浙江省外研版2021年中考英语模拟卷（10）

    Your brain controls everything you do. It makes it1for you to think, learn, create and feel; to blink (眨眼) and breathe and for your heart to beat—this fantastic control center is your2 .

    Can this small grey organ (器官) , which   3 less than one and a half kilos, really do so much? Amazingly, your brain contains about 100 billion neurons (神经元) —it would 4you over 3,000 years to count them all. Believe it or not, the 5  in your brain never stops. Your neurons create and send more messages than all the phones in the world. And although one neuron6only a little electricity, all your neurons together can 7 enough electricity to supply a light bulb (灯泡).

    So exactly how fast does your brain work? Well, imagine this: A bee lands on your foot. Neurons in your skin send this information to your brain8a speed of more than 240 kilometers per hour. Your brain then uses  9 neurons to send the message back to your foot to shake the bee off 10. These neurons can send this11at more than 320 kilometers per hour. No computer has your brain's unbelievable ability to deal with the amount of information coming from your eyes, ears and other sensory organs.

    But how does your brain allow you12 things that you will use in the future?  The structure (结 构) of your brain changes every time you have a new13, remember or learn something. For example, riding a bike seems impossible at first, 14  soon you are able to do it. How? As you practice, your brain 15“bike riding” messages again  and again.  Soon, the actions are learned and you are able to ride a bike easily from then on.

    The answer to protecting and saving marine(海洋) wildlife can start with cutting back on something Americans use every day—plastic drinking straws. Actor Adrien Grenier, best known for playing Vincent Chase in 2015 movie Entourage, has launched a campaign to reduce the amount of single-use plastic usage in this country in order to protect and save marine wildlife and the environment. Plastic drinking straws are among many single-use plastic products contributing to the shocking loss of marine life, but they're a great place to start because they're something Americans are using by the hundreds of millions without any awareness that they're so damaging.

    According to Ecocycle, an international environmental organization, Americans use more than 500 million straws daily, which are enough to fill 127 school buses each day, and they can't be recycled. They means plastic straws end up in landfills or oceans, where fish and other marine wildlife mistake the small bits for food and swallow them. After seeing a photo of a whale beached on the shore with a belly full of plastic, Grenier felt the inspiration to launch the Lonely Whale Foundation, hoping to inspire and educate others on the challenges facing marine life.

    Along with stopping the use of straws, Grenier hopes to educate consumers on the dangers of other single-use plastic items such as grocery bags and water bottles. While many Americans use these plastic products in their daily life, there are more sustainable alternatives that can help protect the environment. Ecocycle recommends the use of straws made from stainless steel, glass, and even bamboo instead of plastic. You can buy a number of these environmentally friendly straws online and in stores.

    Imagine waking up at the age of six and discovering your family is missing! That's what happened to young Charles Mulli in his Kenyan hut one morning. He soon realized he had been abandoned(抛弃) by his very poor parents and seven siblings!

    The child was forced to become a street beggar in order to make a living. Living a poor and hopeless life, he still dreamed of being an important man someday.

    When Mulli turned 16, he walked for three days to Kenya's capital, Nairobi, in search of work.

    In the years that followed, he tried many difficult jobs.

    Mulli saved his money and bought a car, which he began using as a taxi in 1971. In time, he started a transportation service. The company, called "Mullyways," became quite successful. Mulli then went on to become the owner of an oil company.

    All of his hard work turned Mulli into a millionaire and an important man. Yet his life would soon take another dramatic turn.

    Mulli was becoming painfully aware of the growing number of homeless children in Kenya. Their faces were a haunting reminder of his own childhood. One day Mulli told his wife and children that he was to devote his life to taking care of street kids.

    Soon the Mulli House was filled with 100 orphans(孤儿), but that was just the beginning! In 1989, Mulli and his wife opened the Mulli Children's Family (MCF). They provided children with food, clothes, medical care and an education. Most importantly, they offered something many of the kids had never experienced—parental love. In fact, the Mullis chose the name "Mully Children's Family" because their emphasis was on providing a family.

    So far, MCF has helped more than 12,000 children through its MCF homes and community-based centers.

    In evaluating his life, Mulli once said, "I believe you can make a difference to the world, one child at a time. As a child, I wanted to be important, but where I am now is important for mankind."

    Maybe a lot of thin people will be worried about their heath if the inside fat matters.

    Some doctors now think that the inside fat around important organs like the heart or liver could be as dangerous as the outside fat which can be noticed more easily.

    "Being thin doesn't surely mean you are not fat," said Dr. Jimmy Bell at Imperial College. Since 1994, Bell and his team have tested nearly 800 people with MRI to create "fat maps" showing where people store fat.

    According to the result, people who keep their weight through the food they usually eat rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits (推积物) of inside fat, even if they are thin.

    Even people with normal Body Mass Index (体重指数) scores can have surprising levels of fat deposits inside. Of the women, as many as 45 percent of those with normal BMI scores (20 to 25) actually had too high levels of inside fat. Men were nearly 60 percent.

    According to Bell, people who are fat on the inside are actually on the edge of being fat. They cat too many fatty and sugary foods, but they are not eating enough to be fat. Scientists believe we naturally store fat around the stomach first, but at some point, the body may start storing it elsewhere.

    Doctors are unsure about the exact dangers of inside fat, but some think it has something to do with heart disease and diabetes (糖尿病). They want to prove that inside fat does harm to the body's communication systems.

    The good news is that inside fat can be easily burned off through exercise or even by improving your eating habits. "If you want to be healthy, there is no other way. Exercise has to be an important part of your lifestyle," Bell said.

    Now it's time for us to learn words and their stories- our weekly program about common, everyday expressions in American English. Today we are talking about the word "leap" and its expressions.

    February 29^th is called "a leap day". And the entire 12-month period with a February 29^th in it is called "a leap year". This year, 2020 is such a year. The somewhat unusual day of February 29^th h comes up on the calendar only every four years. A year with a February 29^th might be good news if you are paid by the day or the week. But it might be bad news if you were born on a February 29^th. You have to wait three years in between birthdays!

    As a verb, the word "leap" means to jump, or to move quickly. Leap can also be a noun, meaning a jump, or a sudden move. In a leap year, the dates jump over one day of the week. The reason for a leap day or a leap year is because our calendar does not follow the Earth's orbit around the sun exactly. Each year, we have a little time left over. So every four years, we put all that time together into an extra day. It is officially called an intercalary day. But I have never heard an English speaker use that term. "Leap day" is fine.

    "Leap" is also an important word for two other common American expressions. One is a kind of warning. If you want someone to investigate a situation completely and consider the possible results carefully before taking actions, you might say, "Look before you leap"" The other expression is a phrase of hope. If you want someone to take actions, you may say "take a leap of faith", even if not everything about a situation is known. In other words, it asks the person to take courage and step into the unknown. Interestingly, the two phrases are completely reasonable to say to someone who is about to get married.

    Thank you for your listening!

Little Habits Make a Big Difference

Everything around us is changing at amazing speed, it seems—but some things will always remain the same. Some of our daily habits have the power to always give us happiness and lead toward success. Here are some little habits that can make a big difference:

    ⒈Many studies have linked early rising with success. An early morning wake-up carries benefits including better planning and anticipation(预料)of problems, and more time to the things that make you happy.

    ⒉Happiness comes to those who are curious.As long as you live, there will always be something to learn, and as long as you follow your heart and your passions, you won't miss out on learning.

    ⒊Believe in yourself and all that you are.Confidence is the key to success—the thing that lets you look at the past without regret, stay grounded in the present, and prepare for the future without fear.

    ⒋A day well spent gets you a good night sleep. Enough sleep makes you feel healthier and happier, and it's more than lifting up your or removing exhaustion(疲惫). Adequate sleep is a key part of your health and inner happiness.

It doesn't take a huge effort to make a significant change in your life—using one or two tiny habits may be all you need. Get started today and you'll soon be experiencing the rewards.

How to be productive if you have to study from home

    Tell study and home mode apart

    One of the biggest perks about studying from home—slowly moving from bed to the sofa five minutes before you star—can also be your biggest （挑战）.

    Don't forget that you are there to study—so set yourself up the right way, get （穿衣） and brush your teeth at the start of the day. Switch from home to study mode by doing something. Maybe it's making a special kind of tea, （散步）round the block, or helping wash the dishes. It doesn't matter what it is but do it to （造成，创造） a strong association（联想）in your mind.

    Be realistic about what you can achieve

    A wide, open day studying from home can feel full of possibilities. 145 things on the to do （清单）? No problem! Don't fall into the trap of being over-ambitious.

    Instead, you should be realistic and then possibly achieve more than you （安排，计划） to. And most of the time, it's quite a good idea to feel （满意） rather than feel disappointed you didn't do everything.

    People all slow down in the mid-afternoon, so you can （选择）three to five things to do and aim to do the most before lunch. It will give you the power to go through.

    Make （一定） to take breaks

    It can be difficult to tear yourself away from your laptop if you're worried teachers might think you're lazy. And just because you're feeling （自由）at home, it doesn't mean you don't need a proper break.

    Growing up is not always easy for all of us. When we are facing difficulties, being courageous and brave can be  (use) than crying out for help.

    Here is a story about a young man, Jack. He was born in 1982 in a poor family. When he was 11, his father became mentally ill and brought back an abandoned baby girl. One year later, his mother  (leave) with his younger brother. Since then, Jack (take) care of his father and his sister. He carried the family burden (负担) (brave). On the one hand, he wanted to find ways to treat his father's  (ill); on the other hand, he had to take care of the adopted sister. And Jack still insisted on  (go) to school. Soon Jack's story went public and many people knew about it. They tried their best to help the poor boy and his family. But Jack refused (accept) donations from others. He said he  (encourage) by the kindness but he thought there was someone else who needed help. He finished his college and took good care of his father and his sister by  (he).

    From his story, we come to realize that love and care for others is the source of happiness. If we meet with difficulties,  (not complain) about the bad luck, but think about what we can do for our family and others.

要求：
1）表达清楚，语法正确，上下文连贯；
2）要点必须包括所有相关信息，并作适当发挥，但不得使用真实姓名和校名等；
3）词数：80-100词左右（文章开头和结尾已给出，不记入总词数）；
4）建议措施不少于两点。
    Nowadays, many parents are worrying about their children's safety.