附教材文本及课外多源文本：
外研版《英语》九年级上Module 6
Unit 1 If I Start after Dinner, I'll Finish It before I Go to Bed.
Dad: Tony, you're playing the guitar again. Have you done your homework?
Tony: No, not yet, but I haven't got much. If I start after dinner, I'll finish it before I go to bed. Anyway, you wanted me to learn an instrument.
Dad: I want you to get into the habit of doing your homework as soon as you come home from school. If you start now, you'll finish it before dinner.
Tony: Yes, but I need a rest from schoolwork. I also want to go to the library to do volunteer work.
Dad: So you're not going to do your homework now?
Tony: No, it isn't necessary to do it now. I'll do it later.
Dad: That's a shame. I really don't think you should go to the library so much.
Tony: Why not? I can work in the library and I'm also able to read books there.
Dad: No deal, Tony. If you do all these other things instead of your homework, you won't have time to study.
Tony: You mean you don't want me to help the community and increase my knowledge of the world?
Dad: That's not the point. You should consider what the most important thing is. I don't want you to fail your exams.
Tony: But ...
Dad: You can't do anything before you finish your homework. I'm sorry, but that's my last word.
Unit 2 If You Tell Him the Truth Now, You Will Show that You Are Honest.
Dear Diana.
Last week, my friend David came round with a new computer game and asked to play it on my dad's computer. I was worried, because I should ask my dad before I use his computer. He uses it for his work, and I can only use it for my homework. The reason is that he thinks something will go wrong if I play games on it.
Well, while my dad was out, we decided to try out David's game. We copied it to the computer, and after we finished playing, we took it off the computer. However, when I started the computer again to check if everything was OK, some of my dad's documents were missing. Then, when my dad used the computer last night, he was really angry. He could no longer find the documents anywhere! They were very important.
I did not tell him about the computer game because I did not want him to be angry with me. Now I feel terrible. I am not sure whether a computer repair shop can get the documents back. Should I tell him about the computer game? Should I pay to repair it?
Yours,
Steve
Dear Steve,
Oh, dear! You have made two mistakes. It is bad enough that you used your dad's computer to play games when he told you not to. And it is even worse that you did not tell him about it. If you tell him the truth now, he will be angry with you, but at least you will show that you are honest. You should apologise to your father. You should also pay the bill to repair the computer. If you offer to give up your pocket money, your father will realise that you are very sorry. Remember, next time, play football with David and not computer games!
Best wishes,
Diana
Unit 3 Around the World
Advice Columns
Advice columns have been used since the eighteenth century. In the past, advice columns could mainly be found in magazines or newspapers. Readers could send letters to the columnist to get expert advice. Nowadays, websites and blogs online are much more popular. People can post their questions or problems online and get answers quickly. Anyone can start an advice blog about any topic, like travel, lifestyle, money, health, relationships or parenting. Most of the time, people will not reveal their names, and will use special email addresses. This makes advice blogs very popular, as the persons seeking advice can ask embarrassing or difficult questions without revealing their identity.
Passage 1
Are you really sure? — Our memories can sometimes tell lies.
Is it shi (是) or si (斯) in the sentence “Thus when Heaven is about to confer a great office on any man ...” (“故天将降大任于是/斯人也”)? Recently, people had a heated discussion online about this. Most people “clearly remember” that it’s si (斯), while their childhood textbooks say it’s shi (是).
It shows how unreliable (不可靠的) our memory can be. According to US psychologist (心理学家) Faith Brynie, memories can be blurred (模糊) by imagination, belief and time. Many studies have proven that “feeling certain” about a memory has nothing to do with the facts.
· Attitudes and beliefs change our memory
Scientists at Cornell University, US, told college students a story about a man who walked out without paying a restaurant bill. The first group was told that the man “liked to steal”. The second group was told that he left because he got an emergency phone call.
One week later the first group remembered a higher bill — 10 to 25 percent more than the bill actually was. The second group remembered a lower bill. The study showed that how we expect or believe things to happen can distort (扭曲) our memories.
· Remembering things that never happened
In another experiment, people watched a film and were asked: “How fast was the white car going when it passed the barn (谷仓) while traveling along the country road?” Actually there was no barn in the film. But about 20 percent of the students said they had seen the barn. Northwestern University scientist Kenneth Paller said that parts of the brain for actually seeing an object and imagining an object overlap (重叠). So imagination after getting a hint (暗示) could leave a memory trace (痕迹) in the brain.
· Si or shi
In the case of si (斯) or shi (是), some people said that “si” sounds more like ancient Chinese. That’s why most people relate it to the ancient classic. On the Internet, the version (版本) of “si” is also more widespread (普遍的) than “shi”, giving people a wrong hint.
Passage 2
How to Improve Your Memory?
There is no such thing as “bad memory”, and everyone can improve their memory as long as they are not suffering from loss as a medical condition. To improve your memory, there are a number of things you can do.
Do reviews regularly. After learning new concepts or notions, we tend to forget them within a very short period of time, but if we review the ideas daily for just one weak, they will become part of our long-term memory.
Stop thinking that you have a “bad memory”. Convince yourself that you do have a good memory that will improve. Too many people get stuck here and convince themselves that their memory is bad that they are just not good with names and numbers just slip out of their minds for some reason. Erase those thoughts and promise to improve your memory.
Use association to remember facts. You can create an image in your mind to help you remember something. For example, if you have a hard time remembering that John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the president involved in the Bay of Pigs Invasion, just picture the handsome president swimming in an ocean surrounded by happy pigs.
Involve several senses. You can stimulate more parts of your brain by using as many senses as possible when memorizing information. When a larger part of your brain is active your ability to arouse your memory will increase. For example, the process of writing information by hand stimulates your brain and makes it easier to remember the information later.
Exercise your brain as often as possible. By developing new mental skills, especially complex ones such as learning a new language or learning to play a new musical instrument, you can keep your brain active and improve its physiological function.