Question 2 - 2.1.2 · Inglés PAU Galicia Ordinaria 2023

TEXT B

Despite the thousands of years domesticated cats have kept us company, they still suffer something of a bad public relations image. The independence that many see as a bonus is seen by others as aloofness or selfishness. Their detractors claim they only really show affection when their food bowl is empty. Cat owners will claim this is all nonsense, of course, and that their bond with their cat is as strong as any dog owner's.

Since they are so self-determined and can take care of themselves, cats are becoming more and more popular and humans are expecting cats to be like us and like dogs. But they aren't. They come from a solitary ancestor that isn't a social species.

Their sociability can come from what they experience in the first six or eight weeks. Just like dogs, cats do a lot of communication with their bodies rather than through sound. It's a lot harder for people to read their body language so they might be in for a nasty surprise. And this is where we come across cat haters.

By trying to force cats to behave more like dogs – showering us with attention – we're trying to push them away from their natural behaviour. The cat that may be currently curled up on your sofa or glaring at you from its vantage point on top of the bookcase shares many of its instincts with those of its pre-domestic ancestors – the desire to hunt, to patrol territory, guarding it from other cats; they are much closer to their old selves than dogs. So if they seem to hate you, it's probably because you're big, you're loud and you're scary.

Ultimately, it's hard to like something you don't understand, so before committing to hating cats, try to see yourself through their eyes. And remember that just the fact that they seem to want to be around us at all is remarkable.

2.1.2. Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given here: (1 point)

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