2018-2019年九年级上学期12月份月考英语测试卷

— I agree with you.

—Of course not.

—So it is. I prefer ___________ rather than ___________ on such a rainy day.

     Different people have different ideas about time. People in the USA think that it is1to know the time. In cities in America, there are2in stations, factories and other buildings. Radio announcers (播音员) give you the correct time during the day. Most Americans also have watches with them3they go. They want to do certain things4certain time. They don't like to be late. They think everyone is supposed to do5on time.

    But time is not6important to everybody in the world. When you visit a country in South America, you will 7that people there don't like to rush. If you had an appointment with somebody, he could probably be late8he might not want to arrive on time.

    In South America, even the radio programs may not begin on time. The men on the radio may not think it is important to tell the exact9. People in South America think that clocks or watches are just machines. They think that you will10 a clock or a watch control (控制) your life if you do everything on time.

   Do you think there is a ghost(鬼) in the world? More than 20 years ago, a student jumped from the top of the clock tower in the University of Birmingham. He did this only because he failed his final exam.

   After his death, a superstition(迷信)began: Anyone who walks under the clock tower will have bad luck in his exam. Years later, students there still remembered the story of the tower. Although Birmingham is the second largest city in Britain, the university is green and quiet. The grass around the tower has been worn away by the feet of students who refuse to pass underneath the tower.

   The university had to pave(铺)extra paths, so students could walk to their classrooms without passing under the most terrible area. But, one day just before an important exam, a top student in the university walked under the clock tower because he was lost in thought.

However, he got high marks in the exam the next day. Quickly students all knew about it. Then they realized that the most important thing is working hard. 

   Whenever I go under the clock tower, I will tell myself, “Working hard is the key to success.”

    My 10-year-old Donna said,“Mom,I had a new friend at school today.Can she come over tomorrow?”Donna was a shy girl and I wanted her to make some friends to bring her out of her shell. 

    “Sure,honey,that sounds great,”I said,thinking back to my own best friend,Lillian.We lived across the street from each other in Washington Heights,New York.We met at the age of 10,too.Like my daughter,I was shy,but Lillian drew me out.She was one of the friendliest people in school,with shiny black hair and a mile-wide smile.

    In senior high school,Lillian went on a trip to Florida.This was the first time we had to be away from each other for a few days.“I'll be back soon,”she told me.But three days later,Lillian's sister told me that she had fallen into a river and hadn't come out any more.Soon,my family moved to New Jersey.Whenever I thought of her,tears came into my eyes.

    The next day Donna brought her new friend home.“Hi,Mrs.Loggia,”the little girl said.Her hair was so shiny and black and she shot me a big smile.“My name is Laura.”

    My daughter's new friend was so much like Lillian.I was still puzzled (迷惑) when Laura's mom came to pick her up later that afternoon.I opened the door to let her in.“Judy!” she cried.“It's me,Lillian's sister,from Washington Heights.”Yes,my daughter's friend looked familiar.She was Lillian's niece.

    Have you heard of the English band called the Beatles（甲壳虫）? It was so popular in the world in the 1960s people have been crazy about them ever since.

    The Beatles is one of greatest bands of the 20th century. And Paul McCartney is one of the four numbers. Besides, he is now the third richest man in Europe. He has worked at music nearly forty years and today he is one of the world's most famous.

    He was in Liverpool, England in 1942. He started to play the guitar when he was 14. This was perhaps the most important point in life.

    Later, he joined the Beatles, which became the most successful band in the history of rock music. During the 1960s, the Beatles continued to make songs.  in 1970,  the band broke up.

    In 1972, Paul formed a new band called Wings, it was not as successful the Beatles.the 1980s, Paul has written pop music and has worked on films. He is one of the best songwriters and musicians that no rock fan will forget.

（B）

配对阅读:左栏是描述5个人曾经去过的名山，右栏有7座名山的简介，请为他们找出对应的名山。

    We spoke to three students from around the world about different national holidays. There are different customs (习俗) for each festival.

    Tan Xiaodong, 15, Hong Kong, China

    “It'll soon be Chinese New Year. Before it, we'll clean the house and decorate it for good luck. Every shop is going to close for a few days and we'll go out a lot to celebrate in the streets. We might go and see the lion and dragon dances in the city center. I love this festival.”

    Wendy, 16, Sydney, Australia

    “Australia Day is on 26th January and it's an important holiday here. We always have a Monday off, so we celebrate for three days. My parents and I go to the countryside for a picnic and friends always come over. Many people go to beach parties or street parties and there's lots of music and dancing. What fun！”

    Amy, 14, New York, USA

    “The first Thanksgiving Day was hundreds of years ago when Europeans who came to America thanked God for his help. It's still a very important day for families to be together. This year we're going to visit my grandparents and we'll eat a delicious meal of turkey. Thanksgiving Day is on the fourth Thursday in November every year.”

Information Card

假如你是“韩国通”赵明,你的好朋友李伟要去韩国留学,请你根据以下内容提示,以电子邮件的形式向他介绍一下韩国的风俗习惯。

1).韩国人见面时的传统礼节是鞠躬；

2).吃饭时,不要随便发出声响,也不准端着碗吃,应把饭碗放在左边,汤碗放在右边；

3).在朋友家做客时,不能穿鞋进屋。不穿袜子会被认为不懂礼貌；

4).应邀赴宴,带点小礼物比较好。

要求：1.要点齐全,语句通顺、连贯,不要逐字翻译；  2.词数不少于80。