浙江省台州市临海市第六教研区2023-2024学年八年级上学...

My mother once asked me, "What is the most important part of the body?" When I was young, I thought1 was very important to us, so I said, "My ears. Mommy." She said, "No. Many people are deaf(聋的) but still live a(an) 2 life. Keep thinking and I will ask you again."

Several years passed before she3 me again.This time I told her, "Mommy Sight(视力)is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes."She 4 me and told me,"You are learning fast, but the answer is not right. Many people are blind(瞎的), 5 they still live happily." Over the years, Mother asked me many times and always 6 answer was, "No, but you are getting cleverer every year, my dear."

Then last year, my grandpa7 . Everybody was crying(哭). When it was our 8  

to say our goodbye to him, my mother asked me, "Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?" I was 9 when she asked me this. I always thought this was a game 10

her and me. I saw her eyes with tears. She said, "My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder(肩膀)."I asked, "Is it because it holds up(撑起) my11 ?"She answered, "No,it is because it can hold the head of a friend 12 he or she cries. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear. I only hope that you have more 13 and friends, so you will 14 have a shoulder to cry on when you need it."At that time, I 15 what the most important body part is.

SOURCES: GENERAL ADMINISTRATION OF SPORT OF CHINA, GUANGDONG DAILY, CHINA YOUTH DAILY.

Here comes autumn! It is the third season of the year. In China, autumn arrives around September. It is still a little warm, but it gets colder and colder. The days also get shorter and shorter. The leaves on the trees begin to turn yellow and red. The air is fresh. It's a great season for kids to play outside. What do children do in autumn in different countries?

In China, students often have an autumn picnic. Usually, they go to an amusement park（游乐场）or out into nature. For example, kids in Shenzhen like to climb mountains in Nanshan. Most children also like to play games with their classmates, like soccer.

Japanese students often go hiking with their parents or classmates when the leaves are red and yellow. It is a perfect way to get exercise. Mountain climbing in nice weather is also a good choice.

For most children in the US, biking is a good autumn activity. Take a mountain bike ride and you can find new roads. Playing in leaf piles(堆) is popular, too. Kids jump onto a leaf pile. They are happy to see the colorful leaves fly all around. They also make leaf rain. It's all a lot of fun.

In the UK, school kids love to camp outside with their parents. They make food over the fire and tell ghost stories.

Spud Webb was born in Texas,the USA,in 1963. He was very small - much smaller than the other kids at school. But he had a big dream - he wanted to play in the NBA.

In middle school, Spud tried out for the school team, but "no" was the answer he got at first because he was too small. ▲ When he finally got the chance(机会), he got 20 points in his first game. From then on,he was the star of the team.

In high school, Spud often had to sit in the stands because of his height. But he practiced even harder and got the teacher to change(改变) his idea. Spud went on to be the head of the team. In his last year of high school, he was named Player of the Year in Texas.

Unluckily, no university(大学) would invite him to play basketball just because he was only 170cm tall. He decided to play at a junior college(大专).There his team got the national championship(冠军). This made him successfully get into North Carolina State University.   

Spud was a great player at university, but the NBA was not interested in him because all its players were more than 20cm taller than he was. After he left school, he was made to play in another basketball team. He stayed there for about a year before the NBA took notice of him. In1985, he joined the NBA as the shortest player at that time. He has many great performances, but his most wonderful moment came in 1986 - he won the Slam Dunk Contest.

 Spud Webb worked really hard and he showed that the body size does not matter. You can do almost anything if you never give up.

①Tomatoes taste great. With a lot of vitamins, they are good for you, too! People all over the world enjoy this amazing fruit.

②Not all tomatoes are red. They can be yellow, orange, pink, or white. All tomatoes are green before they are ready to be picked. Then the tomatoes turn their true color. That's when they're ready to eat!

③Tomatoes first grew in the Americas. The Incas(印加人) grew them over 1,000 years ago. They were brought to Europe(欧洲) in the early 16th century. The people in Spain and Italy seem to be the first Europeans to accept them as food. In France, people grew tomatoes in the garden just to enjoy their beauty. Many people there thought tomatoes would make them sick. It was years before some of them would eat tomatoes.

④Tomatoes are fruits. They grow from seeds. They won't grow in cold weather. But with water, sunlight and warmth, tomatoes grow fast. They can grow in pots or in the ground. As the plant grows taller, people may tie it to a stick. Then the flowers come out and turn into fruit. Some kinds of tomatoes can be picked in about six more weeks. Some tomatoes are large. One kind of tomato can weigh as much as two pounds.

⑤You can eat raw(生的) tomatoes. First, wash them. Then, cut them up for salads or sandwiches.Tomatoes can be cooked, too. They can be boiled or even fried. Do you use ketchup (番茄酱)? It is made from tomatoes. Tomatoes don't have a smell. But they taste great in foods. Many dishes around the world use tomatoes.

All clever people know that it takes some time to improve (提高) your life. This doesn't mean that you can't make small changes to make your life better in a few weeks or in a few days! Here is what you can do.

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Some people feel very busy every day. They have to go to the crowded situation. They have to have busy work. But when you get up early, you will find few people and when you get on the bus, you will find it is almost empty. 

. 

We always become so worried, because we are busy and may forget some important things. When you write down a plan, you start feeling more comfortable about your future and you will worry less in your life. 

. 

I know that some habits take a lot of time to change. But what about some simple habits if you can change at once? When you change a bad habit, your life will become better. 

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Do you know that unhealthy food can make you feel unhappy? Once you start eating healthy food, your health will be better and your life will be better, too. 

. 

Did you fight with someone lately? If so, call him or her and say sorry. Not only will you make him or her happy but you will also feel better. 

Just as you see, simple things can help you live a better life, so you can use these simple advice to improve your life.

Dear Susan,

How are you？You told me you wanted to make friends with one of my (同班同学). I think my best friend, Nancy, is friendly (足够的). I am two years older than her. (然而), she is taller than me. She is (辛勤的). Last month, she (赢得)the English speaking competition. The (奖品)is an English storybook. She (分享)it with me when she got it. She likes to eat (新鲜的)fruit and she runs every day.It's good for her (头脑)and body. She usually goes to Blue Moon to buy clothes, because she can buy pretty clothes (便宜地)there. She really likes shopping there.

Yours, 

Li Hua. 

My grandma was over 70 years old. She was a nice woman white hair and few teeth. Her memory(记忆) was the (bad) in our family. She often forgot where she kept things. Sometimes, she even forgot how many meals she had a day. 

My grandma was very old, but she took her dance (serious). She was very talented in (dance). When she was young, my grandma was one of the 

(win) in the dance competition. Some young people hoped (learn) to dance well like her. They thought she danced the most beautifully of all. We were very happy about my grandma's talent  she could get some exercise through it.

 We were poor but we (give) everything good to my grandma. We did our best to look after (she). We hoped she could have  happy life.

Dear Zhang Mingming, 

I'm glad to be you new pen pal. Do you have some other friends? Are you the same or different? And when you were free, did you go for a vacation together? Would you like to share something about your friends.

Looking forward to your reply.

Tim.