浙江省温岭市实验学校2021-2022学年八年级上学期（11月月考）四科联赛英语试题

I live in a city where jobs are difficult to get and finding well-paid jobs is even1. Many people have to walk a long way to work2they can't even afford an old car, used car.

Yesterday I3 one of these people when I was driving home. A man was walking down the road and trying to ask for a4 from the passing cars. Two cars in front of me passed him by. 5 wanted to do the same but the sight of that poor man remained in my mind for quite a moment. 6 I drove back and gave him a ride.

As I drove along, we had a conversation and I7 that the man was trying all his best to support his8 while working at a temporary (临时的) job. Every coin he hac was going to 9the house and food.

But as he came close to the house he was living in, I saw his tired eyes grow10. His little girl was playing in the front yard and11 into her daddy's arms as soon as he was out of the 12. I was almost lost in that happy moment. I smiled, said13 to them and wished them future happiness. Then I 14.

That day, the journey home which used to seem so15 became very short.

One day a teacher entered(走进)the classroom and told the students about a surprise test. Then the teacher gave out the test papers to all students. When the students saw the test paper, they were very confused(迷惑的), because there was only a black dot(点) in the center of it. The teacher said, "Please write about what you have seen."

When the students were finished. the teacher took all the answer sheets(答题纸)and read each answer.

After having finished reading, the teacher began to explain, "Don't worry! I asked you to do this only because I want you to think about something. Here, everyone focused on the black dot, and wrote about it. But no one wrote about the white paper. The white paper is the same as our life, and the black dot is problems In our life. Our life is a gift with love. And we should have reasons(理由) to be happy. But we sometimes only see the problems. From this, I want to tell you problems are only a very small part in our life. "

Are you shy? If you are, you are not alone. In fact, close to 50 percent of people are shy. Almost 80 percent of people feel shy at some point in their lives. These days, shyness is becoming more and more common. Now, scientists are trying to understand shyness. They have some interesting ideas about why people are shy.

Is it possible to be born shy? Many scientists say "yes". They say 15 to 20 percent of babies behave shyly. These babies are a little quieter and more watchful than other babies. Interestingly, these shy babies usually have shy parents. As a result, scientists think that some shyness is genetic.

Family size might cause people to be shy as well. Scientists at Harvard University studied shy children. They found that 66 percent of them had older brothers and sisters. As a result, they became shy. At the same time, children with no brothers and sisters may be shy as well. Growing up alone, they often play by themselves. They are not able to learn the same social skills as children from big families.

You may also be shy because of where you were born. When scientists studied shyness in different countries, they found surprising differences. In Japan, most people said they were shy. But in Israel, only one of three people said so. What explains the difference? One scientist says the Japanese and Israelis have different opinions of failure. In Japan, when people do not succeed, they feel bad about themselves. They blame(责备)themselves for their failure. In Israel, the opposite is true. Israelis often blame failure on outside reasons, such as family, teachers, friends, or bad luck. In Israel, freedom of opinion and risk taking are strongly supported. This may be why Israelis worry less about failure and are less shy.

For shy people, it can be difficult to make friends, speak in class, and even get a good job. But scientists say you can get over your shyness. They suggest trying new things and practicing conversations. And don't forget-if you are shy, you are not the only one.

Vanuatu is an island nation in the South Pacific. It is one of the smallest countries in the world. But for those who are interested in adventure and sports, there is a lot to do. Vanuatu's islands offer visitors two of the most exciting and dangerous activities in the world: volcano(火山) surfing and land diving.

Volcano Surfing

On Tanna Island, Mount Yasur rises 300 meters into the sky. Yasur is an active volcano, and it erupts (爆发) almost every day, sometimes several times a day. For centuries, people have climbed this mountain to visit the top. Recently, people have also started climbing Yasur to surf the volcano. In some ways, volcano surfing is like surfing in the sea, but in other ways it's very different. Volcano surfers try to escape the erupting volcano—without getting hit by flying rocks! It's fast ,fun and dangerous—the perfect extreme sport(极限运动).

Land Diving

Most people are familiar with bungee jumping, but you know bungee jumping started on Pentecost Island in Vanuatu and is almost fifteen centuries old? The activity, first called land diving, is part of a religious ceremony(宗教仪式). A man ties tree vines(树藤) to his head—without breaking the vine. Every spring, island natives (men only) still take part in this amazing activity.

What should you do if there's an earthquake at school? How can you protect yourself when you are caught in a stampede(踩踏) ?March 25 this year provides you with a good chance to learn about safety.

This day is called the National Day of Education on the Safety of Elementary and Middle School Student(NDESEMSS)(全国中小学安全教育日). The theme of the day this year is to give students more knowledge about safety and make sure their lives safe.

A survey done by the China Youth and Children Research Center showed that school accidents kill more elementary and middle school students than anything else. The main accidents come from stampedes, earthquakes, fires and sports injuries.

What can we do to keep ourselves safe? Staying calm is the first and most important rule when facing accidents. But different accidents have different self-protection advice.

A stampede is possible anywhere. The larger a human crowd gets, the more likely stampedes are to come. When students around you begin to push, stand still and try to hold onto something, or stay in a corner until the crowd leaves. If you fall down in a moving crowd, cover your head with both hands. Lean to one side, curl up your body and bend your legs.

Earthquake are common natural disasters(灾难), When you fell the ground shake, drop down, take cover under a desk and hold on. You should stay indoors until the shaking stops. If you are outdoor, don't stay near buildings, trees or power lines.

When there's a fire, follow the teachers' instructions, leave the classroom quickly and use a piece of cloth to cover your mouth and nose so that you don't breathe in smoke.