I wanted a cat and I visited the American Humane Society in Ann Arbor, Michigan, looking for the perfect cat and began playing with several playful kittens through the cage opening.
A little black kitten I nearly ignored stuck his paw (爪子) through the cage, calling me to play. He was clearly interested in me, so I asked to hold him. Our connection was immediate. I adopted him, named him Aladdin, and brought him home. Over the next 16 years, Aladdin and I were inseparable. He was the gentlest and sweetest cat. But one night in late 2013, everything changed.
It was as if one day Aladdin was still acting like a kitten, and then the next day he was vomiting (呕吐) frequently. I took him to the vet and sadly was told he had stomach cancer. A month later, Aladdin got worse. The vet said it was time to put him down. Heartbroken, I said my goodbyes as he went to sleep. Once I got back home, reality hit me hard. Usually, Aladdin was there to greet me at the door, demanding hugs and kisses. But he was gone, leaving a huge emptiness in my life and in my home. I couldn’t catch my breath. I suffered from panic attacks that entire week.
About a week after losing Aladdin; my friend Amy called me. She had saved a cat and asked if I could come over and hold the kitten while she cleaned her cage. I unwillingly agreed. When I arrived, I picked up the kitten and held her in my arms. To our amazement, she didn’t move once in the entire 30 minutes I held her. As I kept petting her, I knew I was going to adopt her. And I was going to name her Fiona. Once I brought Fiona home, my panic attacks stopped.
To this day, six years later, having her near me is very comforting. A sense of calm comes over me when I hold her. Whenever I feel sad, I lay my head on her, and everything feels better.
【小题1】What did the author say about Aladdin?| A．He was well trained. | B．He ignored her at first. |
| C．He got along well with other cats. | D．He felt closely connected to her. |
| A．She suffered greatly after Aladdin’s death. |
| B．She was responsible for Aladdin’s death. |
| C．She was regretful about raising a cat. |
| D．She acted like a careless pet owner. |
| A．Unexpectedly pleased. | B．Unsurprisingly calm. |
| C．Frightened. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．Why I cannot live without cats. | B．What I did to get a cat to like me. |
| C．How keeping a cat made me sociable. | D．How accidentally adopting a cat saved me. |
