Americans might say that something is“the cat's miaow”or“the cat's pajamas(睡衣)”todescribe something that is the best or finest.“A copycat”is someone who acts just likesomeone else or copies another person's work.“A fat cat”is a person with a lot of money.
If you tell something about that is supposed to be a secret，we say you“let the cat out ofthe bag”.If you are not able to speak or answer a question，someone might ask you if“thecat has got your tongue(舌头)”.
Have you ever watched children in a classroom when their teacher leaves for a fewminutes？“When the cat's away，the mice will play”means people sometimes act badly whenthere is no supervision(监管).
You may have heard the expression“curiosity killed the cat”.This means caring toomuch 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 todo something.Cats are not like sheep or cows that can be moved in a group.So we say adifficult or impossible job is like“herding(放牧) cats”.
24.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.
25.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.
26.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.
C
Have successful people ever felt sad？ Do they have any“secrets”to success？ The answers to thesequestions can be found in US president Baraek Obama's“back to school”speech.Here is anexcerpt(摘录) from his speech.
I know that sometimes，you get the sense that you can be rich and successful withoutany hard work-that your ticket to success is through rapping(饶舌音乐) or basketball orbeing a TV star，when chances are，you?e10bre not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is，being successful is hard.You won't love every subject you study.Notall the homework will seem completely important to your life right this minute.And you maynot succeed at everything the first time you try.
That's OK.Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had themost failures.JK Rowling's first Harry Potter book was turned down 12 times before itfinally came out.Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team，and he losthundreds of games and missed thousands of shots(投篮) during his career.But he oncesaid，“I have failed over and over and over again in my life.And that is why I succeed.”
These people succeeded because they understand that you can't let your failures beatyou-you have to let them teach you.You have to let them show you what to do differentlynext time.
No one's born being good at things.You become good at things through hard work.
Don't be afraid to ask questions.Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.I dothat every day.Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness；it's a sign of strength.It shows youhave the courage to admit(承认) when you don't know something，and to learn somethingnew.
And even when you?e10bre struggling，even when you?e10bre discouraged(泄气)，and you feellike other people have given up on you-don't ever give up on yourself.Because when yougive up on yourself，you give up on your country.
27.Why does Barack Obama mention(提到) JK Rowling and Michael Jordan in the fourth paragraph？
A.To compare these two famous persons.
B.To explain that writing and sports are difficult skills.
C.To show that the two persons were treated unfairly.
D.To prove that failure is the mother of success.
28.Which of the following statements is NOT true？
A.No one can be successful without working hard.
B.Failure can be good if you treat it in a right way.
C.Those who believe in themselves shouldn't ask others for help.
D.One should try his best to make his dream come true.
29.Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined sentence？
A.One should change his mind when others give honest advice to him.
B.One should believe in himself no matter what difficulty he is faced with.
C.One doesn't have to work hard when he has failed several times.
D.One doesn't have to take others advice when they get away from him.
D
For hundreds of years，scientists have been trying to answer what things have an effecton people's emotions(情感).How you feel is controlled by many things.Your emotions canbe affected by your personality，by the actions of others and by events around you.Perhapsyou don't know your emotions can be influenced by the weather as well.
People often say they feel good when the sun is shining and sad when it is cloudy.Infact，sunlight makes us feel good.When sunlight hits our skins，our bodies produce avitamin.Vitamins are natural chemicals(化学物质) which we all need to stay healthy.