Unit 2 Amazing numbers阅读思维训练-2025-2026学年沪教版英语（2024）八年级上册

八年级上阅读思维训练 Unit 2 Amazing numbers 语法选择：Words: about 270 Time: 7minutes 难易度 ★★★☆☆ Sudoku is a highly complex (复杂的) mental game. The task of __1__ numbers requires a lot of effort that has many benefits for the brain. The game originated in Switzerland in the 18th century, __2__ it became popular after it arrived in Japan. This game requires you to fill in __3__ grid of 9 by 9 cells with numbers from 1 to 9. Puzzles are presented with __4__ numbers randomly (随机地) filled in, which are known as given digits or clues. Playing it is very straightforward, although there are Sudokus of different levels of difficulty. The game __5__ on numbers, but you don’t need to have the best maths skills in the world to start practising it. With practice, you __6__ slowly build up your skills. Logical thinking is the ability __7__ your surroundings and the relationships or differences between actions, objects, or facts. According to some studies, games __8__ Sudoku involve curious mathematical problems that stimulate (促进) logical thinking. Besides, Sudoku improves concentration (专注). Concentration is almost the key to __9__ completing the game. You have to avoid repeating numbers or placing __10__ incorrectly. Research has shown that Sudoku is one of the best teaching __11__ practised in classrooms to increase students’ attention and concentration. What’s __12__, Sudoku also helps reduce stress. Board games or mentally demanding games such as Sudoku are usually very relaxing. As such, if you’ve had a stressful day, __13__ 10 minutes to do a simple Sudoku can help clear your mind and activate it __14__ you can return to work recharged. Can you imagine how sharp you will be if you start completing Sudokus from now on? In addition to improving your brain function, it __15__ your quality of life. ( )1. A. order B. ordering C. to order D. ordered ( )2. A. as B. or C. but D. so ( )3. A. a B. an C. the D. / ( )4. A. some B. any C. few D. little ( )5. A. bases B. based C. is based D. base ( )6. A. must B. should C. need D. can ( )7. A. understand B. understanding C. to understand D. understood ( )8. A. in B. like C. on D. for ( )9. A. succeed B. success C. successful D. successfully ( )10. A. them B. their C. theirs D. themselves ( )11. A. activity B. activities C. activity’s D. activities’ ( )12. A. much B. many C. more D. most ( )13. A. take B. taking C. took D. takes ( )14. A. so that B. if C. when D. because ( )15. A. improve B. improved C. is improving D. will improve 完形填空：Words: about 270 Time: 7 minutes 难易度 ★★★☆☆ A surprising new study has revealed crows (乌鸦) can count out loud. And they may even have the same numeracy __1__ as human babies. The researchers published their findings in the journal Science on 23 May 2024. Many studies have shown that animals, including honeybees, frogs and ants, have a numerical sense. Yet none of these __2__ enough evidence that animals share humans’ability to count out loud. To look for stronger evidence, the researchers turned to carrion crows, a(n) __3__ choice for the test because of their wonderful vocal abilities and understanding of complex mathematical concepts (概念) such as zero. In the new study, the researchers presented three crows with randomly __4__ visual and auditory stimuli (刺激物)—the visual being Arabic numerals and the auditory cue (提示) being the sounds of different instruments. Through trial and error, the birds learnt that each cue __5__ a set number of caws between one and four. After crowing the vocalizations out, the birds were trained to show they had finished. If the crows gave the right number of caws, they got a __6__ —a bird pellet or a live mealworm. Once trained, the counting crows gave the matching number of caws to the cues at a rate higher than chance. Even when the crows gave wrong __7__, they were often mistakes made between numbers that were __8__ close together (such as three and four) rather than further apart (like one and four). The researchers say that the birds’counting skills are __9__ those of human toddlers, who often count based on vocalizations of numbers rather than using numbers themselves.“This ability of crows also __10__ how human babies learn to count before they can understand cardinal number words,”the scientists wrote. ( ) 1. A. systems B. skills C. challenges D. discoveries ( ) 2. A. describes B. increases C. provides D. receives ( ) 3. A. active B. promising C. original D. regular ( ) 4. A. organized B. recorded C. awarded D. compared ( ) 5. A. checked B. explained C. counted D. represented ( ) 6. A. prize B. rule C. voice D. pattern ( ) 7. A. symbols B. schedules C. answers D. solutions ( ) 8. A. completely B. exactly C. sharply D. extremely ( ) 9. A. similar to B. good for C. happy with D. full of ( ) 10. A. explores B. influences C. reflects D. follows 阅读理解 A Words: about 320 Time: 9 minutes 难易度 ★★★☆☆ China is making active efforts to help people manage their weight and lead healthier lives. The government has stated a three-year“Weight Management Year”programme from 2024 to 2026 to fight against obesity (肥胖), which can lead to serious health illnesses. Here’s what you should know about the latest instructions. Firstly, it’s necessary to know your Body Mass Index (BMI). The formula for BMI is: BMI=weight (kg)/[height (m)]2. For adults, a healthy BMI is from 18.5 to 24. If your BMI is between 24 and 28, you are overweight; a BMI of 28 or higher is considered as obesity. Making smart food choices is essential. A balanced diet should include whole grains like brown rice, fresh vegetables, and high-protein foods such as fish, chicken, or beans. Keep away from fried foods and high-sugar snacks, and also reduce your salt and oil intake. When it comes to exercise, you are advised to do sports like walking, cycling, or dancing for 150 to 300 minutes each week, plus strength exercises twice a week. If you find yourself sitting for a few hours while studying, make sure to stand up and stretch for 3 to 5 minutes every hour. In addition to diet and exercise, small daily habits also contribute to overall health.Teens should get at least 8 hours of sleep nightly, as poor sleep can increase weight too. Try eating vegetables first, then meat, and finally rice or bread during meals to control the amount of food. Schools and hospitals are also playing supportive roles. For example, schools are encouraged to provide at least a PE class a day. Hospitals have set up special “weight management clinics”where doctors provide personalized diet and exercise plans. Remember, losing weight isn’t about going for perfection—just start small, like drinking water instead of other drinks or taking the stairs instead of the lift. With these, everyone can achieve a healthier future! ( ) 1. If Li Hua is 1.7 metres tall and weighs 70 kilograms, he________. A. is in good health B. should go to hospital C. has an amazing body shape D. may need to lose some weight ( ) 2. What can we infer from the passage about the relationship between sleep and weight? A. Longer sleep may lead to weight loss. B. Enough sleep helps teens keep a healthy weight. C. There is no clear connection between sleep and weight. D. Adults need less sleep than teens to control their weight. ( ) 3. What does the last paragraph suggest? A. Water is a better drink for people after doing exercise. B. Small changes can make a big difference in living a healthy life. C. People should be strict about daily habits if they want to lose weight. D. A right plan for diet and exercise is important for building a healthier future. ( ) 4. What is the passage mainly about? A. The advice on how to control BMI and stay healthy. B. The importance of healthy eating and enough exercising. C. The introduction to China’s weight management instructions. D. The guidance provided by BMI on how to lead a better lifestyle. B Words: about 340 Time: 11 minutes 难易度 ★★★★★ The facts of climate change are widely reported. It is noted that with a 2℃ increase in global temperatures, as compared with a 1.5℃ increase, about 61 million more people living in urban areas around the world will face severe drought. The problem with communicating these numbers, however, is that maths anxiety (焦虑)— the experience of tension, fear, or worry when facing mathematical problems—and the inability to understand and employ numerical concepts are both quite common. Despite high rates of innumeracy (数学盲), there are reasons to think that people may still pay attention when they receive numbers. First, many past studies show that people often prefer getting numerical details. People also trust messages provided by medical professionals or reporters more when that communication includes numbers than when it does not. However, trade-offs exist. Given people’s anxiety about maths and level of mathematical ability, there is an upper limit (限制) when communicating these kinds of details. In past research, it was found that people find numbers helpful, so long as there aren’t too many of them. No hard-and-fast rule suggests how many is too many. Communicators therefore need to know and attend to their audience: if a speaker sees someone looking bored, for example, it’s a sign to back off on the numbers. In addition to the possibility of being overloaded by numbers, their persuasive (有说服力的) power could have influences that communicators need to consider. Based on the most recent findings, more negative feelings about the posts containing numeric influences of climate change are reported, because the numerically correct messages were stronger in showing the terrible results of climate change. If you can suggest actions that people feel they can carry through, that could help reduce the negative feelings that arise when they consider climate change’s results. So there are a few lessons here. Find the key numerical data and share that. Think wisely about data presentation. When talking about climate change, include some suggestions. When used wisely, numbers can help transform anxiety into action, which could help turn the tide in our fight against climate change. ( ) 1. According to the passage, what can numbers do when they are used to describe climate change? A. They help make the messages more believable. B. They can cause people to feel anxious about maths. C. They make it harder for the audience to understand. D. They deepen people’s understanding of climate change. ( ) 2. Which of the following best fits the description of the underlined word “trade-offs”in Paragraph 4? A. It takes time to check the correctness of all numbers. B. People prefer to hold more discussions about the topic. C. Numbers cause difficulties in understanding the matter. D. People know little about the subject being talked about. ( ) 3. According to the passage, which of the following is a useful climate message? A. Plant more trees today, enjoy fresher air tomorrow! B. Cycle 5 miles daily, save 50% on carbon emissions! C. Sea level rise: a possible danger for all coastal cities! D. 50% of species lost: a warning from climate change! ( ) 4. What is the best title of this passage? A. Numbers: origin of upset about climate change B. Numbers: cause of boredom in public speaking C. Numbers: reason for high levels of maths anxiety D. Numbers: help in fighting environmental problems 阅读填空：Words: about 320 Time: 8 minutes 难易度 ★★★☆☆ How large does a random group of people need to be for there to be a 50% chance that at least two of them will share a birthday? __1. ________ How is this possible? When thinking about this question, known as the “birthday paradox” in statistics (统计学), many people intuitively (直觉地) guess 183, since that is half of all possible birthdays, given how there are generally 365 days in a year. __2. ________ To solve the birthday problem, Jim Frost, a statistician, began with some hypotheses. First, he ignored leap years, since that simplifies the maths and does not change the results by much. __3. ________ In a group of two people, the probability that the first person does not share a birthday with the second is 364/365. As such, the likelihood they share a birthday is 1/365 (0.27%). If there are three people in a group, the first two people cover two dates. This means the probability that the third person does not share a birthday with the other two is 363/365. As such, the likelihood they all share a birthday is 1 minus the product of (364/365) times (363/365), or a probability of about 0.82%. __4. ________ With 23 people, there is a 50.73% chance. __5. ________“In exchange for some service, suppose you’re offered to be paid 1 cent on the first day, 2 cents on the second day, 4 cents on the third, and so on, for 30 days,” Frost said.“Most people think it’s a bad deal, but thanks to exponential (指数的) growth, you would have a total of $10.7 million on the 30th day.” A. The answer is 23 and it surprises many people. B. He also thought that all birthdays have an equal chance of happening. C. The birthday problem is related to another exponential growth problem. D. Unluckily, intuition often makes mistakes at this kind of statistical problem. E. The more people in a group, the greater the probability that at least a pair of people will share a birthday. 书面表达 2024年，国家卫建委发布(近视防洽指南(2024年版》),进一步提高我国近视防控和论疗的规范化水平，推动和加强我国近视防治工作。以下为国家卫健委公布的近年来初中生近视率数据,请结合图表里的数据写-篇英文短文向校英语报"Protecting our eyesight"专栏投稿，内容包括: 1. 描述图表信息，并总结变化趋势:虽然总体呈下降趋势，但问题依然严峻; 2.导致初中生近视的可能原因:过长时间使用电子产品缺少户外运动等; 3.推荐科学有效的防近视方法(至少2点)。 注意： 1. 必须包含所有内容信息，可适当拓展； 2. 词数80词以上（短文的部分内容已给出，不计入词数）。 参考词汇：rate n. 比率；trend n. 趋势 Protecting our eyesight Recently, protecting teenagers’eyesight has become a hot topic. According to the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, ____________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ There are some reasons for this problem. ______________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ To protect our eyesight, here are some suggestions. _____________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ In short, by developing healthy habits, we can keep our eyesight clear and bright. Let’s take action now! 参考答案 语法选择：1—5 BCAAC 6—10 DCBDA 11—15 BCBAD 完形填空：1—5 BCBAD 6—10 ACDAC 阅读理解：A：1—4 DBBC B：1—4 ACBD 阅读填空：1—5 ADBEC 写作训练 Protecting our eyesight Recently, protecting teenagers’ eyesight has become a hot topic. According to the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, the rate of short-sightedness among junior high school students was 74.4% in 2014. It dropped slightly to 71.6% in 2018 and continued to decrease to 71.1% in 2023. Although the trend shows small improvement, the problem remains serious. There are some reasons for this problem. To begin with, many students spend too much time on smartphones or tablets. Focusing on screens for long can be harmful to their eyes. Besides, they seldom do outdoor activities like hiking, which are essential for eye health. To protect our eyesight, here are some suggestions. First, reduce screen time and take regular breaks when using electronic devices or reading books. For example, follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Second, take part in more outdoor activities to relax the eyes and enjoy natural light. In short, by developing healthy habits, we can keep our eyesight clear and bright. Let’s take action now! 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $