2018年浙江省中考英语真题（阅读理解）

    Teenagers are known for being creative and full of new ideas. Let's have a look at these teenage inventions that might change the world.

Understanding Graphics（图表）

    Shyness can be an unhappy feeling. But the good news is, you're not alone. Scientists say that more than 40 percent of teenagers and adults consider themselves shy. Shyness is feeling a little nervous or as if you want to hide when you're around other people or in a new situation.

    ______ Scientists say such things as genetics（遗传基因）， life experiences， and environment can influence whether a person is shy. For example, in some families, everybody seems to be shy.

    What happens if you are shy? Well, being shy may cause you to avoid or miss opportunities you would enjoy.

    How do people overcome (克服)shyness? This is what Gilbert tells us. "When I started off trying to get over being shy, I decided to do little steps at a time, including practicing smiling and saying hi to people. And it worked for me. "

    But shyness is not the kind of thing that most people can get over overnight. Overcoming shyness take time and needs practice.

    Here are some tips given by scientists.

    Think of what to talk about before you leave home. Prepare things to talk about before you're in a social situation. For example, if you know your classmates are interested in an upcoming event, learn about it so you can join in the conversations.

    Let people know you're shy. If you're shy, just show it. Instead of letting people guess, tell them the truth. Explain that you are shy and feel nervous but enjoy talking to people.

    Make things easy for the other person. Remember, you're not the only shy person around. Do what you think might help others feel good-for example, say hello or smile.

    Pick one social skill to practice at a time. Start simply. For example, smile or be the first person to say hi. Choose skills you feel comfortable enough with to practice for a day, a week, a month, or even a year.

    My mother is a teacher, and I grew up with the challenges (挑战) a teacher faces. I often asked her, "Why do you teach? What keeps you teaching? "The answer was always the same. "There is always that one child, that one moment that is worth it."

    Now, I am a teacher, too. But different from my mother, I teach students challenging activities outdoors. And when my mother asked me the similar questions, my answer was, "it's that one child, that one special moment."

    One of those moments happened recently. I was working with a group of girls in a four-week programme. Everything went on well through the "Team" events and we were moving on to a "High" one called the wire（钢索） Walk．

    In the Wire Walk, each girl had to climb up the pegs(木桩)in a tree to a wire, 8 meters high, and then walk across it. Of course, everything was safe for sure.

    When I asked who would try, a few girls raised their hands, and they finished the Wire Walk with little difficulty.

    But when it was Susie's turn, it seemed that she didn't really want to. I asked Susie if she was ready. She Answered softy, "I suppose."

    Now, Susie was at the foot of the tree. She started to make the long reach for the first peg. The other girls cheered for her. Then I found Susie was becoming nervous with every step. I realised she would not go much further.

    Susie was halfway up. Then she stopped and held the tree tight(紧紧地), looking very afraid. Her eyes were closed. With her face against the tree, she cried, "I can't."

    The other girls sat in silence. I talked quietly to Susie, trying to relax her. I talked for a long time till I ran out of words.

    "I will still be your friend no matter what, Susie!" Mary broke the silence.

    To my surprise, Susie lifted her head and looked up to the wire. Then she turned to look down at Mary and smiled. Mary smiled back.

    Finally, Susie made it all the way across that wire. When she returned to the ground, the first hug she looked for was from Mary.

    We all cheered.

    Moments like this keep me doing what I do. The young hearts continue to fill me with courage.

    I have read plenty of articles about self-improvement these past few months, and most of them tell you that you need to wake up and keep positive(积极的). When you wake up, you need to think that something great is going to happen today, and that you are going to have a great day. This kind of positive attitude(态度) is supposed to change your whole day.

    So this morning I woke up and decided to give it a whirl. The sun was shining brightly through my bedroom window, and it immediately gave me this warm feeling inside. I thought to myself, "Today is going to be a great day. One of the best days ever!" I got out of bed, took my morning shower and began to get dressed. I put on a pair of dress pants I have not warned in a while, followed by my dress shirt and that is when it began. I reached into my left pocket and pulled out what felt like some paper.

    You know that feeling of finding a $20 hill in your pants and it feels like free money? Because you forgot all about it and thought you never did?

    I pulled out a $100 bill and a $50 bill in the same pocket. It seemed like the best thing that had happened to me these days. Yes, $150 starts off my day! I'm sure if someone could have seen the smile on my face, they would have understood, I shouted in joy, with my poor dog looking at me like I was crazy!

    Start your morning off thinking you are going to have the best day ever and you just might! I really want to know what will happen next.

    Do you use a calendar to help you organize your life? By listing what you need to do on any special day, you can make sure to keep all for your appointments and not worry whether you've forgotten something. Calendars are also useful for reminding(提醒) people what day a certain holiday is on and what days you might have off from work. Besides, they are used for planning fun things like vacations and outings.

    A calendar is usually divided into twelve parts, and each one stands for m month with all the days laid out in a grid-like (网格状的) form. A block of space usually is for are day, and there is enough space for you to write down what you need to do on that certain day. You probably use all different kinds of calendars. A calendar on your cell phone screen is easy to use, and so is a large paper calendar that hangs on your wall.

    Here is one page of Mary's calendar and it shows her plans in May.

    Most people use their mouths to talk, but do you know some people use their hands to speak? Some people who cannot bear use their hands to communicate messages to others. This is called sign language. These people make shapes with their fingers, movements with their hands, as well as different faces in order to talk to other people.

    One way people speak with their hands is by making shapes for letters with their fingers. For example, if you make an "OK" sign with your thumb and finger, that is the shape for the letter "f" in American sign language. Each letter has a hand shape. This way people can spell words using their hands. For example, if you want to spell "fun", you need to make three shapes. First you make the shape for the letter "f", then the shape for the letter "u", and then the shape for the letter "n".

    ___________. If you move your hand from your nose to your chin(下巴), you can say“mother” in American sign language. Of course, you have to use the correct hand shape, too. That shape is like holding your hand open with all five fingers showing. If you move your hand from the top of your head to your chin, you can say "father＂， Again, you have to use the same hand shape that you used for "mother".

    Finally, people can change their faces to communicate in a sign language. For example, if you want to ask a question, you need to make your eyebrows (眉毛) go up. You also need to move your head forward a little.

    If you want to say "I do not know", you need to make your eyes smaller and make your eyebrows go down.

    17-year-old Brennan Agranoff, a colorblind boy, started his custom sock business in middle school, with a small loan(贷款)he got from his parents. Up till now, he has sold over $1 million worth of socks online in the last four years.

    Brennan thought of the idea for his custom sock company at just 13 years old. He was attending a high-school basketball game in his hometown of Sherwood, Oregon, and noticed that many kids his age were wearing the same white Nike sport socks. The boy told himself that if these white plain sacks were so popular with kids, then some cool custom designs would surely be an even greater hit.

    But the boy didn't tell his parents about the business idea immediately. He spent six months researching things like printing machines and technology and drawing up a business plan. Only when he had everything planned out did he ask his parents for a loan. "They thought the idea was a little out there," Brennan recently told CNN Money, but he kept pushing, and finally received a $3,000 loan to start his company. Then he began to work on his own designs. The fact that he was colorblind didn't stop him and he has created aver 200 designs now.

    Business was slow the first year, but then Brennan started pushing his HoopSwagg products heavily on the Internet. Orders soon started coming in in large numbers, and HoopSwagg became a popular brand among custom sock lovers. Right now, his designs can be found on HoopSwagg website, Amazon and eBay.

    Four years after starting his business, Brennan has achieved great success while balancing(平衡)school, house chores and his social life. And he says he loved every minute of it.