上海市闵行区2018届九年级英语第二次模拟考试试卷

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    A nationwide survey released earlier this year said an average Chinese adult read less than eight books in 2015, among which 4.58 were paper books and 3.26 e-books. With digital books becoming more popular, many people would find it hard to remember the last time they sat down in a bookstore and enjoyed a quiet moment.

    But this does not mean that bookstores are losing their customers. To lure more readers, bookstores are now bigger, more beautiful and grander. Here are some of them.

    Zhongshuge

    Walking into a Zhongshuge bookstore is like entering a sea of books, above the ceiling overhead, beneath the floor under your feet, on the walls, and under the steps of the staircases. Zhongshuge is known for its beautiful designs. The brand now has chains in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Yangzhou.

    The Bookworm

    The bookworm is a bookshop, bar and café all in one. Hidden in downtown Beijing's Sanlitun bar area, the place is among the most popular for foreigners looking for some international experiences in the Chinese capital.

    In addition to a larger variety of books, the European-style shop also holds lectures and cultural events. It's often possible for visitors to meet famous authors unexpectedly in the comfortable place.

    Paradise Time Travel Bookstore

    Tibet（西藏）is a must-visit on many people's travel lists. You can find the beauty of the ancient Tibetan style. Paradise Time Travel Bookstore is decorated in this way. But if you look closely, you will find it is a foreignlanguage bookshop. This kind of mixture is a great surprise, isn't it?

    The Paradise Time Travel Bookstore is located near the princess Wencheng Theater in Lhasa(拉萨).

    Poplar Kid's Republic

    The Poplar Kid's Republic, sitting in Beijing's CBD area, is a fairyland of picture books for children. Thebookshop was selected among one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world by Flavorwire, a popular US news website about art and culture, in 2012.

    The colorful designs inside are aimed at encouraging kids to explore books. Pushing the glass doors open, you will see children's drawings and craftworks(工艺)hanging on the pink walls, leading you into a world full of imagination.

    Emily was an eighth grader. To pass her Civics course, she had to do some volunteer services in a nursing home for a week.

    One Monday, Emily went to the nursing home after school. When she arrived, she was told she would spend an hour every weekday with an elderly lady, Mrs Blair. She was then led into a room, where an old lady in a flowery dress was sitting on a sofa.

    Emily stood awkwardly（别扭地）in front of the lady. She cleared her throat and said, "Good afternoon. I'm Emily."

    "Good afternoon, Emily. Take a seat, please." Mrs. Blair replied.

    Then,1filled the space between them. Emily wondered what to say.

    "Tell me about yourself, Emily," Mrs Blair said suddenly.

    "Well," Emily started, "I don't have any grandparents, so I don't know how to get on well with elderly people. I love the performing arts. I'm here mainly because I have to volunteer here to get a good grade for my Civics class."

    Mrs Blair didn't seem to mind. 'Many people, especially teens, don't seem to2old people like me. Now you are here, and I'm going to change that about you. Ask me anything."

    Emily thought for a moment, and finally decided, "What was your job?"

    "I was a Broadway star in the 1950s."MrsBlair answered.

    Cool! Can you tell me about it?" Emily asked, amazed.

    Mrs Blair smiled. "Back then3the lead actress had the honor to wear a special bracelet. I was the lead in almost all of the plays, so I always wore the bracelet. Till this day, I still have it."

    Emily smiled along with Mrs Blair and listened to the other stories attentively. She had become very4Mrs Blair's stories. She decided to come earlier the next day.

    Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday passed by quickly. Then came Friday. As she was leaving, Emily was really upset to say goodbye.

    "Don't be sad. You can still visit me," Mrs Blair comforted her. She then handed a small box to Emily, "It's my gift to you."

    Emily5opened the box and was surprised to see what was inside. "It's the bracelet that you wore. Thank you!" Emily said, with tears in her eyes free.

    I'm sure to visit you whenever I'm on the way home, Emily thought of her own love for the performing arts. She touched the bracelet and6that she would keep her word to Mrs Blair.

    What can you do with nuts?A scientist named George Washington Carver answered that question, over and over again.We should say thanks to him for more than 300. When Carver was born in 1864,he was a slave(奴隶）on a farm in Missouri.

    Later, he got freedom. As a teenager,he worked on a farm andfinish high school. At the age of 30, he became the first back student at the college in lowa.In 1896, he became the first black teacher working at another college in lowa.Several years later, he took a job at a college in Alabama, where he worked until hisin 1943.

    Carver studied agriculture, the science of farming.Hismade huge improvements in farming in the southern United States.

    Carver studied peanuts.He knew that the south couldn't grow just cotton. Planting cotton year after year wore out the soil and made it useless.Carver learned that if farmers planted cotton one year and peanuts the next,the soilhealthy.

    To encourage this practice,Carver thought of new uses for the peanut.Would you like to try peanut and raisin ice cream? How about using peanuts as a kind of to make shampoo? Perhaps you would prefer to make paint from peanuts,or maybe you would like to bake with peanut flour.Glue? Paper? Rubber? The list goes on and on.He also thought ofuses for pecans (山核桃）and other nuts.

    Carverlittle from most of his inventions.He didn't feel that it was right to sell his ideas. He gave them freely to help farmers and fellow scientists.Carver's life is one that we could all use as an example.

    Something changed a few years ago. Around 2012, teens started to spend their time much differently from the generation before. I started to notice big difference in teen's band attitudes in the yearly survey of 11 million young people.

    A 2017 survey found that two out of three U.S. teens owned an iphone. For this reason, l call them iGen (iphone generation).

What makes iGen different?

    Growing up with a smart phone has affected nearly every aspect of their lives. They spend so much time on the internet, texting friends and on social media, an average of about six hours per day, so they have less free time for everything else. That igoing to parties, shopping at the mall or watching movies with their friends. These were othe favorite activities of most teens. But now iGen teens are taking part in these social activities at lower rate than others.

    A link that should be noticed

    I wondered if these changes might be cto their deteriorating(退化）mental health. Sure enough, I found that teens who spend more time on screens are less happy and more disappointed. Meanwhile, a 2017 study asked some adults to give up Facebook felt happier, less land less disappointed during the week as they had more free time for social activities like meeting friends, watching movies,etc.

    What else is lost?

    Spending less time with friends means less time to develop social abilities. A 2016 study showed that the sixth graders who spent just five days at a camp wusing screens ended time better at reading expressions on others' faces.

    That isn't to say that iGen teens don't have a. They are physically safer and more tolerant (宽容). They also seem to have a stronger work spirit and more realistic expectations. To my surprise, the iGen teens I interviewed said they preferred seeing their friends in person to communicating with them using their phones.

    But it might be just what iGen needs.

    Andrew Carnegie was born in 1835 in Scotland. He was from a poor family. When he was twelve, his family moved to the USA. They wanted a better life. There, Andrew started to work right away. He got a job in a factory. He was a good worker, but he didn't like the job. Later, he changed his job. He worked at the Railroad Company where everybody liked him. He did many different jobs. His salary got higher every year.

    In his free time, Andrew loved to read. But in those days, the United States didn't have free public libraries. Luckily, he lived with a rich man with many books, who let young boys use his library for free, so Andrew could read as much as possible. He read throughout his life.

    Andrew learned a lot at the railroad company. He realized that the railroad was very important for big countries. He had a idea to start a business with railroads. He saved all his money and opened a business at the age of thirty years.

    First, his company made bridges for the railroads. Ten years later, it made steel for bridges, machines, and many other things. Soon he was the richest man in the world.

    Andrew liked to make money. But he believed it was very important to help other people. In 1901, he sold his company for $480 million. He started to give away his money to make new libraries and colleges all over the United States. He built 2811 libraries. Andrew also gave a lot of money to people who worked for peace. In 1903, he gave $1.5 million to build a Peace Palace in the Netherlands.

    Andrew Carnegie died in 1919.He was eighty-four years old. During his life, he gave away nearly all of his money. He gave away over $350 million for education and peace. There are colleges, libraries, hospitals, and parks named after Andrew Carnegie.He helped millions of people all over the world to study and learn.

假如你是 Sunny，你们班级将要在教室里举行一次毕业派对，班主任 Susan  正在征求 大家的金点子。请给 Susan  写一封电子邮件，介绍你设计的一个或几个有意义的毕业派对 活动。

（注意：文中不得出现任何姓名、校名及其他相关信息，否则不予评分。）

Dear Susan,

    I am really excited about the coming graduation party.

Yours,

Sunny