Some characteristic signals, however, are often misunderstood. It is important to keep in mind that each cat may show its feelings with different body language. For instance, a cat rubbing its body along an arm or leg of its owner is not only a way in which to attract attention and, perhaps, a way to ask for food; it is also a way of "marking" its owner as its own. Usually a cat with its tail held high and twitching shows excitement, but this is often mistaken for anger.

Many people fail or are too slow to understand the silent body language of cats. And they may have the false impression that cats are cold-hearted,unfaithful or not clever. To understand cats, people must observe a cat closely and learn what its body signals tell them.

8. Which cat body language shows that a cat is relaxed?

　A. Lying on its stomach. B. Blinking its eyes slowly.

　C. Holding its tail high. D. Moving its ears back.

9. According to the passage, a cat will twitch its tail EXCEPT ____.

　A. when it feels sleepy B. when it is hunting

　C. when it feels angry D. when it is playing

10. How many meanings does a cat's rubbing its body along its owner have?

　A. 2. B. 3. C. 4. D. 5.

11. The last paragraph intends to tell us ____.

　A. many people often have wrong opinions on cats

　B. it is not easy to understand cats' body language

　C. every cat has its own special body language

　D. we should learn more about cats' body language

　　　　　　　　　　　　D

　　Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, there is nothing fixed about attitudes to dirt.

　　In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a way to block out disease, as medical opinion had it that washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let illnesses in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546. Thus it began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, King of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.

　　Though the belief in the merit of dirt was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War Ⅱ. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea: clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?

　　Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children of touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease. On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist(免疫学家), encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground.

12. The kings of France and England in the 16th century closed bath houses because________.

A. they believed disease could be spread in public baths

B. they thought bath houses were too dirty to stay in

C. they lived healthily in a dirty environment

D. they considered bathing as the cause of skin disease