江西省南昌市2023-2024学年九年级下学期第一次学习效果检测英语

——It ____be him. He has gone to Beijing with his parents.

——Yes, I had the test ____.

One bright morning, I was out for my usual run when I met an elderly lady who was waving her phone at me and speaking in a language I couldn't understand. It sounded like she was 1  a hurry to get somewhere. I quickly 2  that she was lost and couldn't speak any English.

She showed me some map screenshots(屏幕截图) on her phone,3  I had no clue how to read them. So I quickly downloaded a translation app(翻译软件) and we used 4  to communicate. She spoke into the microphone(麦克风) in her language and it 5  her words into English for me to understand. I typed my responses and we were 6  to communicate!

We 7  figured out that she needed to get home, which was a long walk away. She didn't want to use any 8  , so I walked with her to a bus stop where she could call her daughter for a ride. As we 9  , we laughed and joked, even though we couldn't understand each other's language. It was a pretty 10  experience!

The elderly lady was very 11  for my help and kept thanking me for my time. I had to keep 12  her that it was no trouble at all and that I was happy to help. It was amazing how just a small act of kindness made such a big 13  to her.

Finally, we 14  the bus stop and she made her call. We said our goodbyes and she gave me a heartwarming 15  that made me believe in the goodness of humanity. Even though we used technology to communicate, it was lucky that we could help each other out and not be stopped by our different languages.

Water is the softest thing in nature, but Lao Zi really admired it. The gentleness of water does not mean weakness, but rather it  a spirit of perseverance(毅力) and determination (决心). Compared to those hard  , water is gentle.  , with continued efforts over time, even water droplets(水滴) can break through hard rocks. Water reminds  that once we have chosen our goal, we need to stick to our plan.

So, if you are the weaker one, don't be  . You should  on what you are doing and never give up. And if you are the stronger one, don't be too proud because anyone weaker than you still has a chance  you. King Goujian of Yue gave up his  to meet the unreasonable demands(无理的要求) of Fuchai, the king of Wu, and later defeated Wu. In another example,Emperor Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty avoided fighting Xiang Yu  . Instead, he built up his  over time and defeated Xiang Yu's army in one final war. These people show us that in order to succeed, we should keep a  attitude. We need to think wisely about the balance of power,and stay focused on our goals.

How fast can someone climb 15 meters——the height of a five-floor building? The answer from Chinese speed climber Cao Long is 4.98 seconds.

The 23-year-old climber is the third person to have finished the speed climbing route(竞速攀岩路线) within 5 seconds. The other two are Indonesian athletes Kiromal Katibin and Veddri q Leonardo. The records of Katibin and Leonardo are 5 seconds and 4.90 seconds. People call Cao"the fastest man in China"or"Chinese Spider-Man".

According to Cao, the result of speed climbing can change every time because it's a highly stressful race where two climbers compete at the same time. It's also a sport that finishes in seconds. If you want to succeed, everything has to be perfect.

Cao tried climbing at the age of 8. Like many kids who first got into climbing, Cao was mainly doing bouldering(抱石) and lead climbing(先锋攀岩). He was doing very well. However, he got injured and had a surgery(手术) at the age of 18. He then decided to try speed climbing because it uses different skills from bouldering and lead climbing and puts less pressure on his body.

It turned out that Cao was great at speed climbing as well, even though he thinks he is hardly the strongest athlete. He understands how to use his body to win."I know how to better divide power to different parts of my body," Cao said.

In his eyes, the national record of 4.98 seconds has become a thing of the past."I'll keep trying to do better and be better," said Cao.

What's your dream neighborhood like? Recently, forty communities have been chosen as the coolest neighborhoods in the world in 2023. TimeOut, the magazine that has been hosting this event for six years, considers sides like community projects, green spaces, and lively streets.

At the top of the list is Laureles from Colombia. There's a famous street called La 70 where all the bars and restaurants turn into dance floors when the right music plays. It also has a big soccer gym. You might think this community is quite noisy. But in fact, Laureles is known for being a relaxing neighbor-hood. Outside of La 70, you can find peaceful parks, streets with lots of trees and many cafes.

If Laureles is a mix of both noise and peace, then Sheung Wan(上环) in Hong Kong, China, is the perfect mix of the past and the present.Once known for its funeral services(丧葬服务), Sheung Wan has become an exciting place. You'll find old temples and dried seafood shops there. And right beside them, there are cool art galleries (画廊), Melbourne-style cafes and stores for designer clothes. Here, you'll see citywalkers hanging out with their pets in cafes, and older people visiting cheap markets.

As seen in Laureles and Sheung Wan, in 2023, our communities are becoming more global than ever. There's a rise in culture centers with many uses, new community spaces, and cafes. How-ever, with all these changes, our neighborhoods still feel like home because places like old farmers'markets and stores remain. Looking ahead, we expect even more exciting neighborhoods!

Science shows why we trust people who are confident. Imagine this: one person tells a lie confidently, while another says something true in a hesitant voice. Which person would you trust?

According to British scientist Dean Burnett, humans are far more likely to believe information expressed confidently by a confident person or in some other ways using confident language.

"Humans trusting confident people over those who are more uncertain is a known thing,"wrote Burnett for Science Focus magazine."When two people are trying to make a decision but each person says different things, confidently expressed arguments are seen as passing on better information,which decides the decision."

Why is this the case? As Burnett said, humans are social animals. In our ancient past, most of our information about the world came from our tribe(部落), in other words, the people around us.So, if ancient humans heard someone confidently saying"There's a tiger coming", believing what that person said could save our lives.

On a more personal level, we use our own experiences to understand what other people do and say. That's how our brain works. When we are confident, it's for good reason. Therefore, we believe that when someone else is being confident, they must have good reason, too.

However, we need to realize that confidently expressed information may be more persuasive (有说服力的), but that doesn't mean it's correct. As Burnett wrote, we are living in a more and more different world. Trusting very confident people without checking the facts can lead to "unexpected results".

The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, was officially listed as a UN floating holiday in its calendar of conferences(会议) and meetings on December 22th, 2023. About one-fifth of humanity(人类) celebrates this festival in different ways.

The first day of the first lunar month is Spring Festival, the beginning of a new year for China.It is China's biggest day for family reunion. It is usually a fifteen-day celebration. The clean-ing of the home is thought to sweep away bad luck from the previous(先前的) year and bring good luck for the coming year. The color red is everywhere during the Spring Festival. They decorate(装饰) their homes with pieces of red paper. People wear red, too. 

On New Year's Eve, the family members get together and have a big meal. We often eat dumplings. At midnight, fireworks(烟花) are let off to welcome the New Year. The whole country bursts with the thundering(雷鸣般的) joyful noise of fire crackers(鞭炮) as every family joins. Gifts are exchanged and older people give younger ones hongbao, often called "lucky money". They think it brings good luck.

 It's the Lantern Festival. A popular activity at the Lantern Festival is the guessing of riddles(谜语), which are written on paper and placed on the lantern. Families will also light lanterns, which symbolize the brightness of spring.

A. They think red will bring them a bright future.

B. Lanterns in different shapes and sizes are seen everywhere.

C. Many countries list the Spring Festival as a national holiday.

D. The end of the Spring Festival is marked on the fifteenth day.

E. Days before the Spring Festival, families will clean their houses.

F. Don't borrow or lend money on Spring Festival.

G. The first days of the Spring Festival are spent visiting family and friends.

(Frank, a student from the US studying in Jiangxi Province, is talking with his friend Dale on the phone. Frank = F, Dale = D)

F: Hello. May I speak to Dale, please?

D: Hello. This is Dale speaking.

F: Hi, Dale. This is Frank. I miss you so much.

D: Me too.  How is it going?

F:Pretty good. People here are very friendly and there are many places of interest. Yesterday,I went to Tengwang Pavilion(滕王阁) with my classmates. It's one of the most famous ancient buildings in China.

D: That's cool.

F: It's just 30 minutes' walk from our school.

D:

F: It was built during the Tang Dynasty. Many poets have left behind their poems and songs here.

D: Unbelievable!

F:Yes, it's great. Jiangxi is a province which is rich in nature and history.

D: Oh, I can't wait to travel to Jiangxi.

F: No problem. We can also go to many other beautiful places in Jiangxi, such as Sanqing Mountain and Wangxian Valley, etc. They are worth visiting.

D: Great! I'm sure I will have a wonderful time then.

要求：1.短文应包括表格中所有的写作要点，条理清楚，行文连贯，可适当发挥；2.短文中不能出现真实的人名和地名；3.词数80-120，短文开头及结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

Dear teachers and schoolmates,

I'm Li Hua. It's my honor to stand here and make a speech. 

That's all. Thank you for your listening.

Yours,

Li Hua