福建省福州市三牧中学2023-2024学年九年级上学期期中英...

—Three times. Great changes have ____ there in the past twenty years.

—____. And it's famous for its seascape (海景).

—Well, I ____ it just now because I like to be clean.

—Oh, I'll go there on business.

It is a basic ability for humans to tell more from less. 1 , a number of animals have this ability, too. They will choose more of something. Horses, for example, will go for a group of 2  apples instead of three apples.

The ability is 3 to animals in lots of ways. It helps them 4 the larger group of friends. Many fish, for example, join groups for 5 . If a predator (掠食动物) comes, a fish in a group of 40 is less possible to become lunch than a fish in a group of 10. So if a fish has a choice between two groups, it's safer to join the 6 one. A sense of number even helps keep the 7 . For example, a monkey group will avoid fights with other groups 8 they find their number is not an advantage.

Also, the ability to do simple 9  is a sure thing for some animals. They can 10  the difference between one, two and three. Some others can count much higher than three.

In the Chinese history, writing tools play an important role. Among them, the writing brush (毛笔) is the first one that should be paid attention to.

The beginning of the writing brush in China can date back to the Neolithic age (新石器时代), while it was popular during the Warring States period (战国时期). The tool is widely used in Chinese writing and painting.

Nowadays, many primary schools have calligraphy classes (书法课) where teachers teach students how to use the writing brush to enjoy Chinese traditional culture. The soft brush can leave strong lines on paper. But that only comes through years of hard work. If you want to write Chinese characters well and be a famous writing artist, you need to practice writing for a long time.

For many Chinese artists, the brush is more than a writing tool. "When I pick up the writing brush, suddenly my ideas and even stories build a relationship with the brush." said Liu Qinghe, a famous Chinese artist. With a good writing brush, when we put our ideas into it, we give it life. When a writer picks up the brush, he or she can feel what hides in the brush.

Science and technology will continue to develop fast in 2023.Nature andForbes have made their predictions (预测). Let's have a look.

Have you ever imagined your simple T-shirt could act as an air conditioner on those hot summer days? Thanks to a discovery, that possibility is getting closer and the T-shirt may soon be found among your favorite clothing brands.

Two inventors took a completely new method. They designed a special textile (纺织品) that can take in body heat and then send out the energy. This new textile cools both the objects and things around them through a technology. This means that a T-shirt made of this textile looks like a normal T-shirt, but actually it is a device (设备) that works like a mirror.

Although the technology is not new and has been used for years to design plastic films and special paints, its use in the textile industry for the good of wearers is very special and exciting. That is because, in the past, the methods we used to deal with heat through clothes were only the suggestions on wearing light colors and choosing breathable textiles. But even when these suggestions can actually help you feel cool, they are simply not enough in the hottest season. The new textile, however, can reflect (反射) all kinds of light, and this can contribute to the cooling process. So this discovery is a real advance (进步).

Right now, researchers still need to test the new method to know how effectively the new textile works while the wearers are standing or walking, and not directly facing the sky. They also need to test how well it works when T-shirts are not close to the skin. But it's still a great success.

The two inventors are now looking for clothing brands that are interested in using their textile. One inventor said, "The new material will increase clothing producing costs by just 10 percent. We can make it with large production. Everybody can afford a T-shirt made of this textile and the cost is basically the same as a normal T-shirt's. It can do good to everybody."

Mastering a foreign language is probably a skill that's in high need. Whether you're doing international business, social work, or just on holiday abroad, the ability to communicate with anyone in their own language is helpful and important.

Using AI technology, two famous Japanese inventors have developed a more high-tech language translation device (设备)—a timely translator called MUAMA. The translator makes it easier for people to communicate with each other and is widely used in different areas.

Learning a new language takes months, or even years of hard work and practice, while MUAMA can easily translate what you are saying into over 40 languages in quite a short time. And you just need to use only a few touches of fingers. An experienced translator is more expensive and you must pay more than once. But MUAMA requires only a single payment for widely chosen languages, which costs you much less to use. MUAMA is more convenient and simpler because of its lightweight design and small size, and it is also easy to carry around in a pocket or a bag. It works well even in noisy and crowded places because it has a perfect sound quality, which is powerful enough to be heard clearly. Besides speech translation, text translation service can be used as well.

MUAMA was first created for travelers. With a MUAMA translator abroad you can ask for directions, order a meal, or just have a friendly conversation in 40 different languages! Take your next foreign trip to a whole new level you've never experienced before. Language problems should no longer trouble you.

Moreover, it has become popular even among people in other areas. More and more international social workers and aid workers, as well as volunteers, choose MUAMA to make their work easier. After using the translator, people greatly raised the quality of work.

I think our school days are the best and happiest days in our life. We should learn not to waste this wonderful period of time.

Be positive (积极的). Don't say things are difficult or boring. We should be interested in the school life and school subjects. We should join lots of activities.

Study hard right now. Some students always say that they will study hard tomorrow. Actually, if we fall behind, it's very difficult for us to catch up. Tomorrow never comes. There is no time like the present. What's more, arrange (安排) our time reasonably. If we don't study hard now, we will regret wasting our best time in the future.

Ask for help. Sometimes although you listen to the teachers carefully, you still can't get good grades. This may make you hate studying. If you need help, the most important thing you should know is that there's nothing embarrassing about it. And everyone needs other people's help. The first person you should turn to is your teacher. You can also get some help from your classmates.

Keep fit. We need to have a good breakfast so that we won't be hungry in class. In order to keep our body fit, we should also do some sports. We'd better make sure to do outdoor exercise for an hour every day.

Don't be too disappointed if something goes wrong. Everyone fails in some tests, loses some matches or has some bad days. We should try not to let small things affect our mood.

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In 1988, Wang Chengbang retired (退休) from the army. Instead of enjoying a relaxing life, he volunteered to prevent the land  turning into desert by planting trees in Korla, Xinjiang.

It is not easy job. The high temperature in Korla makes it difficult to work. Besides, water is a big problem. As a matter of , Wang Chengbang's work in the first few years failed as few trees survived (存活).

But no matter how hard, Wang Chengbang would not give up. "After trying many different ways, I have learned how to grow young trees in a (good) way," said Wang Chengbang. He has also (find) new ways to save water. With his hard work, more and more trees have survived. So far, more than 1.5 million trees have been planted by (he).

Now, Korla is a model city in [ɪn,vaɪrən'mentl] protection. Wang Chengbang is also successful in fighting cancer. In 2021, he had cancer and doctors told him that he had only six [mʌnθs] to live. However, he continued taking care of his trees. "Working is the best medicine. Planting trees (help) to fight cancer," he often jokes.

T  he is at the age of 86 now, Wang Chengbang is still working. 

注意：词数：90词左右。开头和结尾已经为你写好，不计入总词数。

参考词汇：一次性的disposable

What Can We Do to Live a Low-carbon Life?

Hello, everyone. I'm Li Hua. It's nice to speak about what we can do to live a low-carbon life and I think each of us can do a little bit to help with this problem.

……

In fact, even the simplest everyday activities can make a real difference to the environment. I believe we can make the world a better place to live in.

Thank you for your listening.