题型：阅读选择 题类：常考题 难易度：困难
浙江外研版2018-2019学年初中英语九年级中考模拟卷二（含听力音频）
Have you ever heard someone use the phrase "once in a blue moon"? People use this expression to describe something that they do not do very often. For example, someone might say that he tries to keep away from sweets because they are unhealthy, but will eat chocolate once in a blue moon. Or someone who does not like to. Go to the beach might say, "I visit the shore(岸边) once in a blue moon." While many people use this phrase, not everyone knows the meaning behind it.
The first thing to know is that the moon itself is never actually blue. This is just an expression. The phrase "blue moon" actually has to do with the shape of the moon, not the color.
As the moon travels around the earth, it appears to change shape. We have certain names for certain shapes of the moon. For example, when we can see a small part of the moon, it is called a crescent moon. A crescent is a shape that looks like the tip of a fingernail(指甲). When we can see the moon appear in the sky as a thin crescent, it is called a new moon. When we can see the whole moon, it is called a full moon. Usually, there is only one full moon every month. Sometimes, however, there will be two full moons in one month. When this happens, the second full moon is called a "blue moon".
It's predicted(预言) that there will only be 15 blue moons over the next 20 years. As you can see, a blue moon is a very unusual event. This fact has led people to use the expression "once in blue moon" to describe other" very unusual events in their lives.
Would you like to go to the zoo at night? Last month, Shanghai Wild Animal Park opened its night safari(夜间观赏)for the first time. You can see animals in the dark. Some animals enjoy the night—they are nocturnal(夜行的)animals. Who are they?
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| Bats They are good at flying through the dark to catch insects(昆虫).They give out sounds and listen for the returning echoes (回声)to find their way around. |
| | Owls Their eyes look like tubes (管子) . They have good hearing. They can fly quietly. All of these help them find food easily. |
| | Frogs Frogs get up to sing at night in spring and summer. They do this to find a partner. An active night life also helps them to stay safe. |
| | Hedgehogs By day, hedgehogs sleep. At night, they begin to look for food. They use their ears and noses to find food. |
| | Leopards Leopards like to travel around and look for food in the dark. |
Trains are great for getting around cities and traveling long distances (距离). Here are some of the world's fastest trains.
Shanghai Maglev Train(磁悬 浮列车)， China | Shanghai Maglev Train reaches a top speed of 431 kilometers each hour. It means the 30-kilometer train line from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Longyang Road Station takes about eight minutes. It is also said that Shanghai Maglev Train has reached 500 kilometers each hour during tests. |
CR400 Fuxing, China | CR400 Fuxing trains travel at a top speed of 350 kilometers each hour, and they have reached 420 kilometers each hour during tests. Used in large cities across China, these trains can take passengers from Beijing to Shanghai in just under five hours. |
ICE 3, Germany | Intercity-Express(ICE) trains(城际特快列车) travel across Germany and some other parts of Europe, and ICE 3 trains are the fastest among them. They usually travel at up to 300 kilometers each hour, or up to 330 kilometers each hour if they're running late. And these trains have reached 368 kilometers each hour in tests. |
JR East E5, Japan | JR East E5 trains travel between Tokyo and Hakodate. Although they've traveled at up to 400 kilometers each hour during tests, these trains usually move at up to 320 kilometers each hour for normal travel. |
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