广东省广州市白云区2020年初中英语毕业班综合训练（一）

    Abigail Adams was the wife of one American president and the mother of another American president. Adams was born1November 22, 1744. She married John Adams, the second president of the United States in October, 1764. John and Abigail Adams1six children together. One of their sons, John Quincy Adams, would later become the sixth president of3United States. Abigail Adams was remembered for the letters that she wrote back and forth to her husband while he4with the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. John Adams would5write to her and ask for her advice on6social and political issues of the time. The letters of Abigail Adams to her husband, John Adams, are part of Revolutionary War history7they serve as a firsthand eye-witness account of political life during this time. Abigail Adams is8known as the first "First Lady" to live in the White House9became the official residence of the presidential family, after the nation's capital was relocated to Washington, D.C. in 1800. The "First Lady" enjoyed10at the newly built White House. When Thomas Jefferson defeated Adams in the presidential11of 1800, Abigail and her family moved back to Quincy, Massachusetts. After12the White House, Abigail Adams continued13letters to famous Americans of the time like Thomas Jefferson. She followed John Quincy's political career with great interest. Abigail Adams died14typhoid fever (伤寒症) at the age of 73 on October 28, 1818. Both John and Abigail15together in a family crypt in Quincy, Massachusetts.

（）1. A. had     B. have    C. has    D. is having

    One day, I was waiting for my friend at the bus station. A man came to sell1and I just smiled and said thank you. I didn't know if it was because of my smile, the young man came closer and stood2me and started talking to me. "You know, I wasn't born like this, selling shoes. I had a family, but one day my life just3upside down and all was gone," he said. He told me that his wife took away all his money, sold his car and the house. It was really a hard time for him and he was4at that time. He had nothing and then5to sell shoes to make a living. I stood next to him and listened, but I was still6how someone could be so open to a total stranger like that. Then I realized that some people get7in that way. We often meet people with troubles in their hearts. For some of them, there isn't anybody to listen to them,8I've learned to be kind to them. I always spare my time to listen to them. By doing this, the one9listens can not only help others but also himself, because he gets to learn something from what others10and see other sides of life. This will make the world a better place to live in for all of us.

    "Can I have a glass of hot water?" This is a very common question in a restaurant. For many Chinese people, nothing is more common than drinking hot water every day. However, the simple habit is like a mystery to people from other countries.

    For many Westerners, the idea of drinking hot water is very strange. However, most Chinese people think the Americans' habit of drinking ice water is also strange and even unhealthy. Some old people would carry a tea kettle (茶壶) when they travel. Chinese doctors are encouraging more people to take on the habit of drinking hot water, especially for women.

    But in Western countries, drinking hot water isn't common. Westerners often have drinks with ice, not just on hot days but almost every day.

    There is a story online about a British man, who has been in Beijing for over five years. He visited a local café when going back to England. He asked for a glass of hot water in a British accent (口音). But this request surprised the waitress. "To...to...to drink?" she doubted.

    Finally, the man received the hot water but felt cold stares from every corner of the café.

    Westerners wonder why Chinese people drink hot water as Chinese are wondering why Westerners drink cold water. This cultural difference is not a simple problem, but related to (与……有关联) history, culture and science.

    As matter of fact, many teenagers now depend on bottled water for daily drinking. With the younger generation growing up, will drinking hot water become a less popular life habit? Who knows?

    The history of Chinese characters dates back to ancient times, with the history of at least several thousand years.

    There are many tales and legends about the origin of hanzi, Chinese characters: there is Cangjie, the legendary inventor of Chinese charater; the ancient practice of knot-tying; the eight trigrams (八卦); and ancient painting legends to name a few. It is generally agreed that

    hanzi began as simple pictures, images that the ancient Chinese people drew, painted or carved to describe nature or their lives. Other ancient cultures developed picture-based writing systems as well, such as the hieroglyphs (象形文字) of ancient Egypt or the script of the ancient Mayan civilization. Hanzi, however, is the only one of these ancient writing systems to survive.

    Today, Chinese characters are the oldest continuously used system of writing in the world. Researchers generally agree that the oldest symbols recognizable as Chinese characters are those found on ancient oracle bones (甲骨文). These 3000-year-old symbols, known as, jiaguwen, were carved on turtle shells or bones of animals. The jiaguwen can give all of us in the modern era insight into how ancient Chinese saw the world around them and into their great creativity in expressing their observations. Take, for example, the modern character jia, meaning home or family. The jiaguwen character looks like a house with a nice pig inside, originating from the ancient idea that a good family home has plenty of food. Over thousands of years, this hanzi evolved into a variety of different forms but finally developed in a more stable manner after the unification of China under Emperor Qinshihuang,

    When you first look at Chinese characters, you will most likely feel that they are very complicated. However, if you know just a little about how these characters are formed, you will find that they are not nearly as difficult as they seem. About 80% of Chinese characters are composed of smaller parts, known ns radicals (部首), which are combined in many different ways to form tens of thousands of hanzi. Fortunately, you need to know only about two or three thousand characters for use in daily life!

    As China takes its place in the international community, the Chinese writing system has spread to other countries. Today, many international students are studying Chinese, both the spoken and written language, and are coming to appreciate China's fascinating culture. And, as China's culture and society have continued to develop, the amazingly versatile (多功能的) Chinese characters (hanzi) have been adapted for use in digital format on computers and other devices. And so written Chinese lives on, spreading Chinese culture wherever it goes.

    Tsunami (海啸): Killer Wave

    The warnings are few. The signs are sudden. The ground shakes. The tide goes into reverse. A great roaring sound fills the air. And then… It strikes. Wave after wave of crashing, crushing water. And when it is over, nothing is left. A tsunami.

    The word in Japanese means "harbor wave". Japan has been hit by many tsunamis in its history, as a result of its location. It lies across the edges of4 tectonic plates (地光板块). Most earthquakes are born in such places. When two tectonic plates push together, the earthquake sends enormous amounts of energy up through the ocean. A series of waves expands in all directions. In deep water, these waves travel fast — up to 500 miles an hour — but reach a height of only a few feet. A passing ship may not even notice them. But as the waves enter shallow waters and come into contact with the ocean floor, their speed is reduced but their height is raised. As they move onto land, the waves can rise as high as a 10-story building.

    A tsunami wave doesn't break like an ordinary wave. Instead, it advances like a wall of water, crashing over everything in its way, sometimes reaching more than a kilometer inland. More damage is caused when the wave moves back out to sea. It drags everything in its path underwater and out to sea. Most tsunamis have several waves. They arrive between 10 and 60 minutes after the first strike — just when survivors think the danger has passed.

    The deadliest tsunami ever recorded occurred in December of 2004. An earthquake off the coast of Indonesia caused a tsunami that rushed across the Indian Ocean and reached as far as the coast of Africa. Whole sections of cities were destroyed. More than 200,000 people died.

    Most had no way of being warned. Five thousand miles away in Hawaii, scientists at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center monitor the earth's movements 24 hours a day. They hope to prevent a similar disaster from happening in the Pacific region. If they discover a quake big enough to cause a tsunami, the scientists try to find out where the wave will head and warn people in its path. Their advice is simple: leave the coastal areas and move to higher ground. Wait for news that the danger has passed. And be ready to deal with the damage that a tsunami leaves behind.

    There are some skills for students to listen to the teacher in class, which means you have to practise them. Just as you would have to practise basketball to be a better player, you also have to practise listening. How to listen in school?

    One of the things you need to do is to make sure that your mind doesn't wander (漫游).

    It's easy to start thinking about other things, especially when you're not interested in the subject.

    Next, listen for the main ideas. If you want to catch every little piece of information, you'll feel tired and bored.. Not only does this show respect to the teacher, it also helps prevent your mind from wandering. What can distract (使分心) you from listening? It might be a friend who is trying to pass you a note, or a group of kids who are talking loudly as they pass by your classroom.

    Finally, you need to take notes because you will not remember everything the teacher said. You'll have to take down the notes so that you can review it after class.

    Listening isn't always easy, but if you flow these simple ways, you'll be much more successful in your classes.