浙江省杭州市上城区2023-2024学年九年级上学期期末学业水平监测英语试题

When I was in the third grade, I watched a video that showed the discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb (陵墓). I remember Carter, one of the characters in the video, going through a narrow hole in the tomb with a candle. A workman asked what he could see. "Wonderful things!" Carter said. From that moment, I knew what I wanted to do with my life.

So I decided what I wanted to be at the age of nine, and I made it happen. Seems easy, right? Not quite! The road wasn't easy. I did my studies—university, then a PhD (博士). But along the way I was told many things, " Shawki was too young and she had no experience. She should get married and have kids". I also needed money, so I applied for grants (申请补助金) . The first five replies I got said no. Six months later the last reply came and I was excited about it. Finally, I could start my own digging.

Today, I'm lucky to work as an archeologist (考古学家) . I study the lives of people who lived in Egypt's Nile Delta. It's exciting work. Sometimes you find something that was buried three thousand years ago. Holding a piece of history is an amazing feeling.

For anyone thinking about a job, I would say: Never give up. If you want to do something, keep trying. If people tell you "no", use that-it will push you. At the beginning, it hurts. But the next "no" hurts a little less. It makes you stronger and actually helps you.

Second, focus on your goals. You don't have to follow other people. If they say something has never been done, make it happen. You may be the first to do it! There are always challenges, but you overcome them in the end.

There's a new band in town. They're playing a traditional style of Mexican music called "mariachi". Before meeting this new band, let's step back in time.

Mariachi music started hundreds of years ago, but the traditional style we see today began in the nineteenth century. Groups of farmers played together. Their instruments included traditional violins and different kinds of classical guitars. The smaller guitars played the higher notes, and a traditional bass guitar played the lower ones. They had trumpets (小号)，too. The music was often loud, happy and exciting, but it could also be quiet and romantic. The musicians wore traditional suits with silver buttons and a wide Mexican hat.

The mariachi played and danced at celebrations such as birthdays and weddings. As people from Mexico moved around the world, the mariachi tradition spread, too. In the past, mariachi bands were always men and they always sang in Spanish.

Today, there's an all-woman mariachi band in New York, the USA. Some of the women have Mexican or Puerto Rican families, but others do not. So the band sometimes sing in Spanish and sometimes in English. They sing traditional songs, but they also sing modern songs in a mariachi style. They still dress in traditional mariachi suits. The band is building on the mariachi tradition and making mariachi music to fit today's modern world.

Welcome to life in the future! You are 60 years old now. But recently you've had a new anti-aging treatment(治疗). Looking into the mirror, you seem like a 30-year-old lady. How magic! People could live to be 120, and being 60 is not old at all!

Science has also found amazing ways to keep people healthy. Nanotechnology (纳米技术)can help cure(治愈) many illnesses, including cancer. And if any part of your body is unhealthy, you can grow a new one in a lab.

As you get dressed, you say to your shirt, "Turn red." It becomes red. In 2045, "smart" clothes contain nanoparticles that carry electricity. So you can program clothes to change colors or designs.

On the way to the kitchen, you want to call a friend. Your cell phone is by the window because it gets its energy from the sun. But you don't need to pick up the phone. You can just touch your jacket to make the call.

It's breakfast time. You reach for the milk, but a voice says, " Don't drink that! "Your fridge knows the milk is old, and tells the supermarket to replace it. Ten minutes later, it's sent by a drone (无人机).

As you leave for work, ____▲____. Your home goes into "sleep" mode (模式) to save energy. In 2045, cars drive themselves, so you just tell your driverless car where you want to go.

Will all this come true? Perhaps the future is much closer than we think.

Writing Tips for English Learners

Are you good at writing? Do you have any trouble writing articles? Here are some tips to develop your writing skills.

Read as much as possible before writing. And finding something enjoyable to read is a better choice. You shouldn't look up the words very often. Start with low level articles and the topics you know.

Gather your thoughts, ideas and opinions before producing a piece of text. Think over and try to make your own opinions from your readings. It's very important.

Tidy writing makes an easier reading. Show people that you care about your readers by using capital letters, punctuation (标点) and paragraphs.

If you translate, you will probably use the wrong verb tenses or the wrong sentence structures. Try to think in English when writing.

If possible, give your writing time to breathe. Read it again slowly and carefully before handing it in, to check if there're still some mistakes.

When I was young, we didn't have a Christmas tree. My mother said that we weren't going to have one1 we couldn't afford it.

About three days before Christmas, I was out collecting my pocket money from my neighbor. It was2 and very cold. I went to the apartment building to meet the lady who owed (欠) me seven dollars. She3 me in and not only did she pay me, she also gave me a dollar tip! It was a surprise for me—I now had4 whole dollars.

On the way home, I walked past a Christmas tree5 and an idea hit me. I wanted to buy a Christmas tree! I didn't really want to spend all my money, but the tree was so6 that I didn't control myself.

I dragged (拖) the tree all the way home. The snow was much heavier, but I didn't7 . You can't imagine how proud and8 I was. When I got home, I asked Mom to come to the front door and I9 the lights on the tree.

"Where did you get that tree?" my mother cried in surprise. "I bought it up on Main Street." I said, trying to control my excitement. "10 did you get the money?" Her tone (语调) was quite different. "From my pocket money." I explained. "So you spent all11 money on this tree?" she shouted.

Without waiting for my answer, she went into her bedroom12 . I just stood there, feeling awful and began to13 .

Years later, I truly understood my mother. My family was really poor at that time. In her eyes, it was a waste to buy such a tree. What she14 only was to give us a more comfortable life. Now I had my own family. And I knew the15 of supporting a family. Though there were no Christmas trees, it was best to stay with family.

It's widely believed that Chinese is one of the most difficult languages in the world. For one thing, Chinese has (thousand) of characters. And its writing system (系统) is also one of the main challenges to all Chinese learners. More importantly, the language has different tones (音调)， so how you speak a word can (complete) change its meaning. For example, "ma" with the first Chinese tone means "mom", with the third tone, "ma", it means "horse".

However, according to the Ministry of Education in China, the Chinese language learning is available in more than 180 countries and areas around the world. 76 countries have included the Chinese language in their national education systems and nearly 200 million people (receive) Chinese language training for years.

With so many interesting foreign languages to learn, do they choose Chinese? For one reason, China (play) an important role in the world events. Learning Chinese may help one find a good job. Also, China has long history with rich culture and its cooking styles have influenced its neighbors and the West. Knowing the language also makes traveling around China (easy) and more enjoyable.

As for learning Chinese, there is no magic way. Just spend time practicing it. Listen and speak as often possible. Listen to Chinese music and watch Chinese movies and shows. Try (speak) with native (本地的) Chinese speakers, read traditional Chinese stories to understand its culture, or try reading a Chinese newspaper.

If you park your car in the wrong place, a traffic policeman will soon find it. You will be very if he lets you go without a ticket. However, this does not always happen.

Traffic police sometimes work very carefully and . During a holiday in London, I found a on my car window, which read: "Sir, welcome to our city. This is a 'No ' area. You will enjoy your stay here you pay attention to our street signs."

This note is only a reminder. If you receive a request like this, you will have to follow it!

注意：1. 文中不得出现真实的个人信息；2. 请在表中三项内容中选写两项，并添加一项相关内容：3. 词数80-100个。

Dear Steven,

How is it going?

Yours,

Li Hua