浙江省杭州市下城区2020届九年级上学期英语期末试卷（含小段...

As the taxi starts to drive away, my father stands at the living room window looking out, watching me move off into the darkness, at 4:30 a. m. His grey hair is messy from sleeping. Moments ago, he got up to carry my bag for me and went into the cold open air.

He thanked me for a daughter's cooking and for having traveled so far to spend the holiday with him. I told him that I worried about he would feel lonely again in the empty house.

"I have my plans," he said, in the moments before I walked out the door.

When I arrived 10 days ago, I felt it was quiet and lifeless in the house. Then my brothers and I came and filled the rooms. But, now, they're gone, I am the last to leave.

As the taxi began to move, I watched the lights go off, but my father didn't leave. Even though he couldn't see me in the dark, he stood by the window watching, beside the tree. It was a fresh tree. He buys one every year for the new year.

The life is hard for my father: my mother died years ago, and now his children are far from home, our selfish choices taking us from one end of the country to the other. I watched him as he stands still like the tree. Are there tears in his eyes, as there are in mine?

I can't wave from the taxi, as I leave a parent to loneliness in the early morning darkness. I leave behind two trees: one with silver-grey hair, the other still freshly green. Both of them are tall and straight.

Here is part of the FAQs page of Free Comics(连环画)Book Day Site. Read it and answer the questions.

The need for something that can solve the problems in our daily lives often leads to new and interesting inventions. Here are some examples of inventions that were born as solutions to common daily problems.

Earle Dickson noticed that his wife often burned or cut herself accidentally while working in the kitchen. She would then need his help to put bandages on the wounds. Since Dickson couldn't always be there to help her, he invented a bandage that she could easily deal with herself. Sold under the brand name Brand-Aid, these bandages are now used for many types of minor (not serious) cut.

Then there was Bette Nesmith Graham, a secretary who wanted a simple way to correct her typing mistakes. One day, as she was watching painters use touch -up paint to a wall, it struck her that the same way could be used on paper. She mixed a white paint and used a small brush to apply it to her work. This small bottle of paint with brush finally came to be known as Liquid Paper.

In some cases, though, people invent things for one purpose but end up using them for another. Take tea bags, for example. In 1908, a New York tea seller named Thomas Sullivan came up with the idea of creating small gifts for customers by putting the unopened bags. Customers are supposed to take out the tea leaves from each bag before boiling a pot of tea. However, some people misunderstood began putting the unopened bags into hot water, and the custom of using tea bag was born.

Sometimes inventions are used for their original purposes. Other times they end up being used for something completely different. Either way, they make our lives a whole lot better.

①Colors are often used to describe feelings. For example, if you "feel blue", it means that you're sad. A person who "sees red" is angry, and someone who's "tickled pink" is happy about something. Besides expressing feelings, though, colors may also influence our actions.

②In Japan, officials have put in blue lights around railroad platforms to discourage people from jumping in front of trains. As a result, certain stations with the blue lights have seen an 84 percent drop in suicide(自杀) numbers. Pink has been believed to prevent crimes. In the United States, rooms in prison(监狱) were painted this color to calm prisoners. In sports, some visiting teams have had to use all-pink locker rooms, which were meant to weaken the team and make them lose.

③Unlike pink, red may let you gain an upper hand in sports. Sportsmen who wore red were found to have a slightly higher chance of winning. Red is also believed to be the color of energy and power.

④The ways in which colors affect us may be a result of nature and evolution(进化). Red is the color of fire and blood. So it is connected to life, danger. Yellow describes sunny days and can make us feel energetic and happy, while blue relaxes us with images of the sea and the sky.

⑤Other factors relating our reactions to colors are culture and history. In the past, the process to produce purple is difficult, and only kings and nobles could afford things in purple. As a result, the color became a royal symbol.

⑥As you can see, colors shape how we understand the world. They are seen in all parts of life and they can influence us in ways that we may not notice.

Courtesy in English

Courtesy(礼貌) is an art form that shows our moral character. China's history is one of a civilization(文明) with a highly developed sense of etiquette(礼仪); therefore, we should speak English as politely as possible when we go abroad.

Being polite when you ask for something is very important. Beginning your request with "May I...?""Could I...?" is considered polite. For example, "May I have a latte". It is also politer to say "I'll have..." or "I'd like..." instead of "I want...". Because it will be considered less direct.

We should say "Excuse me" or "Do you mind if I ask you something?" We should not ask our questions directly. Instead, for example, we should say "Could you tell me where the restrooms are?"

Local people in other communities sometimes speak really fast, so it can be hard for us to catch all the words. In such a situation, we can say "Pardon me?" to ask them to repeat what they said. In my opinion, saying "Can you please repeat that? I didn't follow" is the politest way.

It is also important to know how to refuse someone's invitation. If we really can't make it, we can first say "I'd like to." and then say "but l have to work late" for example. Or "I'm afraid I can't" or even "That sounds great, but ...".

We can use sentences like "I see what you're saying, but I think..."or "You could be right, but don't forget that..."or even "Yes, that's true, but I'm not sure that...".These are great ways to express disagreement politely by being less direct.

A. Refusing an invitation.

B. "Please" and "thank you" go along way when we speak to each other.

C. Asking for help.

D. Ordering meals.

E. Expressing disagreement.

F. Can't catch what's been said?

Kevin and his friend Mike loved to play soccer and they often met at the old bench after school. They couldn't1 a real soccer ball, but Mike had made a ball2 old socks and plastic tape. It was not beautiful, but it3 well. Mike was not a good player, yet the two friends kicked and ran until the sun turned the sky pale4.

One afternoon, the home-made ball was spinning across the grass when it was5 stopped by someone. It was Steven, a strong soccer player.

"Look at you two with your6 ball and old trainers," Steven laughed and said.

The next day was Kevin's birthday, and his uncle bought him a pair of new trainers and a new soccer ball.

That afternoon, Steven7 Kevin to play soccer. Kevin did not want Mike to go with them. Mike's trainers were old and he had little8for soccer. When the game was over, Kevin walked past the old bench where Mike was sitting. He walked on and did not look9.

One afternoon as Kevin walked past the old bench, he saw something10under it. He looked11 and found that it was the home-made ball. Kevin felt sad.12 his sadness turned to anger, he kicked his new soccer ball into the air. Up it flew 13 until it was a small dot(点)in the sky. Kevin walked to the bench and14the home-made ball.

Holding it in his hands, he sat down on the old bench and 15.

Can memory be improved? Most people hope to have a memory  helps them succeed in study, work and life. Luckily, hundreds of studies in the past 50 years have already given us a clear answer.

A healthy lifestyle keeps your brain young and memory sharp. First of all, it is necessary to have a healthy diet. Eating more food rich in vitamin B and Vitamin E, such as vegetables and lean meat, helps you have a better memory. Doing exercise can keep your brain alive, too. Proper exercise  (provide) much needed oxygen for the brain. Running, riding a bike, swimming and even walking two or three times  week are helpful. Moreover, getting enough sleep is important. The (healthy) your lifestyle is, the better your memory will become, but do not expect a sudden change - it takes a long time to have a good effect.

Memory skills help you remember things better. Here are two  (wide) used skills. Chunking is a way of remembering a piece of information by  (cut) it into smaller ones. For example, to memorize a ten-digit telephone number 2127983630, you can divide the digits  three groups: first 212, then 798, and lastly 3630. Teaching is a simple way to train our brains to be more effective  you need to understand before teaching something. Teaching strengthens the understanding.

In fact, memory skills will hardly work if you don't understand the information. What's more, only a regular review can make the memory last long. That is why students (advise) to go over what they have learnt after one day and then after three days, and then use it as regularly as possible.

Human brains are like muscles that need nutrients and exercise to become stronger. If you make a few lifestyle  (change) and try some memory skills, you can certainly improve your memory.

— "No, there's p in the fridge."

注意：1）字数在80词左右。2）文中不得使用你的真实姓名和校名。