首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
A、They could work for 24 hours a day. B、They were worse hunters. C、They were more persistent hunters. D、They worked the whole ni
A、They could work for 24 hours a day. B、They were worse hunters. C、They were more persistent hunters. D、They worked the whole ni
admin
2010-03-25
16
问题
Martin: Hi there, Pat. How are you?
Pat: Fine, thanks, Martin. I haven’ t seen you for a long time. What have you been up to?
Martin: Oh, studying. It seems that university life is much more time consuming than I originally thought. I don’ t even have time to read newspapers.
Pat: Really? You’ re so busy. You know, I read an article in yesterday’ s newspaper. It is very interesting.
Martin: What’ s it about?
Pat: It’ s about Post Office Cats. They are mouse hunters.
Martin: That really sounds interesting. Could you tell me something about the story now?
Pat: Yes, certainly. The Post Office has actually employed cats since 1868. That means that they have been on the official payroll of the Post Office for more than a hundred years. The loyal public servants appear on the official payroll as ’ Rodent Operative’ . But we would more easily recognize them under the title ’ Post Office Cat’. They are not employed to sort of deliver mail, of course, but to protect the mail and keep the rodent population under control.
Martin: What do you mean?
Pat: They are mouse hunters. They make sure your morning post arrives nibble-free. You know, they work unsocial hours while we sleep. They hardly ever get a Christmas bonus in their pay packets and can’ t bargain for better conditions. The average rate of pay is no more than a few pounds a month, just enough to pay for their food. But they are allowed to eat all the mice they can catch.
Martin: How come the Post Office had the idea to employ cats?
Pat: Usually the public had to queue inside post offices for their mail. The whole idea of the Post Office employing cats to control the rodent population goes back to the days prior to 1867. As a part of the Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria, it was decided that there would be a house-to-house delivery of letters by postmen. As a result, there was a huge accumulation of letters and parcels at post offices. Vast numbers of rats and mice began to hide amongst the mail and nibbled at letters and parcels.
Martin: Yes, I see. They caused great damage to the mail.
Pat: That’ s right. So in 1868, The Post Office Authorities decided to employ cats to keep the rodent population under control. Most of the cats they employed were females.
Martin: why was that?
Pat: Because it was thought that females were better and more persistent hunters than the males. If the number of mice in a post office did not decline greatly after six months, then these cats were to be dismissed from their place of work. London post offices were the first to try out the experiment. Within a few months the rodent population had shrunk dramatically. Other post offices all over the country were soon using cats in the war against rats and mice. Within ten years the pay of the cats was improved from one and a half old pence a day to a six or nine pence a day. Now the average rate of pay is about a few pounds a month. Some of the hard working cats have become quite famous. Have heard of the cat named Lucky?
Martin: No. Tell me the story about her, please.
Pat: OK. Lucky became the most distinguished of all the cats. In 1980, she foiled an attempted robbery in a Worcestershire post office and she did so all on her own.
Martin: How did she do it?
Pat: As the two burglars made their way in through the window, Lucky flew at them. She sank her claws into the back of one of the men and into the neck of the other.
Martin: Oh, I see. This was a surprise attack.
Pat: Yes. This surprise attack was too much for the men and they fled empty-handed. For this heroic behavior, Lucky was awarded the first-ever Post Office DFC certificate. That is the Distinguished Feline Conduct certificate. Another excellent cat was Jerry, of Earls Court post office in London. He served the building for 16 years and was on duty for 24 hours every day. He drove all the mice away from the premises.
Martin: How about today? Does the Post Office still employ cats as mouse hunters?
Pat: Well, there are fewer cats employed by the Post Office than at any time in the past. Their profession is yet another example of a profession laid low by the advances of new technology. With the faster movement of the mail and more hygienic surroundings, Post Office cats are not always needed to keep down the rodent population. But many post offices still employ them and they become great friends with the postmen, who often feed them. When one cat suffered an accident at work, it promptly footed the bill. According to the Post Office, there is no plan for their services to be discontinued in the foreseeable future.
Martin: This is really a fascinating story. Thank you very much.
选项
A、They could work for 24 hours a day.
B、They were worse hunters.
C、They were more persistent hunters.
D、They worked the whole night.
答案
C
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/E9qO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
Avoideggs.Drink8glassesofwateraday.Eatingcarbswill(1).Nutritionaladvicesuchasthishasbeentoutedforyearsbu
Stocks,bonds,landpeopleinvestindifferentthingsand(1).Butallinvestors(2)Theywanttogetmoremoneyoutoftheiri
A、MadisonDriveisastreet.B、ThetouristshavejustvisitedCapitolHill.C、TheAir&SpaceMuseumandtheNationalGalleryar
FlatswerealmostunknowninBritainuntilthe1850swhentheyweredeveloped,alongwithotherindustrialdwellings,forthela
NapoleonfamouslydescribedtheBritishasanationofshopkeepers.Thesedaysitwouldbeequallytruetodescribethemasana
Manyfirmsfailbecausewhentheybeginexportingtheyhavenotresearchedthetargetmarketsordevelopedaninternationalmark
Modernintelligencetestingbeganin【B1】______.FrenchpsychologistBinetbasedhistestonthetheorythatintelligenceincreas
Belgiummayappeartooutsidersasagoodexampleofethnicpowersharing,butthelasttimetheFrench-speakingWalloonssuppli
"Leavehimalone!"IyelledasIwalkedoutoftheorphanagegateandsawseveraloftheSpringParkSchoolbulliespushingthe
TheWarofIndependenceburstoutin_________________in1775.
随机试题
在市场竞争条件下买主只能是价格的接受者,而不是价格的决定者,这种竞争情况叫做_______。
建国初期从根本上稳定物价,争取国家财政经济状况基本好转的重大措施是()
风湿热诊断标准中,下列属主要表现的是
小明,男,10岁。3周前放学淋雨后出现发热、咽痛,经治疗后痊愈。1周前妈妈发现小明颜面部浮肿,没有重视,未予特殊处理。今晨起床后小明发现小便发红,妈妈立即带小明来医院检查治疗。根据上述资料提供的信息,回答下列问题:在诊断过程中,如果需要进行有创伤检查,
介绍工程项目组织在某一特定期间内所完成的工作的报告是指()。
饭店服务质量的教育丁作主要包括()。
一个人的心态直接影响他对事物的看法。悲观的人,把所有的快乐都看成不快乐,好比美酒到充满胆汁的口中也会变苦一样。生命的幸福与困厄,不在于降临的事情本身是苦是乐,而要看我们如何面对这些事。这段文字意在告诉我们()。
设A为4阶实对称矩阵,且A2+A=0.若A的秩为3,则二次型f(x1,x2,…,xn)=xTAx在正交变换下的标准形为________.
Mostpeoplebelievetheydon’thavemuchimagination.Theyarewrong.Everyoneimagination,butmostofus,oncewebecomeadult
[A]astonishment[B]deeply[C]employed[D]scare[E]earnest[F]amuse[G]lying[H]removed[I]significant[J]discovery[K]pursue[L]u
最新回复
(
0
)