浙江省杭州市之江实验中学2021-2022学年八年级下学期期...

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and the shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, a crocodile was swimming toward him.

His mother in the house was looking out of the window and saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In fear, she ran toward the water, shouting to her son as loudly as she could.

Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U﹣turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the crocodile reached him. From the bank, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the crocodile snatched his legs. That began an unbelievable tug﹣of﹣war between the two:  The crocodile was much stronger than the mother, but the mother didn't give up. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, ran from his truck, took a gun and shot the crocodile.

After weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy was saved. His legs were completely scarred by the attack of the animal and, on his arms, were deep scars where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter asked the boy if he would show him his scars (疤). The boy lifted his legs. And then, with pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldn't let go. "

Like that little boy, we also have scars, not from a crocodile, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are ugly and have caused us deep regret. But in life if you have the scars of love on your arms, you should be thankful.

You might have beautiful rainbows in the sky before. They form when sunlight falls on water drops in the air. But in fact, moonlight can also create rainbows in the same way They are called "moonbows". They are similar to rainbows, but they are created by moonlight instead of direct sunlight.

Moonbows are rarer than rainbows. Different weather and astronomical (天文学的)condition have to be just for moonbows to be created.

The moon has to be very low in the sky﹣﹣only 42 from the horizon (地平线). The moon period has to be a full moon or nearly full. The sky must be very dark for a moonbow to be watched clearly-any bright light can obscure it. Water drops must appear in the air in the opposite direction of the moon.

Moonbows appear on the opposite side of the moon and usually look white to the human eye. This is because their colors are not bright enough to be noticed by the human eye. It is possible, however, to view the colors in a moonbow using long exposure (长时间曝光) photography.

Moonbows more often appear in some locations around the world. Most of these locations usually have waterfalls, which create thin fog in the air. Some of these locations are the Yosemite National Park in California and Cumberland Falls State Resort Park in Kentucky, US; Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe；and Waimea in Hawaii, US.

Moonbows do really happen. So at a certain time and a certain place, when a moonbow happens to appear, you can't miss it if you're right there.

We like to believe that before we make a decision, most of the time, we take time to consider all the facts carefully. However, experts believe that only 5% of our decisions are based on a rational (理性的) thought process. So, what influences our decision﹣making process?

We often leave decision﹣making to our instincts (本能). Scientists have found out that if we had the choice, we like to avoid pain rather than get something. In fact, we're twice as happy when we try to avoid a bad situation than when we experience a good one. This is why when companies send ads, they use phrases like "How to avoid." "Don't miss out!" etc.

There are also physical reasons that influence our decision﹣making. Psychologist John Bargh carried on an experiment where people were asked what they thought of a fictional person, while holding a cold or a hot cup of coffee. Those holding the hot cup believed the person to be warmer and more sociable than those holding the cold cup. So, when temperatures rise, the more likely we are to believe in strangers.

Stress is another thing which influences our decisions. Different situations are more or less stressful for different people. Researchers have found, though, that women are more conservative (保守的)about decisions when stressed, while men are to make riskier choices.

It may come as a surprise but every day from the minute we get up, we have to make countless decisions, like what to wear, what coffee to have and so on. Each choice makes our brain a little bit more tired, and this influences our decision﹣making, too. That's why important people, like presidents wearing the same three suits all the time, want to limit the small choices and spend more brain power on the bigger ones.

Are you a Stress Out Student?

You can overcome it with our FIVE﹣POINT ACTION PLAN!

Some people are OK with three or four hours of sleep a night, but most people aren't. You should try to sleep eight hours a night. If you can't, then take a nap in the afternoon. Sleeping too long isn't good, either. Don't stay in bed all day.

Students often put on weight because they eat a lot of junk food and eat late at night. Bad idea! You should try to eat your evening meal early and have healthy snacks, like fruit. You should also try to drink at least eight cups of water a day. Finally, don't skip breakfasts. It's the most important meal of the day! You don't have to eat a big breakfast, but you should eat something.

Sometimes you have to stop what you're doing. Take a break. Turn off the TV or computer, walk around the room, and breathe deeply. You should do this several times a day. And once a week, take a walk in a park or in the woods. Look at the trees and smell the flowers!

Walk as much as you can. Walking is the best way to stay in shape. Or get a bicycle, but remember that riding a bike can be dangerous. You should always wear a helmet and bright clothes. Never ride without them!

Do you have a gym nearby? You should use it. You don't have to exercise every day but you should do some aerobic activity three to five times a week. Thirty minutes a day is enough. Remember, you can review for a test and jog on a treadmill at the same time.

A. Get Exercise

B. Be Close to Nature

C. Stop and Get Away

D. Walk or Ride

E. Have Enough Sleep

F. Eat and Drink Right

This story tells of two sporting heroes. Who made an impossible dream come true. Bob Champion was a young jockey (骑师) with a bright1. Then, one day, he fell off his horse. He went to the doctor 2 his injuries (伤) and was surprised when he3 that he had cancer The medical treatment lasted many months and made him very4. At times, he nearly died.

At the same time, there was a successful 5called Aldaniti Unluckily, during one race, the horse got a serious injury. The horse's owners6 to put the horse down though the doctor advised the horse's trainer to do so. They7 Aldaniti for a whole year and the horse's injuries got better.

By this time, Bob Champion was out of8. Slowly, he got back his strength. Eight months later, he9 to his job as a jockey. A month after that, he rode the winning horse in a race. Soon afterwards, Aldaniti 10returned to training.

Early the next year, 11Bob Champion and Aldaniti were almost back to full fitness (健康). Now, there was a new plan. Bob decided to 12 Aldaniti in the Grand National, one of the UK's most famous horse races.

People watching the race knew all about the 13 fights against illness and injury. Every one of them wanted the fairy tale to have a 14 ending. And it was perfect. Aldaniti and Bob Champion were real sporting15.

Have you ever had a day when everything seemed to go wrong and nothing seemed to go right? Last weekend, I was sad. I told my mother all about it, hoping for some pity. Instead, she said. "I heard Jamie was having a difficult day, too.  don't you make her some cookies? "

 I didn't really want to do that, I didn't want to get into other trouble, either. I made cookies and put them in a box. Then I made a card  some flowers on it and wrote a small note.

That afternoon, I went to my  (friend) house. When l got there, she (sit) alone in the yard. I said. "I  (know) you were unhappy and decided to bring you something. I hope everything will be fine with you. "look on Jamie's face was the one that I could never put into words. It was as if sunshine  (sudden) came through a dark sky.

When I got back, I felt a lot (good). That day I realized that those who brought sunshine to others could also keep it for(they).

Dear Xiaozhi,

How's it going with you? In your last e-mail, you told me you would have English Festival in April. So how was it? What did you do at the festival?

This month, there was also a big event at my school. Some exchange students from China came to my school. During their visit, they told us many interesting Chinese folk stories. I like Journey to West best.

Which is your favorite folk story! What do you think of the main character?

Looking forward to your reply!

Yours,

Jason

Dear Jason,

……

Yours,

Xiaozhi