16． Do you know any battles (战役) in history in which a small army (军队) beat a bigger army? What were they? A general (将军) was going to fight a (1)        enemy (敌人). He had only one-tenth the number of men the enemy had. Hearing this news, the soldiers were (2)       . They didn't think they could possibly win. The general (3)        for a while and then had an idea. He told his soldiers that they could win the fight only if they followed his new plan. (4)       , his soldiers doubted whether he could (5)        with a plan that would be successful.
On the (6)        to battlefield, the general stopped at a shrine (神庙) and told his men, "After my visit to the shrine, I will toss a coin. If it comes up heads, we will win; if tails (背面), we will (7)       . Destiny (命运) (8)        us in her hand."
The general went into the shrine and wished for victory. Then he came out and tossed a coin in front of his men. The coin came up heads. The soldiers were amazed and thought they would win the coming fight. They fought (9)        and won in the end.
"No one can (10)        the hand of destiny," one of his men told the general after they won the fight. They believed that the gods themselves had planned for them to win the fight all along. "(11)       , it was not like that," the general said, taking out the coin. The soldiers walked up to see what it was, but only saw a coin with heads on both (12)       . The coin toss (13)        have been "fake" (假的), but their confidence (自信) and bravery were still real.
Have you ever had to (14)        a challenge (挑战) that you felt was impossible? What did you do? Give up? Next time, remind yourself to be confident even when there is not much (15)        to win, because confidence can win any battle.

17． Famous for bravery
During the novel coronavirus outbreak, there is one group of people who are braving the outdoors to ensure a normal life for the rest of us—delivery drivers.
Gao Zhixiao, 32, is one of several drivers in China who were recently featured by Time magazine for their "remarkable sense of commitment". Gao was even on the cover of the magazine. He and other drivers deliver food, medicine and other goods to people.
Gao, like his fellow drivers takes a health test every morning before beginning his deliveries. He has to spend 20 minutes disinfecting (消毒) his motorcycle and clothing to prevent any possible spread of the virus, according to Time.
Drivers like Gao are in high demand right now. Food delivery service Meituan has seen its sales spike (飙升) by more than 400 percent in some cities, according to Time. Online retailers like JD. com have also seen their sales increase. These sales can only be made possible by hardworking delivery drivers.
And many of these drivers are going above and beyond to help others. According to the Time article, Gao stayed and cooked a meal for one elderly woman after delivering medicine for her. Because I'm also from a single-parent family, I understand what it means to be old and living alone, he said.
TEENS

18． Recently, a young Chinese scientist has amazed the world by having his papers (论文) published in a world-class science journal (期刊). He might be a genius (天才), but that's not all there is to his story. It's not easy to get your papers published in top science journal Nature. However, Cao Yuan, a 24-year-old Chinese scientist, had two papers that he co-wrote published in Nature on May 6. He is called as "a genius born after 1995". And thousands of people are wondering who this post-1990s genius is.
Cao is a doctoral student studying at MIT, a top university in the US. In 2018, he topped Nature's list of the top 10 people of that year.
Cao's papers are about grapheme (石墨烯)-the thinnest and strongest material (物质) in the world. Scientists first discovered it in 2004.
Cao has found a "switch" inside this material. By turning this "switch" on, the material can be used as superconductor (超导体). But when it's turned off, the material can become an insulator (绝缘体). His finding has opened up a whole new field of superconductor physics. It could allow scientists to find cheaper and easier ways to use electricity (电).
Cao has finished middle and high school in China in just two years. At 14, he entered the School of the Gifted Young (少年班) at the University of Science and Technology. This is a special program that turns gifted teenagers into world-class talents.
His greatest strength is probably his ability to learn by himself, according to his high school physics teacher Huang Jiatang. "As a teenager, Cao was unafraid to challenge (挑战; 质疑) teachers and ask difficult questions," Huang recalled.
He doesn't worry about possible failures (失败) in his research, either. "He rolled up his sleeves (袖子) and continued working," Cao's professor Pablo Jarillo-Herrero of MIT said to Nature.

19． My father was a cemetery (公墓) keeper. When I was a child, he often took me there. Before we left each time, he would lay some stones on some graves (坟墓). I never asked why. I just thought that was his work.
Yesterday, I visited my sick father. He asked me to go to the cemetery and lay some stones. For some reason, it had to be done that day. I agreed. I hadn't been there for a long time. When I got there, I found a woman in front of one of the graves I would lay a stone on. As I bent to lay it, I heard her whisper "Thank you". It was then that I noticed the date of death on the grave was that same day. The grave was that of a child, only five when he died fifteen years ago.
"He's my son," she said. "But, where's your father? He was always the one to leave the stone."
I told her that my father was ill but he asked me to do this. It seemed important to him.
"Your father's kindness means more to me than anything else. When my child died, I came often to see him. It is our custom to leave a stone. It tells the one who is here that he is thought of. But, then we moved away from here, so many painful memories. I was so afraid that he would be alone. But your father marked the grave every time he came. Each time I returned here, I saw that stone and it always comforted me. Your father is the kind of man who would ease the pain of a mother's heart though we are strangers. Just tell him you saw me today, won't you?" She said.
It took me a minute to find my voice. That small stone marked the grave of a child and the heart of his mother.

20．
(1)One of the main reasons is that people want to challenge themselves in the              of difficulties.
(2)The Monkey King keeps fighting to help the weak and never            .
(3)His hometown is still the place that              all his childhood memories.
(4)Last weekend, I             in the mountains with some friends.
(5)It reminds us that the best things in life are free﹣laughter,             , and the beauty of nature and the countryside.

21． Want to be a hero? Better take a trip to the Great Wall. As the saying goes: You are not a hero (1) u       you have climbed the Great Wall. As a wonder (奇迹) of architecture, it (2) i       millions of tourists each year. Also, it is the most visited place for foreign (3) l       when they come to China. Is the Great Wall so inviting?
The Great Wall has (4) d       parts and each one is very special. Jinshanling Great Wall in Hebei is the most beautiful part. In spring, it is in the middle of a white apricot blossom. (5) D      summer time, green plants circle the wall. In autumn, maple leaves (枫叶) paints a golden and red scene. And winter puts the great wall in a world of white (6) s      .
The "wild wall" is great for backpackers. Wild parts of the wall are for the
adventurous (探险者) because they are the same as they were originally. Jiankou Great Wall is a (7) f        one. Trees grow up from in between the stones. In some places, you have to climb the stones with (8) b       your hands and feet. Be careful when you visit the wild walls. You'd better not go there (9) a      .
There are also many parts of the Great Wall built in special places. For example,
Jiankou Great Wall in Hebei is the only one that (10) c      a river. Xifengkou Great Wall, also in Hebei, has one part that's built underwater. Do you want to visit?

22．假如你叫李明, 是一名中学生, 请你用英语给你的外国笔友Mike 写一封信介绍你的近况.
内容要点如下:
1. 你已经加入篮球俱乐部一年了, 在俱乐部里你交到了不少朋友;
2. 空余时间喜欢听乡村音乐, 你收集了不少关于乡村音乐的唱片;
3. 喜欢旅游, 跟家人一起去过北京两次;
4. 马上要上九年级, 你想努力学习实现自己的梦想;
5. 补充一至两点你的近况或想法.
注意:
1. 词数:60﹣80 字(文章开头结尾已给出, 不计入总数, 不用抄写在答题纸上);
2. 不要逐字翻译, 注意表达流畅;
3. 文中不要提及你的真实姓名和学校.
参考词汇:make friends 交朋友 record n. 唱片 open one's eyes 开阔眼界
Dear Mike,
It's been a long time since I last wrote to you. Great changes have taken place to me.
                                                                                .
How's everything going with you? Looking forward to your reply.
Yours,
Li Ming