浙江省杭州市余杭区萧山区临平区富阳区临安区等多区县2021-2022学年八年级上学期12月月考英语试题

Did you know that people can only use less than 1% of all the water on the earth? And we can drink it, wash with it, or use it to water plants. So it is important that we use our water wisely and don't waste it.

There are many simple things we can do to save water.

Turn off the tap(水龙头). Just by turning off the tap while you brush your teeth in the morning and before bedtime, you can save up to 8 gallons of water! The same is true when you wash dishes. Turn off the tap! Put the plates in the dishwasher(洗碗机).

Take a shower instead of filling up a bathtub(浴缸). It uses much less water. To save even more water, keep your shower under five minutes long--try timing yourself with a clock next time!

Fix the leak(裂缝). If your toilet has a leak, you could be wasting about 200 gallons of water every day. That would be like flushing(冲洗) your toilet more than 50 times for no reason!

Water your yard in a clever way. The best time to water your yard is in the early morning or late evening when it's cool outside. Also, when you're helping your parents water the yard, make sure not to water the plants too much--remember that a little sprinkle goes a long way!

Who needs a hose? Washing your bike or car with a bucket and sponge instead of a hose saves a lot of water. A hose can waste 6 gallons per minute if you leave it running, but using a bucket and sponge only uses a few gallons!

I like sports and I usually go cycling. One day, I was cycling and found a man in front of me, about 100 meters ahead. I could tell he was a little slower than me and I decided to catch up with him.

I had about one kilometer to go on the road before turning off. So I started cycling faster and faster. After a few minutes I was only about 100 meters behind him, so I really picked up the pace and pushed myself.

Finally, I caught up with him and passed him by. I felt so good, "I win," I thought. "Even though he didn't even know we were racing."

However, after I passed him, I was so focused on competing against him that I missed my turn. I went nearly six blocks past it and had to turn around and go back.

Isn't it just like life? We often focus on competing with others, trying to show that we are better than them. We spend our time chasing after them and we miss out on our own paths in life.

The problem with healthy competition is that it's a never-ending cycle. There will always be somebody ahead of you. So stay focused and live a healthy life. Run your own race and wish others well.

What are you going to be when you grow up? Maybe a teacher, a doctor or a scientist? How about an ice-cream taster? There is really a job where you can get paid by tasting ice-cream. And this is what Feng Yuanyuan now does.

Feng Yuanyuan, born in 1995, has worked at an ice-cream company for two years. Her main role is to taste and test ice-cream products(产品). Usually she tastes more than ten ice-creams a day, but sometimes she has to taste over twenty ice-creams. After eating one, she needs to wash her mouth with lots of warm water so as to comfort her tongue. Through this taste-testing, Feng makes more than 10,000 yuan a month, more than most of her college classmates. However, a by-product of eating so much ice-cream is that she is getting fat. "I need to take exercise every day to keep in shape," said Feng.

"To be an ice-cream taster, a person needs to have a sensitive(敏感的) tongue and he must really like ice-cream. Many people may become tired of ice-cream easily if they have to eat it every day, so a good ice-cream taster isn't easy to find," said Feng.

This cool job keeps Feng Yuanyuan busy but happy. She's also very happy that the company's products sell well. "After more than a year's hard work, I can tell if an ice-cream has additives(添加剂) just by tasting it. I hope that in the future I can find out what a product is made from with only one bite," Feng said.

Once upon a time, there was a man coming to a lonely village. It was late at night. It was really dark around him. So he walked very slowly. Suddenly, a yellow light1at the end of the road. It came from a2which was carried by a man. A villager near him said, "Here Blind Sun comes."

"Blind?" the man said. "That's too3. A blind man has no idea of day and night, can't4the beauty of nature, or even doesn't know what the light is. Wasn't he funny to carry a lantern(灯笼)?"

As the lantern was coming near, the yellow light moved gradually to the man. The man asked,"5, may I ask you whether you're really blind?"

The blind man answered, "Yes, the moment I stepped into the world, I can't see 6."

The man asked, "In that case,7do you carry a lantern?"

The blind man smiled, "At night all the people without a light are just as blind8me, so I light a lantern."

The man said, "I see, you light for others."

But the blind man said, "No, I do it for9.

"For yourself? But there is no10to do that," the man felt surprised again.

The blind man explained, "Were you ever knocked by others11the dark?"

The man nodded, "Yes, sometimes."

The blind, man said proudly, "Believe it or not, I12knocked anyone. Although I'm blind, I carry the lantern, not only to light for others, but to let others see me,13they won't knock me."

After hearing that, the man was lost in thought(沉思)…

In fact, everyone has a lantern in himself. Light it actively not only for others, but also for yourself--Never put yourself in a14situation. When you feel left out(被忽略) and find it hard to15well with others, are you ready to light your lantern?

Dear Linda,

You asked me (tell) you the food people eat in China on Mid-Autumn Day. The moon cake is the (popular) food on that day. But it is not the only food.

In some places of China, the pumpkin(南瓜) is also a traditional food on Mid-Autumn Day. In old days, poor families (choose) to eat pumpkins, because they couldn't afford (买得起) moon cakes.  people live a good life now, they still eat pumpkins on Mid-Autumn Day. They believe it will (bring) them good health.

For people in Guangzhou, they enjoy (eat) river snails(田螺) on Mid-Autumn Day. They think the delicious food can help their (eye) bright. It is  very interesting tradition.

Salted Duck(桂花鸭) is a common food for people in Jiangsu Province. It has a history of over 2,500 years. And it is the most famous dish of Nanjing.

Is there (some) traditional food in your hometown on Mid-Autumn Day? What is it? And guess what kind of food people will eat on Mid-Autumn Day  the future? Can you tell me?

Yours,

Susan

注意：1）短文内容必须包含表格中的所有信息，可以适当发挥；

2）词数80词左右，短文开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

Dear Mike,

The school term will be over soon. We'll expect the new term. This summer, I learned to play the piano.

What about your plans for the next term? Please e-mail me soon.

Yours,

Li Hua