浙江省杭州竺可桢教育集团2023-2024学年九年级上学期期中阶段性检测英语试题

School Activities in May

Nowadays, there are more and more cafes in libraries and bookshops. New study found that a certain level of noise in a place like a cafe can actually develop your creative ideas. Here are some other very interesting findings of the study.

It is found that sound stimuli(刺激) in the background helps us improve decision making. Some have even called it the coffee shop effect(影响). So, the jazz music and light conversation aren't noisy any more—they could help you come up with your next great work.

One of the biggest things about coffee shops is the social-improvement effect: you go there, you see other people working and it makes you just naturally start working as well. Just watching them can encourage you to work harder.

Visual variety(视觉多样性) helps in solving a problem, but requires you to think outside the box. If you always stay in your office, it will be sometimes difficult to have solutions. Coffee shops, though, generally have visual stimuli. And hitting up different coffee shops each time keeps things even more different.

Pablo Picasso, Bob Dylan, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and J.K. Rowling—whether they're painters, singers, songwriters, philosophers or writers, people across nations and centuries have developed their creativity working at a table in a cafe.

Hearing that Erin was coming for the silver wedding(婚礼) party, Mr. Joe and his wife got worried. 

"Erin the thief!" said Mr. Joe to his wife. "Anything smaller than a table, and more expensive than paper, would finally be found in his bag."

"He's sure to come for the presents we've received," added Mrs. Joe. "We can't hide them all. How can we deal with him?"

"We must keep an eye on him," said Mr. Joe.

As soon as Erin arrived, the couple started to keep a sharp lookout. After dinner, the three talked nervously from one boring topic to another in the living room. 

Suddenly, Erin asked, "You've got so many presents. Can I take a look at those pretty silk scarves?"

"Only it's annoying(令人恼火的) to have seven of them," Mr. Joe blurted(脱口而出).

Erin studied the scarves carefully, lost in thought. The couple got more anxious(焦虑的). 

After Erin went for sleep, Mrs. Joe counted the presents immediately. "I'm not sure if we've lost anything," she doubted.

"He must have taken something," claimed Mr. Joe angrily. "The awful pig hasn't brought us a present. How dare he take anything from us?"

"Let's go through his bag late at night," Mrs. Joe suggested.

The search was a short one. They found a silk scarf carefully placed in the bag. Mrs. Joe quickly picked it up and put it into her pocket. 

The next morning, Erin was late for breakfast. "Something's been taken out of my bag," he said. "It was a present I had prepared for your silver wedding, only it happened to be a scarf. You seemed annoyed at having so many, so I thought I'd get it changed, but now it's gone."

The couple turned deadly pale. Mrs. Joe ran to the living room and surprisingly, she found their seven scarves were still there.  ▲ . 

Mrs. Joe returned with Erin's scarf. "This one is yours," she went on. "It's an unpleasant thing to say ... Actually, we took it last night. It all started because there were some unkind words about you. It's really shameful to go through your bag without asking."

Erin's eyes widened as he was listening. Mrs. Joe handed the scarf to Erin.

"Please take your scarf back, It's unfair to you. Really hope you can forgive(原谅) us for everything we did," Mr. Joe said.

Erin refused the scarf with a smile. "It has always been for you. Please keep it. Just want you to know that people change."

We welcome you aboard Air China Flight and will do our best to make your trip comfortable and enjoyable.

To begin the trip, we would like to draw your attention to some safety. Seat belts must remain fastened while the "Fasten seat-belts" sign is on. It is advisable to keep them fastened at all times while seated. All flights are non-smoking. The use of mobile telephones is now allowed when the airplane is on the ground and "the fasten seat-belts" sign is turned off. During the flight the use of CD and DVD players is now allowed.

To help you enjoy your trip, we provide newspapers and magazines. On our MD-11 and Boeing aircraft, we are also pleased to provide music and video programs. On Air-bus A321/320/319, aircraft route maps and short videos are shown. 

Special reading material is provided for children and on longer flights there are also video programs for them. On long-distance flights, first-time flyers between the ages of 2 and 15 can join our Kid Club.

During most flights we serve you a tasty meal with drinks. Beer, wine and other drinks are served free of charge. Coffee, tea and juice are served free of charge on all flights of over 35 minutes. 

In this magazine you'll find a special form for your comments about our service. Kindly return the form to our crew or any Air-China office. You can also fax it ( + 358- (0)89819- 7729) or send your comments by e-mail to feedback @airchina.com. We are pleased to answer your questions during the flight whenever possible.

A few weeks ago, I found a perfect pair of shoes waiting for me at the store. They were green, blue and white, with just the right style. I could actually hear them calling 1 — "Leila, Leila, Leila!"

"Mom!" I pointed at the 2 shoes. "Those are exactly the ones I need! Can I3 them? Please?"

"Let's see how 4 they are," said Mom. My heart broke when we saw the5 —$100! I knew Mom would6 buy them.

"I only have $25," I 7 what I was going to do.

8 was surely here. The days were cooler, and the leaves were falling from the trees. I was looking out of the window one afternoon, watching the leaves 9  in the yard.Suddenly I got an idea. I rushed downstairs.

"Mom," I called into the living room. "I think I know10 I can make money to buy those shoes!"

Mom looked up from her book. "And how's that, Leila?"

"People want their yards clean and tidy. I can clean up leaves for them."

A smile slowly spread across Mom's face. "Now that's a good11 !"

Each week, I12 leaves in people's yards and put them in waste bins. It took five________weeks of hard work. I didn't stop working 13 I got blisters(水疱) on my hands. My coats and trousers got dirty, but I didn't 14 . As time went by, I was getting closer to my goal(目标). In the end, I got enough money.

I finally had the exact15 I wanted!

On a sunny day last January, people got together at a parking lot in Las Vegas to see small cars that looked more like colorful eggs than common cars. These cars (call) the EN-V. They use electricity, run on two wheels instead four and hold only two passengers. People don't need to worry they can park such small cars or not. They can park (them). So far, the company (build) another electric car named Lean Machine, too. , different from EN-V, it has three small wheels and only one seat.

        Scientists are finding new ways to make cars (safe) and smarter. New cars may care about your health by reminding you (take) medicine. They will  help drivers watch out for other drivers and reduce traffic accidents on the street. One day, such small electric cars might carry people around, (especial) in crowded cities.

Dear John,

Yours,

Li Ping