新目标（Go for it）版2018-2019学年初中英语九年级上学期月考试题（二）（音频暂未更新）

—Yes, but now he is used to ______ up early.

—Yes, but with much difficulty, for it has         changed over these years.

—__________.

    I'm Marie. I work in a nursing home (养老院) and my job is to look after the old people. Alice is one of them. She's a very nice old woman.

    This year, Alice had a hard time. She went to hospital twice. In November, I finally could get her back to her home.

    Alice hoped that her daughter could come to visit her on Christmas Eve because she wanted to be with her family, like the old days. But her daughter was coming after Christmas, so she was very sad. I also felt sad because she would be alone on the holiday.

    On Christmas Eve, I took her to a candlelight service (烛光礼拜) at a church that night. I didn't take her to my church. Instead, I took her to the church in her old neighborhood. We got there early and I let her sit near the door, so people could see her when they came in. A few minutes later, some of her friends came to the church and they all talked to her and sat with her.

    Alice got a lot of love from her old and new friends there. She said she loved the gift like this. That night, I thought I got the best gift: the smile on Alice's face.

    When I was a boy, I used to travel by bus or by motorbike. My grandparents used to live in a small town, but my parents used to work in another town. It's far from my home to my grandparents'. It's about 100 miles. We used to take a bus or ride a motorbike to visit my grandparents. There were always many people on the bus. I used to feel terrible when I was on it. Therefore (因此) , my parents used to take me to my grandparents' by motorbike. I often felt better, but it was too cold in winter. We must stop to stay warm for a while and had a short rest for several times on the way.

    Now, it has changed a lot. My father bought a nice car three years ago. We can drive to my grandparents' home. And I am an 18-year-old college student. I don't feel terrible even though I travel by bus. I usually feel comfortable when I travel by our own car.

    Paper cutting can be seen in many parts of China during the Spring Festival. it has a long history of over 1,500 years. However, the ancient art is at risk of disappearing. Voyo Woo，a paper cutting artist，works hard and hopes to bring the art back to life.

    Voyo Woo began to study the art of paper cutting she was 14 years old in her hometown in Southeast China. All the students at school had to learn the art. But she a special love for it. So her teacher gave her extra(额外的) after class.

    Ms. Woo came to the US after she college in 2008.When in the US, she was often to perform paper cutting at all kinds of . Soon after, she decided to spread Chinese paper cutting to the rest of the world.

    Ms. Woo said, "I saw so many people coming to and asking about paper cutting. I was surprised. Chinese art is for all people. I think it's time to promote(发扬) paper cutting to American people anyone who is interested. Perhaps it will also draw more and more Chinese people's attention and make them take an interest in it."

    English homework may be boring for many students.  Our English teacher, Mrs. Lin, asked us to write an English letter to ourselves in the future. Mrs. Lin said she got the idea from Steve Jobs' time capsule (时光胶囊). In 1983, Jobs buried his time capsule. That was 30 years later. So what will you write about to your future self? Everyone was surprised and whispered (窃窃私语) about it.

    "  And write about how you will make your dream come true. Then you can bury the letter and wait for 20 years to open it again," Mrs. Lin told us.

    It was really interesting!  Some would like to sing songs and become stars. In my letter, I wrote "I hope to be a doctor." I want to cure (治愈) people and I won't ask for much money, just like my dad.   For example I would read more books and learn two foreign languages in my twenties.

    Can we realize our dreams? Let's wait and see!

    How do you feel when you have to make a speech in front of class? What about when you go to a birthday party? Do you get really shy?

    Shyness means feeling nervous or frightened when you're around other people. Experts （专家） (find)that more than 80 percent of middle school students feel afraid to be the center of attention. Some kids are born shy. Some become shy later because of their life experiences.

    It's OK if it takes you a while ( feel )yourself again when you go to a new place or meet new people. In fact, everybody (get) a little shy sometimes. It's just a case of how much.

    Most people have red faces and talk in broken sentences when they get shy. But some become so shy that they (not go) to a restaurant because they are too nervous ( order） and pay the bill（账单）. Some are afraid of （meet） new people, so they seldom go outside. This kind of shyness can be bad for a person.

    If shyness doesn't stop you from doing something you want to do, being shy isn't a very big problem. Some experts say shy people are quieter and cleverer because they think more and talk less. Shy people are also good at working with others because they think more for other people. Some great people in history (be)shy, too.

    You see, being shy isn't all bad. But remember not to let good chances pass by just because of it! If you have to sing a song at a birthday party or practice your spoken English in front of others, just do it! There's nothing to be afraid of.

    The first people who drank tea were the Chinese. The bush grew wild all over the south of China. Chinese people liked the taste, and found that the drink could refresh (使恢复精力)them. The new drink reached England in 1657. It was sold at one of the coffee houses. Only the very rich people could afford (买得起) to drink.

    Now, people drink tea all around the world. But tea does not mean the same thing to everyone. In different countries people have very different ideas about drinking tea. In China people always have tea together with their friends. They may drink tea at any time of the day. They only put tea leaves in their cups. They prefer the tea with nothing else in it. In the USA people drink tea at breakfast or after meals. They usually use tea bags to make their tea. Making tea with bags is faster and easier than making it with tea leaves in teapots.

    Today, when we think of Western tea culture, we often think of the English, afternoon tea and beautiful china tea cups. It's believed that an English lady, Anna, first introduced the idea of afternoon tea. She invited some friends to join her for an afternoon meal between four and five o'clock. This meal included cakes, sandwiches and tea. In order to make this afternoon meal important, fine china cups and plates, and silver teapots, knives, forks and spoons were used. Soon, afternoon tea parties became popular social occasions (社交活动). Today, afternoon tea parties continue to play an important part in the social life in modern Britain.

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How I Change

    My life has changed a lot in the past three years.