C
新素材 科普知识 You've probably heard your cats make a soft sound when they're happy or resting in your arms. That's called purring. But how and why do cats do it?
Scientists believe that when a cat's brain sends a special message, the muscles
in its throat（喉咙）start moving very fast—about 20 to 30 times per second! As the cat breathes, air passes through these muscles, creating the purring sound we hear.
Then why do cats purr? Scientists don't yet fully understand the reason, but research suggests those sounds have different purposes.
The “Feed Me” Purr
Cats do purr when they are relaxed, but research shows they've developed different purring for different needs. A study found cats change purring when asking for food. “Their ‘hungry purr’ sounds different from their ‘happy purr’,” explains Dr Lauren Finka.
Another study found that hungry cats change their purring by adding a high-frequency(频率) sound similar to a human baby's cry. “This trick makes people want to help them quickly,” said Dr Karen McComb. Cats hide their “feed me” message in a nice purring sound. It works better than loud miaowing. This shows how clever cats are at communicating with humans!
The Curing Purr
Scientists found something amazing—a cat's purring vibrations(振动) (between 20 and 150 times per second) may help cure their bodies! Studies show these special sounds can help bones grow stronger and repair soft parts of the body. So when cats purr, they may be helping themselves feel better!
When researchers tested similar vibrations on mice, they found these vibrations help cure mice faster too. However, they don't know exactly how this works. It hasn't been fully tested on cats yet. Certainly, doctors don't use this for human wounds.
Scientists haven't found all the answers to cats' purring, but one thing is clear—when your cat purrs, it's always trying to tell you something important!
(
B
)32. What kind of sound does a cat make when it is happy?
A. Loud. B. Soft. C. Clear. D. Strong.
(
D
)33. How does a cat change its purring when it is hungry?
A. It miaows more loudly. B. It cries with a human baby.
C. It makes lasting sounds. D. It adds high-frequency sounds.
(
C
)34. From this passage, what do we know about cats' purring?
A. It is caused by fast stomach muscle movements.
B. It can help doctors to treat some human diseases.
C. It may tell important information to cats' owners.
D. It has been completely understood by scientists.
(
A
)35. Which part of a magazine is the passage probably from?
A. Pets. B. Food. C. Health. D. Fashion.
5-6
The children wanted to give a proper birthday celebration to Mr Perks. The poorly-paid station worker was always kind to everyone in the village and never accepted rewards. Moreover, he often fixed broken toys for the children. After a discussion, the children decided to ask villagers for more gifts. Hearing their plan, Mother agreed, but warned, “Remember, true kindness shows respect and won't make the receiver feel
embarrassed.”
Then the children went around the village collecting small gifts for Mr Perks. Each villager remembered his kindness. When they brought the gifts to Mr Perks' little house, his wife cried happily, “This will be Perks' best birthday!”
As Mr Perks came home, the children quickly hid in the wash-house. Then Bobbie realized a big problem—she forgot to put names on each gift! Now Mr Perks might think all the gifts were from the children. It seemed that they had spent all money on him to show off their generosity(慷慨), exactly what Mother had warned them not to do.
Soon they heard the voice of Mr Perks, loud and rather angry. “I won't accept charity!” Then Mr Perks found the children in the wash-house. He rushed to the door and pushed it open hard.
“Come out,” said Mr Perks, “come out and tell me what you mean by it.”
“Oh!” said Phyllis, “I thought you'd be happy.”
“We didn't mean any harm,” said Peter.
“But you did hurt me,” said Mr Perks.
“These aren't just from us,” Peter explained. “The whole village gave them because you've helped everyone!”
“Then why shame me before the whole village?” Mr Perks shouted.
With shaking fingers, Bobbie pulled out the notes they'd prepared. She read them one by one: ① From Mother: “Only giving some old clothes because Mr Perks has been so kind; I can't do much because we're poor ourselves.” ② From the Blacksmith: “Made this tool special for a respected man.” ③ ...
Mrs Perks cried, “They're not pity gifts, dear. They're thanks.”
After a long silence, Mr Perks' serious look softened. “Well... can't say no to kindness,” he said quietly, “the kind respect of our neighbours is worth having, right?”
(
B
)36. Why did the children celebrate Mr Perks' birthday?
A. To show off generosity. B. To give back his kindness.
C. To get gifts from villagers. D. To follow their mother's plan.
(
C
)37. What does the underlined word “embarrassed” mean?
A. Excited. B. Cheerful. C. Uncomfortable. D. Impatient.
(
B
)38. Why did Mr Perks refuse the gifts at first?
A. He hated surprises and preferred simple celebrations.
B. He mistook the gifts just for charity instead of thanks.
C. He hoped for some wonderful and unusual birthday gifts.
D. He thought the villagers were showing off their generosity.
C. He hoped for some wonderful and unusual birthday gifts.
D. He thought the villagers were showing off their generosity.
(
A
)39. 新考法 事件排序 Which of the following shows the RIGHT order of the story?
a. The children hid. b. Mr Perks accepted the gifts.
c. The children collected gifts. d. Mrs Perks explained.
e. Mr Perks shouted at the children.
A. c-a-e-d-b B. c-a-d-e-b C. a-c-e-d-b D. a-c-e-b-d
(
C
)40. What is the best title for this story?
A. Expensive gifts B. Generous children
C. A special celebration D. A poor station worker
