湖南省长沙市2023年中考英语真题

Anyone who has seen The Sound of Music, the Oscar-winning movie, knows the famous city of Salzburg in Austria. The musical movie was filmed in and around the city. To enjoy the amazing (令人惊叹的) city, you only have to walk through the alleys (小巷). 

The sounds of music in Salzburg are not just from the famous film. Mozart, one of the greatest musicians, was born here, and the city is proud of him. You'll hear Mozart's music all over the city. And you can visit Mozart's birthplace, learn about his childhood and even try the chocolate named for him: a Mozart ball! Don't miss visiting the Salzburg Residenz, which was the rulers' palace in the past. It was here that Mozart performed (表演) for the first time in his life.

A visit to Salzburg in December must include time in the Christmas markets, which can be found here and there. Visit the marketplaces for a hot drink. Then enjoy the beautiful handiwork for sale. 

Salt was so important to the city of Salzburg that the city was named for it. This "white gold" brought wealth to the rulers. You can visit the Hallein Salt Mine (矿), one of the oldest in the world. Take a train ride into the mountain, where miners will explain the mining process (过程). Then enjoy a boat ride across an underground lake.

These are just a few of the enjoyable places in this small Austrian city. There are much more waiting for you to explore. Make sure to plan a trip to this breathtaking city. Its history and culture will excite your senses. 

It is commonly believed that children are too young to fully appreciate (欣赏) the experience and knowledge of their elders, while many think that old people don't understand the young. But actually (事实上), both groups have a lot to learn from each other.

James Smith runs the Smith's Care Home in my city. It is mainly an organization (机构) for serving the elderly. But not all of its visitors are old people. The home also includes a childcare center for pre-school kids. There is a playground in the care home, where the elderly can play with the kids. In this way, they can learn more about each other, and respect (尊重) and understand one another.

I suppose this is quite an interesting idea. For one thing, we live in a world where there are more and more old people. The world is facing this problem and its population ages. It will be important for young people to be able to understand and care for the elderly in the coming years. 

Regretfully, my own grandparents weren't around when I was little, as they had already passed away. I never got to learn what the world was like through their eyes, or what kinds of problems they might have faced when they were my age. To me, their lives will always be a mystery — hard to understand or explain.

However, I think I can still learn from other people of older generations (辈). I might find some of their ideas out of date, and they might believe that my generation's way of thinking is strange or incorrect. But we can still learn from each other anyway.

How to Improve Your Reading

Learning how to read well in English might not be an easy task.  Reading well in English is useful for many reasons, not only for taking tests. If you want to improve your reading in English, the following are just for you!

Choose right reading materials (材料). 

There are so many choices! There are textbooks and graded readers, but there are also a lot more books you can read.  Here is a good rule to follow: choose reading materials where you understand at least 80% of the content (内容). 

Be intentional (意图明确的). 

Being intentional means doing something on purpose with a reason in mind. With reading, you need to be intentional by setting a reading aim. Decide on a certain number of pages you want to read each day.  To make sure your daily practice gets done, spare some time and put it in your study plan!

Reading can both introduce you to new vocabulary (词汇) and teach you how to use them. Many words in English are often used together in a consistent (相互连贯的) way. Reading groups of words, or words that go together, will help you better understand how to use your new vocabulary. 

Don't try to understand everything.

As you're practicing your reading, you need to accept the fact that you might not understand every single word, and that's OK! Your brain can't learn so many new things at one time. It's more important to get the big picture of what you are reading.

A Read word groups. 

B. Don't choose a book that is too easy or too difficult.

C. You could also be intentional with planning a time to read. 

D. But it's something you'll have to do on your language learning journey.

E. And you can go back to check the new things you don't understand later.

One day, a group of tourists from Australia climbed a large rock in the Central Park of New York City. They took pictures of one another with the high-rise buildings in the background. Like many other tourists, they didn't realize that high in a nearby tree, there was something more worthy of attention: an eagle-owl (雕鸮) named Flaco.

Earlier that month, the bird Flaco made his great escape (逃跑) from the Central Park Zoo. The zookeepers then tried several times to catch him but were unsuccessful. He seemed to be in no hurry to return to the zoo. 

Olga Torrey, a photographer, has been photographing animals in city parks for 12 years. Since Flaco escaped, Torrey has kept a close eye on him. She wondered if he would ever return to the zoo. "Once he gets a taste of freedom, I'm not sure. . . " she said.

Still, each day spent outside puts Flaco in danger. He might accidentally hit windows and get injured (受伤) while flying. Moreover, the eagle-owl lived his whole life in the zoo in the past. He may not be used to finding food on his own. And if he made a meal of a rat (耗子), it might harm his health—the rat might contain poison (含有毒物). 

The zoo has had the workers carefully watch Flaco all the time, as they are worried about his safety. Has Flaco eaten anything today? Has he got injured today?

Well, another day of watching has now begun. 

My friend Andrew used to drink a lot and always isolated (孤立) himself. He was 1 and heartbroken. He felt that his life was a hopeless mess. He even told me that he was on the point of 2 hope. I couldn't solve his problems. But during the Christmas season two years ago, I gave him a gift that I didn't even know I had.

That Christmas Andrew had no place to go, so I 3 him home to my parents' house in London. My parents were 4 to have him stay with us. They graciously (殷勤地) cleaned up our guest room for him and even bought him some Christmas gifts. I'll never 5 the night when we arrived at my home. My parents were already asleep, but my mom had prepared dinner and some cookies for us and left us a 6 . My parents were known for their generosity (慷慨), so I wasn't surprised by this warm 7 . But when Andrew read my mom's note and saw all that she had prepared, he broke down and couldn't help 8 . At that moment, I began to realize what a loving family meant.

From then on, Andrew and I both received gifts that we would 9 forever. I gave him the gift of a warm, loving and safe place to spend Christmas, which helped him renew his interest in life. More 10 , he gave me the gift of a new perspective (观点) on life. If I hadn't shared my home with him, I wouldn't have realized how blessed (有福的) I am.

Do you know World Letter Writing Day? It falls September 1st every year. It was set up by Richard Simpkin in 2014. He encouraged people (take) a break from today's social media (媒体) and write a letter to someone by hand.

Who should you write to? Think about a friend or relative that lives far away. A parent or best friend would also love to receive  (you) letter. 

How do you write a letter? (general) speaking, a letter includes these parts. The date and a greeting (问候语) such as "Dear…" should be at the top of the letter. A closing such as "Love" or "Yours truly" needs to follow the body. End it by (sign) it.

Why should you pick up a pen and write a letter? It is a surprise that may make someone's day. It's good way to show people that you have been thinking of them. Everyone loves a personal touch. It makes (enjoy) memories (回忆). Some people save (letter) and look at them over the years.

A recent study shows that letter writing (make) the writer happy, too. "Handwriting is your DNA. It's your fingerprint that only you can share with others," said Richard Simpkin.

So, get some paper  pick up a pen. Start writing a letter today!

The Great Wall of China, like the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal in India and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, is one of the great wonders of the world. ①它是世界上最长的城墙。 

The Great Wall has a long history of more than 2,300 years. ②It was rebuilt many times. It runs across North China like a huge dragon. It winds its way from west to east, across deserts, through mountains, till finally it reaches the sea. And it is quite tall and wide. There are no other man-made objects as big as this. 

The Great Wall is unique (独特的). It is one of the symbols of China. ③有很多关于长城的故事。 For example, Meng Jiangnv Weeping over the Great Wall is a sad but touching love story. From the story, we learn that the Great Wall was made not only of stone and earth, but of flesh (肉) and blood. 

④The Great Wall is not just a wall. The walls were connected by a system (系统) of watch- towers. These were used not only to stop the enemy's attack (攻击) but also to communicate with the capital by signal.

No trip to China is complete without visiting the Great Wall. ⑤Today the Great Wall is a must-see. Its size and beauty will take your breath away. A tour to the Great Wall will give you a taste of China's history and will provide you with the journey of a lifetime! Just as the Chinese saying goes, "He who doesn't reach the Great Wall is not a true man. "

要求：
(1)短文必须包括图示中的所有要点，可适当发挥；
(2)80词左右（标题和开头都已给出，不计入总词数）；
(3)文中不得出现真实人名和校名。

Word bank: transport 交通；convenient 方便的

Amazing Hunan

Hunan is a lovable and livable place.