江苏省海安市西片联盟2022-2023学年九年级下学期3月月考英语试题

—How beautiful it sounds! In the song, the song writer _____youth to a sea of flowers in May.

—I'm afraid not. I _____ only half of it, and I'll try to finish it this weekend.

—It _________ belong to Dick. He was the only little kid at the picnic.

—You may take __________ of the roads. But being home in the end matters.

—Well, she never eats _____ and that's why she is not healthy.

—Sorry, mum. I will clear it right now.

—Sorry. I usually write down something ________ in it.

—I'm looking for a table for eight persons, but I find they are all _____.

—About 400 kilometers above the earth.

—I'm not sure. I haven't decided _____.

— ________. Just believe in yourself.

For a long time, the Chumash Indians have lived along the coast of California. Anacapa was a little girl among them who lived with her family. Seashells were1to them. They used them for fishing, for jewelry and for money. But for the little girl, seashells were just charming things that she liked to 2.

One day, Anacapa was walking through the village. She waved and3 at the women who were busy making the beautiful4. They all liked this polite girl and they smiled back. Everyone was busy, 5 she wandered down to the ocean to look for some seashells alone.

When she left, the day was 6. She walked down to the ocean. She heard a whisper suddenly. She thought it was her mother, warning her not to walk too far alone or it may be the mother deer, looking for the little deer. The sounds really were just the7. When it blew through the trees, it sounded like a whisper. When she arrived, she saw many seashells shining in the sun. She was so busy finding the perfect seashells that she forgot about the time.

Hours passed, the sky grew dark. Fog began to roll in. The little girl became very 8. She knew she had to look for a 9to spend the night. Finally, she found a cave. To ease her worries, she started to sing a song.

The little girl's parents were very worried. They asked the villagers who were making the baskets if they had seen their daughter. They searched all night.

At last, in the next morning, the sky slowly grew bright. The rays of sunlight10 on the little girl's eyes. She looked for some food to feed her hungry stomach. She remembered how her father always used his hands when he caught a shellfish. She would tell her parents how she remembered her 11 and they would be proud. But then she realized that she must hurry home.

She looked at the sky and saw a condor(秃鹰). She remembered Mum's words —the condors were considered as a good sign. The bird would lead her to the path to her village. She followed the bird along the beach as though she had12 too.

"Anacapa! Anacapa!" She heard her parents' voice. It was not a whisper, but a loud shout of  13, "Mum! Dad!" They hugged each other. They laughed and cried.

"Mum! Dad! Thanks to (the) 14, I could survive and found the way to the village. "

So, wherever you go, remember that you are always in your parents' mind. And remember what they said and what they did, it will lead you (to)15·

Robots may seem smart, but they cannot even pick up a chess piece. Let's take a look at some tasks that are easy for kids but not for robots.

Pick things up

Picking things up is not easy. If we drop our pencil on the floor, our brains work hard. First, we must find the pencil. Then we move our hands to it. A robot cannot always move its "hand" to the right place. When we touch the pencil, it might roll (滚动) a little bit. Robots cannot easily understand this either. So, if you drop a pencil on the floor, a robot will probably roll it around the room.

Get around in large space

If someone drops us in a building we've never been to, we might feel a bit lost. But we can look around, find a door and get out quickly. But a robot will look everywhere for a door, even on ceilingsand floors. This is because it's hard for them to understand spaces, especially large, blank things such as walls or ceilings.

Understand the world made by people

"Common sense" is what we don't need to think or talk about. Because of common sense, we do not look for doors on the ceiling. We pick up a coffee cup by its handle (把手). We feel whether it has coffee inside, and whether it's hot.

A robot? It may turn the cup upside down. It may hold the hot part of the cup. Scientists have tried teaching robots common-sense rules. But even huge databases (数据库) don't help much. Maybe they need more time to learn.

On February 13, 2023, Wu Yibing made history, beating John Isner in an exciting three-set final at the Dallas Open to become the first man from China to win an ATP title.

Brought to a tennis court for the first time at just five, encouraged by his parents at first as an exercise to lose weight, Wu soon had his talent discovered by his provincial junior team, kicking off a journey that would change the face of men's tennis in China. In 2017, Wu Yibing shot to prominenceafter winning the US Open boys' tournament(锦标赛) at 18 to become the first Chinese to win a major junior title, raising high hopes for the "Wonder Boy" to change the fortune(命运) of Chinese men in a sport long dominated by women's success on the pro stage.

In 2018, Wu won his first ATP Challenger title in Shanghai. However, the brutally(残酷地)competitive nature of men's pro tennis hit the rising Wu with a tough reminder after many injuries(损伤) — to his elbow, lower back, shoulder and wrist — forced him to be away from the ATP Tour for close to three years.

He made his return last year and won three ATP Challenger titles before qualifying(取得资格)for the US Open. "Looking back, I feel like I wouldn't have been here if not for the ups and downs over the past few years. I take all the setbacks(挫折) and struggles as an asset (资产)that helps me mature(成熟) mentally now, " said Wu. "Of course there were a lot of doubts because I had surgery and the rehab (康复) wasn't going well. The championship today was a payoff for all the hard work and everyone who's supported me along the way. "

Now, the Law of the Jungle says that if there is a disagreement about the right of a man's cub (幼崽) to be part of the Pack (兽群), he must be spoken for by at least two members of the Pack who are not his father and mother.

"Who speaks for this man's cub?" asked the leader of the wolf Pack Akela. There was no answer. Mother Wolf got ready for a fight. Her last fight.

There is only one non-wolf allowed at the Pack Council, a sleepy brown bear called Baloo. Baloo teaches the wolf cubs the Law of the Jungle. He is accepted by the wolves because he eats only nuts and roots and honey. Now Baloo stood up on his hindquarters (后腿) and shouted.

"I speak for the man's cub. Let him run with the Pack, and become part of the Pack with the others. I can teach him the Law of the Jungle. "

"We need another one, " said Akela. "Baloo speaks for the man's cub, and he is the teacher of our young cubs. Who speaks besides Baloo?"

A black shadow came into the circle. It was Bagheera the Black Panther. Everybody knew Bagheera, and nobody wanted to make him angry.

"Akela, and the wolf Pack, " he shouted. "The Law of the Jungle says that a cub can be saved if someone pays a price for him. Now I can give you one fat recently killed bull, if you accept the man's cub according to the Law. Is it difficult to decide?"

Mowgli, the man's cub, was still very interested in the stones, and he did not notice when the wolves came and looked at him one by one. At last they all came down the hill for the dead bull, and only Akela, Bagheera, Baloo, and Mowgli's wolf family were left. The tiger Shere Khan roared all night. He was angry because the wolves accepted Mowgli in the Pack.

"It was a good decision, " said Akela. "Men and their cubs are very wise. He may be a help in time. "

"Yes, a help in time of need; for no one can hope to lead the Pack forever, " said Bagheera.

"Take him away, " he said to Father Wolf, "and teach him like the other wolf cubs. "

—From Mowgli's Brothers

The second experiment on how to grow crops on mimic (模拟的) Mars and Moon soil has given a surprising outcome (成果). The Wageningen UR researchers use the Mars and Moon soil provided by NASA. Mimic Mars soil comes from a volcano(火山) in Hawaii and the mimic Moon soil from an Arizonian desert. As a result of what the researchers of Wageningen University in the Netherlands learned from their first experiment, which was a failure, they were finally able to grow ten different crops. The tomatoes, peas, turnip, and cabbages have been harvested. The goal of the experiments is to provide the way of growing crops on Mars or on the Moon in order to feed the first settlers.

A few improvements have been made since the first experiment, though it isn't a success. Professor Wamelink says, "We used plates instead of small pots and added organic material (fresh cut grass) to the Mars and Moon soil. This is what we didn't do in the first experiment. This solved the problem we had with watering in the first experiment and also added manure (肥料) to the soil. " In the first Moon soil experiment most plants died; in the next round they flourished (茂盛), and the researchers could harvest from some species. It can be regarded as a great success when it is compared with the first one.

Although the Wageningen researchers harvested several crops, they did not eat them. Wamelink says, "The soil contains heavy metals. If heavy metals find their way into the crops, they will make them poisonous for human beings. Then further research on this is necessary because they need to make sure the final harvest must be harmless to human beings. The experiment should start in April next year with the growth of new crops including potatoes and beans. "

The soil experiment began in April and the final harvest took place in October. Plants were grown in a glass house under certain temperature and light conditions and under the earth atmosphere. "This is because we expect that first crop growth on Mars and the Moon will take place in underground rooms to protect the plants from the bad environment, " says Wamelink.

—Please hold and I'll put you .

Falling on March 21 this year, Spring Equinox, also called Chunfen in Chinese, is the fourth of the Twenty-four Solar Terms. It marks the same length (长度) of the day and night.

Have you ever wondered about the origin (起源) of this special solar term? It is said that a long time ago, as there was not e sunlight, it was almost impossible for people to grow crops. One day, Emperor Yandi dto fly to Penglai Island on a five-colored bird to search for the sun so that his people could enjoy a b harvest. After a dangerous journey, he brought the sun back and hung it in the sky. From then on, there were plenty of crops on Earth and people lived happily and p. This day is called Chunfen.

Today, people in different places have different traditions to celebrate Chunfen. Chunfen is the best time to fly kites. The wind for kite flying can't be too s or too gentle. The gentle wind on the day of Chunfen perfectly s those needs, so it is easier for kites to go up. It is usually a wonderful time for people, both old and young, to go to the open spaces to fly kites. It is believed that flying kites on Chunfen can drive away bad luck and bback good luck.

Chunfen also m hope and growing up, just like the plants. Since ancient times, people ate food based on the changes of s. In southern China's Fujian and Guangdong provinces, people living in villages dig wild vegetables and cook them in soup to clean their stomachs. The meals are also thought as a way to wish for a healthy and strong body. During Chunfen, wheat grows and flowers come out. Leek (韭菜) is delicious and fresh. It's the best time to cook food with it, although cooking styles are quite d between northern and southern China.

When Chunfen comes, remember to have fresh vegetables on your table. Also, don't say no if you are invited to take part in different activities to enjoy the good weather.

The world's animal populations have a reduced by more than two thirds since 1970, according to recent research from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The London group provided information on 32, 000 wildlife populations which included more than 5, 000 species(物种). The researchers found that group sizes had gone down by 69 percent in average (平均). They said the loss of forests, human development of the environment, pollution, and climate change were great causes of the loss. Land-use change is still the most dangerous to wildlife. However, the researchers added, "If we cannot limit warming to 1. 5℃, climate change was likely to become the main cause of biodiversity (生物多样性)loss in the coming years.

Wildlife populations in Latin American and the Caribbean Sea area were greatly influenced. The study showed a 94 percent drop in those areas in over 50 years. Wildlife populations in river and lake habitats (栖息地) went down the most. Freshwater populations have gone down by an average of 83 percent since 1970. For example, one population of pink river dolphins in the Amazon River area of Brazil fell by 65 percent between 1994 and 2016.

The findings are a warning of a larger system problem. If the number of one species goes down, there will be a bad influence on others. The situation will make the ecosystem (生态系统) worse. Humans depend on a proper climate, suitable weather conditions, better farmland and fisheries (渔业) to develop. However, now the problems are serious enough to threaten (威胁) many systems to last normally.

Our future depends on preventing the loss of nature, just as it depends on the climate change. Everyone, from oneself to companies and to governments, should play an important role to improve the situation. If nothing is done, the numbers of the wild animals will be smaller and even none left. And at last, the problem will threaten the ecosystems on which we depend.

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How to make our spare time more meaningful？

We Grade 9 students are now busy with our lessons, but we are supposed to make our spare time more meaningful. How should we spend our spare time？