浙江省杭州市富阳区2018-2019学年八年级下学期英语期末考试试卷

    Beethoven is my favorite musician. He is one of the world's greatest composers and pianists. He wrote a lot of beautiful pieces of music. At the age of four, he could already play the piano. I only started playing when I was eight! Beethoven's first music teacher was his father and he saw that the boy had a lot of talent. He wanted his son to be the next Mozart. Beethoven practiced very hard for very long hours. Because of this, he quickly became very popular. Many people enjoyed his music and liked to hear him play the piano.

    However, at the age of 28, Beethoven suddenly started to lose his hearing. He had to stop his successful career as a pianist but he continued to work hard and did not let this stop him. He wrote more music, and some of his later pieces became very famous. They are still widely played today. I have listened to all of his music pieces already and the one I like the most is Symphony no. 9. But life was still not easy. There is a well﹣known story that once someone had to turn Beethoven around so that he could see people standing and cheering for him. When Beethoven realized that he could not hear anything, he cried. He wrote some letters to his closest friends, telling them how he felt. Some of these letters have been carefully kept in museums. I have not visited those museums yet but I really want to!

    As the weather becomes warmer, Wang Xiguang, 50, a store owner from Xingyang in Henan province, becomes more watchful as he walks along the Yellow River in front of his small shop. Growing up along the Yellow River, Wang almost drowned  in it when he was 12, but luckily a villager saved him. Soon after that, he started learning how to swim.

    Playing along the river is dangerous but it happens all the time, resulting in drowning. Wang says school children are the main victims（受害者）. Now Wang is famous for saving many people, about one in a year, from drowning in the river over the past 32 years.

    He said he has come to know the river well over the years and that it can become even more  dangerous in summer. "My main wish is for people not to play by the river, especially along the dangerous sections where water runs fast, " he said.

    In August, 2011, two pupils fell into the river during the summer. Hearing their cries for help, Wang ran out of his shop and jumped into the water. After saving one child, Wang found the other was moving away in the fast﹣running water. But he managed to save both pupils even though the water was becoming much deeper and faster.

    With the children in their arms, their parents thanked Wang continuously. He just said, "It was just something I could do. "

    Hong Kong is a shopping heaven. During the Hong Kong Shopping Festival in July and August each year, Hong Kong puts on special events and the stores put on sales for the festival.

    Hong Kong is a city full of shopping malls, department stores, and street markets but shopping areas are mainly in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

    Hong Kong is one of the best shopping places in the world, however, the best three buys are clothes, cosmetics, and electrical appliances（电器）. As they are tax free, the prices are always much lower than those found in other countries.

    When you shop in Hong Kong, you will find the currency（货币） symbol $. It looks like the symbol of US dollars but it always refers to Hong Kong dollars rather than US dollars. You can exchange your currency for Hong Kong dollars at any money exchanger.

    There are many street markets in Hong Kong. Going around street markets is a way to experience the local people's lifestyle and buy souvenirs（纪念品）. The famous street markets are Stanley Market, Ladies' Market and Temple Street Market.

    Small shops generally open from 10 am to 7 pm daily. But most department stores and shopping malls in major tourist areas will stay open until 9: 30 pm or even later. Please check the opening hours before you pay them a visit.

    I started to love running at a young age. I loved to race my father and my sister around our big 1. I wished I could run in the Olympics and win lots of medals.

    One day my mother saw an advertisement for a race in a newspaper. "Would you be  2taking part in this race?" she asked me, pointing to the advertisement. "Yes, of course," I answered.

    I 3 the next few days practicing for my big race. My sister set up a table in the backyard so she could 4me water and time me.

    On the day of the race, just before the race my father said to me, "Don't run out of all your energy （能量） at the 5of the race. You need to have energy 6you can run much faster at the end. "

    The race began. Following 7words, I didn't run as fast as I could. Then the other runners started 8me, which made me feel nervous. I began to feel tired, and I started slowing down and breathing 9.

    Just at that moment I heard, "10 Kelly! You can do it! Don't give up! Keep running!" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Dad running beside me around the outside track.

    I took a deep breath and tried my best to 11on running. I didn't win the race, 12came fifth, I felt like a winner. I tried my best, and I hadn't given up.

Later, as I thought about the race, I felt thankful that my dad had 13left my side. He always encourages me when I 14giving up. He runs alongside me through my life. I'll remember my dad's words forever, "Never give up. You can be a 15even if you lose. "

    My partner Chris and I went traveling around the world for a year. In the end, we couldn't wait to spend 10 days enjoying  world's largest rainforest, Amazon（亚马逊）.

    Of all, tours are （safe）way to visit the Amazon, and we did two. On the first tour, we （leave）from a small town to go through the forest. With a group of six  （visit） we made our way in a small boat, wanting to see anacondas﹣big snakes!

    Our second tour led us deeper into the rainforest by boat, jeep and  foot. Both our guides lived in the Amazon their whole lives and they knew  （clear） about the rainforest. While we were sleeping in a small wooden house with water around it, crocodiles  （swim）around us.

    We didn't finish out our tours we got the chance to visit the people in the middle of the forest. We were （surprise）to learn how the local people live off the land.

    Ever then, we have been fans of the wildlife of Amazon!

—Me n, How I wish to go there some day!

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