浙江省宁波市钟公庙中学2020-2021年英语中考模拟卷

I used to be the most active resolution-maker. Every January 1st, I would sit down and write out my resolutions for the following year. I always1big goals, like: In the new year, I will lose 50 pounds! And run a marathon! And be the best parent ever who 2beat my children!

I loved the feeling of achieving goals. And I thought I could finish all of these. However, I completed 3. Usually I'd start out strong, but by February or March, I'd slide(移动) quietly back into my old 4. Every winter when I looked back at all of the amazing things that I didn't do, I'd feel 5.

Then two years ago, I started experiencing terrible stomach pain. I was sent to the hospital but the 6 weren't sure what was causing it. Finally, they found out I had two different cancers (癌症)at the same time. I couldn't accept it at first7 I realized it was a fact that couldn't be changed. My family encouraged me to be active and do something 8. That was when I decided to9myself.

Before I always wanted to "dream big" although I didn't have the 10to do those things. That's why I always felt like I was 11 somewhere. So now no matter what the calendar say, I 12New Year's resolutions. Instead, I take the opposite way: I'm all about the 13goals, like running 20 minutes three days a week rather than a marathon. Every time when I 14my little goals and cross one of them, I feel proud.

Cancer made me find a better way to feel successful than through New Year's resolutions. It taught me a 15: Live in the moment.

I couldn't wait to show my brand new sneakers(运动鞋) to my friends at the rehearsal(排练) for the fourth-grade girls' play. I had cleaned leaves, tidied yards and a lot of housework for three weeks to save the money to buy them, so I was really proud of them.

When practice started, our director, Mrs. Rod, asked us to take off our shoes first so we wouldn't scuff up(摩擦) the stage. I put my sneakers carefully in my red backpack and zipped (用拉链扣上) it up before joining the group.

After rehearsal, I unzipped my backpack and found my sneakers were gone! I dashed across the stage.

"Mrs. Rod!" I shouted. "Someone stole my sneakers! I put them right in my backpack when you told us to take off our shoes, and now they're gone!"

Mrs. Rod raised her voice so everyone could hear. She asked the students to look around for my missing sneakers.

Everyone searched for the sneakers, but they weren't anywhere. Then, I noticed Susan opening up her backpack and looking inside. There, right on the top, were my sneakers!

"Those are my sneakers. Susan! Why did you steal them?" I asked angrily.

"I didn't! I promise! I don't know how they got in my backpack," said Susan.

All of a sudden, my face reddened as I realized what had happened. Susan's backpack was exactly the same color as mine. I had put my sneakers in her backpack by mistake.

"I'm really sorry, Susan. I put my sneakers in your backpack by accident. I must not have been paying attention. I shouldn't have accused(指责) you of stealing."

"It's okay." Susan said. "They're really amazing sneakers. If they were mine, 1 would be upset about losing them, too."

That's the last time I'll ever say something about someone without checking first!

People say that the sky is dark at night. Yet there are also a lot of stars in the night sky. These stars twinkle and provide a lot of light. There is a lot to look at in the night sky!

The stars in the sky have guided people for centuries. Humans have always looked up to the sky. All humans have wondered about life beyond our planet. People have used the stars as a way to show direction.

Over time, stories have been told about the star patterns. These patterns are called costellations (星座). There are eighty-eight official costellations. They divide the night sky. They change position slightly each season.

Many costellations are named from old Greek myths(神话) The Greeks were one of the first cultures to create names for stars. They believed the star patterns were made by the gods. They named these patterns after animals and objects. They also named twelve patterns that make up the signs of the zodiac(十二宫图).

One star that is often used as a guide is called Polaris(北极星). Some stargazer(天文学家) call it the brightest star in the sky. Polaris is also known as the North Star. It never rises or sets. People easily find Polaris. They notice that it belongs to a well-known constellation. It is at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper(小北斗星). The Big Dipper(北斗七星) and the Little Dipper are constellations that are easy to find.

One way that stargazers try to protect the night sky is by fighting light pollution. This is not a type of pollution that most people consider. Yet it is very important to people who like to look at stars. Light pollution happens when too many lights are on in an area. The lights may be from homes or cars. Businesses use a lot of light, too. Light makes it hard for people to see patterns in the dark sky.

Elon Musk is a lifelong fan of science fiction. In early 2002, Musk set up the company called SpaceX. His goal was to make spaceflight cheaper and its long-term goal is to make Mars affordable.

①In 2004, Musk spent $70 million on Tesla, an electric car company. Musk took an active product role at Tesla, helping develop its first car, the Roadster. As if that wasnt enough, Musk came up with the idea for SolarCity, a solar energy company. Musk gave his cousins Peter and Lyndon Rive the working capital to get SolarCity off the ground in 2006.

②But between SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, Musk very nearly went broke. He describes 2008 as "the worst year of my life." Tesla kept losing money, and SpaceX was having trouble sending its Falcon 1 rocket into space. By 2009, Musk was living off personal loans(贷款).

③Around Christmas 2008, things started looking up again. Musk got two pieces of good news: SpaceX landed a $1.5 billion contract(合同) with NASA to send materials into space, and Tesla finally raised more money. By 2010, things had seriously turned around, with Tesla holding a successful initial public offering(首次公开募股).

④Among his latest is the Hyperloop, a super-high speed train that travels in a vacuum tube( 真空管). Its said the Hyperloop could transport passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes.

Musk also recently started another company - The Boring Company, which is more interesting than its name suggests. Started last year, the Boring Company's goal is to dig a network of tunnels(隧道) under and around cities for high-speed, no-traffic driving.

And in late 2015, Musk co-founded Open AI to research artifciall intelligence and make sure it doesn't destroy humanity. Musk has expressed that the race for better AI could end up causing a third world war. At the same time Musk is promoting(促进) Tesla's self-driving car capabiltie. This "autopilot"(自动驾驶) system is available on all three of its models, including the new Model 3.

lron Musk is like a real life lron Man in what he's doing. There's a lot more that will happen before his story is over. So, just get to watch, be excited, and see what comes next.

How to take your temperature?

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