2023年秋学期高二年级期末考试
英 语 试 题
时间：120分钟 分值：150分
第一部分：听力(共两节，满分30分)
做题时，先将答案标在试卷上。录音内容结束后，你将有两分钟的时间将试卷上的答案转涂到答题卡上。
第一节(共5小题；每小题1.5分，满分7.5分)
听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。
1. What will the speakers do on Thursday
A. Play football. B. Watch a movie. C. Go hiking.
2. What does the man want to do
A. Place an order. B. Design a uniform. C. Form a team.
3. What is Sally’s favorite city
A. Paris. B. Madrid. C. Venice.
4. Where will the speakers go
A. To a cafe. B. To a dessert shop. C. To a bookstore.
5. What relation is Mr. Gomez to the man
A. His teacher. B. His client. C. His boss.
第二节(共15小题；每小题1.5分，满分22.5分)
听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听毎段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。
听第6段材料，回答第6、7题。
6. What is the man doing
A. Driving a car. B. Repairing a car. C. Borrowing a car.
7. How does the man sound in the end
A. Confused. B. Hesitant. C. Confident.
听第7段材料，回答第8至10题
8. What are the speakers discussing
A. A job candidate. B. A new workmate. C. Travel arrangements.
9. How does Steven Johnson impress the man
A. By his working experiences.
B. By his communication skills.
C. By his international background.
10. When will the speakers meet Steven Johnson
A. Tomorrow. B. Next week.
C. The week after next.
听第8段材料，回答第11至13题
11. What will the man do on Monday
A. Start a new position. B. Pack his belongings.
C. Attend a meeting.
12. What is the man busy doing now
A. Moving to his new office.
B. Checking off office supplies.
C. Preparing for a promotion campaign.
13. What does the woman offer to do
A. Review an expense report.
B. Provide the man with supplies.
C. Arrange a company celebration.
听第9段材料，回答第14至17题。
14. Where will the event take place
A. At a coffee shop. B. At a music hall. C. At a park.
15. Why did the woman choose the location
A. It’s private. B. It’s family friendly.
C. It’s requested by the charity.
16. What does the woman ask the man to do
A. Organize some activities. B. Contribute some money.
C. Contact some bands.
17. What is the event’s purpose
A. To hear some live music. B. To help an animal shelter.
C. To have some family fun.
听第10段材料，回答第18至20题。
18. Why did the speaker learn Arabic
A. She wanted to study in Cairo.
B. She was inspired by her teacher.
C. She became interested in the culture.
19. What is the biggest challenge of learning Arabic for the speaker
A. Suffering from culture shock.
B. Finding a hotel and accommodation.
C. Mastering written and spoken Arabic.
20. What excites the speaker most
A. Being invited to a meal.
B. Shopping at a local market.
C. Getting to know the locals.
二、阅读理解（共两节，满分50分）
第一节 （共15小题，每小题2.5分，满分37.5分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Four Women Who Made Scientific History
Katherine Johnson (1918-2020)
Katherine Johnson was a Black mathematician and one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist. As a mathematician, she calculated and analyzed the flight paths of NASA spacecraft. She is best known for making the calculations that allowed the first Americans to enter Earth’s orbit and set foot on the moon. The 2016 movie “Hidden Figures” records Johnson’s life and work at NASA.
Sally Ride (1951-2012)
Sally Ride was important in creating career and educational opportunities for women and girls in science and mathematics. As an astronaut, she became the first American woman in space in 1983. On NASA’s second and third Space Shuttle missions, her job was to work the robotic arm, which she used to put satellites into space. After she stopped working for NASA, she founded NASA’s EarthKAM project, which provided students the opportunity to take pictures of the Earth and then study them. In 2003, she was added to the Astronaut Hall of Fame.
Ada Lovelace (1815-1852)
Ada Lovelace is regarded as the world’s first computer programmer. She helped develop the idea for a computing machine, and — long before computers were even invented — invented an algorithm (算法) for a computer. To honor her contributions, the U.S. Department of Defense named a new computer language “Ada” in the 1980s.
Mae Jemison (1956- )
Mae Jemison is a doctor, engineer, and former NASA astronaut. In 1992, she became the first Black woman to travel into space. Jemison excels in many scientific fields, has authored several books, and even appeared on an episode (一集) of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. She was included in the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the International Space Hall of Fame. Currently, she leads the 100 Year Starship project through the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. This project is devoted to ensuring that human travel to another star is possible in the next 100 years.
21. What did Katherine Johnson and Sally Ride have in common
A. They both did teaching jobs.
B. They both traveled to space.
C. They both worked for NASA.
D. They both spoke up for women’s rights.
22. Whose name was used to name a computer language
A. Sally Ride’s. B. Mae Jemison’s.
C. Ada Lovelace’s. D. Katherine Johnson’s.
23. What is Mae Jemison doing at present
A. Writing a book. B. Leading a project.
C. Starring in a TV series. D. Working as an astronaut.
B
Jim Metzner has spent nearly five decades documenting and sharing the sounds of the world, from immersive portraits of American cities to unforgettable moments with people and wildlife in varied places.
Now more people will be able to hear more of the world through Metzner’s tape. The Library of Congress announced earlier this month that it has acquired the full body of his life’s work. The recordings include soundscapes of every description from around the world and interviews with scientists, artists and local people. Whereas many recordists focus entirely on a single subject — nature, music or science — Metzner’s recordings convey various human experiences accompanied by the vast range of sounds from the natural world.
Metzner’s career began with a moment of realization in the 1970s, when he first ventured onto the campus of UMass Amherst equipped with a stereo recorder, microphone and earphones. Metzner recalled pushing the red button and hearing a lifelike symphony: a couple walking and talking nearby, a bicycle riding through gravel, a bird flying overhead, bells in the distance. “And I was going like, ‘Wow, this is amazing. What an extraordinary coincidence!’” he recalled. “But it wasn’t a coincidence — this stuff was happening all the time, I just hadn’t been paying attention to it. And it was the microphone and the recorder that said, ‘Wake up ... you live in a world of sound. Here it is.’ And it was, like, handing it to me on a plate.”
Metzner continued to focus on those moments over the years. Now in his 70s, Metzner isn’t hanging up his microphone quite yet. He tells NPR he’s grateful to the Library of Congress for preserving his life’s work, which he describes as a deep honor. But he also wants to make sure it’s actually being heard, not just “buried in an archive(档案室).”
He hopes more people will get to experience — and recognize the value — of soundscapes, which he describes as “part of our natural heritage” and “the touchstones to our feelings.”
“You can go to a museum and see Diane Arbus’ photographs. You can see René Magritte’s paintings,” he adds. “Why not soundscapes ”
24. What is special about Metzner’s recordings
A. They describe the interviews with local people.
B. They convey sounds from human activities.
C. They display sounds on different subjects.
D. They focus entirely on a single subject.
25. What inspired Metzner to take up the recording career
A. A symphony he heard on the campus of UMass Amherst.
B. A sound-rich moment on the campus of UMass Amherst.
C. A realization that he was well equipped with recording devices.
D. A coincidence that he happened to be waken up by the recorder.
26. Which aspect does Metzner value most about his life’s work
A. The Library of Congress has preserved it.
B. It has recorded unforgettable moments.
C. It can become our natural heritage.
D. More people can actually hear it.
27. What does Metzner probably mean in the last paragraph
A. Soundscapes are every bit as much of an art form.
B. More and more people choose to appreciate soundscapes.
C. Photographs and paintings are recognized as natural heritage.
D. The value of soundscapes deserves more recognition than others.
C
Lots of animals live and move in groups— elephants in herds, wolves in packs, birds in flocks, and fish in schools. Research has shown that where an individual is located in the group can affect the benefits it gets from hanging out in a crowd. However, Shaun Killen, an ecophysiologist at the University of Glasgow in the UK says, researchers haven’t yet fully explored the role of physiological processes such as digestion in driving animals’ collective behavior.
Killen and his colleagues recently studied schools of Eurasian minnows(鲦鱼)swimming in a tank against a current. Pieces of food were constantly moving past the fish, and the team recorded how many each minnow ate and the fishes’ positions before and after eating. After calculating the metabolic(新陈代谢的)costs of digesting each fish’s meal and comparing it to the fish’s position, the team observed a trend: fish that had just gulped down a big meal moved to the back of the school, even when they’d swum at the front at most other times.
“It makes sense that feeding would influence individuals’ positions in a group,” says Damien Farine, who studies collective behavior in birds at the University of Konstanz in Germany, “If a fish is hungry, it’s competing with others in the school to eat, and being at the front gives it access to more food. But once the fish is full, it doesn’t necessarily need to be at the front.” In addition, “being at the back of the group is less energetically costly for a range of reasons,” Farine notes. “An individual at the back doesn’t have to contribute to navigating, and by relaxing the brain load it saves more energy.”
Killen says he’s been thinking about the pros and cons of being at the back of the pack, such as protection from attackers and a boost from schoolmates’ slipstream. Changes in position, especially during the basic trade-off between feeding and movement, appear to influence group leadership, information transfer, and group decision making. But the consequences of the trade-offs for group power and survival are not yet understood.
28. What does Killen and his colleagues’ study focus on
A. How behavioral traits influence position change of individuals in fish schools.
B. How location influences nutrition states of individuals in fish schools.
C. How digestion influences distribution of individuals in fish schools.
D. How location influences benefits of individuals in fish schools.
29. What do the underlined words “gulped down” mean in Paragraph 2
A. Swallowed. B. Located. C. Witnessed. D. Missed.
30. What can we learn from Paragraph 3
A. A full fish competes to eat at the back.
B. A hungry fish has easier access to more food.
C. Being at the back saves the energy of a full fish.
D. Being at the front costs a hungry fish less energy.
31. What is Shaun Killen’s attitude to his study
A. Cautious. B. Confident. C. Positive. D. Disappointed.
D
Clothes were once used until they fell apart. Not today. In high-income countries in particular, clothing and footwear are increasingly frequently bought, thrown away and replaced with new fashions, which are themselves soon thrown away and replaced.
The so-called ‘Fast fashion’ is having a surprising environmental impact. Take water. The fashion industry, one of the world’s largest users of water, consumes anywhere from 20 trillion to 200 trillion litres every year. Then there are microplastics. Plastic fibres are released when we wash polyester(聚酯纤维)and other polymer-based textiles, and make up between 20% and 35% of the microplastics choking the oceans. Added to this are specific chemicals, such as those used to make fabrics stain resistant and the pesticides required to protect crops such as cotton.
Change is badly needed, but will require the fashion industry to work harder to embrace more of what is known as the circular economy. That will involve at least two things: refocusing on making things that last, and so encouraging reuse; and more rapidly expanding the technologies for sustainable manufacturing processes, especially recycling. There’s a big role for research — both academic and industrial — in achieving these and other ambitions.
Researchers could begin by helping to provide more accurate estimates of water use. There is also work to be done on improving and expanding textiles recycling. Undoubtedly, used textiles go to landfill in part because there are relatively few systems that collect, recycle and reuse materials. Such recycling requires the manual separation of fibres, as well as buttons and zips. Different fibres are not easy to identify by eye, and overall such manual processes are time-consuming. Machinery is being developed that can help. Technologies also exist to recycle used fibres chemically and to create high-quality fibres that can be reused in clothing. But these are nowhere near the scale needed.
Another challenge for researchers is to work out how to get consumers and manufacturers to change their behaviour. Other research questions include finding ways to encourage people to purchase long lasting goods; exploring how to satisfy desires for something new while reducing environmental impact; and understanding why certain measures can be successfully scaled up whereas others fail.
32. Why does the author mention “water”, “microplastics” and “chemicals” in paragraph 2
A. To list examples. B. To prove a point.
C. To provide an idea. D. To give a definition.
33. Which of the following goes against the concept of “circular economy”
A. Efforts are made to lengthen the lifespan of textiles.
B. Worn-out clothes are used as dishcloths and oil rags.
C. High-quality fibres are created to be reused in clothing.
D. Fashion industry is encouraged to release new lines more often.
34. What is the right thing for the fashion industry researchers to do
A. To make sure that all of the used textiles go to landfill.
B. To separate fibres, as well as buttons and zips manually.
C. To improve and expand textile recycling to a larger extent.
D. To encourage consumers to satisfy their desires for fashion.
35. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text
A. Say no to the so-called fast fashion
B. Address the challenges for researchers
C. Embrace more of the circular economy
D. Cut fast fashion’s environmental impact
第二节（共5小题，每小题2.5分，满分12.5分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后的选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Do you get nervous thinking about geometry, equations or a coming math test If yes, you are far from alone. ____36____ Students in countries with higher levels of math anxiety tend to achieve lower math grades, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Feb 15.
According to a University of Cambridge study, in ordinary life, many people experience some degree of discomfort when faced with a math problem, ranging from mild tension to strong fear. ____37____ They may then try to avoid every situation involving numbers, meaning they are held back from pursuing careers related to this subject.
Comfort comes from the fact that those with math anxiety are not necessarily to be bad at math. ____38____ They may have had a really bad experience with math and there are ways to improve math achievement.
____39____ If you’re feeling stressed before a math exam, it may help to spend a few minutes exploring those feelings before the exam begins. It’s about making sure you’re interpreting your feelings correctly. In addition, a little math anxiety could be taken as a positive challenge to overcome. ____40____
A. Also, there are ways to manage your stress related to math.
B. Students with math anxiety are not cognitively disadvantaged.
C. If a child has math anxiety, don’t assume that they’re not good at math.
D. Math anxiety has become a common psychological condition among students around the world.
E. Just because you have a fast heartbeat and sweaty palms, that does not necessarily mean you will fail.
F. Just like many people get stage fright before delivering a speech, this nervous energy can help to motivate.
G. Some people also experience physical symptoms such as sweaty palms or a racing heart.
三、语言运用（共二节，满分30分）
第一节 （共15小题；每小题1分，满分15分）
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
Brad stood silently outside Dr. Gardner’s office. Over the years Brad had been in the office of his boss more times than he could count but never like this. This visit ___41___ him and he was certain his shallow breath and sweaty forehead would betray his feeling of alarm the moment he entered the room.
“Come!” The voice, strong as ever, shocked Brad. He walked into the room, closing the door. “Do you know why I asked to see you ” Dr. Gardner asked without ___42___ from his desk.
“No, ” Brad ___43 ___, as he sat down in the chair opposite his mentor.
“I am out,” Dr. Gardner responded. “There have been ___44___ that I’m no longer up to the job.”
“That can’t be true,” Brad said, ___45___ to be surprised.
“___46___ it,” Dr. Gardner interrupted, “You’ve heard the whispers. It’s not been the best-kept secret, Brad.”
Brad knew Dr. Gardner was right. Everyone did know, especially Brad since he had been the one to send the anonymous letter that ___47___ Dr. Gardner’s failing eyesight and shaky hands.
“I have something for my successor(继任者).” Dr. Gardner opened his top desk drawer and pulling out a rectangular box. Brad sat silently as the old doctor handed the box to him. He had often thought of this moment and each time Brad felt greatly ___48___. Yet now, with his dream finally within reach, all he felt was a(n) ___49___ feeling in the pit of his stomach.
The box seemed ___50___. Inside was an old scalpel(外科手术刀). Its blade still shined but its wooden handle was as worn as the box that ___51___ it.
“This scalpel was given to me by my mentor.” Dr. Gardner said, ___52___ the silence. “He passed it ___53___ to me with encouragement and a(n) ___54___. He told me that as a surgeon I held life and death in my hands each time I stepped into an operating room. I’ll leave you with the same words. Your scalpel is ___55___ a tool. How you use it is up to you.”
A. shocked B. scared C. satisfied D. shamed
A. turning around B. standing up C. looking up D. leaning forward
A. smiled B. argued C. lied D. shouted
A. facts B. reports C. conclusions D. whispers
A. pretending B. intending C. seeming D. claiming
A. Save B. Make C. Get D. Leave
A. read B. detailed C. discovered D. announced
A. excited B. encouraged C. fortunate D. energetic
A. strong B. empty C. proud D. fearless
A. new B. delicate C. ancient D. dusty
A. housed B. presented C. carried D. maintained
A. stopping B. avoiding C. beating D. breaking
A. back B. down C. forward D. around
A. warning B. lesson C. expectation D. inspiration
A. like B. such C. just D. even
第二节（共10小题，每小题1.5分，满分15分）
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Autumn Equinox
Autumn Equinox(秋分), the 16th solar term of the year, lies at the midpoint of autumn, 56_______(divide) autumn into two equal parts. After that day, the location of direct sunlight 57._______(move) to the south, making days shorter and nights longer in the northern hemisphere. Since the Autumn Equinox, most of the areas in China have entered the cool autumn. 58. _______ the cold air southward meets the declining warm and wet air, precipitation(降水)is the result.
As 59_______(say) in the ancient book, The Detailed Records of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC), “It is on the Autumn Equinox day that the Yin and Yang are in a balance of power. Thus the day and night are of equal length, and 60_______ are the cold and hot weather.”
In South China, there is a custom 61_______(popular) known as “having Qiucai (autumn vegetable) on the Autumn Equinox day”. Every Autumn Equinox day, all the 62_______(village) go to pick Qiucai in the wild, which is taken back and made into soup with fish, 63_______(name) “Qiutang” (autumn soup).
On Autumn Equinox day, there are thousands of people in the world trying to make eggs stand 64_______ end. According to experts, on the Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox, the earth’s axis(轴), on its 66.5 degree tilt, is in a relative balance of power with the earth’s orbit around the sun. Thus it is an 65_______(easy) time for people to practice the game.
第四部分 写作（共二节, 满分40分）
第一节（共15小题，每小题1分，满分15分）
根据句子上下文或首字母，在空格上填上正确的词语。
66. Journalists are ____________(致力于) to presenting the truth.
67. Motor vehicles are p____________ from driving in the town centre.
68. It is ____________(legal) to drive a car that is not registered and insured.
69. The Australian team soon demonstrated their ____________(superior) over the opposition.
70. To the east of the Pacific coast rise the grand Rocky Mountains, ____________ are home to high peaks and deep valleys.
71. Silk was not the only item ____________(transport) along the road.
72. It was then ____________ I noticed a small grey monkey sitting on a tree a few metres away and eating a banana.
73. From the very early days of human life on the Earth, our curiosity about the unknown has kept us ____________(adventure) into new places.
74. Due to the near ____________(absent) of gravity in space, the astronauts have to attach themselves so that they don’t float around.
75. Columbus insisted ____________ finding a direct sea route to the East Indies by sailing across the Atlantic Ocean.
76. Today, the USS Arizona lies ____________ it sank: in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
77. The long-term natural forces, like wind, water and temperature, can gradually wear down heritage sites ____________ natural disasters can lead to the destruction of them.
78. The government admitted that there was a petrol ____________(short) but warned people against panic buying.
79. The company has shown ____________(exception) growth over the past two years.
80. The length of this box is twice its ____________(broad).
第二节（满分25分）
阅读下面材料, 根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段, 使之构成一篇完整的短文。
It was a lazy Sunday morning, the type of day that getting out of bed requires an effort. When Marilyn and I entered the kitchen, Lori was already at the table doing her homework. Seeing us coming, she, suddenly, stood and faced me, “Why are there more pictures of Lisa than there are of me ” she asked. Lisa is our older daughter.
I stared back, not understanding the question. Lori turned and left the room. Caught off-guard by the question, I looked at Marilyn. “Are there more pictures of Lisa than of Lori ” Marilyn shrugged and raised her eyebrows in a motion of puzzlement. “Are you aware that there are more pictures of Lisa than Lori ” I added.
Marilyn said, “I’ve never counted them. I don’t know.”
Marilyn’s answer was the same as my thoughts, “I hadn’t realized that there was any significant difference. Now why would Lori ask such a question ” I asked.
Marilyn just shook her head and stared back at me. After a few minutes of thought she said, “When Lisa was born, you were taking photographs. You hardly went anywhere without a camera. When Lori was born, you were involved in colored slides (幻灯片). There must be hundreds of slides of Lori somewhere in the house that Lori has never seen or doesn’t remember.”
After digesting Marilyn’s remarks, I agreed. “After Lori leaves, we’ll look for those slides. Who knows, we may find more slides of Lori than pictures of Lisa,” I joked.
Later that afternoon, when we were alone, we went into the basement where we had stored the boxes that we had brought from our previous home. It wasn’t long before we discovered the trays of slides, and for the rest of the afternoon we looked at each tray, pointing out those slides that highlighted Lori.
“What are you going to do ” Marilyn asked.
“It’s her birthday in a few weeks,” I said, “We’ll select about one hundred slides with Lori and convert them into pictures, put them into an album and give to her as a gift. I don’t know if the album will answer her question, but at least she’ll know that we care enough to find her an answer.”
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右：
2. 开头已给出。
Over the next few days, we secretly went through all of our slides. On November 24, before leaving for work, I opened her door and slipped the album inside.
高二英语试题 参考答案
第一部分 听力（共20小题；每小题 1.5分，满分30分）
1-5 BACBC 6-10 BCAAC 11-15 AABAB 16-20 CBBCA
第二部分 阅读（共两节，满分50分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2.5分，满分37.5分）
21—23 CCB 24—27 CBDA 28—31 CACA 32—35 BDCD
第二节（共5小题；每小题2.5分，满分12.5分）
36—40 DGCAF
第三部分：语言知识运用（共三节，满分30分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题1分，满分15分）
41—45 BCCDA 46—50 ABABC 51—55 ADBAC
第二节（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）
56. dividing 57. moves 58. When/As 59. is said 60. so
61. popularly 62. villagers 63. named 64. on 65. easier
单句填空
mitted 67.prohibited 68. illegal 69. superiority 70. which
71. to be transported 72. that 73. adventuring 74. absence 75. on
76. where 77. while 78. shortage 79. exceptional 80. breadth
读后续写
Over the next few days, we secretly went through all of our slides. We kept on selecting and rejecting pictures until we were satisfied. Those pictures brought back memories of the early years of our marriage and we hoped they showed how we felt about our daughter. Marilyn had them converted into photographs. Then, we placed them into an album with a birthday card explaining why her mother and I had put the album together. When the album was finally finished, we hid the book until her birthday.
On November 24, before leaving for work, I opened her door and slipped the album inside. Then I left the house and drove to work. I was about to enter the office when the telephone rang. I picked up the receiver, and on the other end of the receiver, a tiny voice spoke, ''I love you, Daddy, '' she said and disconnected. The receiver remained against my ear for a few more minutes before I placed it on the telephone. Our message had been delivered and acknowledged.
听力原文
(Text 1)
M: Hey, that new superhero movie is out this weekend! But we’re going hiking. Maybe we can go during the week
W: Okay. It’s showing on Tuesday and Thursday.
M: Let’s go on Thursday. I play football on Mondays and Tuesdays.
W: Perfect, let’s do it!
(Text 2)
M: Good afternoon. I’m calling about ordering some uniforms for my baseball team.
W: OK. Do you have a design in mind If not, you can use our website to view different styles. Then you can submit your order through the site, too.
(Text 3)
W: Jeremy, Europe is amazing!
M: Oh Sally, that’s so cool. What’s the best place that you went to
W: It’s hard to choose. I really love Paris and Madrid but it has to be Venice as the architecture is just breath-taking.
(Text 4)
W: Hey Tom! Are you going to the cafe downstairs to get a cup of coffee
M: No, that’s closed. I’m going to the dessert shop by the bookstore on the next street.
W: Do you mind if I go with you
M: Not at all. I feel lonely going by myself anyway.
(Text 5)
W: Jack, Mr. Gomez wants to see you in his office.
M: Do you know why I hope I haven’t done anything wrong.
W: Relax. He just wants to go over some client data.
(Text 6)
W: I can’t believe my car died! Thanks for giving me a hand.
M: Anytime.
W: You look like you know what you’re doing.
M: My dad’s a mechanic, so he taught me a few tricks of the trade.
W: Do you think it’ll make much longer
M: Just another couple of minutes, and you’ll be able to hit the road.
(Text 7)
M: Have you reviewed the application letter of Steven Johnson His experiences are pretty impressive.
W: I have noticed he won pretty big contracts from a big international trader last year. Do you think he would be a good fit for our company
M: Well, we have to see him in person before making any decisions. Should I arrange a formal interview with him
W: Actually, I’ll be out of town next week, so why don’t we set up a schedule in the following week
(Text 8)
W: Pablo, I heard about your promotion in today’s regular meeting. Congratulations! When do you start your new position
M: Thanks very much! I start on Monday. Things are a little busy at the moment, though, because my new office is on a different floor, and I have to move all my personal belongings there.
W: I just took charge of the office supplies, so if you need anything to help you pack, let me know.
M: That would actually be very helpful. I can’t believe how many things I’ve collected over the years! Do you think I can get some cardboard boxes and tape
W: Sure you can. Oh, I’m supposed to give an expense report in five minutes. I’ll come back to you later.
(Text 9)
W: Hey Terry, this charity fundraiser I’m organizing, it’s going to be a big event!
M: Where are you hosting it, Mary
W: Here in this coffee shop. There’s space for live music, food, and lots of activities for kids.
M: Oh, I assumed you would do it at a music hall.
W: We considered it. But it wasn’t available then. Then we decided either here or the park. Finally, we chose this shop as it’s more family friendly.
M: Yeah, that makes sense, and I suppose this is more private compared to the park. What charity is it
W: A local animal shelter. I thought this would be a great way to raise awareness and funds. They always need a little support.
M: That’s awesome. What can I do to help
W: Well, I was actually hoping you could lend me a hand with the music. You know a lot of bands, and I was thinking maybe you could help me book some acts for the event.
M: Sure, I’d be happy to help out. I’ll see what I can do.
(Text 10)
W: Good evening, everyone. I recently learnt Arabic in Cairo as part of my degree. My interest in the language was due to the passion of our Arabic lecturer and as the course progressed, my interest in the culture also grew with it. I considered studying in the Middle East, but ultimately decided on Cairo due to its energetic cultural scene.
However, in the city, we faced some challenges, including difficulties finding a hotel and accommodation as we were a group of unmarried individuals. Once settled, the culture shock was intense for some of us. One member of our group returned home within the first week. Luckily I became accustomed to the life in Cairo gradually.
The biggest challenge of learning Arabic is the disconnection between the written and the spoken forms.
Despite these challenges, learning Arabic has been a rewarding experience, including absorbing myself in the culture and getting to know the locals and even negotiating at a local market. Highlights were being invited to a traditional Arabic meal at one of the locals’ home and being able to confidently communicate.
Overall, this experience was outside of my comfort zone and allowed me to learn and grow in interesting ways. I encourage others to consider involving themselves in new cultures and languages. Thanks for listening.
