Name: ________________________________ Class: ________________________________

English Comprehension
(A). Read the passage below.
Cats Of The Future
Even though cats were domesticated relatively recently, their relationship with
us has already changed them in surprising ways. When a group of Scandinavian
archaeologists compared the body size of cats from the time of the Viking Age to that of
modern-day cats, they found that 21st-century cats are 16% larger.
What makes the result so unusual is that domestication usually shrinks an
animal. Dogs are a quarter smaller than wolves; livestock animals, such as cattle, sheep
and goats, are also smaller than their wild cousins.
And it is not just the availability of high-energy food that has led to bigger cat,
scientists have also documented larger body sizes in free-roaming and wild cats in the
Australian bush. Although those cats might steal human food, they are not all being
regularly fed by people. Of course, cats will not magically grow to be very large.
So what kind of cat will they become? One possibility is that the cats of the future
will be larger than today’s cat.
Continuous contact with humans may also help cats grow friendlier. By nature,
cats tend to be more solitary and unfriendlier than dogs. Ongoing contact with humans
may have helped give friendlier cats a survival advantage, making them more likely to
pass on more sociable genes to their children.
When scientists compared the social behaviour and personalities of house cats
with clouded leopards, snow leopards, African lions and Scottish wild cats, they found
that house cats are not exactly suited for group living. They tend to be neurotic and
impulsive - not exactly the traits you want in a friend.
However, the personalities of house cats are most like those of the more sociable
African lions, which have figured out a way to live in groups. This suggests that cats can
adapt to a more sociable future. And though large cat groups may not be the same as
lion groups, lions do show that cats can live side by side when the circumstances are
right.
As humans spend more time learning about cat psychology and behaviour, this
effort creates an opportunity to improve our relationship. Bu understanding what
motivates cats, what makes them happy, and what they can and cannot tolerate, we can
ensure that our cats have the best lives possible.

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(B). Answer the following questions.
1. What did Scandinavian archaeologists find out about cats?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why is the finding of Scandinavian archaeologists surprising?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why do you think that free-roaming and wild cats in Australia have larger body
size?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
4. How might cats change with continuous human contact?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Why did scientists say that house cat do not suit group living?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Why do you think that people are not interested to befriend with someone who is
neurotic and impulsive?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Why did the writer compare house cats to African lions?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
8. By studying cat psychology and behaviour, how could we improve our relationship
with cats?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

(C). Match the following definitions with the underlined words and phrases found in the
passage.

1. to continue to happen ________________

2. deserted; unoccupied ________________

3. to put up with ________________

4. tend to make decision without tending ________________

5. overly anxious; unstable ________________

6. to a certain degree or in comparison to another thing ________________

7. particular characteristics that can produce particular types of ________________

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8. wrote down information to use as proof or evidence at a later ________________
time

(D). Fill in the blanks with the underlined words and phrases found in the passage.
1. Sally is a __________________ teenager who is often moody.
2. Although he was very wealthy, generosity was not one of his personality
__________________.
3. To sail around the world requires a lot of time and money in order to experience
this __________________ trip.
4. Because people left the village before the volcano erupted, the lava destroyed only
a __________________ community.
5. Compared to the cost of living in other countries, it is __________________ cheap to live
in Malaysia.
6. Our English teacher could only __________________ students whispering because
otherwise the level of noise was too loud for her.
7. When John is angry, he often makes __________________ decisions and later regrets his
choices.
8. The reporter __________________ all of the facts of the case, writing down every little
detail for his article.

(E). Construct sentences with the words and phrases given below.

1. relatively : ________________________________________________________________________

2. documented : ________________________________________________________________________

3. solitary : ________________________________________________________________________

4. ongoing : ________________________________________________________________________

5. neurotic : ________________________________________________________________________

6. impulsive : ________________________________________________________________________

7. traits : ________________________________________________________________________

8. tolerate : ________________________________________________________________________

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