D.Living in greener neighborhoods benefits children in brain development.
D
We often reach a point in our life when we should be ready for change that will help us unlock our self-improvement power. However, there’s always something staring at us right under our nose but we don’t see it. The only time we think of unlocking our self-improvement power is when everything gets worst.
When do we realize that we need to change diets When none of our shirts and jeans would fit us. When do we stop eating candies and chocolates When all of our teeth have fallen off. When do we realize that we need to stop smoking When our lungs have gone bad. We see the warning signs and signals when things get rough and difficult.
The only time most of us ever learn about unlocking our self-improvement power is when the whole world is falling apart. We think and feel this way because it is not easy to change, but change becomes more painful when we ignore(忽视）it，
Change will happen, like it or hate it. At one point or another, we are all going to finally unlock our self-improvement power not because the world says so. But because we realize it’s for our own good.
Happy people don’t just accept change; they embrace (拥抱）it. Unlocking our self-improvement power means unlocking ourselves out of the box of thought that is just the way we are. It is such a poor excuse for people who fear change.
Jane always tells everyone that she doesn’t have the courage to be around groups of people. She heard her family tell the same things about her to other people. Over the years, that is what Jane has believed. Every time a great crowd come, she steps back and locks herself up in a room. Jane not only believes in her story, but lives it!
Self-improvement may not be everybody’s favorite word, but if we look at things in a different way, we might have greater chances of enjoying the whole process instead of counting the days until we are fully improved. Three sessions in a week at the gym would result in a healthier life. Reading books every day would build up knowledge. And only when we are enjoying the whole process of unlocking our self-improvement power will we realize that we re beginning to take things light and become happy.
30.The writer mentions the three questions in Paragraph 2 to show that A. we learn our lessons when we experience pain. B. we are responsible for the problems we meet.
C. life fails us when we get into the wrong way. D. life is a long journey full of ups and downs. 31. What is the key to solving Jane’ s problem A. She needs to remember why she started. B. She has to know how to get on with people. C. She has to realize she is not what she is in her story. D. She needs to understand the importance of confidence.
writer probably agrees that.
A. the world tells us how to improve ourselves. B. people change when they find it easy to do that. C. welcoming change in life is a drive to become better. D.enjoying the process of self-improvement makes life simpler.
33.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage A. Is it important to take things light B. Is it necessary to embrace challenges C. To hold on to the last moment or to give up D. To free ourselves out of the box or to stay in it
四、阅读短文，根据短文内容回答问题.（共10分，每小题2分）
When it comes to the letter grade on your test or homework,
you might
notice that there is no letter E. Have you ever thought about why that is so
In the A, B, C, D and F grading system, the first four letters are typically considered passing grades.
An F in this system simply stands for “fail” . The word “fail” happens to start with the letter F, which seems to leave out the letter E. The fact”. Some schools have U grade for “unsatisfactory”，or I grade for “incomplete”.
Even with all this said, we should also point out that E grade actually has been used pretty commonly throughout the history of lettergrades in the US.
The first college in the US to use a letter grading system like the ones we use today is Mount Holyoke College. In 1897，they began to use the following grading scale:
A: 95-100%(excellent) B: 85-94%(good) C: 76-84%(fair) D: 75%(barely passed) E: below 75%(failed)
We can see the inclusion of E instead of F.
Gradually, the letter grading system became more popular throughout the US.
However, many schools decided to drop the E grade and go straight to F. There is no evidence (证据)to really support this, but one possible explanation is that teachers were worried that some students and parents might mistake E for “excellent” .
Why do we have letter grades Well, part of the reason is that they made grading simpler during a time of great change for schools. As the 20th century began, growing cities and an increase in immigration led to larger school classrooms. Most teachers at that time thought this new letter grading system was an easy, fair and clear way to grade students.
Today, more and more people argue that letter grades don t fully reflect (反映）student learning。 However, as teachers try to improve grading methods, many parents continue to favor the letter grades they got as kids, they are familiar(熟悉）and easy for parents to understand. So while they might not be perfect, the letter grades probably aren’t going away any time soon.
34. what does an F stand for in the A、B、C、D and F grading system 35. when was the letter grading system first used in the US college 36. what is one possible explanation for dropping the E grade
37.what did most teachers think of the letter grading system in the 20th century 38. why do many parents still prefer the letter grades today
书面表达（共10分）
五、文段表达(10分）
39.从下面两个题目中任选一题，根据中文和英文提示，完成一篇不少于50词的文段写作，文中已给出内容不 计入总数.所给提示词语仅供选用，请不要写出你的校名和姓名。
题目一：
假如你是李华，你们学校要举办一场关于京剧的讲座，你打算邀请你们班交换生Peter参加，请用英语写一封 电子邮件，告诉他讲座时间和地点以及需要做什么准备。
提示词语：lecture (讲座）,invite, information, question, online 提示问题：When and where will you have the lecture
what do you advise Peter to prepare for it
Dear peter, How is it going There’ll be a lecture on Peking Opera in our school. If there is anything that I can do, please let me know. Yours, LiHua
题目二：
“静以修身，俭以养德”，勤俭节约是中华民族的传统美德，无论生活富足与否，我们都应该提倡节俭，拒绝
某英文网站在开展以“节约是美德”为主题的征文活动，假如你是李华，请用英语写一篇短文投稿.谈谈生活 中你是怎么做的，以这样做的意义。 提示词语：thrifty (节约的） save, turn off. money, virtue (美德） 提示问题：What do you do in your daily life
why do you do so
It’ s one of our traditional virtues to be thrifty..
2018北京中考英语答案
1 C 2 A 3 B 4 D 5 C 6 D 7 B 8 A 9 C 10 B 11 D 12 A 一、 二、 13 A 14 C 15 B 16 D 17 C A 单项填空 完形填空 18 19 D 20 B 三、 21 D 22 B 23 C 24 A 25 B 26 D 27 A 28 B 29 D 阅读理解 30 A 31 C 32 C 33 D
四、阅读短文回答问题 stands for “fail” 1897
36.Teachers were worried that some students and parents might mistake E for “excellent，，
37.They thought this new letter grading system was an easy fair and clear way to grade students
38.Because the letter grades are familiar and easy for parents to understand
五、文段表达 题目1:
Dear Peter How is it going
There’ll be a lecture on Peking opera inour school. The Peking opera will start at 10:00 this Friday morning in the school hall. I am writing to invite you to take part in the meaningful lecture.
In the lecture，we can not only get some useful information about the Peking opera ，but also get close to the traditional Chinese culture, which can benefit us a lot.
There are some suggestions for you to prepare for it. First of all,
remember to be there on time, what’s more, don’t forget to bring a camera withyou，which can record the precious moment, last but not least,it’s a golden chancefor you to come up with some questions that you are willing to learn about. If there is anything that I can do please let me know. Yours, Li Hua
题目2:
It’s one of our traditional virtues to be thrifty Being thrifty is a good virtue which has been passed down from generation to generation . It’s a good idea to start on in our daily life.
First of all，I constantly check the lights and the taps to make sure that they are off when leaving the house，Besides, never have I wasted any food, what’s more, I don’t spend too much money on unnecessary things and save money regularly.
The reason why I do so is that I want to make a difference to my life, As the old saving goes, “Waste not, want not，，I make up my mind to be thrifty as much as possible. I think everyone should take actions to stick to this virtue.
2018年北京中考英语试题及答案
