北京市海淀区2019届九年级下学期英语5月期中考试试卷

—Once a week.

—Sure, here you are.

—Sure, at the shopping center near our school. I went there last Sunday.

    It was the middle of July. I had spent two days exploring a bat cave in the desert in southern New Mexico. The cave was part of an ancient flow of lava（熔岩流），now hardened into rock. I had left the cave and was driving my pickup truck on a rough（高低不平的）track across the  1surface of the lava flow.

    Suddenly, the truck came to a stop, caught on a black lava rock.

    A quick check of the underside 2the worst: the truck's axle（车轴）was bent，nearly broken in two. I couldn't 3 help in such faraway country. I put the food and cans of water into my backpack and set off on foot, going north, the direction of the main highway. I was low on water. Too little food did not matter much, but hiking across the desert in July without water could be dangerous. As I set out, unreasonable 4 came over my mind. I was afraid of everything around me. Each creature made my heart jump. In my mind, every movement was a scary animal about to strike and kill me.

    I walked for hours and cried until I 5that nobody was around to hear me. Complaining was useless. A change came over me. I began to feel less afraid. Fear was replaced by curiosity. I went on, and slowly but surely began to see the desert world differently, through 6 eyes, not frightened ones.

    That night I lay on the warm sand, using my backpack as a pillow. The sky went dark. The stars began to shine in the hugeness of the heavens. With a smile I thought how little there was to fear, after all. By noon the following day I 7north. I began to think how lucky I was to see the wild desert world. A wrecked truck and a forced hike across the desert gave me an/a 8 to see what few others ever saw

    Late in the day, I came to a farmhouse. I drank all the lemonade that the farmer and his wife had in their refrigerator. "I liked it out there," I told them when we got to talking. "I just wish I had been less frightened. I would have noticed more that way "I know what you mean," the man said thoughtfully.

"It's a rare sight, that desert wilderness, a rare sight'

    My name is Jackson. I'm a great reader with good memory. I remember almost everything I read. But I don't like to speak in class. When Mr.

Knoll announced an oral book report, the idea of going up and having my classmates staring at me while I talked filled me with anxiety.

    As for the date, if the book report was due in two weeks, I would do it right then. Mr. Knoll, though, gave us a month to get the report ready, so I thought I had plenty of time.

    Finally, I chose Fire-Hunter by Jim Kjelgaard. It looked really interesting. I read the first few pages and then I set it aside. I wasn't worried. I had plenty of time. Then the book got buried in the clutter(杂物) in my room.

    Before I knew it, the date of the book report was a week away. Some kids had already finished. I was in a panic. I raced home and found the book. Trembling(颤抖)，I turned to the back and discovered there were 218 pages! I read like crazy.

    The last day came. When Mr. Knoll called on me to give my report, I still had eighty pages to go.

    The class looked sorry for me when I pulled myself forward. They could see my fear.

    "My book is Fire-Hunter, by Jim Kjelgaard," I began slowly. Then I started to tell the story and the class seemed interested. To my surprise, I discovered I was enjoying myself. However, I had no idea how the book ended. I really didn't know what came over me. I made up the rest of the story on the spot.

    The class loved it, and applauded as I finished.

    At break time, Mr. Knoll called me over. "You know, Jackson, I don't really remember the book ending that way."

    I gulped(倒吸气).

    "You told a pretty good story," he continued. "The assignment was an oral book report. You did a great job on the oral part."

    "Uh, thanks," I said.

    "When you actually finish Fire-Hunter, please come to me and give me the book report.

    "Yes, I definitely will," I said. I knew I would never make that mistake again.

    You're not the same person you were as a child. You're not even the same person you were five years ago. We don't just mean your personality. While we'd love to start a never-ending discussion over the "true self", we're here to talk about the cells(细胞)in your body.

    Do you know how your fingernails and hair are constantly growing and replacing themselves? The same thing happens almost everywhere in your body. Your outer layer of skin makes way for fresher skin, and inside your veins(血管), blood cells turn over to make way for fresh blood. It's probably no surprise that these types of cells are short-lived, even some of the most seemingly permanent(永久的)parts of your body replace themselves over time-including your bones.

    Strong as your bones might seem, the cells they're made of won't last a lifetime. Bones are masters at rebuilding themselves, which is why most broken bones can heal on their own into the right shape.

    Bones have special cells called osteoclasts(破骨细胞)whose job is to break down bone, even if it isn't broken, and send the minerals into the blood stream. This may sound frighteningly like your bones are wearing away, but your body knows what it's doing. As osteoclasts break down bone, osteoblasts(成骨细胞)build up new bone to replace the old. By the end of each year, about 10 percent of your entire adult skeleton will have been rebuilt through this process.

    If 10 percent of your bone breaks down every year, it must take about ten years to renew 100 percent of your skeleton. That would be a great guess, and it lines up nicely with the medical myth that the human body's cells are fully replaced every seven years, but the body is a bit more complex. That 10 percent is just an average-some bone grows faster than that, and some grows slower. While some parts of your bone will turn over quickly, other parts will stick around for decades. In fact, most bone cells could live as long as 50 years.

    So before you get wrapped up in an identity crisis(危机)about the cells in your body disappearing on you, know that you can lose some hair and you can cut your nails, but the bones of you aren't going anywhere-at least not very soon and not all at once.

    For years, the word "popular", has been demonized(妖魔化)and made the same as mini-skirt-wearing, hair-coloring cheerleader types like Regina George in Mean Girls. Today, teachers and parents inform children that being popular

is irrelevant(不相干的), unnecessary and a sure shortcut to upset, misery, and death. And some people describe popular students as the ones most likely to bum out and end up as nobody, while their less well-liked counterparts enjoy a life of wealth and fame.

    However, the Oxford English Dictionary defines(定义)popularity as:" The

State or condition of being liked, admired, or supported by many people' This sounds like a lovely thing, and is not related to such behaviors as "burn books” or "three-way phone calls" in Mean Girls.

    In fact, it is a truth widely acknowledged that young people who feel liked or supported are more likely to obtain impressive achievements than those who feel lonely, unvalued, and irrelevant socially.

    So why, then, is popularity given such a bad name? Why is this state of well-likedness so demonized?

    Basically, the hatred (恨) shown toward what appears to be a very pleasant thing is caused by lack of understanding. When we, as viewers, see characters such as Regina Georges on TV and in films, we recognize them to be popular. These characters, if not exactly liked, greatly admired by their peers(同伴).

    Our mistake comes when we try to understand their cruel and unkind actions using the deduction(推论)method.

    Humans are imperfect, and even the most intelligent mind is open to dishonesty through a very small slip in logic. Unfortunately, this occurs here with branding results.

    We first learn that a character is popular. Since this is important to the plot, it is constantly emphasized, leading it to be the most common thing in our minds when we consider the character.

    Later, we see that character do something unkind. The character's most noticeable characteristic (in our minds) is his/her popularity. And now the character is mean and unkind. This character is popular.

    Therefore, we jump to a quick conclusion (结论) that popular people are mean and unkind.

    Things such as improper behaviors and rumor-spreading are terrible and should always be seen in a very serious light. However, it is important to recognize that these are not the behaviors of popular people, but bullies.

    So, in summary, do not be afraid to be popular and have many friends. If you are kind to everyone and treat others with respect, there will be few who can criticize you, for being widely liked is not a curse but a blessing. Just remember that being popular does give you a degree of power, and with great power comes a large electricity bill!

Maker Moment

    Last year, Izzy Goldstein, 12, learned in science class that we can reduce air pollution by using natural energy sources, such as wind and solar power, instead of gasoline. This made her wonder what she and her schoolmates could do to help the environment. "Maybe if my school got  a bike rack（架子）, more kids would bike to school instead of depending on cars," Izzy told TIME for Kids. Rather than ask their school to buy a rack, Izzy and her friends decided to make a bike rack by themselves.

    They came up with a design. They calculated how much wood they might need. They measured how long the boards should be. They used power tools to cut them and put them together safely. And they did all this in their school's makerspace.

    Makerspaces are workspaces where kids can learn to create objects using technology, engineering, art and design. These spaces often feature a mix of high-tech machines, such as 3D printers and robotic Kits(工具箱), and simple materials like clay and cardboard.

    Izzy goes to the Harley School in New York. It is one of a growing number of schools across the United States with makerspaces. Makerspaces are largely inspired by Maker Faires(创客盛会), which are events that give people a chance to share their creative projects. Each year, about 250,000 people attend the Maker Faires in San Mateo, California, and Queens, New York. Maker Faires have also spread to countries around the world, including Egypt, France and Thailand.

    Schools are introducing makerspaces to the curriculum(课程)because makerspaces give kids a way to have ideas and build something from those ideas. Kima Enerson is a makerspace teacher at the Harley School. But she says kids can become extraordinary makers in an ordinary classroom, too.

    In Harley's Lower School (pre-kindergarten to Grade 4), students learn about the basics of computer software. By third grade, they study coding and how electricity works. In sixth grade, they learn to safely use tools such as drills and saws. When students get to high school, Enerson shows them how to apply their skills to solve global problems. "Throughout the process of designing, students are learning to create something to better the world," she says