浙江省2022年英语期中备考（九下）：任务型阅读

The life has been full of challenges and difficulties. Life is not about the smartest person or the strongest person, or even the richest person. However, Life is about having the mind in your heart “Never Give Up”, even when you feel that giving up is the only choice. The world is waiting on your gifts.

You are important to this world and believe it or not, someone is waiting for you to enrich their lives. You are too important to the world to just give up.

You may feel that life is challenging you from time to time and you can't take it anymore. You may want to give up right now. But here is a thought, what will happen if you overcome the difficulties?

When an Olympic runner is in a race, he or she is focusing on one thing—the finishing line. You have to focus on the big picture—not just where you are right now. Focus in where you want to be. Make an agreement with your mind and your mouth.

One of my favorite poems is called “Crystal Stair ” written by Langston Hughes. In that poem, a mother tells her son that life is tough, you will meet rocks and hard places, but the end is victory to those who stand their ground and ride the course.

Whatever you are facing, you can make it through. There is a rainbow on the other side of your situation. Stay strong, stay focused and never give up.

The Secret Garden is written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It is one of Burnett's most popular novels.

The Secret Garden was first published in ten issues of The American Magazine (November 1910-August 1911). It was first published in book form in August 1911 by the Frederick A. Stokes Company in New York; it was also published that year by William Heinemann in London. Different editions were published in the late 1980s and early 1990s, such as a full-colour illustrated edition from David R. Godine Publisher in 1989. Mary, a girl of The Secret Garden, gets the key to the garden and finds its hidden door. The girl loves the secret garden, where she plays with her cousin, Colin. Magically, all kinds of bad habits on their bodies disappear.

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The human brain weighs about 1.4 kilograms, but it can hold much more information than most computers. However, there is another difference between humans and computers. Computers don't forget information they are given, but humans often do. No one remembers everything, and luckily we don't usually have to. But everyone can improve their memory if they want to. Here are some suggestions.

◆Try to use new information immediately. For example, if you meet someone who says "Hi! I'm Carlos," don't just say "Hello." Repeat the person's name. Say "Hello, Carlos."

◆Break a big number into smaller parts. For example, it's hard to memorize 109244153. But if you break it into three parts — 109/244/153 — it becomes easier.

◆Write out what you need to remember often. This will help you keep it in mind longer, especially for memorizing facts.

◆Always review information. If you bring what you've learned back to your mind, they become easier to remember. For example, before you go to sleep, it's a good idea to review the new things you learned that day.

◆Discuss with a friend. It is always easier to remember things through discussions. You can talk about what's right and what's wrong, and it will lead to the right answer.

◆Never tell yourself that you have a bad memory. You can always do something to help improve your memory. And everyone's memory gets better if they use it often enough.

All of the suggestions are helpful. If you follow them, you are certain to improve your memory.

How to Improve Our Memory

Is there a connection between music and language? According to recent studies, the answer is yes:Here, we look at two examples.

A recent study by researcher Kraus shows that playing a musical instrument can improve a person's hearing ability. The people in the first group were musicians, while those in the second group had no musical training. The musicians were able to hear the talking person more clearly.

Think about violinists in an orchestra (管弦乐团). When the violinists play with the group, they hear their own instrument and many others, too. But the violinists must listen closely to what they are playing, and pay no attention to the other sounds. In this way, musicians are able to focus on certain sounds, even in a room with lots of noise.

Schlaug, a doctor at Harvard Medical School, works with stroke (中风) patients. Because of their illness, these people cannot say their names, addresses, or other information normally. However, they can still sing. Why does this work? Schlaug isn't sure. Music seems to make different parts of the brain work, including the damaged (损坏的) parts. This might help patients to use that part of the brain again.

Music improves concentration (注意力), memory, listening skills, and our overall language abilities. Playing an instrument or singing can help us do better in school and keep our brain sharp (敏锐的) as we get older. Music is not only enjoyable, it's also good for us in many other ways.

    Activity

 Hold arms straight out to the sides

Move your arms in circles.

 Come back to the starting position and move your arms in the other direction.

    Activity

 Raise one foot backward, and hold it with one hand.

Breathe and slowly pull your foot to your hip(屁股).

Try to keep both knees together.

    Activity

 Stand with some space in front of and behind you. Move the top of your body downward.

 Keep your back straight and reach for your feet with both hands.

 Hold this for about half a minute.

    Activity

Take one step forward with your right foot.

 Put your hands on the right knee and press(压).

 Do the action in the same way with your left foot.

    Activity

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart(两脚与肩同宽).

 Raise both arms overhead.

 Hold for about half a minute and relax.

A.    B.    C.

D.     E.

    What would you do if you felt anxious(焦虑的)? Would you feel better if someone else could share his or her experiences with you? In the United States, two teenage girls set up a mental health camp called "Healing(治愈)Hearts" to help people deal with anxiety.

    The idea of creating the camp came from Dinah Martinez, 17, and her schoolmate Janet Martinez, 18. Both girls suffered from anxiety.

    Dinah Martinez always did well in school. "But then I just started to collapse(崩溃)," DinahMartinez said.

    She stopped talking to her friends, stopped going to school for three weeks and stayed at home.

    Janet Martinez was anxious in elementary school. Things got even worse in junior high. "It was a lot of pressure I put on myself. I would wake up in the morning and it was like my heart was racing," she said.

    The girls' camp idea got support from Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) in the US. The organization awarded them $ 5,000 to put on the camp for other teenage girls.

    The "Healing Hearts" camp was created to "help deal with anxiety, especially with girls in high school because that's when they are the most vulnerable(脆弱的)", Janet Martinez said.

    On the first day of the camp, 10 girls were there. Experts at the camp talked about anxiety. They helped girls who were experiencing anxiety. The girls learned how to calm themselves when they are anxious. They learned about calming methods like deep breathing.

    "It's good to know that someone else is going through the same thing as me and we can both help each other out," Dinah Martinez said.

Creating a network of friendly relationships in your community can give you a greater feeling of happiness. Here are some simple ideas to build a better community.

Step outside your house

Sometimes, you have to leave your house to make things happen, but you don't have to go far. Meet neighbors while getting your mail or planting flowers. Try walking to a nearby shop instead of driving.    ①  .

Create a community garden

If you have a common grassy area, you can create a community garden.    ②   . Often a neighbor with some gardening knowledge can organize the work.

   ③    

See a new neighbor move in? Pay a visit with a fruit basket, cookies or a bottle of wine and a welcoming note. It also puts you in a better position when you need to borrow a cup of sugar or have someone water your plants while you're away.

Put up a book-lending cupboard

    ④   . A library cupboard may look like a big mailbox with a clear glass door and books inside. You can leave a book or take a book home to read.

Jellyfish and Crocodiles（水母和鳄鱼）

Hi, my name's Ben. My family, that's Mum, Dad and me, live in Broome in Western Australia. Western Australia is about 80 times larger than Italy, but only 1.5 million people live there.    ①    

It has a population of about 12,000. It's right on the coast and is known for its famous Cable Beach, which is 20 km long.

We live in the town in a house with a large garden. When we are free, we drive to Cable Beach and look for a quiet place to swim or to fish. We don't go swimming from October to March because there may be box jellyfish in the water. The box jellyfish is one of the most dangerous jellyfish.

    ②    If you are attacked by one, the best thing to do is to pour vinegar（醋）over the area of your body where you are hurt. That's why we always take a bottle of vinegar with us.

    ③    A year ago I went camping in the bush with my friend Bill and his dad. We wanted to do some fishing and set up camp about 20 meters from a river.   ④     Bill's father told us to get up and we quickly got out of the tent and ran to the car, which was only 10 meters away.

Bill's dad started the car and turned on the headlights. In the light, we could see a big crocodile pulling the tent into the river!