1. (2023七下·深圳期中) 阅读下列短文，从下面每小题的 A、B、C、D 四个选项中选出最佳选项。

2023 is a year of the Rabbit. Do you know why the cat is not in the Chinese zodiac (生肖)? There is a famous Chinese folk (神话) story about this. The Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝) asks all animals to take part in a race. The first 12 animals to finish the race will become parts of the zodiac. At that time, the cat and the rat are good friends. When they hear about the race, the cat says to the rat, "We should get up early for the race, but I usually wake up late." The rat says he will make his friend get up early and they can go together. However, on the morning of the race, the rat is so happy that he doesn't wake the cat up. He goes to the gathering area himself for the race and wins the first place in the race. An ox comes next, and then a tiger and a rabbit. The cat wakes up late and he finds that the race is already over. The cat doesn't like the rat at all after that. Of course, it is only a story.

1. （1） The year before 2023 is the year of _______.

   A . Rat B . Cat C . Tiger D . Rabbit
3. （2） _______, so he worried about the race.

   A . The cat doesn't know the way B . The cat can't get up early C . The cat can't run very fast D . The cat doesn't like the race at all
5. （3） Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

   A . The rat also goes to the race late. B . The cat gets to the gathering area on time. C . The rat asks the cat to wake up early on that day. D . The cat and the rat both want to take part in the race.
7. （4） After the race, the cat may feel _______ when he knows the rat was the winner.

   A . angry B . cheerful C . sad D . indifferent
9. （5） We can most probably read the text in the _________.

   A . science magazine B . cartoon book C . sports book D . story book