2022年中考英语专题复习——任务型阅读（卷四）

Manuel Vera, who lives in Maryland, is 71 years old. He thinks that homes must be full of old bikes because bikes are good memories of home and love. . He said, "I grew up in Peru. My father taught me to ride. I remember when my father first let go of the bike. . I could go wherever my bike might take me."

. Children grow up and don't need them any more. Some people stop riding them because of more cars. Manuel Vera felt kind of sad. . He would try to get these old bikes back on the road. In 2020, he sent a message to his neighbors. It said he would fix their bikes for free. Mr. Vera fixed 104 bicycles in the last year. He ran out of bikes to work on. . He asked if people had unused bikes in the message. He would fix them up and give them away. Mr. Vera gives the bikes away at a park. He says it is the perfect place.

Sometimes, Mr. Vera will see a bicycle he fixed. "Every old bike is shining with good memories of love," he said with his eyes shining.

How to get that job!

Interviews can be quite frightening but our top five tips can help you. Don't worry — relax! Remember these things and you'll be fine.

Find out exactly where the interview is and how to get there. Remember that buses and trains can often be late so allow plenty of time. It's better to be early than late.

Think about what the interviewer will ask you. He or she will probably ask about your qualifications（资格）and your experience but they'll also ask you why you want the job as well. Think of some possible questions and prepare your answers before you go.

I you wear something new it will make you feel uncomfortable. It's best to wear something smart but something you like and feel happy in.

In the interview don't sit looking at your feet. Make sure you sit up and look the interviewer in the eye. This makes you look honest and more confident.

It's a good idea to ask questions at the interview. Ask about the company or the job. Prepare some questions before the interview. It makes you look more interested if you do this.

A Pioneer for all People

Though he was one of China's most famous scientists, Yuan Longping considered himself a farmer, because he worked the land to do his research.

Known as “Father of Hybrid Rice (杂交水稻)”, Dr Yuan graduated from Southwest Agricultural (农业的) College in 1953. From then on, finding ways to grow more rice was his life goal. As a young man, he saw the great need for increasing the rice production. At that time, hunger was a serious problem in many parts of the countryside. Dr Yuan searched for a way to get more rice with the same size of the fields. In 1974, he became an agricultural pioneer in the world to grow rice that has high production and that is called super hybrid rice. In the 1980s, he went around the world and gave advice about growing rice to farmers in other countries. In 2004, he won the World Food Prize for his work.

Dr Yuan was quite satisfied with his life. He would much rather keep time for his hobbies. He enjoyed playing the violin, swimming and reading. Spending money on himself meant very little to him, so he gave millions of yuan to help some researchers with their research in farming.

Long ago Dr Yuan had a dream about rice plants as tall as sorghum (高粱) . With his hard work, he grew the rice that could feed more people. President Xi Jinping praised him for his great contributions (贡献) to China's food safety and world corn development.

Homestays are becoming more and more popular, and people around the world are offering their homes as hotels. Homestays offer cheap places to stay, and the chance for guests to see the area like a local. They are very popular with people who want to stay in another country to stud or on holiday. We asked three families who run homestays to tell us about where they live.

The Atal family

Our family home is in a small village in the north of Pakistan, in the Himalayan mountains The village is quite small and very quiet. The mountains are extremely beautiful. You can go for long walks and swim in the rivers but there are no shops, cinemas or cafes.

Kate and Julian Foxton

Our two-bed house is by the sea in the south-west of England. It is about five minutes' drive to the nearest village of Portreath. There are lots of beaches, rivers and forests and it is very quiet We spend a lot of time reading books, watching films and going for walks. Our area is great for spors like surfing, kayaking and mountain biking. However, the houses here are expensive, which can be a problem for local people. There are no buses or trains here, so it can be difficult to get around without a car。

Chafic and Aline Halwany

Our home is near the centre of Beirut, Lebanon, one of the largest cities in the Middle East There are lots of cafes and restaurants, which open late at night. We love it here because it's so friendly and you can always find what you need—lots of people come to stay to learn Arabic and French. However, it can be noisy at night, and there is quite a lot of traffic during the day.

Homestay holidays -A home  from home

As an exchange student, I studied in France for two years. The first time I took a class in the chemistry lab, I was surprised to find that students were fully "armed". Everyone was wearing goggles (护目镜) and gloves. Safety comes first for science lab class.

My chemistry teacher Mrs. Louise usually gave us the instruction paper the night before the lab class and let us read it. During the class, she first went over the steps and then put us into groups of two to do the experiments (实验). What was special was that for every lab class, Mrs. Louise changed everyone^ lab partner to make them work with different classmates.

The class was often filled with laughter and screams (尖叫). We once tried to bum the chemicals and watch the colors of the flames(火焰). Different chemicals produced different colors of flames, including bright orange and dark green. Many students in my class were surprised. "Wow! That's so beautiful!" they screamed. Then they excitedly took pictures, posted them online and sent them to their friends. Mrs. Louise didn't get angry with us at all for our "noises". She herself even took photos with us!

After finishing an experiment, we had to write a lab report. If we had a big mistake in the experiment, we needed. to analyze (分析) why it happened and what we should do to avoid it next time. The lab reports were very important. They made up around 25% of our term grade.

Betty: Good morning, Alan! You look pale, are you all right?

Alan: I'm OK, but I saw an accident. A boy was riding his bike and listening to music on the road.

Daming: That's very dangerous.

Alan: I was waiting to cross the road. While the lights were changing to red, a car suddenly appeared round the corner. It wasn't going fast, but it didn't stop.

Lingling: Did the boy stop?

Alan: No. And the driver was talking on his mobile phone.

Betty: So, did the car hit the boy?

Alan: No, I'm glad to say. The car stopped just in time, but the boy fell off his bike and hurt his knee.

Tony: That's too bad.

Alan: So when you're on your bike, think about the risk of an accident! Pay attention, stop at the red lights and… what else?

Betty: Don't ride too fast.

Daming: Don't ride side by side with your friends.

Alan: Anything else?

All: Don't listen to music!

For a long time, it's been discussed whether students should be allowed to watch TV during the week. I am here to say yes.

After a little bit of careful thinking, parents will realize that watching TV after school is a good way for students to relax.  We not only have more homework, but also have many other things to do after school. There is tutoring（课外辅导）, sports clubs and so on. When we get home, we are tired. All we really want to do is to give our brains a break.

 They had few choices. Most of the programs were silly. Today we usually have over a hundred programs to choose from. In one hour, we can learn about ancient Egypt and planets traveling around other stars. TV can be educational.

Lastly, today's students use TV watching as a prize for finishing their homework. Television does not keep us from our homework. Instead, it encourages us to do it.

So, students should be allowed to watch TV on school nights. Do you agree with me?

A. It shows us more things than textbook can.

B. Parents also remember what TV was like in the old days.

C. Television is not the enemy, old ideas are!

D. This is totally different from the way our parents used television.

E. Our lives are busier than our parents' when they went to school.

At an early time, a paper ticket was necessary even for passengers who bought tickets online. But now people are saying goodbye to paper tickets.

Passengers can swipe (刷) an ID card to pass through a gate before taking a high-speed train. "It's very convenient and fast, "said Wu Yuanzhen, a passenger from Guangxi. "I am a business man and travel a lot by train. For us, time is money. E-tickets save time and improve travel efficiency (效率). "

For passengers who need to change or return their tickets, they can change the tickets or get their fund (退款) through 12306. cn or the ticket office at the station.

Since 2011, passengers have been able to swipe their ID cards at self-service machines to take the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed railway and Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway. And now checking-in by swiping an ID card is available at high-speed railway stations in most cities across China. At stations in some remote (偏远) areas, passengers still need a paper ticket to get on a train.

The Chinese fan is more like an artwork than a tool for cooling. It includes the art of carving, painting, handwriting, etc.

A silk fan is also called a "round silk fan". And it's decorated with paintings of beautiful women, flowers or birds. It's one of the earliest types of Chinese fan and popular with women of all ages.

It's made of the feathers (羽毛) of several different sorts of bits, such as peacocks and geese. The fan handle (柄) is usually wooden.

A folding fan is often made of paper. The fan handles and fan ribs (扇骨) are usually made of bamboo or wood. The material of the handles and the ribs is very important. There are always beautiful paintings or handwriting on the fan.

Why do Chinese people love fans so much?

In ancient China, fans were a sign of beauty and knowledge. Learned men would fan themselves to show their deep thoughts, too.