初中英语牛津译林版八年级上册Unit 8 Natural disasters 过关练习

—I was doing my homework _________ my father was watching news on TV.

—About 45. A number of them _________from the countryside.

— I _____ for an important telephone call at that moment.

It was about two o'clock in the early morning. I 1 when the earthquake started. At first, I felt a slight shake. Then I 2 a loud noise like thunder.

Soon the real noise came, like bombs under the ground. The earth started to shake. People screamed in 3. Some ran out of the building. I tried my best to run out too, but I could not. Outside, people were running in all directions 4 pieces of glass and bricks were falling down. Then the walls began to 5 too!

Finally, the noise and shaking ended. It was dark and 6 around me. I could not see 7 at all, and I did not know 8 anyone else was near me. I felt nervous and my heart was beating fast. "I'm trapped ," I said to 9. A moment of fear went through my mind, but I told myself to calm down 10 I was still alive.

I shouted for help, but no one came. I started to 11 myself slowly through the dark. 12, there was just enough space for me to move.

Hours later, as I was trying to find my way 13, I suddenly heard some noise 14 me. I screamed, "Help! Please help! I'm here!" Then I heard shouts from 15 people. They quickly moved away the 20 bricks. At last, I saw the bright daylight. I was safe.

Counting the hairs on your head would be very difficult. Many have tried, but most people give up after losing count or getting bored! However, scientists say people have more than 100,000 hairs on their heads on average. Of course, this number is different from person to person. Some people have much more hair than others.

What causes hair loss? There are many reasons, such as stress, illness and styling. It also runs in families. Besides, many people simply lose hair as they grow older. To avoid losing hair. you should wash your hair correctly and condition (养护) your hair to help keep your hair healthy. It's also important to be gentle when brushing or combing hair.

Hair loss is not the same as daily shedding (脱落). People lose an average of 50 to 100 hairs a day. It's normal. If you are losing more hair than average, talk to the adults you trust. They can help you decide whether to ask a doctor for help.

Why do humans have hair on their heads? Most other mammals (哺乳动物) have thick fur (毛) covering their whole bodies. While humans grow small and fine (细微的) hairs on much of their skin, it's much thicker on the top of the head. Scientists say the answers come down to evolution. Humans probably evolved without fur because they have more sweat glands (汗腺) than other mammals. Humans walk upright on two legs. Therefore, the top of their heads needs protection from the sun. This is why people have more hair on their heads than on the rest of their bodies. The hair also helps keep heat in cold weather and keep a healthy body temperature.

There's nothing quite like falling sound asleep after a full day of work. Like people, animals need to rest after working hard. Some animals sleep in water. Others dig hoes under the ground. Some even sleep high in trees or under leaves. But they all find a way to rest.

Some animals in the sea sleep in strange ways. Fish sleep with their eyes open. They seem to look ahead far into the sea while they rest. Sea otters sometimes sleep in beds of the plants that grow in the sea. This keeps them from moving away. Parrotfish blow something from their mouths when they are ready to sleep. Then a bubble (气泡) will be formed around them. The bubble protects them from harm while they sleep.

Some animals sleep under the ground. Chipmunks (花栗鼠) sleep curled up (蜷缩) in a ball. Their beds are made of leaves and grass. In winter, they sleep for two weeks and wake up to eat the stored food. Then they go back to sleep for another two weeks before waking up again. Some desert frogs dig underground holes during the hot, dry season. A frog may stay in its hole for months.

High above the ground, monkeys find leafy places in trees each evening before they sleep. The tall trees help to keep monkeys safe during the night. Some insects even sleep under the leaf that will be their next meal. A bee may climb down into a flower to rest. When it climbs out the next morning, it is rested and ready for work.

When you, as a child, first picked up a crayon, a line might have been the first mark you make. You use lines to write numbers, symbols, and the letters of the alphabet. The lines on a map help you find the best route from one place to another. You use lines to draw pictures.

   ▲    You can see lines in the grain (纹理) of a piece of wood or in the cracks on a sidewalk. You can see lines outside a building or in the field. Lines are used to create words, numbers, and symbols. They are also used to create art. In drawing, line is an element (要素) of art that is the path of a moving point through space.

Artists use lines to lead your eyes through a work of art. They create lines in many ways. A line can be drawn on paper with a pencil or scratched into wet clay with stick. Depending on its direction, a line can express different ideas or feelings. This is why line is an important element in the language of art.

Lines are used to express different images in Chinese calligraphic drawing. The word calligraphy means beautiful handwriting. In China, calligraphy is used to form characters (汉字) that represent the language. However, characters are more than just a letter of the alphabet. They are like pictures. They can represent an idea, an object, or a verbal sound. Calligraphic lines are usually made with brushstrokes that change from thin to thick in one stroke. To make a very thin line, artists use the tip of the brush. As you press on the brush and more of it touches the paper, the line becomes wider. (See the painting on the right, the long, flowing leaves of the orchid [兰花] plant in the rocks are made with one flowing brushstroke. )   

Now practice making calligraphic lines with ink or watercolor paint. Use brushes, both thin and thick, to draw a leaf or a vegetable with lines.

Wukong, Tiangong, Tianwen ... Do you know where the names of Chinese space programs come from?

Wukong, the Dark Matter Particle Explorer satellite (暗物质粒子探测卫星), is named after Chinese superhero Monkey King. According to Journey to the West, Monkey King has a pair of sharp eyes which can tell the difference between good and evil. The Wukong satellite is just as sharp-eyed as Monkey King to help scientists search for dark matter in space.

The name of the space station, Tiangong, means "Heavenly Palace". In Chinese myths, this is the home of Tian Di. Now Tiangong Space Station is a home for Chinese astronauts in space. And China welcomes foreign astronauts to Tiangong so that they can work together.

Tianwen, China's Mars missions (任务), gets its name from the poem Tianwen by Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan is a well-known poet from ancient China. In Tianwen, he had the questions about the sky, stars, nature, myths and the real world, showing his hunger for truth. Perhaps the Tianwen missions will end up answering some of Qu Yuan's questions.

If you look into more names of Chinese space programs, you will find that they all have beautiful meanings. We, the Chinese people, have a long-cherished (珍藏已久的) space dream. So the naming of Chinese space programs is taken very seriously.

To me, the most frightening natural disaster is an earthquake. The ground begins shaking and things begin to . Meanwhile you are frightened and worried to death. You may wonder the earthquake will last, and how bad it will be. An earthquake is than a typhoon or most other disasters because you have plenty of warning with a typhoon and can it. However, you seldom get a warning before comes, so there is nothing you can do to prepare.

A: Hey, Dick! I met someone famous last Sunday.

B: Really? who?

A: Well, I was sitting in the airport, waiting for a flight to Sichuan. I remember, I was watching a short video about Li Ziqi at the time. Suddenly, a girl next to me said, "Excuse me, are you enjoying it?"

B:

A: I looked at her and suddenly I realized it was Li Ziqi.

B: What? The popular short video creator you were watching? What did you say?

A: At first, I didn't know what to say, but luckily, she was really friendly.

B: Great!

A: Umm ... I'll never forget that day.

B:

A: I told her the positive (正面的，积极的) energy she spreads has made her popular on the Internet.

B: Yes. I admire her for her patience, her ability to find the beauty ...

A: Em ...

B: I hope we can learn a lot from our own idol.

A. Who was she?

B. That's amazing!

C. What did you talk about?

D. He is patient in doing something.

E. In the end, we talked for about ten minutes.

F. An idol plays an important role in our lives.

每个人的生命只有一次，你平安、健康、快乐地长大是父母最大的心愿，你保护好生命是对父母最好的报答。请你以"How to protect our lives" 为题，从安全和健康的角度入手，写一篇如何珍惜和保护我们生命的短文。

要求：
1）100～200词；
2）文中不要出现本人真实信息；
3）根据提示词每个角度至少选择三个方面来写，也可适当发挥。

提示词：traffic accident, fight, drown(溺水), fire, electricity, food, exercise, sleep, Internet, smoking, drugs, happiness...