2017年四川省绵阳市中考英语真题试卷

    The other day, I told Connie that I'd rather take the bus to work than ride in my comfortable limousine, because of the high cost of gasoline. But today, I discovered how wrong I was.

    When I got into my limousine this morning, my driver told me that the motor didn't sound like it was running well.

    “Look,” I said, “I have an important meeting at 9:00. I have to be on time!”

    We drove about three blocks—then the motor died.

    “Sorry, Mr. Foster. I thought this might happen. But look! There's the downtown bus. Maybe you should take it. So you don't miss your meeting.”

    “Well, I…I…Oh! I suppose I have to.”

    I got on the bus and gave the driver my money.

    “Mister, are you serious? We can't make change for a $100 bill!”

    “I AM CHARLES K. FOSTER. AND I ORDER THAT YOU SHOULD MAKE CHANGE!”

    “Mister,” said the driver, “I don't care who you are. You will have to get off the bus.”

    Well. I was so mad when I got off that bus that I didn't watch where I was going, and I was almost hit by a car! So now, all I have to say is this: My business may be killing me, but riding the bus certainly will.

    A long time ago, there lived a very old man. He was so old that he could not see or hear very well. He also could not walk very well, or eat very well for his hand shook. The old man's son and daughter-in-law thought he might make trouble at table. So, they had him eat his meals in the corner of the kitchen without a table.

    They gave him very little to eat. The old man would have a sad look on his face as he looked at his son and daughter-in-law's dinner table. One day the old man's hand shook so terribly that he dropped his dish on the floor. The daughter-in-law became angry and shouted at the old man. And after that, his meals were served in a broken dish.

    Not long afterwards, the family was sitting having their dinner while the four-year-old grandson was sitting on the floor carefully checking pieces of wood. The father asked, “What are you doing?” “I am making a small bowl.”

    “Why are you making it?” The son answered. “So that I can fill it with your and mother's food when I grow up.”

    The old man's son and daughter-in-law looked at one another and without saying a word started crying. The two quickly brought their old father to their dinner table. From that day on, the old man sat with the family when they had their meals. Even when the old man's food fell here and there, the son and the daughter-in-law did not say anything.

    There is a popular belief that goldfish only have a three-second memory. But a 15-year-old schoolboy from Adelaide has just finished an experiment（实验）to tell us that it is not true. He shows everybody that the goldfish is smarter than we think.

    “I don't believe that they had a three-second memory because animals need their memory, so they build up over time a knowledge of where the food is,” said Roy Stokes, a student at the Australian Science and Mathematics School.

    He did the experiment in small tank（鱼缸）of goldfish. “I decided to get a bit of red Logo and just feed them next to that. Every day I'd put it in and spread food around it.” He said.

    “At first they were a bit scared of it, but by the end of the three weeks, they were actually almost coming before I put the food in.”

    After leaving the fish alone for a week, Rory placed the red Logo block in the tank again.

    “They remembered perfectly well,” he said.

    “They actually had a time faster than the average of the three feeds before I left.”

    The goldfish showed that not only could they store information, they also had the ability to get it back as a later date.

    Culum Brown, a research fellow at Sydney's Macquarie University, has studied fish behavior for more than ten years.

    He says his studies of Australian native fish show fish were intelligent creatures that know how to avoid enemies and catch food like any other animal.

    “The thing that I really liked about Rory's experiment is he not only got that classical conditioning going but the fact that he could get them next just to that specific coloured market. I thought it was really good.” He said.

    10-year-old Penny goes back to her school to find a place for her dog Socks. The big door is 1. Penny walks around the school: there were doors at the 2. They are all locked. Then she sees a window. It is open. She 3 inside. She walks along the hallway between the classrooms. She can't put Socks inside a classroom.

    Under the classrooms, Penny finds a store room. It is locked, too, and she doesn't have the 4. Penny puts Socks on the ground and he runs along the hallway. Penny runs after him. “Come here,” she says. Socks is not 5. He runs into the girls' changing room.

    My great-grand mother, Winifred Hastings, got rich in a mining（采矿）town out West. But her 1 didn't come from gold or silver, but from soup, steak, apple pie, and good coffee.

    In the early 1900's, Winifred arrived in Silver City with her husband. But he caught a fever and died suddenly. With the little money she had, Winifred decided to open a practical restaurant to 2 all the hungry miners in town.

    The restaurant had only wooden boxes for tables, but business was very good 3. The miners 4 that Winifred was a great cook, 5 they ate in her restaurant every day.

    One time, Winifred had a small accident in the restaurant. A fire started in the kitchen and her customers had to put it out. The town mayor walked in 6 there was still a lot of smoke in the room. “Winifred,” he said. “What are you cooking back there?” Everybody 7.

    In 1905, Winifred got married again and moved out of town. On her 8 day in Sliver City, a photographer took her picture. The picture is over my desk at home. It shows Winifred with about fifty miners standing in front of the restaurant. At the top of the photo 9 says: TO WINIFRED THE BEST COOK IN THE WEST. 10 YOUR BOYS.

    Early this morning we all went to the Future Hall to have our graduation ceremony. The headmaster made a wonderful speech, and many of us  (move) to tears.

    Now the ceremony is over. We will leave school soon. I feel very excited because I am one of the best  (graduate). At the same time, I am a little sad because I have to say goodbye to my classmates and teachers. I want  (take) some photos with them and I will give some gifts to my teachers as well. In the past three years, I  (have) a great time in Red Star International School. I have learnt not only how to study, but also how to be a man. In  future, I will work much  (hard). I hope I can be an astronaut when I (grow) up.

    Maria, Jane and Michael (go) back to their hometowns tomorrow and I will see them off at the airport. We will keep in touch  each other by sending emails, making telephone calls or writing letters. We will be good friends forever. I wish my classmates and teachers health, （happy） and good luck.

    Steve visits the nursing home near his house two afternoons each week. On one of those days, he reads to his friend Martin. On the other afternoon, he plays cards and talks with Mrs. Johnson. Steve enjoys spending his extra time this way. He is a volunteer. A volunteer is a person who helps another person or has a job for which he or she does not get paid. A volunteer donates his or her time for free.

    Everyone else in Steve's family is also a volunteer. Steve's mother Mary volunteers one afternoon each week at the local hospital. She talks to patients, delivers flowers, and helps the nurses with odd jobs. Steve's sister Gina volunteers two afternoons at the museum. She welcomes visitors and answers their questions. Steve's father David also is a volunteer. He is a volunteer fire fighter for the town in which they live.

    Steve's family thinks volunteering is very important. Steve's parents think being a volunteer helps to teach values. Steve and his sister learn how to be kind and respect other people.

    Steve's family does volunteer work to give something back to the community. They want to help people who are not as fortunate as they are.

    A family of volunteers