期中考试高分冲刺Units 1-3阅读理解20篇 2026-2027学年外研版英语八年级上册

期中考试高分冲刺Units 1-3阅读理解20篇 班级＿＿＿＿　姓名＿＿＿＿ Passage 1　A Friend in a New Class（基础篇） When I came to this school last September, I knew nobody. I sat at the back of the classroom and said nothing all day. At lunch time I ate alone and counted the minutes until the last class ended. On the fourth day, a girl named Han Mei put her lunch box on my desk. “You look lonely,” she said. “Sit with us.” I was too surprised to speak, so I only nodded. That noon I met four other girls. They asked me about my old school and laughed at my bad jokes. For the first time in a week, I forgot to look at the clock. Han Mei and I soon became good friends. She is good at maths, and I am good at English, so we help each other. When I miss my old friends, she listens to me without saying, “Cheer up.” She just sits beside me. Half a year has passed. Last week a new boy came to our class. He looked as lost as I did in September. At lunch time I put my lunch box on his desk and said, “Sit with us.” He looked up and smiled. At that moment I understood something: a simple sentence can change a person’s whole day, because someone once said it to me. 1．What did the writer do on the first days at the new school? A．Sat alone and said little B．Talked with Han Mei C．Joined a lunch group D．Asked the teacher for help 2．How did the writer feel when Han Mei first spoke to her? A．Angry about the lunch box B．Afraid of the four girls C．Too surprised to answer at once D．Sorry for her bad jokes 3．Why have the writer and Han Mei become good friends? A．They live in the same building B．They help each other with different subjects C．They both like telling jokes D．They sit at the same desk 4．What does the writer want to tell us? A．Maths is harder than English B．Old friends are better than new ones C．Lunch time is the best time at school D．A kind word can warm a new classmate Passage 2　The River Behind My House（基础篇） A river runs behind my house. When my father was a boy, the water was so clear that he could see fish at the bottom. He often swam there with his friends after school. When I was small, the river was different. Factories poured dirty water into it, and people threw rubbish on the bank. The water turned black and gave off a bad smell. Nobody went near it, and I never once put my feet in. Things began to change five years ago. The town built a place to clean the water and closed two old factories. Students came to pick up rubbish every spring. My father joined a group. The group watches the river and reports any problem. Last summer I went swimming in the river for the first time. The water was cool and clean. Fish were back, and birds stood on the stones looking for food. My father stood on the bank and watched me. He did not say much, but I could see he was pleased. Now I understand why my father spends his weekends by the river. He is not just cleaning water. He is bringing back a part of his past, and he is leaving a better river for me. 1．What was the river like when the writer’s father was a boy? A．Black and smelly B．Full of rubbish C．Clear enough to see fish D．Too cold for swimming 2．What made the river dirty? A．Too many fish B．Waste water and rubbish C．The new station D．Students picking up litter 3．Which is NOT mentioned as a way to save the river? A．Closing two old factories B．Building a place to clean the water C．Reporting problems to the group D．Planting trees along the bank 4．What is the best name for the passage? A．Bringing a River Back to Life B．How to Swim in a River C．My Father’s River D．A Town with No Factories Passage 3　The Bag That Says Sorry（基础篇） Zhang Wei is a student in Grade Eight. He is often late for school. Every morning he runs to the bus stop, but the bus has already left. His teacher has talked to him three times, and his mother has shouted at him two times. One evening Zhang Wei had an idea. He found an old clock and a small speaker in his room. He joined them together and put them into his school bag. Then he wrote a short programme on the computer. Now, when the clock shows seven o’clock, the bag says in a loud voice, “Get up! You are going to be late!” When it shows seven twenty, it says, “Run! The bus is coming!” And when Zhang Wei gets to school on time, the bag says, “Well done! You are a new man.” The bag has worked for three weeks. Zhang Wei has not been late once. His classmates think it is funny and want to make one too. But his teacher said something more important: “The bag only reminds you. In the end, it is you who get out of bed.” Zhang Wei agrees. He says the bag stays in his room until he no longer needs it. “A machine can help you for a while,” he says, “but a good habit is yours for life.” 1．What problem did Zhang Wei have? A．He could not do his homework B．He was often late for school C．He lost his school bag D．He fought with his classmates 2．What does the bag do at seven twenty? A．It says well done B．It plays a song C．It turns off the clock D．It tells him to run for the bus 3．What does the teacher think of the bag? A．It can remind him but can not change him B．It is a waste of money C．He should sell it to others D．It makes him lazy for ever 4．What can we learn from Zhang Wei’s words in the last paragraph? A．Machines can do everything for us B．Students should not use clocks C．A good habit matters more than a machine D．Making things is a waste of time Passage 4　Two Hours on Saturday（基础篇） Every Saturday morning, Li Na spends two hours at a small animal centre near her home. She is fifteen and has volunteered there for a year. The centre keeps dogs and cats that have no home. Some of them are old and ill. Li Na cleans the floors, washes the bowls and takes the dogs for a walk. She also talks to the animals while she works. “They can not speak,” she says, “but they understand a kind voice.” At first Li Na’s parents were not sure about it. They were afraid the work took up her study time. Li Na showed them her plan: two hours on Saturday morning, and no phone games in the evening. Her marks did not go down. In fact, they went up. “When I am with the animals, I forget my worries,” she says. “Then I go home and study with a clear head.” Last month the centre put a photo of Li Na on the wall. Under the photo there is a sentence: “She has given us 100 hours.” Li Na laughed when she saw it. “I have received more than that,” she said. “I have learned to be responsible, and I have made many friends, both the ones with two legs and the ones with four.” 1．How long has Li Na volunteered at the centre? A．For a month B．For two weeks C．For five years D．For a year 2．Why were Li Na’s parents worried at first? A．They were afraid it took up her study time B．They did not like animals C．They thought the centre was too far D．They wanted her to play phone games 3．What happened to Li Na’s marks? A．They went down B．They stayed the same C．They went up D．They were not mentioned 4．What does Li Na mean by “the ones with four”? A．Her classmates B．The animals at the centre C．The people who work there D．Her family members Passage 5　Fifteen Minutes a Day（基础篇） Two years ago Wang Lin hated reading. He thought books were slow and boring. He spent his free time playing games on his phone. One day his aunt gave him a book about a boy on a small island. “Just read fifteen minutes a day,” she said. “If you do not like it after a week, you can stop.” Wang Lin agreed because fifteen minutes did not sound long. On the first day he read only three pages. On the third day he read ten. By the end of the week he finished four parts, and he wanted to know what happened next. That was the beginning. In the past two years Wang Lin has read more than sixty books. He reads on the bus, before bed and even while waiting for his noodles to cook. His phone games are still there, but he opens them less and less. Reading has changed him in other ways too. His writing is better, and he is not afraid of speaking in class. “A book gives you another person’s eyes,” he says. “You see the world in a different way.” Last week he gave his little cousin a book and said the same words: “Just fifteen minutes a day.” 1．What did Wang Lin think of books two years ago? A．They were slow and boring B．They were too expensive C．They were hard to find D．They were better than games 2．Why did Wang Lin agree to try reading? A．He had nothing else to do B．His teacher told him to C．Fifteen minutes did not sound long D．He wanted to win a prize 3．What has happened to Wang Lin’s phone games? A．He has taken them all away B．He opens them less often C．He plays them more than before D．He gives them to his cousin 4．What does Wang Lin’s sentence “A book gives you another person’s eyes” mean? A．Books are written by people with bad eyes B．You should read with other people C．Books can make your eyes tired D．Reading lets you see the world differently Passage 6　Why I Run in the Morning（基础篇） Last year I was often ill. I caught colds four times in one winter, and I felt tired all day. The doctor said I needed more exercise, but I did not like ball games and I was afraid of swimming. One morning my father woke me up at six o’clock. “Come with me,” he said. “Just ten minutes.” I put on my shoes and followed him to the park. We started to run slowly and stopped two times to walk. I thought I could not go on, but I did. The next morning he woke me again. And the next. After two weeks, ten minutes became twenty. After two months, I could run three kilometres without stopping. My legs were stronger, and I slept better at night. The best change was in my head. When I run in the morning, I think about my day. Problems looked huge the night before, but they seem smaller in the fresh air. I have solved many maths problems in my head while running. I have kept this habit for a year now. I have not caught a cold since last winter. My father says I have become a different person. Maybe he is right, but I think the change did not come from running itself. It came from getting out of bed when the alarm rings. 1．Why did the writer start running? A．He wanted to win a race B．His friends asked him to join C．The doctor said he needed more exercise D．He could not sleep at night 2．How did the writer feel after his first run? A．He wanted to run more B．He thought he could not go on C．He felt angry with his father D．He decided to swim instead 3．What does the writer say is the best change? A．His stronger legs B．His better sleep C．His new running shoes D．The change in his thinking 4．What does the writer think is the real reason for his change? A．Getting up when the alarm rings B．Running three kilometres C．His father waking him up D．The fresh air in the park Passage 7　Three Days in the Mountains（基础篇） Last October my parents took me to a mountain village. It took us five hours by bus. The road turned and turned, and I felt sick two times. I asked my parents why we could not go to a beach like other families. The village had only thirty families. There was one small shop, one school with twenty children and no phone signal. Our room had no television. On the first night I lay in bed and listened to the wind. It was the quietest night of my life. On the second day we walked up the mountain with a farmer. He showed us how to pick apples and how to tell good wild fruit from bad ones. At noon we ate under a tree. The bread tasted better than any bread I have had in the city. In the evening the farmer’s daughter taught me to make a grass toy. It took me two hours to make one small rabbit. She made three in the same time and laughed at my slow fingers. On the last morning I did not want to leave. I have thought about that village many times since then. We have so many things in the city, but we have so little quiet. I have decided to go back next autumn, and this time I want to stay a week. 1．How did the writer feel about the trip at the beginning? A．He was excited about the bus ride B．He did not want to go to the mountains C．He wanted to stay for a week D．He was afraid of the farmer 2．What did the writer notice about the village? A．It had many shops B．It was full of guests C．It had a big school D．It was very quiet and small 3．What happened when the writer made a grass toy? A．He was much slower than the girl B．He made three rabbits C．He gave up after an hour D．He taught the girl how to make one 4．What has the writer decided to do? A．Move to the village B．Take his friends there next month C．Go back next autumn for a week D．Never go to the mountains again Passage 8　My Mother’s Notebook（基础篇） My mother keeps a small notebook in the kitchen. I never paid attention to it until last month, when I was looking for a pen. I opened it and found that it was not a diary. On every page there were short notes: “Xiaoyu does not eat carrots.” “Xiaoyu is afraid of dogs.” “Xiaoyu likes the blue cup.” “Xiaoyu has a maths test on Friday.” I turned the pages quickly. The notes went back eight years. There were hundreds of them, some written in a hurry, some hard to read. On one page she wrote: “Xiaoyu said I never listen. Tonight I am going to put down my phone when she talks.” I stood in the kitchen and did not know what to say. I always thought my mother did not understand me. In fact, she wrote down every small thing about me for eight years. That evening I asked her about the notebook. She looked a little shy and said, “I forget things easily. If I do not write things down, I forget them. And I do not want to forget anything about you.” Now I have started my own notebook. On the first page I wrote: “My mother likes white flowers. She gets up at five. She never finishes her own dinner before I finish mine.” 1．How did the writer find the notebook? A．His mother gave it to him B．He found it at school C．His father showed it to him D．By chance while looking for a pen 2．What is in the notebook? A．Short notes about the writer B．Maths exercises C．Shopping lists D．Letters from friends 3．Why does the mother keep the notebook? A．She wants to write a book B．She is a teacher C．She forgets things easily but does not want to forget D．She wants to check her son’s homework 4．What did the writer do at the end? A．He threw the notebook away B．He began to write about his mother C．He asked his mother to stop D．He bought his mother a new notebook Passage 9　The Dumpling Night（基础篇） In my family, the night before Spring Festival is dumpling night. Everybody has a job. Grandma makes the filling, my uncle makes the thin covers, and the children put the filling inside and close them. My first dumplings were terrible. They were too fat, and they opened in the water. My cousin laughed so hard that she dropped hers on the floor. Grandma did not laugh. She took my hand and showed me how much filling to use: not a spoonful, only half. That year I made eleven dumplings. Ten of them opened. Only one stayed closed, and Grandma put it on the top of the plate and said it was the best one. Now I am fifteen, and I can make forty dumplings in an hour. My little brother is learning. Last year his dumpling looked like a stone. Everyone laughed, but I remembered my own first night, so I took his hand the way Grandma took mine. Grandma is seventy-eight now. She still makes the filling, because nobody can make it taste the same. She says the secret is not in the filling but in the hands that make it. I did not understand that when I was small. Now I think I do. 1．What does the writer’s uncle do on dumpling night? A．He makes the thin covers B．He makes the filling C．He closes the dumplings D．He washes the plates 2．What was wrong with the writer’s first dumplings? A．They were too small to eat B．They had no filling C．They were too fat and opened in the water D．They were black 3．What did Grandma do with the writer’s one good dumpling? A．She gave it to the cousin B．She put it on the top of the plate C．She threw it away D．She ate it herself 4．What does Grandma think is the secret of the filling? A．The kind of meat used B．The time of cooking C．The size of the bowl D．The hands that make it Passage 10　The Cat Under the Bridge（基础篇） In September a small black cat began to appear under the bridge near our school. Nobody knew where it came from. It was thin and always wet because it rained a lot that month. Some students started to give it food. A boy named Zhou Tao brought fish from home every day. A girl brought an old box for the cat to sleep in. Soon the cat went to the gate when it heard the school bell. But not everyone was happy. A teacher said the cat might carry illness, and a shop owner said cats made his door dirty. The head teacher called the students together and asked what they wanted to do. The students made a plan. They decided to build a small house for the cat behind the school garden and to take care of it in groups. They also wrote a notice to the neighbours, and promised that the cat did not trouble them. The plan worked. The cat has lived in the little house for three months, and it has grown fat and clean. The shop owner even puts a bowl of water near his door now. He says the cat has brought more people to his shop. Zhou Tao says he has learned something: “If you want to help an animal, you need a plan, not only a kind heart.” 1．What was the cat like when it first appeared? A．Fat and clean B．Wild and dangerous C．Thin and often wet D．White and small 2．What did Zhou Tao do for the cat? A．He built a small house B．He brought it fish every day C．He wrote a notice D．He took it to a hospital 3．Why did some people dislike the cat? A．They wanted to eat it B．They were afraid of the dark C．They thought it was too fat D．They worried about illness and dirty floors 4．What does Zhou Tao’s words in the last paragraph suggest? A．Helping animals needs both kindness and a good plan B．Only teachers can help animals C．A kind heart is enough D．Cats should live in gardens Passage 11　The Speech I Did Not Want to Give（提升篇） When our teacher told me that I had to speak in front of the whole school, I felt cold. I was the quietest girl in my class. I never spoke to more than five people at one time. For two weeks I wrote and rewrote my speech. I read it to my mirror, to my cat and to my mother. Every time my voice shook at the beginning. My mother said, “It is going to be fine,” but I did not believe her. On the morning of the speech I could not eat anything. When the teacher called my name, my legs felt like wood. I walked to the front, looked at a thousand faces and forgot every word. For a long time nobody spoke. Someone in the front row coughed. I wanted to run away. Then I remembered my mother’s words and decided to say something true. I put my paper down and said, “I am afraid. I have never done this before. Please give me a minute.” People laughed kindly, and the sound made me feel warm. I picked up my paper again and this time the words came out easily. I finished three minutes later, and they put their hands together. I did not win the first prize. But something more important happened. I have learned that being honest about fear is better than acting brave when you are not. Now I can speak in class without my voice shaking. My teacher says I have changed, and she is right. 1．How did the writer feel when she was chosen to speak? A．Excited and proud B．Afraid and not happy about it C．Bored and tired D．Angry with the teacher 2．What happened when the writer reached the front? A．She dropped her paper B．She left the stage in a hurry C．She sang a song instead D．She forgot all her words 3．What did she finally decide to do? A．Tell the students that she was afraid B．Read her paper as fast as possible C．Leave the stage quietly D．Ask her mother for help 4．What has the writer learned from this experience? A．Winning prizes is the most important thing B．Mirrors help people speak well C．Saying you are afraid works better than acting D．Speeches should always be short Passage 12　The Shoe Repairer（提升篇） At the corner of our street there is a small shoe repair shop. It is no bigger than a bus stop. The owner, Mr Gao, is over sixty and has worked there for thirty years. Most people do not notice him. They leave a broken shoe and come back an hour later. They pay a little money and hurry away. But if you stand there for ten minutes, you see something interesting. Mr Gao puts on a pair of glasses, turns the shoe over and looks at it for a long time before he does anything. “Every shoe is different,” he says. “You must find the reason first. If the left side is worn, the owner walks on the outside of the foot. A new shoe does not help unless you fix the way he walks.” He keeps a notebook of his customers. On one page he has written: “Ms Li, brown shoes, left side, every March.” He says the same shoes come back at the same time every year, and he likes to be ready. Last month a new shopping centre opened, and it offers free shoe repairs. Some of Mr Gao’s customers have stopped coming. He does not seem worried. “A machine can fix a shoe,” he says. “It can not look at the way you walk.” I have started to take my shoes to him, even though it costs a little more. I go there partly for the shoes and partly to watch a man at work. He has done one small thing well for thirty years. 1．What is special about the way Mr Gao works? A．He works very fast B．He only fixes new shoes C．He asks customers to repair with him D．He studies each shoe before he fixes it 2．Why does he keep a notebook? A．To remember when the same customers come B．To count his money C．To write poems D．To record the weather 3．What does Mr Gao do about the new shopping centre? A．He plans to close his shop B．He has made his prices lower C．He is not worried because a machine can not check how you walk D．He has moved to the centre 4．Why does the writer keep going to the shop? A．He can not afford the new centre B．He also wants to watch a man who does small things well C．The new centre is too far D．Mr Gao gives him free repairs Passage 13　Learning with a Broken Radio（提升篇） My father works in a repair shop. Our house is full of broken things: old radios, clocks, fans and even a small television. When I was eight, I asked him why he never threw them away. He gave me a broken radio and said, “Take it into pieces. Then put it back together.” It took me a whole afternoon to open it, and two weeks to put it together again. When I finished, it did not work. My father laughed and gave me another one. That was how I learned about electricity. Nobody taught me the names of the parts. I learned them because I needed them. I opened a machine, looked at the inside for an hour and drew it in my notebook. Then I tried to explain it to my little sister, but she never listened. At school my science teacher soon noticed that I could answer questions the others could not. She asked me about it. I told her, and she said, “You have learned the best way: by doing.” Last year I fixed the old television in our living room. It has worked for eight months now. My father watched the news on it and said nothing for a while. Then he said, “You are better than me now.” I do not think that is true, but it was the best thing he has ever said to me. I have learned something from all those broken machines. A book can tell you what a thing is, but only your hands can tell you how it works. 1．What did the father ask the writer to do at the age of eight? A．Take a broken radio into pieces and put it together B．Throw the old machines away C．Read a book about electricity D．Teach his sister science 2．How did the writer learn the names of the parts? A．From his science teacher B．From a television programme C．Because he needed them while working D．From his little sister 3．What did the science teacher think of his way of learning? A．It was a waste of time B．It was the best way, learning by doing C．It harmed his study D．It was too slow for exams 4．What is the main idea of the passage? A．Old machines are valuable B．Fathers know more than teachers C．Television repair is easy D．Hands teach what books can not Passage 14　One Minute Earlier（提升篇） Our school is on a busy road. Every morning at seven forty, hundreds of students cross the road at the same time. There is a crossing, but no traffic lights. For years, students waited for a space in the traffic and crossed in a hurry. Sometimes cars stopped, sometimes they did not. Last term a girl was hit by a car. She was not hurt much, but the whole school was afraid. A group of students decided to do something. They counted the cars for a week: between seven thirty and eight o’clock, 620 cars passed the crossing. They also found that most students arrived between seven forty and seven forty-five. Their idea was simple: ask students to leave home ten minutes earlier. If students used the crossing from seven thirty to seven forty, the number of students at any one time was smaller, and drivers waited more patiently. The group wrote a letter to every class and made short videos. Some students laughed at the plan. But after a month, 60 percent of the students changed their time. The crossing became quieter, and drivers stopped more often. The head teacher was happy but not surprised. “We always want to change the road,” she said. “Sometimes it is easier to change ourselves.” I now leave home at seven twenty-five. I arrive at school fifteen minutes before class and use the time to read. I have not run across that road once this term. 1．What happened last term? A．A car hit the school gate B．Traffic lights were put up C．A girl was hit by a car D．They closed the road for a week 2．What did the group of students find out? A．There were too few cars on the road B．Most students crossed at about the same time C．Drivers always stopped for students D．The crossing was safe in the morning 3．What was the group’s plan? A．Building a bridge over the road B．Asking the town to add traffic lights C．Stopping cars from using the road D．Asking students to come ten minutes earlier 4．What does the head teacher’s sentence suggest? A．Changing ourselves can be easier than changing the road B．People are going to rebuild the road C．Students should not cross the road D．Traffic lights are useless Passage 15　The Sugar Test（提升篇） Last month our class did a test. Our teacher brought in five bottles of popular drinks and asked us to guess how much sugar each one had. We wrote our guesses on the board. Most of us thought the dark drink had the most sugar, and the fruit juice had very little. “Juice is healthy,” said my classmate. “It comes from fruit.” Then the teacher showed us the numbers on the bottles. A small bottle of fruit juice had 26 spoons of sugar, and the dark drink had 25. The sports drink had 21, and the tea drink had 19. Only the water had no sugar. Nobody spoke for a moment. Then the teacher put a bowl of sugar on the table and weighed it. “This is 26 spoons,” she said. “Imagine eating this with a spoon after lunch.” That afternoon I went home and looked at the bottles in our kitchen. I found sugar in places I had never thought of: in the soup, in the bread, even in the biscuits I eat while doing my homework. I have not stopped eating sugar. That is impossible, and my mother says a little sugar is fine. But I have changed two things. I no longer drink juice and think it is water, and I read the numbers on the bottles before I buy them. My classmate now brings a bottle of water to school every day. “It has no sugar and it is free,” he says. “Why did nobody tell me this before?” 1．What did most students think before the test? A．Water had the most sugar B．Fruit juice had very little sugar C．The dark drink was the healthiest drink D．Sports drinks had no sugar 2．Which drink had 26 spoons of sugar? A．The dark drink B．The sports drink C．The tea drink D．The fruit juice 3．What did the writer do after the test? A．He checked the food at home for hidden sugar B．He stopped eating all sugar C．He wrote to the drink company D．He gave up his homework biscuits for ever 4．What has the writer changed? A．He drinks only juice now B．He eats more biscuits C．He reads the numbers before buying drinks D．He no longer does tests Passage 16　The Class Play（提升篇） Every autumn our school holds a class play competition. Last year our class chose a story about a village that saves a forest. I wanted to be the main character, and so did six other students. The vote did not go well. I received two votes and was made the tree. I was so angry that I did not speak to anyone for a whole day. A tree does not speak. A tree stands at the back and holds up its arms. On the first practice I stood at the back and did nothing. The play was terrible. Our main character forgot his lines, the music came at the wrong time, and everybody could see it. Then something happened. I noticed that the main character could not be seen when he stood in front of the trees, because our green clothes were too dark. I told the group that we should paint our arms a lighter green. We tried it, and the whole stage looked brighter. After that I began to think about my role. I worked out when the trees should move, when they should be still and how they could hide the change of parts. I even wrote a short song for the trees. On the night of the play, the students put their hands together for a long time. The judge said, “The trees made the forest real.” We have never forgotten his words. I did not become the main character. But I learned something more useful: every part matters, and even a small part can change the whole play if you think hard about it. 1．Why was the writer angry at first? A．He lost the vote by one vote B．He had to write a song C．The teacher chose another story D．He was given the part of a tree 2．What was the problem with the first practice? A．The play went badly in many ways B．The stage was too small C．Nobody remembered their lines D．The music was too loud 3．What did the writer suggest to the group? A．Changing the main character B．Cutting the music C．Painting their arms a lighter green D．Moving the trees to the front 4．What did the writer learn? A．Trees should not be in plays B．A small part can matter as much as the main one C．Main characters are always lazy D．Winning is the only important thing Passage 17　The List on My Wall（提升篇） I used to be the busiest person in my class, and I finished nothing. I woke up early, went to bed late, and still forgot half of my homework. One day my uncle, who is a nurse, showed me his notebook. Every night before bed he writes down six things for the next day and numbers them: 1 is the most important, 6 is the least. “I never finish all six,” he said. “But I always finish number 1.” I tried it that night. My list was: 1 finish maths homework, 2 read ten pages, 3 buy a present for Mum, 4 tidy my desk, 5 call Li Ming, 6 watch a film. The next evening I finished 1, 2 and 5. I did not buy the present, and my desk was still a mess. But something strange happened: I felt calm. For the first time I knew exactly what I did and what I did not do. Three months have passed. I still make a list every night. I have learned two things. First, a list shows you the truth: you can not do everything, so you must choose. Second, you should do the important things first, because in the evening you are tired and lazy. My little sister laughed at my list last week. “You are only fifteen,” she said. “Why do you need a list?” I told her what my uncle told me: “A list does not make you busy. It makes you free.” 1．What was the writer like before he tried the list? A．Busy but finishing little B．Lazy and never busy C．Always on time D．Very good at maths 2．What does the writer’s uncle do with his list? A．He writes ten things every morning B．He finishes all six every day C．He numbers the six things from most to least important D．He gives the list to his patients 3．How did the writer feel after the second day? A．Angry, because he finished nothing B．Calm, because he knew what he did C．Tired, because he worked too late D．Sorry, because he forgot the present 4．What does “A list does not make you busy. It makes you free.” mean? A．A list gives you more work B．A list takes away your free time C．A list is only for adults D．A list helps you choose and feel in control Passage 18　Paper Cutting for Beginners（提升篇） My grandmother is seventy years old and has cut paper for fifty years. In her hands, a piece of red paper becomes a flower, a bird or a fish in two minutes. When I was small, I thought it was magic. Last winter I asked her to teach me. She laughed and said, “It is not magic. It is time and care.” The first thing she taught me was how to hold the scissors. I held them wrong, and after an hour my hand hurt. She said, “Do not cut with your fingers. Cut with your arm.” It sounded strange, but she was right. The second thing was the shape. My grandmother never draws a picture first. “The picture is in here,” she said, pointing at her head. “If you draw it, you copy it. If you keep it in your head, you can change it.” I made forty flowers before one looked like a flower. My grandmother kept every one of them, even the worst. She put them in a box and wrote the date on each. Now I can cut a fish in ten minutes. It is not as good as hers, but she says I have something she did not have at my age: I ask why. “I only copied my mother,” she says. “You ask questions, so you do more than I did.” This spring I am going to teach my cousin. I have already prepared a box for her worst flowers. 1．What did the grandmother say paper cutting is really about? A．Magic B．Money C．Time and care D．Good paper 2．What was the writer’s first problem? A．He had no red paper B．He held the scissors in the wrong way C．He could not find a shape D．He cut his finger badly 3．Why does the grandmother not draw the picture first? A．Because she can not draw B．Because paper is too small C．Because drawing takes too long D．So that she can change the picture freely 4．What does the grandmother think is special about the writer? A．He asks why B．He cuts faster than her C．He never makes mistakes D．He draws well Passage 19　Why the Plant Turned to the Window（提升篇） In March our science teacher gave each group a small plant and asked us to watch it for a month. Our group put it by the window and watered it every two days. After a week we noticed something. The plant was no longer standing straight. Its top was turning towards the window. By the end of the second week it turned so much that it almost touched the glass. We turned the pot around and waited. Two days later the plant began to turn the other way. It was looking for light, and it could tell where the light was. Our teacher told us what it was. “The plant makes something,” she said. “It goes to the side away from the light and makes the plant grow longer there. The longer side pushes the plant towards the light.” We wanted to test it. We put one plant in a box with a small hole on the left side. After five days, the plant had grown out of the hole. We put another plant under a lamp that moved every six hours. It grew in a slow turn, following the lamp. Our report was only three pages long, and we did not find out anything new. But I have learned something no book could teach me. I have learned how to ask a question and how to test it. Next term I want to find out whether music changes how a plant grows. My mother says that is a silly idea. My teacher says it is a good one. 1．What did the group notice after a week? A．The plant had died B．The plant was turning towards the window C．The plant had grown flowers D．The plant stopped growing 2．What happened after they turned the pot around? A．The plant stopped growing B．The plant grew taller quickly C．The plant lost its leaves D．The plant turned the other way 3．What does the teacher say the plant does? A．It makes something that helps it grow towards the light B．It eats small insects near the window C．It needs more water on the dark side D．It grows faster when it is moved every day 4．What did the writer really learn from the project? A．How to write a long report B．That plants like music C．How to ask a question and test it D．That science is boring Passage 20　The Girl Who Counted Stars（提升篇） Chen Yu lives in a small town. The sky there is dark at night. When she was nine, her father gave her a book about stars. She read it eleven times and then started to draw star maps on the wall of her room. Her family is not rich. There was no money for new books, so she borrowed them from the town library. Every clear night she stood outside her house and wrote down what she saw. Her classmates thought it was strange. “What can you do with stars?” they asked. She did not know the answer, so she said nothing and kept counting. In Grade Seven she wrote a letter to a university and asked a question about one star. Its brightness seemed to change. She did not expect a reply. Three weeks later a teacher at the university wrote back, saying that her question was interesting and that she should keep records carefully. That letter changed her. She started a notebook with dates, times and drawings. She has filled four notebooks in three years. Last year she sent her records to a student science competition and won a small prize. The money was enough for a good new book about the sky. Now she is fifteen. She still stands outside on clear nights. She says she does not know whether she is going to study stars for a living, but she knows one thing: “If you keep looking at one thing for long enough, you see what no one else has seen.” 1．How did Chen Yu begin to be interested in stars? A．She bought a book about stars herself B．A teacher took her to a university C．She saw a strange star one night D．Her father gave her a book about stars 2．Why did she borrow books instead of buying them? A．Her family did not have much money B．The library had better books C．Her teacher asked her to do so D．There was no library in her town 3．What did the letter from the university do? A．It invited her to the university B．It gave her a new book about the sky C．It encouraged her to keep careful records D．It told her to stop looking at stars 4．What is Chen Yu’s idea in the last paragraph? A．Only clever people can study stars B．Watching one thing long enough brings new things C．Prizes are the reason to work hard D．Everyone should buy new books 外研版（2026）八年级英语上册　期中考试高分冲刺 Units 1-3 阅读理解20篇 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $ 期中考试高分冲刺Units 1-3阅读理解20篇 班级＿＿＿＿　姓名＿＿＿＿ Passage 1　A Friend in a New Class（基础篇） When I came to this school last September, I knew nobody. I sat at the back of the classroom and said nothing all day. At lunch time I ate alone and counted the minutes until the last class ended. On the fourth day, a girl named Han Mei put her lunch box on my desk. “You look lonely,” she said. “Sit with us.” I was too surprised to speak, so I only nodded. That noon I met four other girls. They asked me about my old school and laughed at my bad jokes. For the first time in a week, I forgot to look at the clock. Han Mei and I soon became good friends. She is good at maths, and I am good at English, so we help each other. When I miss my old friends, she listens to me without saying, “Cheer up.” She just sits beside me. Half a year has passed. Last week a new boy came to our class. He looked as lost as I did in September. At lunch time I put my lunch box on his desk and said, “Sit with us.” He looked up and smiled. At that moment I understood something: a simple sentence can change a person’s whole day, because someone once said it to me. 1．What did the writer do on the first days at the new school? A．Sat alone and said little B．Talked with Han Mei C．Joined a lunch group D．Asked the teacher for help 【答案】A 【解析】第一段写明“s/I sat at the back ... said nothing all day ... ate alone”，即独自坐着、很少说话。 2．How did the writer feel when Han Mei first spoke to her? A．Angry about the lunch box B．Afraid of the four girls C．Too surprised to answer at once D．Sorry for her bad jokes 【答案】C 【解析】第二段“I was too surprised to speak, so I only nodded”直接说明她惊讶到一时说不出话。 3．Why have the writer and Han Mei become good friends? A．They live in the same building B．They help each other with different subjects C．They both like telling jokes D．They sit at the same desk 【答案】B 【解析】第四段说“She is good at maths, and I am good at English, so we help each other”，两人各有所长、互相帮助。 4．What does the writer want to tell us? A．Maths is harder than English B．Old friends are better than new ones C．Lunch time is the best time at school D．A kind word can warm a new classmate 【答案】D 【解析】末段点题：一句简单的话能改变一个人的一整天，呼应她把同样的话说给新同学。 Passage 2　The River Behind My House（基础篇） A river runs behind my house. When my father was a boy, the water was so clear that he could see fish at the bottom. He often swam there with his friends after school. When I was small, the river was different. Factories poured dirty water into it, and people threw rubbish on the bank. The water turned black and gave off a bad smell. Nobody went near it, and I never once put my feet in. Things began to change five years ago. The town built a place to clean the water and closed two old factories. Students came to pick up rubbish every spring. My father joined a group. The group watches the river and reports any problem. Last summer I went swimming in the river for the first time. The water was cool and clean. Fish were back, and birds stood on the stones looking for food. My father stood on the bank and watched me. He did not say much, but I could see he was pleased. Now I understand why my father spends his weekends by the river. He is not just cleaning water. He is bringing back a part of his past, and he is leaving a better river for me. 1．What was the river like when the writer’s father was a boy? A．Black and smelly B．Full of rubbish C．Clear enough to see fish D．Too cold for swimming 【答案】C 【解析】第一段“the water was so clear that he could see fish at the bottom”说明水清见鱼。 2．What made the river dirty? A．Too many fish B．Waste water and rubbish C．The new station D．Students picking up litter 【答案】B 【解析】第二段写工厂排放污水、人们往岸边扔垃圾，水因此变黑发臭。 3．Which is NOT mentioned as a way to save the river? A．Closing two old factories B．Building a place to clean the water C．Reporting problems to the group D．Planting trees along the bank 【答案】D 【解析】第三段只提到建污水处理站、关停两家工厂、学生捡垃圾、父亲参与监督小组，未提沿河种树。 4．What is the best name for the passage? A．Bringing a River Back to Life B．How to Swim in a River C．My Father’s River D．A Town with No Factories 【答案】A 【解析】全文写小河由清变浊、再经治理恢复的过程，重点是“让河流重生”。 Passage 3　The Bag That Says Sorry（基础篇） Zhang Wei is a student in Grade Eight. He is often late for school. Every morning he runs to the bus stop, but the bus has already left. His teacher has talked to him three times, and his mother has shouted at him two times. One evening Zhang Wei had an idea. He found an old clock and a small speaker in his room. He joined them together and put them into his school bag. Then he wrote a short programme on the computer. Now, when the clock shows seven o’clock, the bag says in a loud voice, “Get up! You are going to be late!” When it shows seven twenty, it says, “Run! The bus is coming!” And when Zhang Wei gets to school on time, the bag says, “Well done! You are a new man.” The bag has worked for three weeks. Zhang Wei has not been late once. His classmates think it is funny and want to make one too. But his teacher said something more important: “The bag only reminds you. In the end, it is you who get out of bed.” Zhang Wei agrees. He says the bag stays in his room until he no longer needs it. “A machine can help you for a while,” he says, “but a good habit is yours for life.” 1．What problem did Zhang Wei have? A．He could not do his homework B．He was often late for school C．He lost his school bag D．He fought with his classmates 【答案】B 【解析】第一段开门见山写“He is often late for school”，后面多次提到赶不上车。 2．What does the bag do at seven twenty? A．It says well done B．It plays a song C．It turns off the clock D．It tells him to run for the bus 【答案】D 【解析】第三段“When it shows seven twenty, it says, ‘Run! The bus is coming!’”与该选项一致。 3．What does the teacher think of the bag? A．It can remind him but can not change him B．It is a waste of money C．He should sell it to others D．It makes him lazy for ever 【答案】A 【解析】老师的话“The bag only reminds you ... it is you who get out of bed”说明工具只能提醒，改变要靠自己。 4．What can we learn from Zhang Wei’s words in the last paragraph? A．Machines can do everything for us B．Students should not use clocks C．A good habit matters more than a machine D．Making things is a waste of time 【答案】C 【解析】末段“a good habit is yours for life”强调好习惯比机器更长久。 Passage 4　Two Hours on Saturday（基础篇） Every Saturday morning, Li Na spends two hours at a small animal centre near her home. She is fifteen and has volunteered there for a year. The centre keeps dogs and cats that have no home. Some of them are old and ill. Li Na cleans the floors, washes the bowls and takes the dogs for a walk. She also talks to the animals while she works. “They can not speak,” she says, “but they understand a kind voice.” At first Li Na’s parents were not sure about it. They were afraid the work took up her study time. Li Na showed them her plan: two hours on Saturday morning, and no phone games in the evening. Her marks did not go down. In fact, they went up. “When I am with the animals, I forget my worries,” she says. “Then I go home and study with a clear head.” Last month the centre put a photo of Li Na on the wall. Under the photo there is a sentence: “She has given us 100 hours.” Li Na laughed when she saw it. “I have received more than that,” she said. “I have learned to be responsible, and I have made many friends, both the ones with two legs and the ones with four.” 1．How long has Li Na volunteered at the centre? A．For a month B．For two weeks C．For five years D．For a year 【答案】D 【解析】第一段“has volunteered there for a year”给出时长。 2．Why were Li Na’s parents worried at first? A．They were afraid it took up her study time B．They did not like animals C．They thought the centre was too far D．They wanted her to play phone games 【答案】A 【解析】第三段“They were afraid the work took up her study time”，担心影响学习。 3．What happened to Li Na’s marks? A．They went down B．They stayed the same C．They went up D．They were not mentioned 【答案】C 【解析】第三段末“Her marks did not go down. In fact, they went up.” 4．What does Li Na mean by “the ones with four”? A．Her classmates B．The animals at the centre C．The people who work there D．Her family members 【答案】B 【解析】前文说“many friends, both the ones with two legs and the ones with four”，四条腿的显然指动物。 Passage 5　Fifteen Minutes a Day（基础篇） Two years ago Wang Lin hated reading. He thought books were slow and boring. He spent his free time playing games on his phone. One day his aunt gave him a book about a boy on a small island. “Just read fifteen minutes a day,” she said. “If you do not like it after a week, you can stop.” Wang Lin agreed because fifteen minutes did not sound long. On the first day he read only three pages. On the third day he read ten. By the end of the week he finished four parts, and he wanted to know what happened next. That was the beginning. In the past two years Wang Lin has read more than sixty books. He reads on the bus, before bed and even while waiting for his noodles to cook. His phone games are still there, but he opens them less and less. Reading has changed him in other ways too. His writing is better, and he is not afraid of speaking in class. “A book gives you another person’s eyes,” he says. “You see the world in a different way.” Last week he gave his little cousin a book and said the same words: “Just fifteen minutes a day.” 1．What did Wang Lin think of books two years ago? A．They were slow and boring B．They were too expensive C．They were hard to find D．They were better than games 【答案】A 【解析】第一段“He thought books were slow and boring”直接给出他的看法。 2．Why did Wang Lin agree to try reading? A．He had nothing else to do B．His teacher told him to C．Fifteen minutes did not sound long D．He wanted to win a prize 【答案】C 【解析】第三段“Wang Lin agreed because fifteen minutes did not sound long”，说明他因时间短而愿意尝试。 3．What has happened to Wang Lin’s phone games? A．He has taken them all away B．He opens them less often C．He plays them more than before D．He gives them to his cousin 【答案】B 【解析】第四段“His phone games are still there, but he opens them less and less.” 4．What does Wang Lin’s sentence “A book gives you another person’s eyes” mean? A．Books are written by people with bad eyes B．You should read with other people C．Books can make your eyes tired D．Reading lets you see the world differently 【答案】D 【解析】紧接着的解释“You see the world in a different way”就是这句话的意思。 Passage 6　Why I Run in the Morning（基础篇） Last year I was often ill. I caught colds four times in one winter, and I felt tired all day. The doctor said I needed more exercise, but I did not like ball games and I was afraid of swimming. One morning my father woke me up at six o’clock. “Come with me,” he said. “Just ten minutes.” I put on my shoes and followed him to the park. We started to run slowly and stopped two times to walk. I thought I could not go on, but I did. The next morning he woke me again. And the next. After two weeks, ten minutes became twenty. After two months, I could run three kilometres without stopping. My legs were stronger, and I slept better at night. The best change was in my head. When I run in the morning, I think about my day. Problems looked huge the night before, but they seem smaller in the fresh air. I have solved many maths problems in my head while running. I have kept this habit for a year now. I have not caught a cold since last winter. My father says I have become a different person. Maybe he is right, but I think the change did not come from running itself. It came from getting out of bed when the alarm rings. 1．Why did the writer start running? A．He wanted to win a race B．His friends asked him to join C．The doctor said he needed more exercise D．He could not sleep at night 【答案】C 【解析】第一段“The doctor said I needed more exercise”是他开始运动的直接原因。 2．How did the writer feel after his first run? A．He wanted to run more B．He thought he could not go on C．He felt angry with his father D．He decided to swim instead 【答案】B 【解析】第二段“I thought I could not go on, but I did.” 3．What does the writer say is the best change? A．His stronger legs B．His better sleep C．His new running shoes D．The change in his thinking 【答案】D 【解析】第四段开头“The best change was in my head”，后面都在讲跑步时思路更清楚。 4．What does the writer think is the real reason for his change? A．Getting up when the alarm rings B．Running three kilometres C．His father waking him up D．The fresh air in the park 【答案】A 【解析】末句“It came from getting out of bed when the alarm rings”，强调行动本身而非跑步。 Passage 7　Three Days in the Mountains（基础篇） Last October my parents took me to a mountain village. It took us five hours by bus. The road turned and turned, and I felt sick two times. I asked my parents why we could not go to a beach like other families. The village had only thirty families. There was one small shop, one school with twenty children and no phone signal. Our room had no television. On the first night I lay in bed and listened to the wind. It was the quietest night of my life. On the second day we walked up the mountain with a farmer. He showed us how to pick apples and how to tell good wild fruit from bad ones. At noon we ate under a tree. The bread tasted better than any bread I have had in the city. In the evening the farmer’s daughter taught me to make a grass toy. It took me two hours to make one small rabbit. She made three in the same time and laughed at my slow fingers. On the last morning I did not want to leave. I have thought about that village many times since then. We have so many things in the city, but we have so little quiet. I have decided to go back next autumn, and this time I want to stay a week. 1．How did the writer feel about the trip at the beginning? A．He was excited about the bus ride B．He did not want to go to the mountains C．He wanted to stay for a week D．He was afraid of the farmer 【答案】B 【解析】第一段“I asked my parents why we could not go to a beach like other families”说明他起初并不情愿。 2．What did the writer notice about the village? A．It had many shops B．It was full of guests C．It had a big school D．It was very quiet and small 【答案】D 【解析】第二段写村子只有三十户人家、一家小店、二十个学生、没有信号，并说那是最安静的一夜。 3．What happened when the writer made a grass toy? A．He was much slower than the girl B．He made three rabbits C．He gave up after an hour D．He taught the girl how to make one 【答案】A 【解析】第四段“It took me two hours to make one small rabbit. She made three in the same time ...” 4．What has the writer decided to do? A．Move to the village B．Take his friends there next month C．Go back next autumn for a week D．Never go to the mountains again 【答案】C 【解析】末句“I have decided to go back next autumn, and this time I want to stay a week.” Passage 8　My Mother’s Notebook（基础篇） My mother keeps a small notebook in the kitchen. I never paid attention to it until last month, when I was looking for a pen. I opened it and found that it was not a diary. On every page there were short notes: “Xiaoyu does not eat carrots.” “Xiaoyu is afraid of dogs.” “Xiaoyu likes the blue cup.” “Xiaoyu has a maths test on Friday.” I turned the pages quickly. The notes went back eight years. There were hundreds of them, some written in a hurry, some hard to read. On one page she wrote: “Xiaoyu said I never listen. Tonight I am going to put down my phone when she talks.” I stood in the kitchen and did not know what to say. I always thought my mother did not understand me. In fact, she wrote down every small thing about me for eight years. That evening I asked her about the notebook. She looked a little shy and said, “I forget things easily. If I do not write things down, I forget them. And I do not want to forget anything about you.” Now I have started my own notebook. On the first page I wrote: “My mother likes white flowers. She gets up at five. She never finishes her own dinner before I finish mine.” 1．How did the writer find the notebook? A．His mother gave it to him B．He found it at school C．His father showed it to him D．By chance while looking for a pen 【答案】D 【解析】第一段“I never paid attention to it until last month, when I was looking for a pen”，属于偶然发现。 2．What is in the notebook? A．Short notes about the writer B．Maths exercises C．Shopping lists D．Letters from friends 【答案】A 【解析】第二段列举了“Xiaoyu does not eat carrots”等记录，都是关于作者的琐事。 3．Why does the mother keep the notebook? A．She wants to write a book B．She is a teacher C．She forgets things easily but does not want to forget D．She wants to check her son’s homework 【答案】C 【解析】第五段母亲说“I forget things easily ... I do not want to forget anything about you.” 4．What did the writer do at the end? A．He threw the notebook away B．He began to write about his mother C．He asked his mother to stop D．He bought his mother a new notebook 【答案】B 【解析】末段“Now I have started my own notebook”，并记录母亲的喜好与习惯。 Passage 9　The Dumpling Night（基础篇） In my family, the night before Spring Festival is dumpling night. Everybody has a job. Grandma makes the filling, my uncle makes the thin covers, and the children put the filling inside and close them. My first dumplings were terrible. They were too fat, and they opened in the water. My cousin laughed so hard that she dropped hers on the floor. Grandma did not laugh. She took my hand and showed me how much filling to use: not a spoonful, only half. That year I made eleven dumplings. Ten of them opened. Only one stayed closed, and Grandma put it on the top of the plate and said it was the best one. Now I am fifteen, and I can make forty dumplings in an hour. My little brother is learning. Last year his dumpling looked like a stone. Everyone laughed, but I remembered my own first night, so I took his hand the way Grandma took mine. Grandma is seventy-eight now. She still makes the filling, because nobody can make it taste the same. She says the secret is not in the filling but in the hands that make it. I did not understand that when I was small. Now I think I do. 1．What does the writer’s uncle do on dumpling night? A．He makes the thin covers B．He makes the filling C．He closes the dumplings D．He washes the plates 【答案】A 【解析】第一段“my uncle makes the thin covers”，负责擀皮。 2．What was wrong with the writer’s first dumplings? A．They were too small to eat B．They had no filling C．They were too fat and opened in the water D．They were black 【答案】C 【解析】第二段“They were too fat, and they opened in the water.” 3．What did Grandma do with the writer’s one good dumpling? A．She gave it to the cousin B．She put it on the top of the plate C．She threw it away D．She ate it herself 【答案】B 【解析】第三段“Grandma put it on the top of the plate and said it was the best one.” 4．What does Grandma think is the secret of the filling? A．The kind of meat used B．The time of cooking C．The size of the bowl D．The hands that make it 【答案】D 【解析】末段“She says the secret is not in the filling but in the hands that make it.” Passage 10　The Cat Under the Bridge（基础篇） In September a small black cat began to appear under the bridge near our school. Nobody knew where it came from. It was thin and always wet because it rained a lot that month. Some students started to give it food. A boy named Zhou Tao brought fish from home every day. A girl brought an old box for the cat to sleep in. Soon the cat went to the gate when it heard the school bell. But not everyone was happy. A teacher said the cat might carry illness, and a shop owner said cats made his door dirty. The head teacher called the students together and asked what they wanted to do. The students made a plan. They decided to build a small house for the cat behind the school garden and to take care of it in groups. They also wrote a notice to the neighbours, and promised that the cat did not trouble them. The plan worked. The cat has lived in the little house for three months, and it has grown fat and clean. The shop owner even puts a bowl of water near his door now. He says the cat has brought more people to his shop. Zhou Tao says he has learned something: “If you want to help an animal, you need a plan, not only a kind heart.” 1．What was the cat like when it first appeared? A．Fat and clean B．Wild and dangerous C．Thin and often wet D．White and small 【答案】C 【解析】第一段“It was thin and always wet because it rained a lot that month.” 2．What did Zhou Tao do for the cat? A．He built a small house B．He brought it fish every day C．He wrote a notice D．He took it to a hospital 【答案】B 【解析】第二段“A boy named Zhou Tao brought fish from home every day.” 3．Why did some people dislike the cat? A．They wanted to eat it B．They were afraid of the dark C．They thought it was too fat D．They worried about illness and dirty floors 【答案】D 【解析】第三段老师担心“carry illness”，店主说“made his door dirty”，都是卫生与安全问题。 4．What does Zhou Tao’s words in the last paragraph suggest? A．Helping animals needs both kindness and a good plan B．Only teachers can help animals C．A kind heart is enough D．Cats should live in gardens 【答案】A 【解析】末句“you need a plan, not only a kind heart”，说明光有心意不够，还要有方案。 Passage 11　The Speech I Did Not Want to Give（提升篇） When our teacher told me that I had to speak in front of the whole school, I felt cold. I was the quietest girl in my class. I never spoke to more than five people at one time. For two weeks I wrote and rewrote my speech. I read it to my mirror, to my cat and to my mother. Every time my voice shook at the beginning. My mother said, “It is going to be fine,” but I did not believe her. On the morning of the speech I could not eat anything. When the teacher called my name, my legs felt like wood. I walked to the front, looked at a thousand faces and forgot every word. For a long time nobody spoke. Someone in the front row coughed. I wanted to run away. Then I remembered my mother’s words and decided to say something true. I put my paper down and said, “I am afraid. I have never done this before. Please give me a minute.” People laughed kindly, and the sound made me feel warm. I picked up my paper again and this time the words came out easily. I finished three minutes later, and they put their hands together. I did not win the first prize. But something more important happened. I have learned that being honest about fear is better than acting brave when you are not. Now I can speak in class without my voice shaking. My teacher says I have changed, and she is right. 1．How did the writer feel when she was chosen to speak? A．Excited and proud B．Afraid and not happy about it C．Bored and tired D．Angry with the teacher 【答案】B 【解析】第一段“I felt cold ... I was the quietest girl ... had never spoken to more than five people”，说明害怕与不情愿。 2．What happened when the writer reached the front? A．She dropped her paper B．She left the stage in a hurry C．She sang a song instead D．She forgot all her words 【答案】D 【解析】第三段“looked at a thousand faces and forgot every word.” 3．What did she finally decide to do? A．Tell the students that she was afraid B．Read her paper as fast as possible C．Leave the stage quietly D．Ask her mother for help 【答案】A 【解析】第四段她放下稿子说“I am afraid. I have never done this before.” 4．What has the writer learned from this experience? A．Winning prizes is the most important thing B．Mirrors help people speak well C．Saying you are afraid works better than acting D．Speeches should always be short 【答案】C 【解析】末段“being honest about fear is better than acting brave when you are not”，是全文的主旨。 Passage 12　The Shoe Repairer（提升篇） At the corner of our street there is a small shoe repair shop. It is no bigger than a bus stop. The owner, Mr Gao, is over sixty and has worked there for thirty years. Most people do not notice him. They leave a broken shoe and come back an hour later. They pay a little money and hurry away. But if you stand there for ten minutes, you see something interesting. Mr Gao puts on a pair of glasses, turns the shoe over and looks at it for a long time before he does anything. “Every shoe is different,” he says. “You must find the reason first. If the left side is worn, the owner walks on the outside of the foot. A new shoe does not help unless you fix the way he walks.” He keeps a notebook of his customers. On one page he has written: “Ms Li, brown shoes, left side, every March.” He says the same shoes come back at the same time every year, and he likes to be ready. Last month a new shopping centre opened, and it offers free shoe repairs. Some of Mr Gao’s customers have stopped coming. He does not seem worried. “A machine can fix a shoe,” he says. “It can not look at the way you walk.” I have started to take my shoes to him, even though it costs a little more. I go there partly for the shoes and partly to watch a man at work. He has done one small thing well for thirty years. 1．What is special about the way Mr Gao works? A．He works very fast B．He only fixes new shoes C．He asks customers to repair with him D．He studies each shoe before he fixes it 【答案】D 【解析】第三段“looks at it for a long time before he does anything”，并强调“必须先找原因”。 2．Why does he keep a notebook? A．To remember when the same customers come B．To count his money C．To write poems D．To record the weather 【答案】A 【解析】第四段举例“Ms Li, brown shoes, left side, every March”，说明他记录熟客的规律。 3．What does Mr Gao do about the new shopping centre? A．He plans to close his shop B．He has made his prices lower C．He is not worried because a machine can not check how you walk D．He has moved to the centre 【答案】C 【解析】第五段“He does not seem worried”，并说“It can not look at the way you walk.” 4．Why does the writer keep going to the shop? A．He can not afford the new centre B．He also wants to watch a man who does small things well C．The new centre is too far D．Mr Gao gives him free repairs 【答案】B 【解析】末段“partly for the shoes and partly to watch a man who has done one small thing well for thirty years.” Passage 13　Learning with a Broken Radio（提升篇） My father works in a repair shop. Our house is full of broken things: old radios, clocks, fans and even a small television. When I was eight, I asked him why he never threw them away. He gave me a broken radio and said, “Take it into pieces. Then put it back together.” It took me a whole afternoon to open it, and two weeks to put it together again. When I finished, it did not work. My father laughed and gave me another one. That was how I learned about electricity. Nobody taught me the names of the parts. I learned them because I needed them. I opened a machine, looked at the inside for an hour and drew it in my notebook. Then I tried to explain it to my little sister, but she never listened. At school my science teacher soon noticed that I could answer questions the others could not. She asked me about it. I told her, and she said, “You have learned the best way: by doing.” Last year I fixed the old television in our living room. It has worked for eight months now. My father watched the news on it and said nothing for a while. Then he said, “You are better than me now.” I do not think that is true, but it was the best thing he has ever said to me. I have learned something from all those broken machines. A book can tell you what a thing is, but only your hands can tell you how it works. 1．What did the father ask the writer to do at the age of eight? A．Take a broken radio into pieces and put it together B．Throw the old machines away C．Read a book about electricity D．Teach his sister science 【答案】A 【解析】第二段父亲给他一台坏收音机，让他拆开再装回去。 2．How did the writer learn the names of the parts? A．From his science teacher B．From a television programme C．Because he needed them while working D．From his little sister 【答案】C 【解析】第三段“I learned them because I needed them”，是在动手过程中自然学会的。 3．What did the science teacher think of his way of learning? A．It was a waste of time B．It was the best way, learning by doing C．It harmed his study D．It was too slow for exams 【答案】B 【解析】第四段老师的话“You have been learning the best way: by doing.” 4．What is the main idea of the passage? A．Old machines are valuable B．Fathers know more than teachers C．Television repair is easy D．Hands teach what books can not 【答案】D 【解析】末段“A book can tell you what a thing is, but only your hands can tell you how it works.” Passage 14　One Minute Earlier（提升篇） Our school is on a busy road. Every morning at seven forty, hundreds of students cross the road at the same time. There is a crossing, but no traffic lights. For years, students waited for a space in the traffic and crossed in a hurry. Sometimes cars stopped, sometimes they did not. Last term a girl was hit by a car. She was not hurt much, but the whole school was afraid. A group of students decided to do something. They counted the cars for a week: between seven thirty and eight o’clock, 620 cars passed the crossing. They also found that most students arrived between seven forty and seven forty-five. Their idea was simple: ask students to leave home ten minutes earlier. If students used the crossing from seven thirty to seven forty, the number of students at any one time was smaller, and drivers waited more patiently. The group wrote a letter to every class and made short videos. Some students laughed at the plan. But after a month, 60 percent of the students changed their time. The crossing became quieter, and drivers stopped more often. The head teacher was happy but not surprised. “We always want to change the road,” she said. “Sometimes it is easier to change ourselves.” I now leave home at seven twenty-five. I arrive at school fifteen minutes before class and use the time to read. I have not run across that road once this term. 1．What happened last term? A．A car hit the school gate B．Traffic lights were put up C．A girl was hit by a car D．They closed the road for a week 【答案】C 【解析】第二段“a girl was hit by a car. She was not hurt much, but the whole school was afraid.” 2．What did the group of students find out? A．There were too few cars on the road B．Most students crossed at about the same time C．Drivers always stopped for students D．The crossing was safe in the morning 【答案】B 【解析】第三段统计后发现“most students arrived between seven forty and seven forty-five”，人流集中。 3．What was the group’s plan? A．Building a bridge over the road B．Asking the town to add traffic lights C．Stopping cars from using the road D．Asking students to come ten minutes earlier 【答案】D 【解析】第四段“ask students to leave home ten minutes earlier”，通过分散人流减少危险。 4．What does the head teacher’s sentence suggest? A．Changing ourselves can be easier than changing the road B．People are going to rebuild the road C．Students should not cross the road D．Traffic lights are useless 【答案】A 【解析】她说“Sometimes it is easier to change ourselves”，与全文“调整上学时间”的做法呼应。 Passage 15　The Sugar Test（提升篇） Last month our class did a test. Our teacher brought in five bottles of popular drinks and asked us to guess how much sugar each one had. We wrote our guesses on the board. Most of us thought the dark drink had the most sugar, and the fruit juice had very little. “Juice is healthy,” said my classmate. “It comes from fruit.” Then the teacher showed us the numbers on the bottles. A small bottle of fruit juice had 26 spoons of sugar, and the dark drink had 25. The sports drink had 21, and the tea drink had 19. Only the water had no sugar. Nobody spoke for a moment. Then the teacher put a bowl of sugar on the table and weighed it. “This is 26 spoons,” she said. “Imagine eating this with a spoon after lunch.” That afternoon I went home and looked at the bottles in our kitchen. I found sugar in places I had never thought of: in the soup, in the bread, even in the biscuits I eat while doing my homework. I have not stopped eating sugar. That is impossible, and my mother says a little sugar is fine. But I have changed two things. I no longer drink juice and think it is water, and I read the numbers on the bottles before I buy them. My classmate now brings a bottle of water to school every day. “It has no sugar and it is free,” he says. “Why did nobody tell me this before?” 1．What did most students think before the test? A．Water had the most sugar B．Fruit juice had very little sugar C．The dark drink was the healthiest drink D．Sports drinks had no sugar 【答案】B 【解析】第二段“the fruit juice had very little. ‘Juice is healthy,’ said my classmate.” 2．Which drink had 26 spoons of sugar? A．The dark drink B．The sports drink C．The tea drink D．The fruit juice 【答案】D 【解析】第三段“A small bottle of fruit juice had 26 spoons ... and the dark drink had 25.” 3．What did the writer do after the test? A．He checked the food at home for hidden sugar B．He stopped eating all sugar C．He wrote to the drink company D．He gave up his homework biscuits for ever 【答案】A 【解析】第五段“I went home and looked at the bottles in our kitchen ... found sugar in places I had never thought of”。 4．What has the writer changed? A．He drinks only juice now B．He eats more biscuits C．He reads the numbers before buying drinks D．He no longer does tests 【答案】C 【解析】第六段“I no longer drink juice and think it is water, and I read the numbers on the bottles before I buy them.” Passage 16　The Class Play（提升篇） Every autumn our school holds a class play competition. Last year our class chose a story about a village that saves a forest. I wanted to be the main character, and so did six other students. The vote did not go well. I received two votes and was made the tree. I was so angry that I did not speak to anyone for a whole day. A tree does not speak. A tree stands at the back and holds up its arms. On the first practice I stood at the back and did nothing. The play was terrible. Our main character forgot his lines, the music came at the wrong time, and everybody could see it. Then something happened. I noticed that the main character could not be seen when he stood in front of the trees, because our green clothes were too dark. I told the group that we should paint our arms a lighter green. We tried it, and the whole stage looked brighter. After that I began to think about my role. I worked out when the trees should move, when they should be still and how they could hide the change of parts. I even wrote a short song for the trees. On the night of the play, the students put their hands together for a long time. The judge said, “The trees made the forest real.” We have never forgotten his words. I did not become the main character. But I learned something more useful: every part matters, and even a small part can change the whole play if you think hard about it. 1．Why was the writer angry at first? A．He lost the vote by one vote B．He had to write a song C．The teacher chose another story D．He was given the part of a tree 【答案】D 【解析】第二段“I received two votes and was made the tree. I was so angry ...” 2．What was the problem with the first practice? A．The play went badly in many ways B．The stage was too small C．Nobody remembered their lines D．The music was too loud 【答案】A 【解析】第三段列举忘台词、音乐错位、观众会笑话，说明整体很糟。 3．What did the writer suggest to the group? A．Changing the main character B．Cutting the music C．Painting their arms a lighter green D．Moving the trees to the front 【答案】C 【解析】第四段“I told the group that we should paint our arms a lighter green.” 4．What did the writer learn? A．Trees should not be in plays B．A small part can matter as much as the main one C．Main characters are always lazy D．Winning is the only important thing 【答案】B 【解析】末段“every part matters, and the person who thinks hardest about a small part can change the whole play.” Passage 17　The List on My Wall（提升篇） I used to be the busiest person in my class, and I finished nothing. I woke up early, went to bed late, and still forgot half of my homework. One day my uncle, who is a nurse, showed me his notebook. Every night before bed he writes down six things for the next day and numbers them: 1 is the most important, 6 is the least. “I never finish all six,” he said. “But I always finish number 1.” I tried it that night. My list was: 1 finish maths homework, 2 read ten pages, 3 buy a present for Mum, 4 tidy my desk, 5 call Li Ming, 6 watch a film. The next evening I finished 1, 2 and 5. I did not buy the present, and my desk was still a mess. But something strange happened: I felt calm. For the first time I knew exactly what I did and what I did not do. Three months have passed. I still make a list every night. I have learned two things. First, a list shows you the truth: you can not do everything, so you must choose. Second, you should do the important things first, because in the evening you are tired and lazy. My little sister laughed at my list last week. “You are only fifteen,” she said. “Why do you need a list?” I told her what my uncle told me: “A list does not make you busy. It makes you free.” 1．What was the writer like before he tried the list? A．Busy but finishing little B．Lazy and never busy C．Always on time D．Very good at maths 【答案】A 【解析】第一段“the busiest person in my class who finished nothing ... still forgot half of my homework.” 2．What does the writer’s uncle do with his list? A．He writes ten things every morning B．He finishes all six every day C．He numbers the six things from most to least important D．He gives the list to his patients 【答案】C 【解析】第二段“writes down six things ... and numbers them: 1 is the most important, 6 is the least.” 3．How did the writer feel after the second day? A．Angry, because he finished nothing B．Calm, because he knew what he did C．Tired, because he worked too late D．Sorry, because he forgot the present 【答案】B 【解析】第四段“I felt calm. For the first time I knew exactly what I did and what I did not do.” 4．What does “A list does not make you busy. It makes you free.” mean? A．A list gives you more work B．A list takes away your free time C．A list is only for adults D．A list helps you choose and feel in control 【答案】D 【解析】结合第五段“you can not do everything, so you must choose”，清单让人清楚取舍、心里有底。 Passage 18　Paper Cutting for Beginners（提升篇） My grandmother is seventy years old and has cut paper for fifty years. In her hands, a piece of red paper becomes a flower, a bird or a fish in two minutes. When I was small, I thought it was magic. Last winter I asked her to teach me. She laughed and said, “It is not magic. It is time and care.” The first thing she taught me was how to hold the scissors. I held them wrong, and after an hour my hand hurt. She said, “Do not cut with your fingers. Cut with your arm.” It sounded strange, but she was right. The second thing was the shape. My grandmother never draws a picture first. “The picture is in here,” she said, pointing at her head. “If you draw it, you copy it. If you keep it in your head, you can change it.” I made forty flowers before one looked like a flower. My grandmother kept every one of them, even the worst. She put them in a box and wrote the date on each. Now I can cut a fish in ten minutes. It is not as good as hers, but she says I have something she did not have at my age: I ask why. “I only copied my mother,” she says. “You ask questions, so you do more than I did.” This spring I am going to teach my cousin. I have already prepared a box for her worst flowers. 1．What did the grandmother say paper cutting is really about? A．Magic B．Money C．Time and care D．Good paper 【答案】C 【解析】第二段“It is not magic. It is time and care.” 2．What was the writer’s first problem? A．He had no red paper B．He held the scissors in the wrong way C．He could not find a shape D．He cut his finger badly 【答案】B 【解析】第三段“I held them wrong, and after an hour my hand hurt.” 3．Why does the grandmother not draw the picture first? A．Because she can not draw B．Because paper is too small C．Because drawing takes too long D．So that she can change the picture freely 【答案】D 【解析】第四段“If you draw it, you copy it. If you keep it in your head, you can change it.” 4．What does the grandmother think is special about the writer? A．He asks why B．He cuts faster than her C．He never makes mistakes D．He draws well 【答案】A 【解析】第六段“she says I have something she did not have at my age: I ask why.” Passage 19　Why the Plant Turned to the Window（提升篇） In March our science teacher gave each group a small plant and asked us to watch it for a month. Our group put it by the window and watered it every two days. After a week we noticed something. The plant was no longer standing straight. Its top was turning towards the window. By the end of the second week it turned so much that it almost touched the glass. We turned the pot around and waited. Two days later the plant began to turn the other way. It was looking for light, and it could tell where the light was. Our teacher told us what it was. “The plant makes something,” she said. “It goes to the side away from the light and makes the plant grow longer there. The longer side pushes the plant towards the light.” We wanted to test it. We put one plant in a box with a small hole on the left side. After five days, the plant had grown out of the hole. We put another plant under a lamp that moved every six hours. It grew in a slow turn, following the lamp. Our report was only three pages long, and we did not find out anything new. But I have learned something no book could teach me. I have learned how to ask a question and how to test it. Next term I want to find out whether music changes how a plant grows. My mother says that is a silly idea. My teacher says it is a good one. 1．What did the group notice after a week? A．The plant had died B．The plant was turning towards the window C．The plant had grown flowers D．The plant stopped growing 【答案】B 【解析】第二段“Its top was turning towards the window ... it almost touched the glass.” 2．What happened after they turned the pot around? A．The plant stopped growing B．The plant grew taller quickly C．The plant lost its leaves D．The plant turned the other way 【答案】D 【解析】第三段“Two days later the plant began to turn the other way.” 3．What does the teacher say the plant does? A．It makes something that helps it grow towards the light B．It eats small insects near the window C．It needs more water on the dark side D．It grows faster when it is moved every day 【答案】A 【解析】第四段老师解释：植物在背光一侧产生某种物质，让那一侧长得更长，把植株推向光源。 4．What did the writer really learn from the project? A．How to write a long report B．That plants like music C．How to ask a question and test it D．That science is boring 【答案】C 【解析】末段“I have learned how to ask a question and how to test it”，远超报告本身。 Passage 20　The Girl Who Counted Stars（提升篇） Chen Yu lives in a small town. The sky there is dark at night. When she was nine, her father gave her a book about stars. She read it eleven times and then started to draw star maps on the wall of her room. Her family is not rich. There was no money for new books, so she borrowed them from the town library. Every clear night she stood outside her house and wrote down what she saw. Her classmates thought it was strange. “What can you do with stars?” they asked. She did not know the answer, so she said nothing and kept counting. In Grade Seven she wrote a letter to a university and asked a question about one star. Its brightness seemed to change. She did not expect a reply. Three weeks later a teacher at the university wrote back, saying that her question was interesting and that she should keep records carefully. That letter changed her. She started a notebook with dates, times and drawings. She has filled four notebooks in three years. Last year she sent her records to a student science competition and won a small prize. The money was enough for a good new book about the sky. Now she is fifteen. She still stands outside on clear nights. She says she does not know whether she is going to study stars for a living, but she knows one thing: “If you keep looking at one thing for long enough, you see what no one else has seen.” 1．How did Chen Yu begin to be interested in stars? A．She bought a book about stars herself B．A teacher took her to a university C．She saw a strange star one night D．Her father gave her a book about stars 【答案】D 【解析】第一段“When she was nine, her father gave her a book about stars. She read it eleven times ...” 2．Why did she borrow books instead of buying them? A．Her family did not have much money B．The library had better books C．Her teacher asked her to do so D．There was no library in her town 【答案】A 【解析】第二段“Her family is not rich. There was no money for new books, so she borrowed them from the town library.” 3．What did the letter from the university do? A．It invited her to the university B．It gave her a new book about the sky C．It encouraged her to keep careful records D．It told her to stop looking at stars 【答案】C 【解析】第四段“her question was interesting and that she should keep records carefully”；下文她开始记笔记。 4．What is Chen Yu’s idea in the last paragraph? A．Only clever people can study stars B．Watching one thing long enough brings new things C．Prizes are the reason to work hard D．Everyone should buy new books 【答案】B 【解析】末句“If you keep looking at one thing for long enough, you see what no one else has seen.” 外研版（2026）八年级英语上册　期中考试高分冲刺 Units 1-3 阅读理解20篇 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $