。

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