北京市九年级英语2019年上半期中考模拟附答案与解析

【1】First Aid is the first step you can ______.
A. take to care for someone injured B. treat it in the helpful way
C. try the useful skill D. keep safe
【2】If someone is choking, you’d better ________.
A. keep the person still B. cool the area for 10 minutes
C. slap the person’s back with your hand D. ask the person to lean and pinch his/her nose
【3】When somebody gets burned, you should not ______.
A. move the head backward B. use ice to cool the area
C. support it with your hands D. put your arms around their waist

When we see babies or pets, we can’t help gently touching them to show our love. And they give us happy feelings back. But a recent study shows that it’s different for plants.
A study, published in The Plant Journal, shows that plants don’t “like” to be touched. That’s because touching changes their genes (基因) and, even worse, can slow their growth.
Professor Jim Whelan of the La Trobe Institute in Australia gave an explanation. “The lightest touch from a human, animal, insect, or even plants touching each other in the wind, leads to a huge gene change in the plant,” Science Daily reported.
In order to test the theory, the scientists did an experiment on plants. They grew a number of plants to the age of four weeks. Then they touched them with a paintbrush every 12 hours over a 36-hour period.
They found that as a response to the touch, the mitochondria (线粒体) in the plants had been partly destroyed. The mitochondria, as Science Alert noted, are the “powerhouse of the cell (细胞)”. The mitochondria produce energy for the rest of the cell in both animals and plants.
If this “powerhouse” is weakened, the plants will lose a large amount of energy that should have supported their growth. Whelan further explained to Science Daily, “If the touching is repeated, then plant growth is reduced by up to 30 percent.”
Although the process does have a strong effect on plants, usually the plants survive. Touching changes the plants, but it’s not necessarily a bad change.
According to Science Alert, frequent touching or moving plants will make them grow shorter than other ones. The researchers believe this change, in some way, could be helpful. It may help plants fight threats to their health such as insects and bad weather.
The new research findings have led to a deeper understanding of the plants’ response to touching. And the research might “open up new ways to reduce sensitivity (敏感性) and improve growth in the future”, Science Alert reported.
【1】Why did the scientists do the experiment?
A. To test if touching can change the genes of plants.
B. To show that plants’ and animals’ genes are different.
C. To tell when touching has effect on plants and animals.
D. To find out why some plants grow more slowly than others.
【2】What did the scientists find in their experiment?
A. Repeated touching shortened the plants’ life by four weeks.
B. Touching slowed down plant growth by reducing energy for growth.
C. Repeated touching made plants die sooner than they were expected to.
D. Mitochondria in the plants couldn’t produce energy because of touching.
【3】What do the scientists think of the fact that touch makes plants become shorter?
A. The plants will be more likely to be attracted by insects.
B. The plants will be more easily harmed by bad weather.
C. The plants will be less sensitive to being touched.
D. The plants will be better at fighting dangers.

According to German novelist Heinrich Mann, a house without books is like a room without windows. Mann simply stated the value of books, but some researchers have found evidence that people with books in their homes really do gain a window on the world.
A new study in the journal Social Science Research, published in October, suggests that people who grow up with more books are more likely to have educational advantages, and to achieve more in life, than people who grow up without them.
In the study, over 160,000 adults from 31 countries and regions were asked about the number of books there were in their homes when they were 16 years old. They were then given tests in literacy (读写能力), numeracy (计算能力) and information communication technology.
The research shows that the number of books for each household varies greatly from country to country. For example, the number of books is 27 in Turkey, 143 in the UK and 218 in Estonia. But “the total effects of home library size on literacy are large everywhere”.
The researchers found that people who had only lower levels of secondary education but had a large number of books at home got a similar score as university graduates who grew up with only a few books.
The Guardian newspaper commented that “bookish adolescence makes for a good deal of educational advantage.”
“Adolescent exposure to books can compensate for shortcomings not only in adult literacy but also numeracy: its impacts are equal to additional years of education,” Sikora told Science Alert.
Apart from the educational benefits, growing up with more books also plays an important role in adult success.
Through analyzing their personal information, researchers found that people surrounded by books in adolescence are on average more successful in adulthood than those who had only few books at a younger age.
“Early exposure to books in the parental home matters because books are an basic part of routines and practices that enrich lifelong cognitive competencies (认知能力)”, Sikora told Science Alert. These competencies are important to future development.
Without doubt, the fact that we are moving toward a digital era could weaken the importance of printed books. For now, however, “they still seem to maintain quite a large positive benefit, which shows no sign of abating (减弱)”, researchers wrote in the paper.
【1】What’s the study mainly about?
A. Reading habits of different countries.
B. The benefits of growing up with more books.
C. How reading books brings educational advantages.
D. The impacts of books on people of different ages.
【2】How many books do an average British family own, according to the study?
A. 27. B. 32. C. 143. D. 218.
【3】The underlined phrase “compensate for” probably means ______.
A. make up for B. result in C. prepare for D. draw attention to
【4】According to the study, people who read more books in adolescence are likely to ______.
a. have better literacy
b. achieve more in adulthood
c. have better communication skills
d. achieve more pleasant personalities
A. ac B. bc C. cd D. ab

You may think of museums as dusty collections of old objects, but modern museums are different. They are landmarks and showcases of local culture, offering visitors insight (视角) into the past.
The National Museum of Qatar, which opened on March 28, 2019, is the latest example.
The building’s interlocking structure of steel, glass and fiber concrete makes people think of the petals (花瓣) of a desert rose. These “roses” are actually crystallized (结晶的) sand, found just under the desert’s surface. “It’s surprisingly complex and poetic,” the designer Nouvel told UK-based design magazine Dezeen.
This pioneering design also makes the building energy-efficient. They form a sunscreen and cast (投射) protective shadows when the sun hits the building from east or west. “I want to build a structure that keeps in line with the condition of the place, to ensure that it offers maximum (最大化的) protection from the sun and save energy,” Nouvel said.
Apart from its unique shape, the museum also includes Qatar’s tradition of both nomads (牧民) and fishermen. It’s committed to preserving and showing the wooden dhows that were once Doha’s lifeblood. These boats enabled fishing, trading and the collection of precious pearls. And visitors can see over 1.5 million of them on the hand-embroidered Pearl Carpet of Baroda, the most extravagant (奢侈的) carpet ever, in the museum.
The museum also seeks to redefine（重新定义）the role of cultural institutions. It’s hoped that visitors will not only observe the exhibitions but also immerse (沉浸) themselves in Qatar’s history. For this purpose, it features a multilayered, 360-degree environment. For example, on the path to the gallery of Life in Qatar, viewers see open markets, camels carrying goods, and wealthy pearl traders drinking tea and doing business.
“It creates a dialogue between the past and future,” according to a museum press release. “The scheme will give a voice to Qatar’s heritage (文化遗产) while celebrating its future.”
【1】When did the National Museum of Qatar open?
【2】What does the National Museum look like?
【3】Does the design make the building energy-efficient?
【4】Apart from its unique shape, what other features does the museum have?
【5】What does the writer think of the museum?