填空题
[A] A BBC television series has raised the question
of whether cats should be kept indoors at night. Wildlife experts say keeping
cats locked up from dusk to dawn will prevent much of the carnage they create,
and will also mean they are less likely to be run over. Mammal expert Professor
Steve Harris, from Bristol University, said, "The message is clear, most people
are heartily sick of having their neighbors' cats in their gardens".
[B] Even today, some view the black cat as an omen of misfortune. Even
the English language is stacked against the moggy. Spiteful people are dubbed as
being "catty". A raucous cry is a "caterwaul". At work, a greedy, lazy boss is a
"fat cat". [C] A new survey in the UK indicates that cats come
second only to rats as the latest favorite, mammal to visit our gardens. The
UK's 10 million cats have had it rough of late, drawing harsh criticism because
of their bloodlust and habit of viewing the ndtion's gardens as their own
personal toilets. [D] Though the animals are the UK's favorite
pets, British gardeners have struck back by crowning the cat as one of the most
unwelcome visitors to their plots--voting them only slightly more popular than
rats in the new poll. [E] The Mammal Society, which conducted
the survey says cats cut a swathe through the nation's wildlife, killing around
300 million animals every year. "Cats are solitary predatory hunter. People ask
why they kill when they are clearly well-fed--but a cat's motivation to hunt is
quite separate from its desire to satisfy hunger. "Even with a full stomach, a
cat cannot resist the stimuli of prey passing nearby, says Ms. Heath, author of
Why Does My Cat. "lt doesn't make sense for a cat to wait until it's hungry to
catch food--there may be none around then. Better to hunt when there's the
opportunity and hide the food away." [F] But, to be fair, the
British can't hate cats that much. A recent report found that the generosity of
the British towards the cat has caused one in four of the creatures to become
clinically obese. [G] Britain's gardeners have revealed one of
their greatest pet hates--other people's cats. Okay, they're sadistic murderers,
but is it fair that cats have been rated as being as detestable as rats in a
poll of British gardeners? Order: