浙江省宁波市慈溪市2020-2021学年九年级上学期英语12月份月考检测

Old George chose his food in the supermarket more carefully than NASA chose its astronauts. When he left the cashier desk, he was glad to think that he had1 80 cents today.

At the gate, the cold wind made him2his gloves. He looked for them in his coat and trousers but he could not3them anywhere. He had bought the nice black gloves years before at a (n)4price, for just$35. They were soft and comfortable. He valued them very much. He had made a great effort to5them, so they were in good condition.

George, quiet on the outside but mad on the inside, re-entered the6. He followed the same route he had walked before. Several minutes of7turned out to be in vain （徒劳）. It seemed that his8were gone. "People have changed, "he said to himself. "Years ago, if somebody picked up something lost, they would give it back. Not any more! "

He stared at anybody wearing black gloves to see if they looked like9. On his way to the dairy section, he10a lady wearing a pair of black gloves. He sped up and in three seconds was in front of her. But when the11woman looked him over, his eyes dropped, for her gloves were just far too small to be his. He went over to the cashier to12if she had received any lost gloves, but she said no. He13walked out into the street.

A few days later, poor George decided to buy another pair. Before getting on the subway, he stepped into the supermarket again. He wanted to see14by any chance his gloves had been returned to the lost and found office. "What15are they? "the woman in the office asked. "Black, "he answered. She looked into her drawer and drew out a pair of men's leather gloves. "Are they? ""Yes! They are mine, "George exclaimed, his eyes full of joy.

Winter Olympic Events

The International Olympic Committee has picked Beijing as the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Let's learn about some of the sports events at Winter Olympic Games.

Curling is a team sport played by two teams on a rectangular area of ice. The game is played with 16 round granite stones. Each stone weighs 19. 96 kg. The four players of each team throw the stones in turn. The team with the most points wins the game.

Ski jumping has been included in the Winter Olympics since 1924. Players ski down the hill to compete in the event. Skiers can reach a distance (距离）up to 115 yards on the normal hill. Players must hold their skis in a V-shape before landing. The judges score each jump by shape and landing besides distance.

Ice hockey is played between two teams. Each team usually has six players, who

wear skates and compete on the ice during the game. That's five skaters and one goalkeeper. The game includes three 20-minute periods, with a 15-minute break after the first and second periods.

You may think, salt is just a simple cooking material that gives our food a little extra taste. However, salt is much more than that. Without salt our muscles (肌肉）would not move and our hearts would not beat.

Early humans got the salt they needed to keep alive from the animals they killed. But the improvement in farming led to a diet low in salt. So, humans needed to find other sources. Those who lived near the ocean or other natural sources were lucky while those who did not had to trade for salt. In fact, people used salt as a way of pay in many parts of the ancient world. The word＂salary" comes from the word "salt".

Salt also played an important part in population movement and world exploration (探险）. Explorers understood that if they could keep food fresh, they could travel longer distances. So they used salt to keep food while exploring the world.

Salt was so important that, according to food historians, it was traded pound-for-pound for gold. Today, people still use the expressions "to be worth one's salt" or "worth one's weight in salt". The expressions describe a person of value. A person might also be called "salt of the earth". It means that you can trust the person.

However, when you say "I think we should take what he said with a grain of salt", you mean you accept it but remain some doubt about its truth. Do you think rubbing salt in a wound will be useful? That would be painful and not cure the wound. Therefore, "to rub salt in a wound" means to make a bad situation worse.

A blind boy was sitting on the steps of a building with a sign by his feet, which said: "I am blind, please help!" There were only a few coins in the old hat. A man walking by took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words on it. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man came to see how things were. The boy recognized (认出）his footsteps and said, "Thank you, sir! How did you make it?" The man said, "I just said what you said but in a different way." What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it! "

Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?

Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply told people to help by putting some money in the hat. The second sign told people that they were able to enjoy the day, but the boy could not enjoy it because he was blind. The first sign simply said the boy was blind while the second sign reminded people they were lucky that they were not blind.

There are at least two lessons we can learn from this simple story. The first is: "Be thankful for what you have. Someone else has less. Help where you can!" The second is: "Be creative. Think differently. There is always a better way! "

Studies have shown that a good night's rest helps us remain healthy, both mentally and physically. Dr. Michael Twery, an expert on the science of sleep and sleep disorders, says, "Getting good night's sleep is important for learning because it stores the training and learning exercises into our long-term memory while we're sleeping 7 to 8 hours. And then the next morning, our mind is better prepared to perform."

Then what about getting some rest during the middle of the day? Does a nap also help our brain work better? If it is really helpful, then how long can a proper nap last?

Napping can help babies and young children learn better. Also, it can stop older people suffering from memory loss. Some people have sleep problems at night, so they nap during the day as a way of paying off a sleep debt. They hope napping may make them feel less tired and sleepy during the day.

In America, it is a shame for people to admit (承认)that they do take a nap. They suppose napping shows they are weak or short of energy. It is a widely-accepted opinion that only children, the very old, sick or lazy people nap. However, that may be changing. Many offices now offer napping rooms, and napping cafes are appearing in many US cities.

Unlike America, napping is part of a normal, everyday life in other parts of the world. For example, China is generally considered as a land of nappers. Researchers found nearly 60 percent of old Chinese people took a nap after lunch and most of them napped for about an hour. The study also found that people who took an hour-long nap did much better on mental tests than those who did not nap or who napped for a longer period. It seems that the most helpful nap lasted for about an hour.

But Dr. Michael Twery mentions that an hour-long nap may be too long for young, healthy adults. "We're suggesting that we try to nap for about 30 minutes or less. And 30 minutes is enough to help us feel more awake." He also found that someone who naps because of bad sleep at previous night may not experience the same improvements from napping as a healthy, well-rested person would. So, the right thing to do is to get enough sleep at night and take a proper nap for about 30minutes. But remember not to take a nap later than three o'clock in the afternoon, which may cause a sleep problem.

Linda is visiting her friend Alice who had a baby three days ago. She wants to buy something for her baby.

Mr. Black has just retired. He doesn't have anything to do and feels a little lonely. He wants to keep a pet.

Jack will take part in the High School Entrance Examination, but he doesn't do well in English.

Winter vacation is coming tomorrow. The Blacks want to go on a field trip for a week. They wonder if the weather will be fine.

Helen has just graduated from university. She majored in Chinese medicine in the university. She is looking for a job now.