Passage 1(长沙2014中考)
Some etiquette(礼仪)in modern life
Do you often use a cellphone? Do you take the subway to school every day? These items make our modern life easier. But do you know how we should behave properly while using them? The following suggestions might be helpful.
For cellphone users
◆Keep your voice down when you make a phone call in public. Shouting on the phone may make others feel uncomfortable. And you’d better not use i t during an appointment(约会).
◆Stop sending messages or playing games with your cellphone at a dinner or a party. It’s a good time to communicate(交流)with your family and friends.
◆Don’t make or answer a call while driving. It is not only very danger ous for both you and your passengers but also against the law.
For subway passengers
◆You are supposed to wait in line while buying tickets and getting on the subway.
◆You’re not allowed to eat, drink or smoke on the subway train. The smell and no ise may trouble others. It’s our duty to keep the train clean and tidy. Besides, smoking is bad for health. ◆ You can’t take pets on the train. As we all know, animals may spread diseases(传播疾病)and get the train dirty.
◆ You’d better not lie across the subway seats even if the train isn’t crowded. Offering your seat to someone who needs it is regarded as good manners.
Passage 2(常德2013中考)
Although the world develops much faster and better, the resources(资源) on the earth get fewer and fewer. In order to protect them, something must be done.
Save water. Water is the source of life. No water, no life. So it ’s very important for us to do so. Not only should we protect drinking water and stop polluting it, but also make full use of it.
Save electricity. It is crucial(至关重要). We can ’t imagine what the life will be like without it. Everyone should do his best to save electricity. Don ’t forget to turn off the lights or other electric machines when we finish working.
Save forests. They are useful. Please stop cutting them down and use recycled paper instead. Make our world a green one to live in.
Recycle useful rubbish. We can save resources in this way.
Passage 3(
常德2012中考)
Now, we’re getting happier and happier. But in fact, everyone worries. How do you deal with your worries? Whether your worries are big or small, you can take these three steps to do with them:
1. Try to find out what you’re worried about.
Sometimes, you w ill know what you’re worried about. Other times, you might not. Try to find it out first; if you can’t, you can ask for help.
2. Think of ways to make it better.
There is always something you can do to help you feel less worried. Sitting there worrying is no fun and it won’t solve your problem.
If your worry is about a fight you had with a friend, you might write down all the things you could do: write a note to him or her, invite him or her to a basketball game, say sorry to him or her, etc. Once you have a list of things you could do, you can choose the one that gets your friend back.
3. Ask for help.
When you’re worried, it can help to find someone to talk to. You can ask your parents, Passage 4(常德2011中考)
Do you know how to be a healthy kid? Here are some rules you should follow.
First, eat different foods, such as different fruits and vegetables. You may have a favorite food, but you’d better eat something different, if you eat different foods, you will probably get more nutrients (营养物质) your body needs.
Second, drink water and milk as often as possible. When you’re really thirsty, cold water is the No. l choice. Milk is a great drink that can give you more calcium (钙) your body needs to grow strong bones .
Third, listen to your body. How do you feel when you are full? When you are eating, notice how your body feels and when your stomach feels comfortably full. Eating too much will not make you feel comfortable and make you fat.
Fourth, limit (限制) screen time. Screen time is the time you watch TV, DVDs and videos, or using computers. It is good to take more exercise, such as basketball, bike riding and swimming. You can’t watch TV for more than two hours a day.
Fifth, be active. One thing you’d like to do as a kid is to find out which activity you like best.
Passage 5(郴州2013中考)
Do you know how to make your friendship last forever(永远地)? Here are some advice that will help you.
First, you shouldn’t expect too much. Don’t think if you do something for your friends, they have to do the same for you. You should make friends with someone you really like. Never think how to get something from your friends.
Second, try to spend time with your friends together. You can invite friends to your house or do some activities together. Spending happy time with your friends can make you closer.
Third, you can ask your friends about their life, families, work and so on. Then just listen! Don’t keep thinking what you want to say next. Usually, they just need to share their feelings ad have someone to listen to them.
Besides, if your friends tell you their personal information, it should be kept between you two and not be shared with anyone else. Just keep your friends’ personal i nformation secret.
Finally, remember that true friends should often encourage and support each other. You can celebrate your friends’ achievements and encourage them when they fail. After all, this is what
Passage 6(郴州2012中考)
What do young people think about places in town? We did a survey of our readers and this is what we learned. All the movie theaters are good, but the Screen City is the best in our town. It has the biggest screen and the most comfortable seats. However, Town Cinema is the cheapest, and it has the friendliest service. The most popular clothing store is Jason’s. It has the best quality clothing. It’s also the cheapest. Funky Fashion is the worst. It has really bad service. As for radio
Passage 8(邵阳2014中考)
Hello, everyone. Welcome to Shaoyang and nice to meet all of you here! My name is Zhao Lin. I will be your guide during the next seven days. Now, let me introduce our traveling plan.
During the next several days, we will travel around Shaoyang by bus to all the places of interest. In May, the weather in the west is cool and wet, but in the east it’s hot and rainy. So please always take an umbrella or a raincoat with you. Shaoyang has beautiful views everhwhere, so don’t forget to take your camera. While we are visiting places of interest, please stay with the group. If you get lost, don’t worry. Just call me! Then stay where you are and I will find you. My phone number is 0739-*******.
Passage 9(邵阳2013中考)
This spring, the H7N9 virus(病毒) hit China. This brings the total number of H7N9 cases to 124 in China. So far, 23 people have died.
Most of the patients seemed to have the common flu. Other patients had a fever and a cough. They also had trouble breathing.
According to the research, people believe the H7N9 virus was from the farm birds sold at markets and birds flying through China. How can you stay away from it? It’s important to wash your hands a lot every day. You must drink boiled water, cook meat and eggs from birds completely. If you are working with farm birds, keep birds away from areas where you eat or sleep. If someone is ill and has a fever and pain in his throat, you must take him to hospital as soon as possible. Luckily, it seems that the H7N9 virus doesn’t spread from man to man. Scientists said,
Passage 10(邵阳2012中考)
Chinese tennis player Li Na became the first Asian woman to win a Grand Slam(大满贯)final in the French Open on June 4, 2011.
Li Na was born in Wuhan. She started to play tennis at the age of 6. As a child, she felt sad because she had to wake up early to practice every day. After school she had to practice more, she didn’t have time to play.
Luckily, the strong girl didn’t give up. As a result, she made history for Chinese tennis time
Passage 11(邵阳2011中考)
A big earthquake happened in Japan in March, and it caused tsunami(海啸). Thousands of people died and millions of Japanese lost their homes.
Do you know there is an earthquake every thirty seconds in the world? But don’t worry because most of them are so small that they cannot be felt. Only a few hurt people. Many earthquakes happen in China, too. Are you ready for the next earthquake? We have some advice for you on how to keep safe in an earthquake.
When the earthquake happens, protect yourself first. The life is the most important because where there is a life, there is hope. Don’t go back to get your money or other things.
If you are at home, hide under a desk. Stay away from windows because anything may fall on you.
If you are outdoors, try to move away from buildings and streetlights. They may fall on you. If you are in a shop and far from the door, don’t run outside. Everyone will run outside so that people may hurt each other. Hide under a desk. Don’t get into a lift du ring an earthquake.
If you are in a moving car, drive to the side of the road, stop as quickly as possible, and stay in the car. Do not try to drive across bridges. It’s dangerous.
When an earthquake has ended, be careful because aftershocks(余震) may still happen. They are just as dangerous as the earthquakes, so stay under the desk until you think it is really safe for getting out.
Make sure you wear shoes after an earthquake. There may be broken glass on the ground.
Remember, these tips are very important. We should always hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
Passage 12(邵阳2010中考)
There are all kinds of drinks in the world. People need to drink enough every day, but people in different parts of the world have very different ideas about what is good to drink.
Coffee and tea are among the most popular hot drinks in the world. Coffee is very popular in northern Europe and in the Middle East, including places such as Sweden, Norway, Iraq and Iran. The people in these places like coffee very much. Some people like putting cream and sugar in their coffee. But in North America, for example, in the United States, many people like drinking black coffee, that is, coffee without cream or sugar.
Tea is the national drink in China, Japan and other eastern countries. In the east, people usually drink tea without sugar. However, in England, it is also a national drink where many people add both sugar and hot or cold milk in their tea. Others add lemon.
In Russia, vodka is the most popular drink. Many people, particularly men, like to drink vodka every day. Though it’s very cold there, they still n eed to put some ice in it when they drink it.
In a word, different people have different drinking habits. When people think one kind of drink is good, they usually drink it every day.
Passage 13(湘潭2013中考)
There are some difference between the Chinese and Americans.
American schools and Chinese schools
Many Americans take part in sports, dancing and singing groups. Many Chinese take part in studying groups. American students usually feel happy when they get “B” in an exam. Chinese students feel sad when they get B.
American parents and Chinese parents
American parents allow their daughters or sons to go out with their friends if they come back home at the certain time. Chinese parents usua lly don’t allow their children in middle schools to go out with their friends at night.
American teachers and Chinese teachers
During parent-teacher meetings, American teachers will always find good things to say to the parents, even in those with the worst grades. But Chinese teachers often tell the parents the mistakes that their children made at school.
Passage 15(湘潭2011中考)
New Energy in the Twenty-first Century
Energy from the wind
Wind is a kind of clean energy, and there is lots of it. But, if there’s no wind, there is no wind energy.
Energy from the water
When water moves from a high place to a lower place, it can make electricity (电) without pollution. However, people have to build dams (水坝) to use this energy, and building dams is very expensive.
Energy from the earth
There is heat in the rocks under the earth. Scientists use the heat to make geothermal (地热的) energy. This kind of energy is cheap, but it is only possible in a few places in the world.
Energy from the sun
Solar panels (太阳电池板) on the roofs of houses can turn energy from the sun into electricity. Solar power is clean and plentiful (丰富的). But when the weather is bad, it doesn’t work.
Passage 16(永州2014中考)
Anger(愤怒) is a kind of feeling. Many things can make you angry. When your teacher gives you too much homework, when your team loses an important game, when a friend borrows your favorite thing and then breaks it, you may get angry.
Usually, your body will tell you when you are angry. For example, you breathe faster, your face turns red, and you may want to break something or hit someone, but sometimes you hide your anger. For example, you may hide it in your heart. The problem is that if you do this, you may get a headache or your stomach may hurt.
In fact, it’s not good to hide your anger, and it’s normal for you to get angry sometimes. As soon as you find your problems, you may try to relax. When you get angry, you can talk about it with adults(成年人), such as parents, teachers, etc. After doing that, you’ll find those bad feelings can start to go away. Here are some other things you can do when you start to feel angry; count from 1 to 100; give someone a hug(拥抱); go for a bike ride; think about good things, etc.
Remember that when you are angry, how you act can make everything better or worse.
Passage 17(永州2013中考)
If you go into the forests with friends, stay with them. If you don’t, you may ge t lost. If you do get lost, this is what you should do.
Sit down and stay where you are. Don’t try to find your friends. Let them find you. You can help them to find you by staying in one place.
There is another way to help your friends or other people to find you. Give them a signal(信号)by shouting or whistling(吹口哨) three times. Stop. Then shout and whistle three times again. And signal given three times is a call for help,
If you don’t think that you will get help before night comes, try to make a small room with branches(树枝) 。
What should you do if you get hungry or need to drink water? You would have to leave your little branch room to look for something
to eat and drink. Don’t just walk away. Drop small branches as you walk so that you can find your way hack.
Passage 18(永州2012中考)
A different way of teaching is widely used in our English study.
Before class, we make study plans first. Then we look up the new words, listen to the recording and read the text. When we meet problems, we can’t solve by ourselves. We always
write them down in our notebooks.
In class, we sit in groups to discuss the problems freely. The teacher always offers help when we need. After discussion, it's time for us to give a report to the class. We also make conversations in pairs and practice a lot. It's really good for our listening and speaking.
After class, we have less homework now so we can go to the library to read English books, magazines and newspapers. We can also surf the Internet for useful information.
In a word, we enjoy the new way of studying. We can make more progress in our study.
Passage 19(永州2011中考)
Happiness is important for everyone. Most people want to be happy, but few know how to find happiness. Money and success alone do not bring lasting happiness. Happiness depends on ourselves. In other words, we make our own happiness. Here are a few ways to help you be happier.
The first secret of happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life. Too often, we spend so much time thinking about the future—for example, getting into college or getting a good job—that we fail to enjoy the present. You should enjo y life’s simple pleasures, such as reading a good book, listening to your favorite music, or spending time with close friends. People who have several close friends tend to (倾向于, 更有可能)live happier and healthier lives.
The second secret to leading a happy life is to be active. Many people experience this, dancing or playing a sport. You can forget about your problems, and only think about the activity.
Finally, many people find happiness in helping others. According to studies, people feel good when they volunteer their time to do many meaningful things for other people. If you want to feel happier, do something nice for someone.
Here is a page from a magazine called Future. Read the following information about things that may happen in twenty years.
Cars will run on solar power (太阳能)and will be much cleaner and safer. For example, if you are too close to another car or if you are driving dangerously, your car will slow down or stop by itself.
New cities will have to be built in the sea. Some cities on water will have two levels(层). People will live on the upper level, the lower level will be used for traffic, shops and factories.
Biotechnology(生物技术)will make food better and healthier. Plants without insects or illnesses(病虫害)will be developed. The taste of fruit and vegetables will be better and food will be kept longer.
Many new ways to cure(治愈)illnesses will be found. People will use products of genetic
Passage 21(娄底2013中考)
In France, lunch is an important meal of the day. Students can get lunch at school or go home for lunch. Lunch is one or two hours long. Teachers always tell the students to take time to taste the food and enjoy their meals. Students have to pay for the cafeteria lunch. They have to pay for half, and the school pays for the other half.
Usually, lunch has vegetables, salad, meat, fish, eggs, bread, noodles, rice, soup, fruit and ice-cream. The school sends one week’s menu to students’ parents and the menu is different each day. But the lunch must have vegetables, fish and eggs. And each student can have five dishes for lunch. Becky is a French student and she always has lunch at school. She thinks the cafeteria
It was a snowy night. The taxi driver didn’t take even one passenger(乘客)all day. When he went by the bus station, he saw a man coming out with bags in his hands. So he drove to him and asked, “Where are you going, sir?”
“To Yingbin Hotel,” the man answered. When the taxi driver heard this, he didn’t feel happy any more. The man would give him only 3 yuan if he took him there, because the hotel was very near. It is about 250 meters away in the east of the bus station. But suddenly, he had an idea. He took the man to the west through many streets of the city and then turned to the east.
After a long time, they arrived at the hotel. “Here we are. You should pay me 15 yuan, please,” the taxi driver said to the man. “What? 15 yuan?Do you think I’m a fool? Only last week, I took a taxi from the bus station to this hotel and I only gave the driver 13 yuan. I know how much I have
Passage 23(娄底2011中考)
Small talk is a good way to kill time and make friends. If you travel to other countries, do you know what to say to start a small talk with foreign people?
In Britain, the best topic is the weather. British weather changes quite often. It's also a safe topic. You can start the small talk simply by saying “It's a lovely day today, isn't it?”
Besides weather, it's good to talk about gardens with English people. For example, you can say, “Those roses look really beautiful, don't they?” English people love their pets. So it's also nice to start with “What a lovely dog! What is his name?”
In America, people like to talk about sports, such as American football and basketball. They also talk about clothes by saying “It's a nice shirt! Where did you get it?” The weather is a safe topic there, too.
Of course, there are also a lot of avoidable(避免的) topics during small talk in Western countries.
Don't ask people “How old are you?” Age is usually a secret, especially for women. Never ask “How much money do you make?” It makes people uncomfortable(不舒服的). Don't ask strangers(陌生人) whether they are married or if they have a girlfriend or boyfriend. Politics(政治)
China has decided to stop the use of free plastic bags. Supermarkets, shops and outlets(经销
店) in China can’
t offer plastic bags any more.
Every year, people use too many plastic bags. They throw them here and there after they have used them. The government has done its best to deal with them but failed. While we offer quick service (服务) to customers, the plastic bags pollute water, earth and air, and they waste the oil. The government asks people to go back to carry cloth bags and use baskets when they go to buy
something. The cloth bags and the baskets can be used again and again.
Passage 25(娄底2008中考)
What do you think of the most important inventions in the world? The TV? The printing? The telephone? Or the computer? A report shows that they are not the only important inventions. Here are three other important inventions.
One of the simplest inventions is the toilet(厕所). Before toilets, waste ran into rivers from people’s h ouses. Illnesses were common in big cities, and it was often difficult to find clean drinking water.
Animal food is another important invention. Before the invention, most animals were killed every autumn because there was not enough food for them in winter. After hay(干草) became a kind of common animal food, animals could live through the long winter.
The third great invention is glasses. Glasses help people read, write and do “close work”
Passage 26(湘西2013中考)
This week we asked students at New Star High School about the best ways to learn more English. Some said they learnt by using English. Some students had more specific suggestions(具体的建议).
Lillian Li said the best way to learn new words was by reading English magazines. She said that she never studied grammar. She thought it was too boring.
We Ming feels differently. He’s been learning English for six years and really loves it. He thinks studying grammar is a great way to learn a language. He also thinks that watching English movies is a good way to watch the actors say the words.
Liu Chang said that joining the English club at school was the best way to improve her
Passage 8(2011天津中考)
An American named Crum invented potato chips in 1853, although that was not his intention(意图). He was a chef(厨师长) at a beautiful restaurant in Saratoga Springs, New York. A regular dish on the menu was fried(油炸的) potatoes, which was an idea that had started in France. At that time, French fried potatoes were cut into thick slices(片).
One day, a dinner guest at the restaurant sent back his fried potatoes to the chef because he did not like them so thick. So Mr. Crum cut the potatoes a little thinner and fried them. The guest did not like those either. That made Mr. Crum angry, so he thought he would just show the man. He sliced the potatoes paper-thin and fried them, thinking that the man would say nothing about it. However, to his surprise, the man loved the thin potatoes very much. Other guests tried them and liked them. So, Mr. Crum’s potato chips were added to the menu. They were called Saratoga Chips.
Finally, Mr. Crum opened his own restaurant to sell his famous chips. Now potato chips are
passage 9 (2010天津中考)
Louis Braille was born in Coupvray, France. He was a very small child. Unluckily, at the age of four, he became blind by accident. Louis began attending school in his town when he was seven years old.
Three years later, Louis and his father traveled to Paris. There, he went to a school for blind children. One day a French soldier, Charles Barbier, visited the school. Barbier invented a system of night-reading. This system used small dots for the letters. Soldiers used this system in time of war. Barbier thought this system could help the blind to read.
Soon Braille discovered that there were some shortcoming (缺点) in Barbier’s system, but it gave Louis a brilliant idea. He improved Barbier’s system. By the age of fifteen, his new system was completed! Now he wanted blind schools to try his system. Luck went against him again. The school refused to use his system. Louis died in 1852 in Paris at the age of forty-three.
Two years after he died, the blind schools began to use his system. Today we call this system Braille in honor of Louis Braille. His system is used for all languages, and for maths, science, writing, music, and computers for the blind.
passage 10 (2009天津中考)
On the afternoon of May 28th, there was a car accident on Nathan Road. As a result, the road was blocked (阻塞). The two drivers were quarrelling and both of them said that the other was wrong. However, the other drivers were not interested in knowing whose fault it was; they were waiting impatiently and just wanted to be able to leave.
Finally someone called the police. Two policemen soon arrived. They cleared the road
immediately and tried to control (控制) the traffic.
Then the police took the two drivers to the police station. There, the drivers described the course of the accident, saying that it was not their own fault. However, the policemen decided that both drivers were wrong because they had driven too fast and carelessly.
The two drivers also had to take the alcohol (酒精) test. Fortunately, they did not drink any
Passage 9 (2010天津中考)
Have you ever studied abroad? Maybe it is an amazing experience, especially when you come to Australia as an foreign high school student. You can have a lot of fun there, especially on holidays.
There are many festivals in Australia. The most important one is Christmas. Each year, the summer holidays at every high school last about two months from the beginning of December to February, which covers the Christmas time. Since it is a long holiday, most foreign students in Australia students still stay in Australia during the holiday to get part-time jobs. It is quite easy to find a part-time job at Christmas. Students often take part in another major social activity. They go to the beach to have fun in the sunshine. The summer in Australia is from December to February, so going to the beach in December is very popular among Australians.
Easter in March is another important holiday in. It actually combines “Good Friday”and “Easter Monday”. Almost every shop closes on Good Friday. And people usually go to see Easter Show.
The Chinese New Year is not a public holiday in Australia, so every Chinese student still has to go to school to study and do his or her normal duties.