Hummingbird Winter
蜂鸟的冬季
The thrill of seeing my first hummingbird in my garden has never left me---the sight of this unbelievably tiny creature with dazzling plumage flitting boldly from flower to flower. To entice others, I began growing their fa vorite plants -- fuchsia, bee balm, cardinal flowers, touch-me-nots. Hummingbirds so on began visiting my garden from May through late September, before departin g for warmer climes. In 1988 the last one left October 3 -- or so I thought.
我至今仍未忘记第一次在我家后花园看见蜂鸟时的那种心跳的感觉，一只小的不可思议的小生物，披着炫目的羽毛，大胆的在花丛中飞来飞去。为了招来更多的蜂鸟，我开始在花园里种植他们喜欢的植物---倒金钟，聚香脂，害羞草等。不久，从5月到9月下旬，蜂鸟不停的光顾我家花园，之后便向温暖的地方飞去了。大约在1988年10月3日，最后一只蜂鸟也离去了---我想是这样的。
On October 21, a cold, frostbitten day, I went outdoors for my early-mornin g chores. Suddenly I saw a young male ruby-throated hummingbird in what ha d been a patch of flowering tobacco. I couldn't believe my eyes. By this time he should have been in a much warmer climate.
10月21日，一个寒气逼人的日子，还出现了霜冻。我一大早出门干杂活时，突然在一块以前开满烟花的烟草地里，我发现一只年幼的颈部呈红宝石色的蜂鸟。我不敢相信自己的眼睛，在这时候他应该在一个气候比较暖和的地方呀！
I quickly assessed the yard. Hummingbirds usually need to feed once every te
n to fifteen minutes, and most of the flowers in my garden were frosted over. This bird would have nothing to eat. So I hung out a feeder with a nectar s olution. However, the bird didn't seem to know what to do with it and kept ci rcling a particular spot, apparently looking for the fuchsia plants that I had bro ught in the night before. Hummingbirds remember, even a year later, where th e "good stuff" was.
我迅速扫视了一下院子。蜂鸟通常需要大约每隔10-15分钟进食一次，但是花园里大部分花都被霜覆盖了。因此他没有可吃的东西，于是我就将一个装有花蜜的食挂在外面。但是鸟儿似乎不知道该怎么做，只是在一个地方不停的兜圈子。显然是在寻找我昨晚上搬到屋子里的倒挂金钟植物。即使事隔一年，蜂鸟依然还记
得存放“美食”的地方。
Finally I placed a trail of plants leading to my sun room, where there were plenty of flowers in bloom. When the hummingbird came inside, I closed the door behind him, then set up another feeder. The bird went from flower to flower before at last discovering the feeder. He liked the nectar and fed on it the rest of the day.
最后，我在通向日光花房的路上摆放了一排小植物，花房里群花争艳。当蜂鸟进到里面去，我就关上门，然后又重新搭了一个喂食器。它喜欢这些鸟食，这些天来它都一次为食
Although I loved the idea of a hummingbird spending the winter in my sun ro om, I hesitated to deprive him of his freedom. But I also didn't want him to die. So I called a university ornithology lab.
尽管我想让蜂鸟在花房里过冬，但又不愿剥夺它的自由。我不想他死。因此我给一所大学的鸟类实验室打了个电话。
Hummingbirds are the smallest bird in the animal world. An adult male bird measures only 2.24 inches in total length, half of which is taken by the bill a nd tail and weigh 0.056 oz. (females are slightly heavier). Hummingbirds main ly feed on flower nectar and help spread pollen.
蜂鸟是动物世界里最小的鸟类，一只成年的雄鸟总长仅仅2.24英寸，但它的鸟嘴和尾巴就占去了一半。它的体重为0.05602盎司（雌鸟略重）。蜂鸟主要是以花蜜为食并且可以帮助传播花粉。
The ornithologist warned me this bird was probably not going to make it: hu mmingbirds need to add 50 percent extra body weight before migrating south, and I had doubts this little guy had done that. The ornithologist gave me three choices: I could keep the bird all winter, fatten him up and let him go after a few days, or find someone to release him down south.
鸟类学家警告我说，这只小鸟可能无法南迁，因为蜂鸟在往南方迁徙之前需要额外增加50%的体重，我怀疑这个小家伙是否能做到这一点。鸟类学家给我三条建议：我可以留它在此过冬，或者把它养肥，几天后让它飞走；或者找个人把它带到南方放飞。
If the bird had nothing outside to eat today, tomorrow wouldn't be any better, I reasoned. And sending him south was not feasible. However, I could provide
suitable living conditions in my glassed-in sunroom.
我推测，如果蜂鸟今天不能在外面找到任何食物吃，那么明天情况也不会好转。而且把它送往南方也不现实。但是在我的可以透进阳光的玻璃房内，我可以给它提供合适的居住条件。
I decided to keep the bird until spring. I named him Squeak because of his c onstant squeaky chirping. He certainly seemed content that first day, and he'd a lready captured my heart.
我决定把它留下来直到来年春天，我给它取名为“吱吱”，因为不时的发出吱吱的声音。显然第一天它看上去很满足，而且它让我一见倾心。
Offering Squeak a balanced diet now became my main concern. Besides nectar, hummingbirds need protein from insects. They may eat hundreds every day. T here weren't enough insects in the sun room. A zoo with a hummingbird aviar y suggested Nektar-Plus. I kept two feeders of this complete diet going at all times.
如今为吱吱提供平衡的膳食成了我最主要的牵挂。蜂鸟除了吃花蜜，它还需要来自虫子的蛋白质。它们每天可以吃上百条虫子。但是暖房里没有足够的虫子了，因此，一个有着大型蜂鸟鸟舍得动物园建议我买Nektar—Plus牌的鸟食，于是我便一直在暖房里给鸟儿放有两个装有这类营养全面的食物的喂食器。
Because hummingbirds love to bathe, I also bought a small plastic birdbath for Squeak. But he had different plans. On his third morning, he flew over to a plant I had just misted and began to slide around on the leaves, chirping all t he while. He was getting his underparts wet -- his breast, his wings, his chin. After bathing, he flew around the room to dry himself. The air passing throu gh his wet feathers produced a sound like a deck of cards being shuffled. Onc e dry Squeak preened his sparkling emerald-green garb.
因为蜂虫酷爱洗澡，我于是为吱吱买了一个小小的塑料澡盆，但是它却有着不同的花样。第三天早上，它飞到一棵我刚刚洒了水的植物上，开始在植物的叶子上四处滑动，还一边吱吱的叫着。它把自己的下半身弄湿---胸部，翅膀，下颌。洗完澡后，它在暖房中飞翔，把羽毛晾干。从它湿漉漉的羽毛间穿过的气流发出一种象是洗牌的声音。羽毛晾干后，吱吱便用嘴巴梳理它那闪闪发亮的鲜绿色的羽
毛。
By mid-November, he hovered in front of my spray bottle, fanning his tail in anticipation of getting his shower. He began to make it a game. As soon as I started spraying him, he'd fly straight for my face, detour around my head at the last instant, fly away, then return to a branch. After doing this five or six times, he'd settle down to be bathed.
11月的中旬，它在我的喷壶钱飞来飞去，用尾巴扇来扇区想给自己洗澡。它开始把它当作玩游戏。一旦我给它喷水，它便向我迎面飞来，并在我头顶上空盘旋，一会飞走，然后回到花枝上，像这样飞来飞去过5、6次，它才会停下来洗澡
It didn't take long before Squeak became as inquisitive about me as I was abo ut him. He often investigated my hair and my eyes. Once when I walked into his room wearing a floral-print dress, he tried to figure out how to get nectar from the "flowers."
没过多久，吱吱就对我产生了好奇，就像我对它好奇一样。它时常研究我我的眼睛和头发。有一次当我穿着印有花的衣服走进它的房子时，它尽然试图从“花中”采花蜜。
If I talked softly to him, he cocked his head and answered in endearing, bare ly audible chirps. If I hummed to him he tilted his head and closed his eyes.
如果我温柔的对它说话，他就会竖起脑袋发出讨人喜欢的，几乎听不见的吱吱声。如果我给它哼唱小曲儿，它就斜着脑袋闭着眼睛。
There were times, however, when Squeak would become angry at me. I had to move his favorite plant, a flowering maple, because it had grown too tall. W hen he realized it was gone, he stretched his neck and pulled his head back a s if looking at something in sheer disbelief. He kept flying away and returnin g, expecting the flowering maple to reappear. When I finally brought it back, he calmed down.
然而吱吱也有对我生气的时候。我不得不移开它喜欢的植物，一株正在开花的枫树。因为那树张的太高了。当它意识到树已经被搬走了时，它就伸着脖子，向后伸着头，就像满腹疑惑的看着什么。它不停地飞来飞去，希望他那开着花的的枫树再次出现。当我终于把树搬回来时，它才安静下来。
As winter turned to spring, I wanted to strengthen our bond. I was hoping tha t once I let him go, he'd make my garden his territory, and I could continue our relationship. So I gave him a treat. I filled a feeder with a particularly sw eet solution of 2-to- 1 water and sugar and held it in my hand.
春来冬去后，我想进一步加深我们之间的关系。我希望一旦我把它放走后，它会把我的花园当作自己的家园。这样我们就能继续保持我们之间的关系。所以我就给了准备了一顿美餐。我给以给食槽里装满了一种有水和糖的按2：1的比例混合而成的特别天的溶液，把它举在手里。
After just one taste, Squeak loved it. He began watching for me and waiting by the door handle. When I walked in, he poked around me looking for the nectar.
刚尝了一口后，吱吱就喜欢上了这种甜食，它开始注视着我，在门把上等我。上当我走进来时他就在我周围乱戳寻找食物。
By late April, we had become good friends. At times Squeak would hover a round my head, just looking at me for no apparent reason. He even let me str oke his breast in the evening before I turned out the lights.
到了4月底，我们已经变成为好朋友了。有时，吱吱会在我头上盘旋，注视着我，毫无理由。在晚上关灯之前它甚至让我抚摩它的胸膜。
Spring rolled around far too quickly. I had known all along that I would event ually have to release Squeak. Still, it is hard to let go of something you've tre asured --even when you know it's the right thing to do.
春天转瞬即逝。我一直都知道，我不得不把吱吱放掉。然而，让自己珍爱的东西离开是件困难的事，即使你知道这样做是对的。
In early May the other hummingbirds returned, and when Squeak spotted them outside, he became excited, chattering and flying rapidly to and fro. One day I saw him and another male hovering beak to beak with the window between them.
五月初，其他的蜂鸟回来了。当吱吱认出它们时，变得格外兴奋，在空中不停地叫者，盘旋着。有一天我看见它和一只雄鸟隔着窗户嘴对嘴地盘旋着。
I knew what had to be done. May 14 would be the release date. That morni ng went as usual for Squeak: a shower, preening, begging for treats. At about 10:30, I finally got up the nerve to make my move. I opened the door outside for the first time since Squeak's arrival and stood with his treat in my hand. He came over for a sip, then flew back inside. He did it again and again. Ea ch time I moved farther outside, and after a half-hour of coaxing I was a cou ple of feet beyond the sun room.
我明白我该做什么了。5月4日将是放飞的日子。那天早上，对它来说和往常一样，沐浴，梳理羽毛，祈求一顿大餐。大约到10.30，我鼓起勇气采取行动。这是自从吱吱来后，我第一次打开了门，站在那里，手里拿着它的美食。它过来吃了一口，又飞回里边。如此的一遍又一遍，每次我都会离开门远一些，在半小时以后，我把它骗到了离房子几英尺的地方。
Finally he came all the way out. He took a drink, then inspected the fuchsi a plant hanging on the porch.
终于，它飞了出来，喝了一口水，然后打量起挂在门廊的倒挂金钟植物。突然，它飞了起来，飞过屋顶，消失在天空中。
Tears welled up in my eyes. For an instant, I was sorry for releasing him m yet I also knew it was for the best.
泪水盈满了我的眼眶。好一会儿，我还为放走它而伤心，然而，我也知道这是最好的方法。
I still miss this diminutive dynamo with his bold, captivating nature, and I l ook for him everywhere, even now. In the summer, I keep the screen off a wi ndow in the sun room, hoping he might suddenly fly in for a shower or a su gary treat or just to visit for a while. And who knows -- when autumn next a rrives, I might even have the pleasure of his company again.
现在我仍然想念这个活力旺盛的小东西，它是那么勇敢，充满了迷人的魅力。我四处寻找它的踪迹，即使现在也一样。夏天我让暖房的窗户下开着，希望它会突然飞入，沐浴一番，或者吃点甜食，或者仅仅光顾一会儿。谁知道呢？当秋季再
来时，或许我能够有幸再次与它相伴。
Test for Unit 8 （时间：120分钟，满分：120分） 听力部分（25分） Ⅰ.听句子，选择恰当的应答语。(每小题1分，共5分) ( )1.A.One cup. B.Two. C.Three bananas. ( )2.A.Yes, I do. B.Yes, I did. C.No, thanks.I’m full. ( )3.A.Yes, I could. B.Sure. C.Yes, please. ( )4.A.Thank you. B.That’s right. C.Good idea. ( )5.A.Only a little. B.Only a few. C.Few. Ⅱ.听短对话，选择正确的图片。(每小题1分，共5分) ( )6.What does the man like best? ( )7.What will they eat? ( )8.What does Helen usually eat for breakfast every day? ( )9.What don’t they have? ( )10.What did Frank eat just now? Ⅲ.听长对话，选择正确答案。(每小题1分，共5分) 听第一段对话，回答第11、12小题。 ( )11.What does the woman want to learn to make? A.Bread. B.Tomato salad. C.Turkey sandwiches. ( )12.What does the woman do at last? A.Add some tomato slices. B.Put another slice of bread on top. C.Add a teaspoon of relish. 听第二段对话，回答第13—15小题。 ( )13.What are they talking about? A.How to make a milk shake. B.How to make sandwiches. C.How to make fruit salad.
Unit 8 Section A Animals or children?—A scientist's choice 动物还是孩子？——一位科学家的选择 1 I am the enemy! I am one of those cursed, cruel physician scientists involved in animal research. These rumors sting, for I have never thought of myself as an evil person. I became a children's doctor because of my love for children and my supreme desire to keep them healthy. During medical school and residency, I saw many children die of cancer and bloodshed from injury — circumstances against which medicine has made great progress but still has a long way to go. More importantly, I also saw children healthy thanks to advances in medical science such as infant breathing support, powerful new medicines and surgical techniques and the entire field of organ transplantation. My desire to tip the scales in favor of healthy, happy children drew me to medical research. 1 我就是那个敌人！我就是那些被人诅咒的、残忍的、搞动物实验的医生科学家之一。这些谣言刺痛了我，因为我从来没想到自己是一个邪恶的人。我成为一位儿科医生，因为我爱孩子，也因为我的最大愿望是让他们保持健康。在医学院学习和住院医生实习时，我看到了许多儿童死于癌症和受伤流血——虽然对此医学正取得很大进步，但远非完善。更重要的是，我还看到孩子们能保持健康得益于医学的进步，如婴儿呼吸支持器，功效强大的新药物和外科手术技术及整个器官移植领域的发展。我希望孩子们健康快乐，这促使我从事医学研究。 2 My accusers have twisted the truth into a fable and cast me as the devil. They claim that I have no moral compass, that I torture innocent animals for the sole purpose of career advancement, and that my experiments have no relevance to medicine. Meanwhile, an uncaring public barely watches, convinced that the issue has no significance, and publicity-conscious senators and politicians increasingly give way to the lobbying of animal rights activists. 2 控诉我的人把真相歪曲成一则神话，并把我描写成恶魔。他们声称我没有道德界限，我折磨那些无辜动物的唯一目的就是为了自己的职业升迁，而我的实验根本与医药毫不相关。与此同时，无动于衷的公众几乎不闻不问，相信这个议题毫无意义，而具有宣传意识的参议员和政治家们却对动物权利活动家的游说不断作出让步。 3We,in medical research,have also been unbelievably uncaring.We have allowed the most extr eme animal rights protesters to creep in and frame the issue as one of"animal fraud"and hatred. We have persisted in our belief that a knowledgeable public would consent to the importance of animal research for public health.Perhaps we have been mistaken in not responding to the emoti onal tone of the argument.Perhaps we should have responded to those sad slogans and posters of animals by waving equally sad posters of children dying of cancer or external wounds. 3我们这些从事医学研究的人也显得令人难以置信的冷漠。我们允许最极端的动物权利活动家渐渐侵入，任凭他们把此类研究诬陷为“动物欺诈”和对动物的仇恨。我们一直坚信，有知识的公众会赞同动物研究对公众健康的重要性。也许我们的错误是没有对这场争论的感性基调作出反应。也许我们早应该挥动着儿童死于癌症或外伤的同样令人伤心的海报，来回应那些关于动物受害的伤感标语及海报。 4In the animal rights forum,much is made of the volume of pain these animals experience in the name of medical science.Activists deny that we are trying to help and say it is evidence of our ev il and cruel nature.A more reasonable argument,however,can be advanced in our defense.Life i
Unit8单元测试题 班级_________ 姓名____________ 得分_____________ 一、单项选择(50分) （）1. Tom is in good health, because he often exercises and eats a lot of healthy. A. food B. water C. pear D. carrot （）2. —There some bread on the plate. You can eat it for breakfast. —OK, I will. A. are B. is C. was D. were （）3. —do you make fruit salad? —First, cut up the apples, bananas and pears. And then. . . A. When B. Where C. Why D. How （）4. “exercise every day, my son. It’s good for your health. ”Dad often said to him. A. Takes B. Taking C. Take D. To take （）5. —butter do we need for a sandwich? —Two teaspoons should be enough. A. How many B. How much C. How long D. How far （）6. Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday in November. A. in B. on C. at D. for （）7. Paul made a nice cage the little sick bird till it could fly. A. keep B. Kept C. keeping D. to keep （）8. Don’t forget to the light when you leave the room. A. turn on B. turn off C. turn up D. turn down （）9. —Tom, supper is ready. —I don’t want to eat, Mum. I’m not feeling well. A. everything B. nothing C. something D. anything （）10. —Let’s make tomato and beef noodles. —. A. Sounds good B. You’re welcome C. That’s right D. Don’t worry ( ) 1 1.If you want to eat a banana, you must ____it first. A.peel B.sell C.put D.peeling ( ) 12.______the yogurt into the blender . A.To pour B.Pour C.Pouring D.Pours ( ) 13.I can’t hear the TV. Please____ it____. A. turn…off B. turn…up C.turn…down D.turn…on - 1 -
全新版第二版第一册u n i t8课文翻译
A fable for tomorrow (Rachel Carson) There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings. The town lay in the midst of a checkerboard of prosperous farms, with fields of grain and hillsides of orchards where, in spring, white clouds of bloom drifted above the green fields. In autumn, oak and maple and birch set up a blaze of color that flamed and flickered across a backdrop of pines. Then foxes barked in the hills and deer silently crossed the fields, half hidden in the mists of the fall mornings. 从前在美国中心有一个小镇，那里的万物看上去都与其四周的环境融洽相处。小镇的四周是像棋盘交错的生意盎然的农庄，还有一块块的田地和一座座遍布山坡的果园。春天来了，白色的鲜花云彩般地漂浮在田野上；秋天到了，橡树、枫树和桦树色彩斑斓，在一片松树林间火焰般地燃烧与跳跃。小山上狐狸吠叫，田野间小鹿静静地跃过，所有的一切都在秋天清晨的薄雾中半隐半现。 Along the roads, laurel, viburnum and alder, great ferns and wildflowers delighted the traveler's eye through much of the year. Even in winter the roadsides were places of beauty, where countless birds came to feed on the berries and on the seed heads of the dried weeds rising above the snow. The countryside was, in fact, famous for the abundance and variety of its bird life, and when the flood of migrants was pouring through in spring and fall people traveled from great distances to observe them. Others came to fish the streams, which flowed clear and cold out of the hills and contained shady pools where trout lay. So it had been from the days many years ago when the first settlers raised their houses, sank their wells, and built their barns. 在路的两旁，一年中许多时候，月桂树、荚莲、桤木、蕨类植物和各样的野花都能让过往的行人赏心悦目。即使是冬天，路边的景色依旧是美不胜收，那里无数的小鸟来觅取浆果莓和露在雪地上的枯枝上的种子。事实上，这乡村正是由于鸟类的数量和种类之繁多而出名的。在候鸟群潮涌而来的春秋季节，人们从大老远的地方慕名前来欣赏。还有的人来这里的小溪垂钓。清冽的溪水从山中流出，溪水中有许多鳟鱼藏身的背阴的水潭。所以，从许多年前开始，第一批居住者就在这里盖房挖井，搭起了自己的谷仓。 Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change. Some evil spell had settled on the community: mysterious maladies swept the flocks of chickens; the cattle and sheep sickened and died. Everywhere was a shadow of death. The farmers spoke of much illness among their families. In the town the doctors had become more and more puzzled by new kinds of sickness appearing among their patients. There had been several sudden and unexplained deaths, not only among adults but even among children, who would be stricken suddenly while at play and die within a few hours. 后来，一种奇怪的摧毁力悄然袭击了这个地区，所有的一切都开始变了。某种邪恶的符咒笼罩了这个社区：神秘的疾病攻击了鸡群，牛、羊也纷纷病死，到处都有一层死亡的阴影。农夫们谈论
Unit 8单元测试卷 一根据句意及首字母提示完成单词 1.He can’t wait to o_____ the box to see what present it is. 2.He usually d _____to work, but sometimes he takes a bus. 3.We didn’t go swimming yesterday. I____,we went hiking. 4.She s____an English song for us at the party last Sunday. 5.He didn’t m_____what happened to him in the letter. 6.I want to give a _____（特殊的）gift to my father for his birthday. 7.The computer is the best gift Tony has ever _____(收到) 8.Whom shall we _________(挑选) as our team leader? 9.More than twenty singers ________(参加) in the contest. 10.The program _______(建议) ways for students to communicate with their parents. 11. Mr Li told his little son to answer teachers' questions __________(有礼貌). 12. It's ________________(危险) to swim alone in the river. 13. --I want to report a traffic ___________(事故). --Yes，go ahead. 14. --I thought I'd buy James a new bike for his birthday. --That's a _____________(精彩) idea. 15. Harbin is in the ______________(东北) of China. 二单项选择.( ) 1. _______ should I get Mary for her birthday? A. How B. When C. Where D. What ( ) 2. How about ______ to a concert tonight? A. go B. to go C. going D. to going ( )3. I got the gift _____ my ______ birthday. A. on, ten B. on, tenth C. at, ten D. by, tenth ( ) 4. She lives ______ but she doesn’t feel _______. A. alone, lonely B. alone, alone B. C. lonely, alone D. lonely, lonely ( ) 5. They have ____ eight-year-old child _____Ted. A. an, names B. an, named C. a, name D. a, named ( ) 6. Xiaoli doesn’t work ____ Maomao. A. as harder as B. as hard as C. so harder as D. so hardly as ( ) 7. Our English teacher was ill. So Mr Wang gave us a lesson _____ her. A. instead B. instead of C. beside D. except ( ) 8. I think the story is too hard for the boy________. A. read B. to be read C. to read D. reading ( ) 9. ______ working as a doctor, he also writes novels in his spare time. A. Beside B. Except C. Expect D. Besides ( ) 10. “What about seeing movies?”“_____. I’m tired of staying at home.”
人教版八年级英语下册unit8 单元测试题 一、用括号内所给词的适当形式填空。 1.I _____ already ______(see) the film. I _______ (see) it last week. 2.--____ he _______(finish) his work today?--Not yet. 3.My father _____ just ______(come) back from work. He is tired now. 4.So far I _________(make)quite a few friends here. 5.I _____ just _________(finish) my homework. 6. ______ you ________(find)your science book yet? 7.I’ve lost my pen. _____ you ______(see)it anywhere? 8.At the end of the day, we felt happy the bus (bring)us back to our school. 9.Mount Huang is one of the most (beauty)mountains in the world. 10.I joined the book club last month and I (read) five books already. 11.There used to be (million) of birds singing in the trees in the forest. 12.He saw the newspaper on the table this morning, but he (have) any time to read it yet. 13 .Judy has already ____________ (finish) reading Little Women. 14. Tom and Mike have already ____________ (decide) to learn Chinese on Internet. 15. Have you _____________ (read) Alice in Wonderland yet? 16.Robinson _____________ (have) already built a house on the island. 17. It often _____________ (snow) in North China in winter. 18.-Where is Miss Wu? -She ______(go)to English on business. 19.They ______(not come)back yet? 20.Many people didn't know the ________(important) of health until they got seriously ill. 二、单项选择。 （）1.My shoe is here,but where is ____________? A. the others B. the other C. another one D. other ( ) 2. Do you have _______to say? A. anything other B. something else C. else anything D. anything else ( ) 3.How long have you _______here?
A fable for tomorrow (Rachel Carson) There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings. The town lay in the midst of a checkerboard of prosperous farms, with fields of grain and hillsides of orchards where, in spring, white clouds of bloom drifted above the green fields. In autumn, oak and maple and birch set up a blaze of color that flamed and flickered across a backdrop of pines. Then foxes barked in the hills and deer silently crossed the fields, half hidden in the mists of the fall mornings. 从前在美国中心有一个小镇，那里的万物看上去都与其四周的环境融洽相处。小镇的四周是像棋盘交错的生意盎然的农庄，还有一块块的田地和一座座遍布山坡的果园。春天来了，白色的鲜花云彩般地漂浮在田野上；秋天到了，橡树、枫树和桦树色彩斑斓，在一片松树林间火焰般地燃烧与跳跃。小山上狐狸吠叫，田野间小鹿静静地跃过，所有的一切都在秋天清晨的薄雾中半隐半现。 Along the roads, laurel, viburnum and alder, great ferns and wildflowers delighted the traveler's eye through much of the year. Even in winter the roadsides were places of beauty, where countless birds came to feed on the berries and on the seed heads of the dried weeds rising above the snow. The countryside was, in fact, famous for the abundance and variety of its bird life, and when the flood of migrants was pouring through in spring and fall people traveled from great distances to observe them. Others came to fish the streams, which flowed clear and cold out of the hills and contained shady pools where trout lay. So it had been from the days many years ago when the first settlers raised their houses, sank their wells, and built their barns. 在路的两旁，一年中许多时候，月桂树、荚莲、桤木、蕨类植物和各样的野花都能让过往的行人赏心悦目。即使是冬天，路边的景色依旧是美不胜收，那里无数的小鸟来觅取浆果莓和露在雪地上的枯枝上的种子。事实上，这乡村正是由于鸟类的数量和种类之繁多而出名的。在候鸟群潮涌而来的春秋季节，人们从大老远的地方慕名前来欣赏。还有的人来这里的小溪垂钓。清冽的溪水从山中流出，溪水中有许多鳟鱼藏身的背阴的水潭。所以，从许多年前开始，第一批居住者就在这里盖房挖井，搭起了自己的谷仓。 Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change. Some evil spell had settled on the community: mysterious maladies swept the flocks of chickens; the cattle and sheep sickened and died. Everywhere was a shadow of death. The farmers spoke of much illness among their families. In the town the doctors had become more and more puzzled by new kinds of sickness appearing among their patients. There had been several sudden and unexplained deaths, not only among adults but even among children, who would be stricken suddenly while at play and die within a few hours. 后来，一种奇怪的摧毁力悄然袭击了这个地区，所有的一切都开始变了。某种邪恶的符咒笼罩了这个社区：神秘的疾病攻击了鸡群，牛、羊也纷纷病死，到处都有一层死亡的阴影。农夫们谈论着家中的许多疾病；镇上的医生也越来越因病人中出现的新的病症而感到迷惑。在成人和孩子中发生了好几起突发的不明其由的死亡，那些孩子在玩耍中突然病倒，几小时后就死去了。 There was a strange stillness. The birds, for example - where had they gone? Many people spoke of them, puzzled and disturbed. The feeding stations in the backyards were deserted. The few birds seen anywhere were moribund; they trembled violently and could not fly. It was a spring without voices. On the mornings that had once throbbed with the dawn chorus of robins, catbirds, doves, jays, wrens, and scores of other bird voices there was now no sound; only silence lay over the fields and woods and marsh 这里是一派奇怪的寂静。就说鸟儿们吧---它们都去哪儿了？许多人说起鸟儿的时候都充满了迷惑与不安。他们后院的饲养站已经没有鸟儿光顾了。随处能见到的几只鸟都奄奄一息。他们猛烈地颤抖，却飞不起来。这是一个无声的春天。曾经是震动着画眉鸟、猫鸟、鸽子、樫鸟、欧鹪和许多鸟儿的黎明合唱声的清晨如今却寂然无声。田野间、树林中和沼泽地里也是一片寂静。 On the farms the hens brooded, but no chicks hatched. The farmers complained that they were unable to raise any pigs - the litters were small and the young survived only a few days. The apple trees were coming into bloom but no bees droned among the blossoms, so there was no pollination and there would be no fruit. 在农庄，母鸡下蛋却孵不出小鸡。农夫们抱怨无法养猪，因为刚生下的猪崽太小了，小猪也只能活几天的功夫。苹果树开花了，可是没有蜜蜂在花丛中嗡嗡地采蜜，没有蜜蜂的授粉，也就没有任何果子。 The roadsides, once so attractive, were now lined with browned and withered vegetation as though swept by fire. These, too, were silent, deserted by all living things. Even the streams were now lifeless. Anglers no longer visited them,
八年级上册英语Unit8 单元测试卷 一、单项选择（共25小题；共25分） ( )1. the medical help first, then make her comfortable and call her parents. A. Getting B. Get C. To get ( )2. oranges do you want and orange would you like? A. How many; how many B. How much; how much C. How many; how much D. How much; how many ( )3. I t is sunny. What weather! A. a good B. an awful C. great D. bad ( )4. T here are two and six in the zoo. A. kangaroos; wolfs B. kangaroos; wolves C. kangarooes; wolves D. kangarooes; wolfs ( )5. S ome visited our school last Wednesday. A. German B. Germen C. Germans D. Germens ( )6. S wimming is in summer. A. a great fun B. great fun C. great funs D. great a fun ( )7. --- What can I do for you? --- I want to buy for my daughter. A. a clothing B. a piece clothing C. a piece of clothing D. the piece of clothing ( )8. I want to buy . A. two bottles of milks B. two bottles of milk C. two bottle of milk D. two bottle milks ( )9. T he room was dark, so she asked me to the lights. A. turn up B. turn down C. turn off D. turn on ( )10. —butter do we need for a sandwich? —Two teaspoons should be enough. A. How many B. How much C. How long D. How far ( )11. --- Maria, the dog, will you? --- Why ask me? Tom is playing there. A. to feed B. feed C. feeding ( )12. “exercise every day, my son. It’s good for your health. ”Dad often said to him. A. Takes B. Taking C. Take D. To take ( )13. Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday in November. A. in B. on C. at D. for ( )14.—The banana is too big. —You can _______ first. A. cut up them B. cut them up C. cut it up D. cut up it ( )15. Don’t forget to the light when you leave the room. A. turn on B. turn off C. turn up D. turn down ( )16. Don’t _______ the milk into the cup. It’s full (满了). A. peel B. pour C. leave D. drink ( )17. Tom, please add some salt _______ the noodles. A. on B. in C. to D. at ( )18. I had _______ for breakfast yesterday.
Unit 8 My Forever Valentine The traditional holidays in our house when I was a child were spent timing elaborate meals around football games. My father tried to make pleasant chitchat and eat as much as he could during half time. At Christmas he found time to have a cup or two of holiday beer and do his holly shaped bow tie. But he didn't truly shine until Valentine's Day. I don't know whether it was because work at the office slowed during February or because the football season was over. But Valentine's Day was the time my father chose to show his love for the special people in his life. Over the years I fondly thought of him as my "Valentine Man." My first recollection of the magic he could bring to Valentine's Day came when I was six. For several days I had been cutting out valentines for my classmates. Each of us was to decorate a "mailbox" and put it on our desk for others to give us cards. That box and its contents ushered in a succession of bittersweet memories of my entrance into a world of popularity contests marked by the number of cards received, the teasing about boyfriends/girlfriends and the tender care I gave to the card from the cutest boy in class. That morning at the breakfast table I found a card and a gift-wrapped package at my chair. The card was signed "Love, Dad," and the gift was a ring with a small piece of red glass to represent my birthstone, a ruby. There is little difference between red glass and rubies to a child of six, and I remember wearing that ring with a pride that all the cards in the world could not surpass. As I grew older, the gifts gave way to heart shaped boxes filled with my favorite chocolates and always included a special card signed "Love, Dad." In those years my thank-yous became more of a perfunctory response. The cards seemed less important, and I took for granted the valentine that would always be there. Long past the days of having a "mailbox" on my desk, I had placed my hopes and dreams in receiving cards and gifts from "significant others," and "Love, Dad" just didn't seem quite enough. If my father knew then that he had been replaced, he never let it show. If he sensed any disappointment over valentines that didn't arrive for me, he just tried that much harder to create a positive atmosphere, giving me an extra hug and doing what he could to make my day a little brighter. My mailbox eventually had a rural address, and the job of hand delivering candy and cards was relegated to the . Postal Service. Never in ten years was my father's package late nor was it on the Valentine's Day eight years ago when I reached into the mailbox to find a card addressed to me in my mother's handwriting.