2022年中考英语专题复习——阅读理解（真题一）

    In 1972, Richard Sears, a young American began learning Chinese because of his interest in traditional Chinese culture.

    Drawn to the ancient language, he went to China to study Chinese in the 1990s.

    In 1994, Richard Sears decided to put the ancient Chinese characters online. Then, in 2002, he did it That is the beginning of the Chinese Etymology (汉字字源) website. "My website did not get much attention for the next few years. Until one day in 2011, it suddenly got a lot of attention.

    I got a few thousand emails, and a few million visitors and people started calling me 'Uncle Hanzi', " Sears said with a smile. Hanzi means Chinese characters. He has put more than 96, 000 ancient Chinese characters onto the website. "When I study each character, I wonder what the ancient Chinese thought," said Sears.

    After visiting many Chinese cities, Sears learned more about China and ancient Chinese culture, He said when he came to China in the last century, few Chinese could speak good English "However, you can hear English in many places in China now. Chinese language and culture were mysterious and not known by people in most countries then, but now, more and more people in the world are learning Chinese, even Chinese history, traditional Chinese medicine and so on, "Sears added.

    At present, the 70-year-old American has made his home in China. "When I die, I hope my website will live on, and I'm planning to write a book about my research. This will be my gift to China, "he said.

    Facial recognition technology (人脸识别技术) is widely used today. For example, police use it to search for bad guys. It's also used to unlock phones or doors.

Now, a similar technology, known as facial detection (探测), is entering a new field: the business of advertising (广告).

    Such systems are going through tests in a small number of stores. One facial detection system can judge a person's "happiness" or "fear" level. That helps businesses see how people feel as they lo at products or advertisements in the store. Another system can detect whether someone is wearing eyeglasses. If so, stores can send advertisements for new glasses to him.

    Facial detection technology is also placed inside some large advertising boards. Cameras in those boards can detect information like people's ages and five levels of feelings——from "very happy" to "very unhappy".

    Supporters of the technology say it could improve buyers' experience by showing products they might like or by offering them products at lower prices.

    Some are against the idea of using such systems. Pam Dixon, the head of a privacy (隐私) group, is one of them. She thinks      . For example, a business could raise the price of a product according to a person's age and feelings.

    However, one store testing the technology explained they wouldn't store people's information like names or ages. And the advertising board system maker said it didn't keep any personal information or record any videos.

A Day at the Nature Center

    Emma stared(凝视) sadly out of the window of the bus. Only 50 miles outside town was the farm. She thought about the farm all the time, especially the animals.

When her family sold the farm and moved to nearby town, Emma was excited. But when she got to the new school, she felt very lonely.

    With a sigh(叹气), Emma turned her attention back to the present. The bus came to a stop. "Welcome to the Leinweber Nature Center," her teacher said. "A guide will give us a presentation about animals, and then you'll help to feed the baby squirrels, now, I want everyone to find a partner."

    Emma didn't have any friends yet—who would be her partner? Emma got close to Julia, a talkative and outgoing girl. "Could I be your partner?" Emma asked uncertainly.

    "Sure," said Julia warmly.

    Together, the girls walked into the center. After the presentation, a keeper showed them how to hold the bottle of milk for baby squirrels. Then the girls started to feed their own baby squirrels.

    After the babies finished eating, the keeper asked, "Would you like to help feed the adult squirrels, too?"

    Emma was quick to volunteer, but when the keeper opened the first cage, the squirrel inside jumped out. Emma remained calm(镇静的), held out her hand, made quiet sounds, and then quickly got it.

    "Wow!" Julia said. "You're always so quiet, I thought you were afraid of everything, but you were brave."

    "I know that when animals are frightened or excited, you have to stay calm."

The keeper nodded in agreement and asked Emma, "Would you be interested in volunteering to help out with the animals at the center?"

    "Interested? I would love to work here! What an opportunity!" Emma was excited.

    That afternoon, in the bus on the way back to school, Emma sat next to Julia, her new friend. A rush of newfound happiness washed over her.

    Happy, Happy Chinese New Year by Demi Hitz

    In a book that is itself a celebration, Demi explains the ideas behind the Chinese New Year festival. The last 15 days of the old year are spent cleaning and preparing （Wash your hair and get a new haircut. Pay the debts that you owe and collect what is owed to you!）.On the eve of the new moon, a special feast is prepared…The first 15 days of the New Year are spent celebrating with lion dances, firecrackers, and other activities.

    Demi has long been interested in Eastern art and philosophy, which inspired her to create this book about the Chinese New Year celebration. She has written and illustrated more than 20 books for children, including The Empty Pot, Gandhi, and Kites：Magic Wishes that Fly Up to the Sky.

    Chinese New Year for Kids by Cindy Roberts

    Chinese New Year for Kids is a full color book with beautiful, Chinese illustrations. This is a hands-on workbook for parents and teachers, written for children from ages 3 to 12 years old, for use in the classroom or at home. Children will enjoy the Chinese New Year party ideas, dragon dances, lion dances, art projects, and Chinese games.

    The art projects for Chinese New Year are designed to be easy, as well as inexpensive to reproduce for large groups. All the activities in this book have been tested in the classroom, with very successful results, and have caused lots of enthusiasm from children and teachers alike. Music, physical movement, art, and food all add to the ambiance of taking an imaginary trip to China during the Chinese New Year.

    Tea is tasty and good for you. It is also one of the most popular drinks around the world. But what is tea? And why is it so popular?

    All tea comes from tea leaves but tea is not always the same. There are many kinds of tea. You can drink black tea, green tea, white tea or fruit tea. Each type of tea has a different taste and a different colour.

    The history of tea begins in Asia. In China, Korea and Japan, tea is still very important today. In Japan, it can take many hours to prepare and drink tea with your guests. In Malaysia, a popular drink at breakfast is teh tarik ('pulled tea'). Malaysians say it is good for you and tastes good with canai bread.

    Tourists in Kuala Lumpur like watching the tea sellers make ‘pulled tea'. The tea sellers pour hot water on black tea. After five minutes, they add sugar and milk. Then they 'pull' the tea—they pour the tea from one cup to another many times.

In many countries, you must have a special kettle to make tea. People in different countries also like to add different things to their tea. For example, Russians use a special kettle called a samovar. They like drinking tea with lemon. Sometimes, they also drink tea with some sugar or jam.

    In Turkey, tea comes in a Caydanlik. A Caydanlik has two kettles: one for the water and one for the tea. Drink Turkish tea with some sugar.

    Arab tea, called karak, has cardamom, ginger, milk and sugar. In the United Kingdom, they add some milk and sugar.

    The British usually eat biscuits with their tea. In Japan, they like…

    The longest river in the world is the Nile. It is 4,160 miles long. But the Nile is not the mightiest (浩荡的) river. The Amazon is. The Amazon is also the second longest river in the world. It is 3,900 miles long. How long is that? It is longer than a road going from New York City to San Francisco.

    The Amazon is the mightiest for this reason. It has the greatest amount of water. More water runs out to sea than from the Nile. Mississippi, and Yangtze rivers combined. That's a lot of fresh water! The force of its current (水流) is great too. The current can be seen 200 miles out in the sea. There's a story to show the Amazon's amazing current. A ship sailed (航行) far away from Brazil. It ran out of drinking water. Another ship passed by. The first ship asked for water. Someone on the second ship said. "Just put your buckets (桶) into the sea."

    Here are a few more facts. At its mouth, the Amazon is 90 miles wide. Even up the river, you can't see the opposite bank. The river is also very deep(from 22 to 76 meters). During rainy season, the river rises about 16 meters more. Big ocean ships can sail about 1,800 miles upstream (向上游). Smaller ships can sail 1,000 miles farther.

    What's the most bloodthirsty fish in the world? No. It's not the shark It's the Amazon's piranha.It is only about 10 cm to 20 cm long. It has sharp teeth. Thousands travel in a group. No animal can swim across the river. A 1,000-pound horse would be just bones (骨头) in three minutes. Are you planning a trip to the Amazon? Here's a piece of advice. Leave your swimsuit at home!

    I bought a new car. My old car was still in good condition and worth $1, 500 at least at the used-car market.

    I have a co-worker, Tom. He is a great worker. He has no enough money for a new car and has been looking at used cars. So I asked him how much he was looking to spend on a car. He thought about $300 to $500. So I told him I'd sell him my old one for $300.

    My mom, who I work with, asked if I had any luck selling my old car. I told her I planned to sell it to our co-worker Tom for $300.

    She started crying. She told me how glad she was that she had brought up a selfless (无私的) kid who would help someone out so much. She told me to give it to him for free and that she would pay me $1,500. I didn't expect her to say so at all and of course I didn't take her money either. I want to help more people like my mother does.

    I love singing. But I am often laughed at for being a woman with a really deep voice. I couldn't go to the choir (合唱团) as a kid. Because of this, I never sing when people are nearby.

    I only sing in the car if I'm alone or when I'm home alone. My husband knows that I have this hobby. He wants to hear me sing. However, I never feel comfortable doing so.

    One day, we were driving and it was a beautiful trip. I got a bit excited and I was feeling a bit brave. I said to my husband, "Could you put on my favorite CD?" He did and my true feelings came out. I couldn't help singing.

    My husband started crying. Then I started getting choked up (哽咽). It was such a fantastic day. Now I want to share it with anyone who might listen. Sing out loud, people. Don't be afraid to be laughed at. Someone might even sing along.

    Can a one-armed person still play basketball? You might not think so when you The single-armed 13-year-old from Guangdong has recently become an internet sensation (引起轰动的人). Featuring his dribbling (运球) skills and powerful underarm shot, his basketball videos have been viewed by more than 50 million people. Zhang even drew the attention.

    "You are an inspiration, you don 't take 'no' for an answer, you find the way to go through difficult times and get out there on the basketball court (球场) "Curry said in a video posted on Sina Weibo.

    However, it wasn't easy for Zhang to step onto the court. At the age of five, Zhang lost his right arm in an accident at an oil mill. Although it was difficult at first, Zhang gradually got used to eating and getting dressed on his own. He also keeps up with his studies in school and helps his family with chores.

    In the summer of 2018, Zhang first discovered his love for the sport when he attended a basketball course in his school. Soon, he was rarely seen without a ball in his hand, even dribble at home in the living room. He also practiced basketball in PE class. When the class was learning how to skip rope, which takes two hands, he asked his teacher to permit him to do basketball instead.

    He's gotten a lot of attention since then. Zhang said, "With the encouragement of all these people, I feel like I have to try harder to live up to people's expectations.     I will do better and become better."

    When Sally was a child, she went to the city park with her mom on a sunny morning. She felt very unhappy. Her mom saw that and asked why. Sally told her mother that she felt so sorry to see so much rubbish on the ground.

    Her mom looked around. There were pieces of paper, boxes, glass bottles and a lot of other rubbish everywhere. "What can we do? " asked Sally sadly. "I'm sure you will think of something," said her mom.

    As soon as Sally got home with her mom, she painted a picture of the park and wrote a sign in large black letters at the top of the picture. The sign said, "PLEASE KEEP OUR PARK CLEAN". Later, she took plenty of bags and went back to the park with her mom. Sally put up her picture on a big rubbish box.

    The children at the park ran over to see what was going on. Sally handed each of them a bag. "Let's clean up this place," said Sally. Then they began to pick up the rubbish, talking and laughing. Soon, all the bags were full.

    Then Sally's mom led them to put the rubbish into different kinds of rubbish boxes. When they looked at the clean park, they all had a strong feeling of satisfaction.

    From then on, Sally has been keeping doing the cleaning and sorting (分类)rubbish. More and more people joined her to play a part in environment protection.