2018年山东省中考英语真题（任务型阅读）

E

    Sara wants to buy a motorcycle. She sees an ad in the newspaper for a used one. She calls the telephone number in the ad. The person who is selling the motorcycle lives on Flag Street in Clifton, about 15 miles from Fairview where Sara lives. She'll take a bus to get there on Sunday.

    At the bus station. Sara looks through the bus schedules(时刻表). She sees one that says “Fairview, Clifton" on the front. That's what Sara needs.

    Please look at the bus schedule carefully. Then help Sara make her decision, and answer the following questions.

    In early spring, the changing temperature usually makes a number of Chinese people uncomfortable. Cold air, bringing rain or even snow, easily tears up(破坏) the warmth of the spring within a night(一夜之间).

    However, with the coming of Guyu-the Grain(谷物) Rain, the blue sky and gentle winds would finally stay. Falling usually on or around April 20 every year, Guyu is the sixth of the 24 solar terms(节气). It means the beginning of a lively summer and people get busy from now on.

    Sow(播种) grains

    This is an important period of the growth of grains. The ancient Chinese already knew that as Guyu comes, the weather will become warm enough for sowing. The farmers usually catch the chance to plant rice, corn and beans.

    Hope for safety and harvest

    For those living near the sea, they will hold some ceremonies(仪式) on Guyu, hoping for safety as well as harvest during the coming fishing season.

    Watch the peony

    It's also a great time to see the peony(牡丹), which is known as “the Queen of All Flowers” in Chinese culture. As a result, watching peonies becomes one of the most enjoyable activities for many. The flower is said to be the favourite of Empress(女皇) Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty, who was the only woman ruler in Chinese history.

    Pick tea leaves

    Tea leaves picked before Guyu are among the best tea leaves. People believe that the tea leaves picked on the day of Guyu can make eyes clear and drive away bad luck. So the habit of drinking tea at this time of year has become a tradition in some places of China.

Police officers

    Some police officers answer calls every night at the station. Others go around the town and city on foot or in cars.因为他们辛勤工作，你才能安然入睡。

Firefighters (消防队员)

    Even at night, firefighters are ready to help. Whenever they get a call, they will go at once to fight fires and help people.

Doctors

    If you get sick or hurt at night, doctors can take care of you at the hospital. The doctor will examine(检查)you, give you medicine and even do an operation(手术)on you.

Bakers(糕饼师傅)

    You may never think that bakers often start the day while you are still asleep. They prepare all the things they need for the day and then start working. Bakers want their bread and cakes to be fresh and delicious every day.

    In fact, many other people work at night. Let's thank them for everything they do for us.

    Dawa Dorji has many jobs: singer, barkeeper and English tour guide, but he is most famous as the lead singer of the first folk(民间的) pop band in Tibet(西藏).

    In 2003, Dawa Dorji met two fans of Tibetan music., and later another two joined the band.

    , so they had to practise on weekdays in a small village after work. Dawa Dorji and his band members believed that they needed to communicate with their audience(听众) in order to write good songs. .

    At the beginning, most audience were foreigners, but after a couple of months, many local people came to enjoy their music. .

    “Whenever there is a festival, we Tibetans sing and dance, I sang songs with the old people, and I learned more about how to sing,” said Dawa Dorji.

    , and many of them are from traditional ones.

    Dawa Dorji believes that their efforts(努力) are meaningful for introducing Tibetan folk music to the whole nation, and even the whole world.

    There was once a King and he wanted to find out who could paint the best picture of peace. And he would offer a prize to the artist. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.

    One picture was of a calm(平静的) lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with white soft clouds. Everyone thought that was a perfect picture of peace.

    The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged(崎岖的） and bare（无遮蔽的）.Above was an angry sky. And it was raining and lightening. Down the side of the mountain, a waterfall fell quickly. This did not look peaceful at all.

    But when the King looked carefully, he saw behind the waterfall a bush(矮树丛)growing in a crack（裂缝） in the rock． In the bush a mother bird had built her nest（巢，窝）, There, she sat on her nest… in perfect peace.

    Which picture do you think won the prize?

    The King chose the second picture."Because, "said the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the middle of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace.

    Susie Sunbeam was not her real name; that was Susan Brown. But every one called her Susie Sunbeam because of her such a sweet, smiling face..

    Her grandfather first gave her this name, and it seemed to fit the little girl so nicely that soon it took the place of her own.

    Even when a baby, Susie laughed from morning till night. .

    When she had learned to walk, she loved to go about the house and get things for her mother, and in this way save her as many steps as she could. She would sit by her mother's side for an hour at a time, and ask her ever so many questions, or she would take her new book and read

     She never used an unkind word, but tried to do whatever would please her playmates best.

    One day, a poor little girl with a very ragged dress was going by and Susie heard some children teasing her and making fun of her. She at once ran out to the gate, and asked the poor little girl to come in. "What are you crying for?" Susie asked. "Because they all laughed at me," she said.

     She cheered her up with kind words, and gave her a nice dress and a pair of shoes.

    This brought real joy and gladness to the poor child..

Complain(抱怨) Politely

    Not everything goes the way you want it to. You may go to a restaurant and order a nice meal. But your order is wrong or not cooked properly. You may buy a product that breaks the next day.However, if you speak angrily to people, they will become defensive(自卫的). Then they are less likely to help you. A more effective (有效的)way to get what you want is to stay calm.

Use polite language and a friendly tone of voice. Start with phrases such as, " I'm sorry to bother you, but. "or" Excuse me, but could you.?" For example, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I ordered potato soup, not vegetable, "Phrasing your complaint as a question also helps. Could you help me? I just bought this phone case yesterday, but it's cracked."

There is no faster way to make someone defensive than by blaming them. Use the phrase." I know this isn't your fault, but…"or"There has been a misunderstanding." Blaming people isn't as important as getting a problem fixed!

    There are honest mistakes, but at times someone may try to take advantage of you. In that case, don't say "Hey! You're trying to cheat me! "Instead, use the phrase, "I understood that…" For example. "I understood that the service charge was included in the price. Then give the person a chance to answer.

    If you don't get what you want with polite conversation, ask to speak to a manager or supervisor. .