题型：阅读选择 题类： 难易度：困难
浙江省衢州市衢江区2023-2024学年九年级上学期11月期中英语试题
Whenever we think about something, most of us have a feeling of words going through our minds. However, if you stop and try to listen to your own thoughts, you'll notice that they are not in order at all. It's easy to imagine that we think in the language that we speak, but this is completely wrong. Language can show the results of our thinking, but it's not the thinking itself.
Getting the joke
Think about what happens when you "get" a joke: "I've decided to sell my Hoover (吸尘器). . . well, it was just collecting dust (灰尘). " Whether you laugh or not, you react (反应) at once. Then you try to put into words what the joke actually is.
Another example is the thinking you need when playing a fast-moving video game. You might shout "Yes!"or "Got you!". But if you had to talk about all your plans aloud, your game play would slow down. Thoughts always come first and the expression of our thoughts in words comes later.
Thinking in silence
Humans think about things without language all the time, and only report their thoughts in the language when they have time to do so. You can test this with a game. Read a word quickly, out loud or in your head. You'll find that while you're doing this, you won't be able to think with words, but you can still plan, reason and imagine, pretty much as normal.
Smart minds
Just because humans don't need language to think, it doesn't mean that words don't help us. The real magic of language is that it allows people to share their thoughts with others. This means you don't have to face the world by yourself-you can learn from ideas created by the elderly. This lets humans develop science and technology, laws and stories. People can think without language, but language makes humans so smart.
Do you Have a Sweet Tooth? A nice restaurant for dogs recently opened in San Francisco. The place serves special desserts (甜品) and drinks for the four-legged eaters. Nikko and Peach were among the restaurant's first customers. One was dressed in a nice bow tie and the other in beautiful clothes Obviously (明显的), they were ready for a tasty meal. ▲
Ashley Garner was so happy! She and her family had been looking for her missing wedding ring for two days. After Hurricane (飓风) Ian had passed, they went outside to clean up. To their surprise, the ring was lying in a brush (灌木丛) pile. Black Widow Came to Life
This is a black widow (黑寡妇) spider-only a glass one. Artist Nikita Drachuk created tiny glass animals by using a very old technique (技艺). This piece of work is a good example. It shows the creature (生物) in vivid detail. Just look at its thin legs and the spots on its back. It looks like the spider is going to crawl (爬) out of the picture, doesn't it? |
Every year thousands of students leave school for a few weeks or months and enjoy an unusual type of educational program. What they learn during this time does not come from books. They learn new skills by living in a different country and doing unusual jobs. There are several programs that help students to gain (获得) the experience they are looking for.
Country | Job | Time | Activities |
India | Teaching young children | Two months | * Teaching music and art * Helping children to learn how to communicate |
Ghana | Health care worker | Three months | * Seeing how doctors work in a less developed country * Helping care for sick people |
Thailand | Saving elephants | Three weeks | * Caring for elephants * Helping train elephants |
One interesting program is saving elephants in Thailand. Most people think of elephants as animals in zoos or circuses. However, many elephants are no longer kept in captivity (囚禁). Now, hundreds of them are homeless. These gentle animals are often found on the streets because they do not have owners to care for them. Although they may look well, they are often in poor health and don't have enough food to eat.
One center in Thailand cares for these elephants. It provides a safe and natural living space for them. When they are at the center, they stay in a building but are free to walk around. Students come from all over the world to help there. The students work with the elephant keepers and help then a train elephants. These keepers teach the students how to care for the elephants. In the morning, they go to the forest together and lead the elephants to the center. They clean them and give them food. In the afternoon, they take the animals back into the forest for the night. Helping at the center is interesting and the young people learn a lot.
One way to improve your English is to learn English idioms（习语） and then use them.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. They make you sound more like a native speaker. Like other languages, English has thousands of idioms which you can use in many different situations, or to talk about your feelings and opinions. So how do you learn them?
Learn idioms in the context（上下文）
Don't learn idioms by making lists. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Make sure you have an example of how the idiom is used, and know clearly whether it's common. This is important, because if you use the idiom in the wrong situation, it won't sound natural.
Don't try to learn too many at one time
{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. For that reason, don't try to learn more than five at any one time. Don't forget: You'll need to practise your new idioms(like any new vocabulary), so limit（限制）what you do in any lesson.
Understand the feeling
We often use an idiom to express a feeling or emotion. So for example, we say that someone has a heart of gold. Because gold is a valuable metal, we can imagine that someone with a heart of gold is a good person. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.
Listen out for idioms
If you hear two words used together in an unusual way, it might be a new idiom. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. However, usually you might need to make a note of it or ask the person who has spoken it.
A. Idioms can be difficult B. Instead, learn their meanings in the context C. In fact, it does mean that a person is very kind D. Idioms can add interest to what you say or write E. Sometimes you can guess its meaning in the context |
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO联合国教科文组织) has added China's Spring festival to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity（非物质文化遗产). {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.
{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Chinese people value and love their families. This love extends(延伸) to their communities, their nation, and beyond. That's why millions of people travel home for the festival. Celebrations for the Spring Festival last for 15 days and end with the Lantern Festival. During this time, families gather, enjoy festivals, and take part in in various cultural activities.
{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. From dumplings to niangao, and from tangyuan to fish, all dishes carry good wishes for people's loved ones. Whether you are in China, from north to south, you can find special foods for the festival.
The Spring Festival also includes(包含) many traditions and stories. For example, people once used fireworks and red decorations(装饰) to drive a beast(野兽) called "nian" that hurt people and animals at the beginning of the new year. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.
A. Food is a big part of the Spring Festival. B. The beast was afraid of loud noises and the color red. C. The festival is also known as Chinese New Year, is a very important festival in China and around the world. D. People in different parts in China celebrate differently. E. Family is the most important part of the Spring Festival. |
What do your families usually do during the Spring Festival? (no more than 10 words){#blank#}5{#/blank#}
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