Reading Plus-【教材笔记】2025-2026学年八年级下册英语（人教版·新教材）

*Reading Plus Unit 1 Work Hard,Play Hard It can be hard to make time for a hobby when we have many important things to do.But hobbies might be more important than you think. Physical hobbies like going hiking or playing tennis can help you to stay healthy.They keep you fit,and they can even lower stress and improve your memory and concentration.Other types of hobbies can also keep us healthy.Some scientists believe that making music can lower our blood pressure and make our body stronger.This makes it harder for us to fall sick.Playing an instrument also keeps our brains young.So,if you think that playing the guitar is a waste of time, remember that this hobby is actually a great way to stay healthy! Hobbies are also good for your emotional well-being.Creative hobbies like painting or writing can help you deal with negative emotions by giving you a way to express how you feel.They can even make you feel good about yourself!In one study,after just 45 minutes of making art,most of the participants reported feeling more confident in themselves！ However,while hobbies have many benefits,it is important to find the right balance. Playing computer games or chatting online may be fun,but such hobbies usually involve a lot of screen time.That could cause problems such as eye strain or poor sleep. These activities are also usually done alone,and that could cause some people to feel lonely.Why not choose an outdoor hobby instead?Fresh air,green spaces,peace and quiet-these things help us to relax and feel good.And if you go hiking or fly a kite in the park,you can take a friend with you!Hanging out with friends reduces loneliness and can be a good way to build relationships Regardless of what your hobby is,it is important to make time for it.After all,all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy! 132 教材笔记英语八年级下册 1Read the text.Write F for facts or O for opinions. 1.Hobbies might be more important than you think. 2.Going hiking can lower stress and improve your memory. 3.Playing the guitar is a great way to stay healthy. () 4.Most of the participants in one study reported feeling more confident after creating art. 5.Too much screen time can cause eye strain and poor sleep. 6.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. 2Discuss the questions. 1.What are the two main ways in which hobbies can be good for us? 2.Why might some people think that"playing the guitar is a waste of time"? 3.What does the writer mean by"it is important to find the right balance"? 4.What do you think"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"means?Do you agree? 5.What is your favourite hobby?How does it help you? Unit 2 All about Sneezing If you had to list different ways of protecting yourself,sneezing probably would not be on the list.But when you sneeze,that is exactly what is happening.Sneezing helps you protect yourself from things like germs,dust,and smoke.In fact,it is the body's first defence against anything that tries to enter your body through the air. People cannot really control their sneezes.If something starts tickling the inside of our nose,our brain takes over.It knows that something inside the nose should not be there, so it sends a message to the body to get it out. *Reading Plus133 When we sneeze,many things happen in a very short time.Usually,our eyes shut,our tongue presses against the top of our mouth,and the muscles in our stomach and chest get tight.Next,there is a sudden blast of air coming out of our lungs and then our nose. As the air goes out our nose,it carries germs,dust,and tiny drops of water with it. Some unusual things can also make us sneeze.For example,some people sneeze when they look at a bright light.If people have an allergy,certain plants or animals might also make them sneeze.If they are allergic to certain plants,they might sneeze a lot in the seasons when the plants bloom,but not in others.If they are allergic to dogs or cats, they usually cannot have one as a pet. While sneezing is good for the person doing it,it can be very bad for the people nearby. Sneezing is one way that diseases spread.Millions of germs from one sneeze can travel up to about 8 metres at a speed of 160 kilometres per hour!These germs can stay in the air,and if other people breathe in those germs,they can get sick too. If you sneeze,always cover your nose and mouth.After that,make sure to wash your hands.Sneezing helps your body protect itself,but doing this can help you protect everyone else! 1Read the text.Write down what the words in bold refer to. 1.But when you sneeze,that is exactly what is happening. 2.In fact,it is the body's first defence against anything that tries to enter your body through the air. 3.It knows that something inside the nose should not be there,so it sends a message to the body to get it out. 4.If they are allergic to certain plants,they might sneeze a lot in the seasons when the plants bloom,but not in others. 5.After that,make sure to wash your hands. 6.Sneezing helps your body protect itself,but doing this can help you protect everyone else！ 34 教材笔记英语八年级下册 2Work in pairs.Use the mind map to make notes on what you should do to keep yourself and others safe. ●always carry with you Before ●If you have avoid the we sneeze things that make you sneeze. What should we do when we sneeze? avoid sneezing in front of others When ●cover your ACHOO! we sneeze ● the tissue paper After wash your well we sneeze Unit 3 Laughter Is the Best Medicine Do you often laugh with friends?Do you giggle at jokes?If you do,that is great,because just as the saying goes: Laughter is the best medicine! People start laughing from a young age.At around three months old,babies learn to laugh.Even babies that cannot see or hear can laugh.Laughter is a natural part of life!But why is it so important? First of all,laughter is good for our body.When we laugh,our body takes in more *Reading Plus 135 oxygen.Every part of our body needs oxygen to work well.Laughter also makes our body work out.Our heart,stomach,and even our shoulders work hard when we laugh! But after we laugh,our muscles feel more relaxed.A good laugh can help you feel relaxed for up to 45 minutes.Over time,laughter helps our body to get stronger,fight off more diseases,and even create special chemicals to help us feel less pain! Laughter also has many benefits for our mood.When we laugh,it makes us feel less stressed or anxious,and things will not seem so bad.Laughing also causes our brain to release chemicals that make us feel calm and happy.Scientists even think that smiling often is enough to increase these chemicals in our brain. But it is not always easy to laugh on our own.We are 30 times more likely to laugh when we are around others.According to some scientists,laughter can show others that we want to be close to them.Monkeys clean one another's fur to show friendship.But people laugh so that others will know that they are being friendly. Some people even join laughing groups.Although they force themselves to laugh at first,after hearing other people laugh,their laughter becomes real!Before long,the whole group of people is laughing hard. The next time you feel unhappy,try thinking about something funny.Although you might not want to laugh when you are sad,doing so can make you feel better! 1Read the text and complete the mind map. take in more to feel less or Our help it work well and get a workout. Benefits Our muscles Body of Mood become Laughter after we laugh. get fight off more and feel and create chemicals to reduce because of the chemicals over time our releases 36 教材笔记英语八年级下册 2Discuss the questions. 1.What do you think is the most important benefit of laughter? 2.What are some ways to laugh more? 3.Would you want to join a laughter group?Why or why not? Unit4 The Sahara Desert Located in Africa,the Sahara Desert spreads across 30 per cent of the continent. This vast desert,also known as"the great desert"in Arabic,is about 9 million square kilometres in size.It is also at least 4.6 million years old.This means that it is one of the oldest places in the world. All deserts are dry,and the Sahara is both dry and hot.It is the largest hot desert in the world.We may think that all deserts are hot,but in fact some deserts are very cold! Many scientists believe that Antarctica,for example,is a type of cold desert. Most of the Sahara is rocky ground.But there are also places with grass,lakes, mountains,and even sand seas.A sand sea is just what it sounds like-it looks like a sea of sand!When the wind blows,the sand looks like waves. Life in the Sahara is difficult.About two million people live in the Sahara.They usually move from place to place.There is water in a few parts of the Sahara,and some people live in these places all year round. Not many animals can live in a place with such a dry and hot climate.They must adapt to survive. Camels,for example,go for a long time without drinking water.When they do find water,they can drink more than 100 litres of it in 13 minutes! Fennec foxes live in the desert too.They have large ears to help their bodies stay cool. Today,the world's largest hot desert is getting even bigger.It is now about 10 per cent larger than what it was about a century ago.But why is it growing?Some scientists believe that part of the reason is climate change.As *Reading Plus137 temperatures rise,summers in Africa grow hotter and less rain falls.Water bodies get smaller and the ground gets drier and drier.If we do not take effective measures to stop climate change,the desert will keep growing! 1Read the text and complete the mind map. Location Name Size Growth Sahara Desert Age Life Geography 2Discuss the questions. 1.How is life in the desert different from other places where people live? 2.Would you like to visit the Sahara Desert or even live there for a while? 3.What do you think will happen if the Sahara keeps getting bigger?What should we do about it? Unit 5 Storm Chasing:A Dangerous but Important Job Are you afraid of big storms?Many people are.But did you know some people go out to chase tornadoes?Such storms can hit suddenly and move very quickly,so storm 138 教材笔记英语八年级下册 chasers always have to be prepared. When a tornado is about to hit,professional storm chasers try and get close to it to collect important information.Storm chaser Tim Samaras designed and built many different instruments for studying tornadoes. Throughout his career,the engineer chased down more than 120 tornadoes.Often,he filmed the storms while they were happening just a few kilometres away. During a storm,storm chasers put special equipment in the way of the tornado.The equipment collects information about things such as wind speed and air pressure. This helps scientists to make better forecasts.It can even help people understand how powerful the winds can be,and as a result,change how we build our houses. Storm chasing can be exciting,but also very dangerous.The storm chasers'knowledge and experience are not always enough to keep them safe.On 31 May 2013,Samaras and his team were chasing the El Reno tornado in Oklahoma,USA.To their surprise, the tornado behaved in an unexpected way.It grew rapidly and changed its speed and direction. On that terrible day,the largest tornado ever recorded appeared.It was 4.2 kilometres wide and had winds topping 480 kilometres per hour.While the tornado was moving towards them,Samaras and his team were driving as fast as they could.Sadly,when the tornado hit their car,it threw their car into the air like a toy.All three men in the car died. The story of Tim Samaras is very sad,but his work continues to play an important role in weather science.Though storm chasing remains a dangerous job,the goal of storm chasers is to learn more about storms to keep people safe.For people like Samaras,that goal makes it all worth it. *Reading Plus139 1Read the text and complete the summary. A tornado is a type of It can hit and move very .Storm chasers get close to tornadoes to collect This can help scientists to make better It can also change how people build However,storm chasing can be a very job.In 2013,Tim Samaras and his team when they were chasing the El Reno tornado.But storm chasers today continue to do such work.Their goal is to keep people 2Discuss the questions. 1.What do you need to be a good storm chaser? 2.Would you like to be a storm chaser?Why? 3.Do you know of any other dangerous jobs?Why do people do them? Unit 6 Symbols of Chinese Culture Chinese culture is one of the oldest in the world,and it is rich in traditions and beliefs. Many of the things you see,hear,or even taste in China may be symbols with special meanings！ Dragons In many Western stories,dragons are frightening monsters.However,people in China are not frightened of them!Instead,they think dragons are a symbol of power and good fortune.Chinese dragons are so popular in China that you can see them in many places, such as vases,buildings,money,clothes,paintings,and 40 教材笔记英语八年级下册 jewellery！The word for“dragon”even appears in names and idioms.For example,.“to hope that one's children become dragons"means that parents hope their children will do well in life.In China,people think dragons are so powerful that they call themselves the descendants of the dragon! The colour red In China,red is a powerful colour with special meaning.Many people think it brings good luck and wealth,so you will see red decorations such as paper cuttings,couplets,and lanterns during festivals like the Chinese New Year.People think red is so lucky that they wear it during celebrations.At traditional Chinese weddings,both the bride and groom wear red.In many other countries,however,red is not the colour of good luck but danger!People use red to show when a place or thing is dangerous. Lucky numbers Certain numbers are lucky in China because they sound like other Chinese words with positive meanings. “Six'”,for example,sounds like“flow”.It symbolizes things going well.The number“two”is also lucky,because the Chinese believe that good things come in pairs."Eight"sounds like a word which means "to make a fortune",and it symbolizes wealth.Lastly,"nine"has the same pronunciation as the character“久”，which means"long lasting''.So“nine'has come to symbolize a long life.On the other hand,"four"sounds like"death".Some people find this number so unlucky that they avoid using it in their phone numbers.But China is not the only place with special numbers.In America,for example,"seven"is a lucky number while "thirteen"is an unlucky number. *Reading Plus 141