（浙江）初中英语2022-2023八年级下学期期末专项复习：阅读理解（2）

Let's Protet the Envionment

Nowadays, people around the world are working to help our planet. Check out how the four young heroes made a difference.

Saving Pandas

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When Jack was 11, he started a group to teach kids about pandas. He also sold toy pandas to raise money to protect pandas in danger."I hope to encourage more people to care about pandas," Jack says.

Growing Right

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Kathy, 14, set up an organization to teach people about growing right plants in right places. She also wrote a book to help people learn what plants live or grow naturally in a certain area.

Creating Energy(能源)

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At the age of 12, Linda invented a machine called Super E. It is a small robot, and it collects heat(热量) from farms to make electricity(电)，Linda says her invention creates electricity in a way that is less bad for the environment.

Cleaning Up

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Patrick, 13, joined the Ocean Heroes Camp last year. He started a project and picked up white waste around nearby lakes with his friends. The purpose(目的) of the project was to fight white pollution.

Should kids be allowed to use cell phones in school? There has been a lot of discussion about it. Without question, kids do not need cell phones in school. Some may feel that kids need phones for safety reasons, however, it's not good or necessary for them to use cell phones at school.

Firstly, there are phones in most modern classrooms nowadays. lf kids need to call their parents or whatever, they can use one of the phones in the school. There is really no reason for students to have a phone with them.

Besides, cell phones can be a big distraction(干扰) during the School day. If kids bring their phones to class and start to use them, they won't pay much attention(注意力) to their schoolwork. Because there are too many games and apps on phones. They can pull kids' attention away from things they should do at school. After all, there have been many other things that distract kids away from their lessons.

What's worse, cell phones can also be another way that kids bully(欺凌) each other. In some ways, kids are mean to each other in school. Phones would just be another way for mean-spirited kids to hurt others. Unluckily, a few kids always go out of their way to give others a hard time. And if cell phones are allowed in school, it will give them one more tool to hurt others.

In a word, I cannot think of any good reasons why kids need to have cell phones at school. Phones would just be a distraction and could lead to more bullying in school.

①Maimaiti Ailijiang Abuduaini, 22, received a gift on his birthday recently. He was honored(被授予荣耀) as the Chinese College Student of the Year 2020. Normally, only 10 students receive the honor each year, but for 2020, the number was doubled.

②Maimaiti who comes from Xinjiang, China, studies in a college in Wuhan, Hubei Province. In January, 2020, instead of returning home, he decided to stay in Wuhan. "I learned from the news about COVID-19 that Wuhan needed volunteers, so I decided to do something," he said.

③For more than 80 days, he helped to carry food and medical things to hospitals and other places in Wuhan. "I know there are volunteers like us protecting my hometown and my family. So we are protecting our country in different places," he said.

④Maimaiti also volunteered to help test the nations first COVID-19 vaccine(疫苗). "Something had to be done," he wrote on his WeChat. His courage and kindness got the support of his family. "Kid, hust go ahead. Although we are worried, we fully understand the importance of what you are doing. Your mother and I  ▲  ." Maimaiti's father said.

⑤ Then Maimaiti went to the hospital to get a blood test after two weeks of observation(观察). Everything was normal. He said that it was the most relaxing day in three months for him.

Everyone loves a holiday! A little time off for some rest can be perfect. That's said, if you're trying to choose your next place to visit, don't waste time thinking, let your blood decide.

Today more and more people are interested in finding out their family origins. By the start of 2019, 26 million people had taken an ancestry DNA test, according to a report by MIT Technology Review. They believe by 2021this number will have risen to 100 million.

Some travel companies have noticed this. So they are trying to provide a service that both allows people to find out the history and traditions of their family origins and travel to the places their ancestries come from.

Airbnb, an online home-stay marketplace, is working with 23& Me, a DNA testing company, to encourage travellers to walk in the footsteps of their ancestries. And they aren't the only ones. Helen Kelly in the Shelnourne hotel in Dublin gives advice to help guests find their line of family origins using the results of DNA tests. "This allows them to fill in the empty part of their ancestry, "she said. The Conte Club, another travel company, offers people travel plans with their DNA tests. "These experiences are about exploring deeper into who we really are, "says Conte Club CEO Rebecca Fielding. ""It might be the most meaningful trip we can take. "

So next time you think of going on vacation, why not take a DNA test first? Once you know how far your family has come, take the time to holiday back.

My family and I went to the Superstar Circus last weekend. We went to the last show at nine o'clock. The horses performed first. The horses danced around when the band started to play in order to make everyone happy.

The young acrobats (杂技演员) were up next. They put on the amazing performance on two-legged chairs. The most special one was performed by a fifteen-year-old girl. She rode a bicycle on a rope (绳索)，but it was difficult for her to ride the bike on the thin rope. As she tried to ride from one end to the other, she almost fell down twice. The crowd broke into a loud applause (掌声) when she finally finished her performance.

Next, a large elephant stepped carefully on its trainer before walking over him. The people gave them loud applause once again, l was actually an exciting act!

The clowns (小丑) offered the people the interesting act during the break. They played jokes on each other and even on some of the people in the crowd. We had a laugh as they finished their act with a funny song and dance.

After the break came the wild animals. The lions would sit, run and shout according to trainers' orders. The trainer was so close to the lions that we were worried about them much.

The show ended with a group of clever chimpanzees showing off their maths skills.

It was already eleven o'clock when we left the circus. We went home, excited by the experience of watching a great, live show. It was a show not to be missed!

Gardening is a popular activity all around the world. But what about people who do not have the space to garden? Not to worry! Today, we will give you information about growing beautiful window boxes. 

Location and safety

Window boxes are not just for the outside edge of the window, they can also sit on other places such as, walls, porches, or front steps. This window box can be on the front steps to a home and the owners can entered their window boxes. 

But safety first: People do get killed by falling window boxes. Make sure your window boxes are safe so they will not come down in a storm. If you feel your window box could be unsafe, you can have an indoor window box.

Light and water

Before you choose plants, check your window box location for light and rain. Window boxes dry out faster than in-ground plants, so they need more water. And if a window box is close to a wall or other structure, it may not get enough rainwater. 

Even if all your windows get little sun, do not give up. You can get a great look using plants that love the shade. Many shade-loving plants like spiderworts and verbenas，have leaves in beautiful colors and interesting shapes. 

The "wow" factor

What gives some window boxes their "wow" factor while others are just so-so? Create a theme! This is a central idea for the plants. For example, you may have a window box that is all cactuses or all edible plants. Or you could select only purple violets or green basil, then you'll have a color-themed window box. 

Besides having a theme, upkeep is also important. You should cut off anything dead, water your window boxes often and change things a lot. 

Very often, when we see young people sitting there, looking at the screen of a mobile phone and smiling, we may think nothing is wrong. But when we come to the question "How much time do they actually spend on media ( 传播媒介) daily?", the answer is surprising: young people spend about nine hours every day using media and this only includes media used for enjoyment.

Today's young people seem to have become crazy multitaskers. They often use mobile phones when doing other activities. Some watch TV when doing homework, some text (发短信), and some others listen to music.

But what do young people think of this? A research showed that two thirds of them believed watching TV or texting had no influence ( 影 响 ) on their school work. Half of them thought using social media made no difference. However, researches have given a different answer: media multitaskers did worse in tests.

Scientists did a research among more than 400 students. It shows that those who text a lot have more trouble sleeping and do worse in their study. A similar research also found that students who texted when doing school work had lower grades than others.

According to research, if a kid uses social media a lot, especially at night, he or she will sleep worse and feel more nervous and depressed (消沉的). On the one hand, young people stay up late to check messages and information. They may also be woken up by messages they receive. On the other hand, even the light from a screen could influence their sleep. Some other researches also show that children who use media at night go to bed later, get fewer hours of sleep each week, and become sleepy more easily during the daytime.

VOLUNTEERING is a great way to support(支持) an organization and make a difference in your community(社团). It can also be a great chance to meet new people and learn new skills. But how to volunteer? Here are some useful ways for beginners.

Think about why you want to volunteer.

Do you want to help the world or your community? Do you want to build your own skills, make new friends, or learn? Do you love what you do? Think about these kinds of questions. That can help you to choose your volunteer work.

Start small.

If you already have a busy school life, volunteer your time for an hour or two a week, or perhaps one day a month. You might find out how much you can do in even a little bit of time. Then, if you find you enjoy the work and have more time to do it, take on more time by time.

Get training.

If there is a training course, attend(参加) it. If not, talk to the group leaders and other volunteers about their experiences. You'll pick up some good tips to make your work there better.

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Volunteer activities sometimes have less-pleasant tasks, difficult people, or busy days. If you find your work boring, try to work through it before you decide to give up.

You will accomplish(完成) more if you love what you do. But if it is hard for you to find volunteer work that fits you, we'll help you.

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My dad died when I was 6 years old, so I lived with my mom. As a hard-working single mother, my mom had to provide for both of us in the city. She worked hard to pay for our rent(房租) and my school, so there wasn't much money left for other things.

One day, my best friend, Mario invited me to his birthday party. My mom had just paid the rent, so she couldn't help me buy a gift. I just brought a birthday card. I was old enough to understand, but still felt embarrassed(尴尬的).

I went to Mario's house the day before his birthday because his mom had planned a sleepover party. Having known my family's trouble, Mario's mom ▲ took me aside and took out the toys that she had prepared for her son. She let me pick out a gift and write my name on it. I was truly touched.

I'm 37 now. Although our family isn't poor anymore, I am still thankful for what Mario's mom did. That small act was important for my life.