13．From Comics to Narnia
　　When I was young, I read a lot, but I read only comic books. My mother was an avid (酷爱的) reader, and she tried to get me to read some novels, but they seemed (1)      to me. Why would anyone want to read a book without pictures, I wondered. It would be like watching a movie with your eyes closed. And (2)       seemed like they would be so long! In my mind, a comic book was a rollercoaster (过山车) ride while a novel was five hours in rush hour traffic.
　　Whenever she saw me with a comic book, my mother would (3)      . It totally ruined my comic book reading experience. One summer, she even warned me. "If you don't (4)       at least one book this summer, we're not going to go on our camping trip," she said. What could I do?I was looking forward to that camping trip!
　　"Fine," I agreed, "I'll read one." My mother took me down to the local library. The librarian recommended (推荐) The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first book of The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. I reluctantly (勉强地) (5)       the book.
　　When we got home, I opened the book and started reading. I thought I would read the first few pages then skip (跳过) to the end because I knew my mother would (6)       me about it. Imagine my (7)       when my mother called me to dinner and I was half way through the book!If a comic book was a rollercoaster ride, this novel was all the rides at Disney World that were rolled into one!
　　I ended up reading Chronicles of Narnia series that summer. I consider it was the start of my (8)       with books. Now I read an average of one book a week.

15．Something Unexpected
　　We live next door to a sweet, elderly lady named Mrs. Wilson. My father noticed that Mrs. Wilson was not outside much lately. It was unusual because she loved working in her garden. My mother found that the plants in Mrs. Wilson's yard were looking overgrown. My parents were worried about her. They went next door and found out that Mrs. Wilson was sick. They decided that our family should offer Mrs. Wilson our help. We would spend a few hours the following weekends and get her garden back into shape (样子).
　　I wasn't eager (热切的) to do it but I had no choice. By nine o'clock in the morning, I was in Mrs. Wilson's yard. I used the tools that my father gave to me to dig (掘出) up weeds (草). I had to dig carefully so I didn't disturb (弄乱) any of the flowers that Mrs. Wilson planted last spring.
　　It was only noon, but it seemed like I was working for a very, really long time. It was hard work, and I was getting tired and out of breath. Suddenly l heard a clinking sound as my shovel (铲子) hit something hard. l stopped working. I picked up the object that the shovel struck. I was excited to discover it was a large arrowhead!Later, Mrs. Wilson told me that I could keep it as a souvenir (纪念品), in appreciation (感谢) for my help.
　　I thought working in our neighbor's yard would be boring. Instead, I found are exciting piece of history. I can't wait to help out next weekend and see what I will discover next!

16．　　Many of the things we use every day were first made or invented by someone who had a good idea. You might be surprised to know that many of those inventors were kids.
　　One kid inventor was Frank Epperson. He created a treat when he was only eleven. He left his drink of juice, with the stirring stick in it, outside on a cold night. The next morning, he found that the stick froze (结冰) inside the drink. Eighteen years later, Frank Epperson applied(申请) for a patent (专利) for it and began producing different flavors (味道) of this frozen treat. He called this treat the Ep﹣sicle and then his children convinced (说服) him to rename it the popsicle. Popsicles became one of the best summer treats.
　　Sometimes, kids invent things when they see a problem that they think they can solve. Becky Schroeder invented something that worked like a lighted clipboard (带夹写字板) when she was only ten. She did homework in the family car in the early evening and she wanted to find a way to see and write in the dark. She tried and found a special paint which glowed (发出微弱的光). She painted a clipboard with the paint and placed a piece of paper over it. The paint glowed through the paper, strongly enough for her to see to write. Today many people still use the glowing backgrounds, including doctors and astronauts.
　　Chelsea Lanmon created the pocket diaper (尿布) in 1994 at the age of eight. She thought of creating the pocket diaper when she was helping her mother with her baby brother. Her invention included a diaper, a powder puff (粉扑), and a baby wipe (纸巾).
　　Other kids have invented useful and fun things such as board games, crayon holders and earmuffs. They all show that when it comes to creativity, being a kid is no drawback (不利条件)!

17．　　Since the first text message was sent in 1992, text messaging has become one of the most popular forms of communication, especially with the younger generation. Billions of messages are sent every year. But has this technology really improved inter personal communication?
　　Being able to send short and written messages by mobile phone has clearly advanced communication. The greatest benefit of texting is that it allows us to communicate directly with other people wherever they are, without interrupting them in the way that a phone call would. It allows other people to reply whenever it is convenient for them to do so.
　　Sending a text message, for example to tell where to meet someone, is a simple and effective (有效的) way of communicating. Different from writing letters or emails, people usually only include the key information in a text message. Text messaging is also a cheap form of communication and therefore, it is especially welcomed by young people.
　　However, there are strong arguments to suggest that text messaging has a negative influence on how we communicate. One downside is that there is a tendency for people to use text messages as an excuse to get out of conversations which might be uncomfortable to have either face-to-face or on the phone. What's more, people increasingly text while they are with other people, suddenly breaking off a conversation and focusing on their phone screens. However, perhaps the most important and worrying downside of texting is the influence that it is having on written communication. Teachers complain that the idiosyncratic (另类的) language of text messages, such as abbreviated (缩写的) words and the use of letters and numbers, has made a generation of young people unable to spell or form correct sentences.
　　In my view, text messaging has improved communication considerably and it is highly useful, for example, if you are trying to contact (联系) someone in a very noisy place. It is a necessary piece of technology.

18．阅读短文, 根据短文内容回答问题．
Life in Space
　　Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in space? The most important thing to remember about living in space is that there is no gravity. That means astronauts can't do a lot of things that you do easily in your daily life. For example, astronauts can't pour (倒) themselves a cup of juice the way you can. Why?Because gravity makes the juice pour from the bottle into your cup. Astronauts can't rely (依靠) on gravity. Astronauts can't lie on beds and sleep the way you do because gravity is what holds you to your bed.
　　So how do astronauts live in space?Eating in space is like eating on earth in some ways. Food like rice and mashed (糊状的) potatoes sticks to spoons, so it doesn't float away. Other foods come in cans or packages (盒). So they don't float away, either.
　　There is no gravity in space, so astronauts do not have to sleep on beds or the floor. They can sleep anywhere they want, and they can sleep in any position they want. They usually use sleeping bags. They simply tie their sleeping bags to a wall, a seat, or a bed. That way, they don't float around and bump (撞) into things while they are asleep.
　　Astronauts are very busy people. They have jobs to do, and they work very hard. But they also need to relax sometimes. Astronauts usually get to talk to their families on a video call once a week. They also get to stay in touch by email. Astronauts can bring chess and other games with them. Some even bring musical instruments. Astronauts also watch movies and news programmes. Sometimes they talk to schools and news reporters, too. Astronauts may have a lot of work to do, but they also find time for fun.

19．文学名著是人类智慧和文明的结晶．阅读文学名著能够使人增长知识、开阔视野、陶冶情操．
假如你是李华, 你校英语社团正在开展文学名著阅读推荐活动, 请你用英语给社团投稿, 推荐一本你喜欢的文学名著, 对其内容做简要介绍, 并说明你推荐的理由．
提示词语: writer, creative, interesting, learn, improve
提示问题: What's your favorite book?
What's the book about?
Why do you advise others to read it?
　　I'm Li Hua, from Class 1, Grade 9. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

20．在我们的身边, 有许许多多值得我们学习的人, 我们的父母、老师或者同学都可能成为我们的榜样．
某英文网站正在开展以"我身边的榜样"为主题的征文活动．假如你是李华, 请你用英语写一篇短文投稿, 谈谈你身边的榜样是谁, 他/她为什么成为你的榜样, 以及你从他/她身上学到了什么．
提示词语:kind, helpful, hard﹣working, learn
提示问题:Who is your role model and why?
What have you learned from him/her?
　　People around us can be our role models. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________