上海中学2023学年第一学期期末考试
英语试题
高二_____班 学号_________ 姓名_________ 成绩_________
I. Listening Comprehension
Section A
1. A. Job applicants. B. University students. C. News reporters. D. Public speakers.
2. A. $ 36. B. $60. C. $ 24. D. $30.
3. A. nervous. B. excited. C. surprised. D. calm.
4. A. They can hardly find time to do exercise.
B. Both of them are fond of doing exercise.
C. Doing exercise is the last thing they’d like to do.
D. The woman disagrees to do exercise with the man.
5. A. Student and teacher. B. Guest and receptionist.
C. Customer and shop assistant. D. Daughter and father.
6. A. The Student Union. B. The Tutoring Service Center.
C. Her professor’s office. D. Her tutor’s home.
7. A. The coverage of newspapers. B. The nature of humans.
C. The increase of crime rate. D. The impact of mass media.
8. A. Doctor Green is very busy on Mondays.
B. Doctor Green forgot to put the man on the schedule.
C. An unexpected patient visited Doctor Green last Monday.
D. Patients can usually see Doctor Green on schedule.
9. A. She is disappointed with his decision.
B. She is crazy about going camping in the tropical jungle.
C. She tries to persuade the man not to go with Jerry.
D. She suggests the man reconsider his plan.
10. A. Because he favors goods in physical stores.
B. Because he enjoys the offline shopping experience.
C. Because he doesn’t have much money.
D. Because he doesn’t like the shopping festival.
Section B
Questions 11 through 13 are based on the following passage.
11. A. A number of giant rats are hidden in the fields or forests.
B. Violent robbers may come out and hurt innocent civilians.
C. People may step onto a landmine (地雷) and get injured.
D. Other roads have a litter problem, which spoils good mood.
12. A. It is a rare species of rat. B. It has a good sense of smell.
C. It sacrifices its life to detect dangers. D. It is terrified of explosive devices.
13. A. 13 minutes. B. 30 minutes. C. 40 minutes. D. 4 days.
Questions 14 through 16 are based on the following passage.
14. A. It bans the sales of salty and unhealthy food.
B. Its residents lose altogether 100,000 kg by 2020.
C. Everyone weighs himself on giant scales in public.
D. Local doctors make personalized diets for everyone.
15. A. Local people share healthy diet with each other.
B. Thousands of residents kick football to keep slim.
C. Local restaurants use olive oil to replace butter.
D. Government officials persevere in physical exercise.
16. A. Students are encouraged to walk or ride to school.
B. Students are allowed to ride bicycles in school libraries.
C. Parents are offered devices to monitor children’s walking time.
D. Fruits are provided for those who are addicted to online games.
Questions 17 through 20 are based on the following conversation.
17. A. Neither of them can find a suitable game.
B. They are both enthusiastic about games.
C. Good games cost a large amount of money.
D. They often go Dutch when buying gifts.
18. A. It includes fantasy role-playing. B. It doesn’t have an actual ending.
C. It is an expensive online game. D. It is something like a racing game.
19. A. Players have opportunities to make new friends.
B. Players can have face-to-face communication.
C. Players may be rewarded with delicious food.
D. Players can start the game at anytime they want.
20. A. Add variety to the recommended game. B. Look around to find a cheaper online game.
C. Persuade the woman to change her mind. D. Try to find an extraordinary online game.
II. Grammar and Vocabulary
Section A Multiple Choice
Directions: Beneath each of the following sentences there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence.
21. I dare ________ that without your help, we ________ so much progress in our work.
A. say; can’t make B. to say; couldn’t make
C. say; couldn’t have made D. to say; shouldn’t have made
22. But for the fact that she ________ dance, I would invite her to the party.
A. couldn’t B. can’t C. mustn’t D. shouldn’t
You can’t imagine that a gentleman ________ so rudely to an old lady.
A. shall have behaved B. should have behaved
C. could have behaved D. might have behaved
24. The door won’t ________ from the inside, so you ________ call the repairman.
A. open; may well B. be opened; may well
C. open; may as well D. be opened; may as well
25. ________ breakfast earlier, I would have had enough time to take care of domestic chores.
A. Had I B. If I had C. Were I to have D. Had I had
26. If a man living in the Middle Ages ________ forward in time, he ________ amazed by today’s technological landscape.
A. traveled; would have been B. was to travel; could be
C. were going to travel; must be D. had traveled; would be
27. If you ________ the highlights of 2008 Summer Olympics, you would most likely find that they were all marked by sportsmanship.
A. were to examine B. had examined C. would examine D. have to examine
He boarded the airplane as if he ________ an experienced traveller, yet he had never left town before.
A. is B. were C. has been D. had been
—He failed his driving test.
—What a pity! If only he ________ what his driving instructor had been telling him.
A. listened to B. would listen to C. had listened to D. should listen to
30. ________ in the future to bridge the gender gap and diversity in the scientific field
A. Do you suggest what we can do B. What do you suggest that we should do
C. Do you suggest what can we do D. What do you suggest we do
31. ________ on the blackboard ________ the words we’ll learn in this period.
A. Being written; are B. Written; are
C. Writing; is D. Writing; are
32. At no time during that conversation _________ by the attacker’s words.
A. was anybody threatened B. did anybody threaten
C. anybody was threatened D. did nobody threaten
33. Hardly _________ heard of us, let alone been influenced by our lives.
A. anybody has B. nobody has
C. has anybody D. has nobody
34. —I was born in China and I never learned Japanese.
—_____________.
A. So was Sandra B. Neither did Sandra
C. So it was with Sandra D. Neither it did with Sandra
35. The scientific research that Deng Jiaxian had devoted his life ________ his death.
A. to causing B. to caused C. to having caused D. to have been caused
36. Four of the five bedrooms make the most of the views through glass balconies that ________ the sea.
A. overlook B. oversee C. overhead D. overcoat
37. We need artists and filmmakers to ________ people around the world to the climate disaster ahead.
A. wake B. waken C. awake D. awaken
38. The award-winning film ________ the director to an outstanding figure in the industry.
A. elevated B. assigned C. devoted D. credited
39. They ________ wandering along the river after work to appreciate the spectacular sunset.
A. take on B. take up C. take to D. take in
40. I wear a bright orange jacket while bicycling because it makes me highly ________ to car drivers.
A. vigorous B. vital C. visible D. visual
41. This study helps to _________ the urgent need to better manage patients so they survive longer following their diagnosis.
A. emerge B. highlight C. weaken D. outperform
Section B
Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A. replace B. trustworthy C. apparently D. pick
E. owe AB. expressing AC. land AD. ironically
AE. version BC. position BD. challenging
What Is 2023’s Word of the Year, According to Dictionaries
What word defined the past year for you Find out if your answer matches the actual word of the year from four famous dictionaries.
Cambridge Dictionary’s ___42___ for 2023 is hallucinate. The common definition of hallucinate is “to see or hear things that are not really there because of illness or drugs.” In 2023, however, to hallucinate can mean something different, thanks to AI. According to Cambridge’s alternate definition of hallucinating, “when an artificial intelligence hallucinates, it produces false information.” Sure, using AI can be fun for creating dog selfies or could even help you ___43___ a job, but it’s likely to produce misleading or made-up facts—or “hallucinating.”
Those dictionary people are ___44___ all on the same page. Similar to Cambridge, Collins Dictionary’s word of the year is the broader term AI. ChatGPT was released in late 2022, with companies attempting to use it to cut costs, worrying employees that it would ___45___ their jobs. AI pioneers and creators began ___46___ concerns that AI could be “dangerous” and operated by “bad actors.” President Biden even issued an executive order on “safe, secure and ___47___ artificial intelligence.”
With Merriam-Webster’s word authentic, we have an AI trifecta(三连胜)! While its core meaning is the same—“not false or imitation”—it should ___48___ its popularity in 2023 to AI, with the rise in deepfake videos and the potential use of AI in entertainment. However, being authentic is also about being “true to one’s own personality, spirit or character.” Are the public figures you look up to being true to themselves As people search for authenticity, Merriam-Webster notes, “___49___, with ‘authentic content creators’... authenticity has become a performance.”
Oxford slides in at the last minute with a totally different word of the year for 2023: rizz. This noun means “style, charm or attractiveness”. It’s believed to be a shortened ___50___ of the word charisma, a special magnetic charm or appeal. It also hints at a changing attitude in 2023. “It’s interesting to see a contrasting word like rizz come to the forefront, perhaps showing that this year more of us are opening ourselves after a few ___51___ years and finding confidence in who we are,” notes Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages.
III. Reading Comprehension
Section A Cloze
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
Research has shown that two-thirds of human conversation is taken up not with discussion of the cultural or political problems of the day, not heated debates about films we’ve just watched or books we’ve just finished reading, but plain and simple ___52___.
Language is our greatest treasure as a species, and what do we ___53___ do with it We gossip. About others’ behaviour and private lives, such as who’s doing what with whom, who’s in and who’s out—and why; how to deal with difficult ___54___ situations involving children, lovers, and colleagues.
So why are we keen on gossiping Are we just natural ___55___, of both time and words Or do we talk a lot about nothing in particular simply to avoid facing up to the really important issues of life It’s not the case according to Professor Robin Dunbar. In fact, in his latest book, Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language, the psychologist says gossip is one of these really ___56___ issues.
Dunbar ___57___ the traditional view that language was developed by the men at the early stage of social development in order to organize their manly hunting activities more effectively, or even to promote the exchange of poetic stories about their origins and the supernatural. Instead he suggests that language evolved among women. We don’t spend two-thirds of our time gossiping just because we can talk, argues Dunbar—___58___, he goes on to say, language evolved specifically to allow us to gossip.
Dunbar arrived at his cheery theory by studying the ___59___ of the higher primates(灵长类动物) like monkeys. By means of grooming—cleaning the fur by brushing it, monkeys form groups with other individuals on whom they can rely for support in the event of some kind of conflict within the group or ___60___ from outside it.
As we human beings evolve from a particular branch of the primate family, Dunbar ___61___ that at one time in our history we did much the same. Grouping together made sense because the bigger the group, the greater the ___62___ it provided; on the other hand, the bigger the group, the greater the stresses of living close to others. Grooming helped to ___63___ the pressure and calm everybody down.
But as the groups got bigger and bigger, the amount of time spent in grooming activities also had to be ___64___ to maintain its effectiveness. Clearly, a more ___65___ kind of grooming was needed, and thus language evolved as a kind of vocal grooming which allowed humans to develop relationship with ever-larger groups by exchanging information over a wider network of individuals than would be possible by one-to-one ___66___ contact.
52. A. gesture B. gossip C. description D. recognition
53. A. occasionally B. habitually C. discreetly D. originally
54. A. historical B. natural C. social D. cultural
55. A. wasters B. users C. masters D. owners
56. A. witty B. vivid C. vital D. worthless
57. A. supposes B. rejects C. highlights D. outlines
58. A. on the contrary B. for instance C. in addition D. as a result
prehension B. appearance C. motivation D. behaviour
60. A. contact B. attack C. assistance D. trick
61. A. concludes B. recalls C. requires D. confesses
62. protection B. prospect C. responsibility D. promise
63. echo B. blame C. ease D. preserve
64. A. established B. extended C. earned D. consumed
65. A. efficient B. scientific C. considerate D. common
66. A. regular B. independent C. widespread D. physical
Section B
Directions: Read passage A, B, and C. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
(A)
Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language is universal, but that the gestures we use are understood by everyone. We do not realize that waving good-bye is the way to ask a person from the Philippines to one’s side, or that in Italy and some Latin-American countries, curling the finger to oneself is a sign of farewell.
Those private citizens who sent packages to our troops occupying Germany after World War II and marked them GIFT to escape duty payments did not bother to find out that “Gift” means poison in German. Moreover, we like to think of ourselves as friendly, yet we prefer to be at least 3 feet or an arm’s length away from others. Latins and Middle Easterners like to come closer and touch, which makes Americans uncomfortable.
Our linguistic and cultural blindness and the informality with which we take notice of the developed tastes, gestures, customs and languages of other countries, are losing us friends, business and respect in the world.
Even here in the United States, we make few compromises to the needs of foreign visitors. There are no information signs in four languages on our public buildings or monuments; we do not have multilingual guided tours. Very few restaurant menus have translations, and multilingual waiters, bank clerks and policemen are rare. Our transportation systems have maps in English only and often we ourselves have difficulty understanding them.
When we go abroad, we tend to cluster in hotels and restaurants where English is spoken. The attitudes and information we pick up are conditioned by those natives—usually the richer—who speak English. Our business dealings, as well as the nation’s diplomacy, are conducted through interpreters.
For many years, America and Americans could get by with cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance. After all, America was the most powerful country of the free world, the distributor of needed funds and goods.
But all that is past. American dollars no longer buy all good things, and we are slowly beginning to realize that our proper role in the world is changing. A l979 Harris poll reported that 55 percent of Americans want this country to play a more significant role in world affairs; we want to have a hand in the important decisions of the next century, even though it may not always be the upper hand.
67. It can be inferred that Americans being approached too closely by Middle Easterners would most probably________.
stand still scream out step forward draw back
68. The author gives many examples to criticize Americans for their ________.
A. cultural self-centeredness B. casual manners
indifference towards foreign visitors blindness to native culture
69. In countries other than their own, most Americans ________.
A. are isolated by the local people
are not well informed due to the language barrier
tend to get along well with the natives
need interpreters in hotels and restaurants
70. The author’s intention in writing this article is to make Americans realize that ________.
A. it is dangerous to ignore their foreign friends
it is important to maintain their leading role in world affairs
it is necessary to use several languages in public places
it is time to get acquainted with other cultures
(B)
Shipping containers are gaining popularity as an alternative to traditional houses. These 20-or 40-foot containers can be obtained for as little as several hundred US dollars a piece, and it’s not surprising that some industry professionals and even city planners consider them the future of home building. Below are details of some amazing homes made out of shipping containers.
London Container City (I and II)
London’s Container City first sprang up in the heart of the docklands in 2001. It took just five months to complete the original 12 work studios. Shortly after that, a fourth floor of studios and living apartments was built on top of these. The first container city was so successful that another—Container City II—was added to it.
Los Angeles Redondo Beach house
With its modern lines and appealing spaces, the award-winning Redondo Beach House is a luxury beachside showpiece built from eight recycled steel shipping containers, along with some traditional building materials. According to the architects, the modified containers are “nearly indestructible”.
Amsterdam Keetwonen
Amsterdam’s massive Keetwonen complex houses 1,000 students and it is the largest container city in the world. The housing project is a roaring success and features units that are quiet and comfortable. Each resident enjoys a bathroom, a kitchen and separate sleeping and studying quarters. The complex even has central heating and high-speed internet as well as areas for parking bikes.
Mexico M2ATK Container House
M2ATK designed this unique container house for an artist. It’s fully equipped with heating and cooling, a kitchen and bathroom. On the bottom floor of the house are “public spaces” such as the kitchen and living room. The second floor are bedrooms, and the top floor is a studio space in which to work, read and “let fly the imagination”.
71. Compared to traditional houses, container houses are________.
A. easier to maintain B. less expensive to build
C. more comfortable to live in D. more fashionable in style
72. What can be learned about Amsterdam’s Keetwonen complex
A. It is the first container city in the world. B. It’s equipped with modern facilities.
C. It features a luxury and unique style. D. It includes living space and car parks.
73. An architect is designing a container house for a family consisting of a married couple and their five school-age children in Canada. The family requires both public spaces and separate quarters. Which container home can the architect refer to
A. London Container City (I and II) B. Los Angeles Redondo Beach house
C. Amsterdam Keetwonen D. Mexico M2ATK Container House
(C)
In the idealized version of how science is done, facts about the world are waiting to be observed and collected by objective researchers who use the scientific method to carry out their work. But in the everyday practice of science, discovery frequently follows an unclear and complicated route. We aim to be objective, but we cannot escape the context of our unique life experience. Prior knowledge and interest influence what we experience. Opportunities for misinterpretation are everywhere.
Consequently, discovery claims should be thought of as early forms of science and are full of potential. But it takes collective inspection and acceptance to transform a discovery claim into a mature discovery. This is the credibility process, through which the individual researcher’s me, here, now becomes the community’s anyone, anywhere, anytime. Objective knowledge is the goal, not the starting point.
Once a discovery claim becomes public, the discoverer receives intellectual credit. But the community takes control of what happens next. Within the complex social structure of the scientific community, researchers make discoveries; editors and reviewers act as gatekeepers by controlling the publication process; other scientists use the new finding to suit their own purposes; and finally, the public (including other scientists) receives the new discovery and possibly accompanying technology. As a discovery claim works it through the community, the interaction and battle between shared and competing beliefs about the science and the technology involved transforms an individual’s discovery claim into the community’s credible discovery.
Two problems exist throughout this credibility process. First, scientific work tends to focus on some aspect of current knowledge that is viewed as incomplete or incorrect. Little reward accompanies repetition and confirmation of what is already known and believed. The goal is new-search, not re-search. Not surprisingly, newly published discovery claims and credible discoveries that appear to be important and convincing will always be open to challenge and potential modification or contradiction by future researchers. Second, novelty itself frequently provokes disbelief. Nobel Laureate and physiologist Albert Azent-Gyorgyi once described discovery as “seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” But thinking what nobody else has thought and telling others what they have missed may not change their views. Sometimes years are required for truly novel discovery claims to be accepted and appreciated.
In the end, credibility “happens” to a discovery claim—a process that corresponds to what philosopher Annette Baier has described as the commons of the mind. “We reason together, challenge, revise, and complete each other’s reasoning and each other’s conceptions of reason.”
74. According to the first paragraph, the process of discovery is characterized by its ________.
A. uncertainty and complexity B. misconception and falsehood
C. logicality and objectivity D. systematicness and regularity
75. It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that credibility process requires ________.
strict inspection shared efforts individual wisdom persistent innovation
76. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi would most likely agree that ________.
A. scientific claims will survive challenges. B. discoveries today inspire future research.
C. efforts to make discoveries are justified. D. scientific work calls for a critical mind.
77. Which of the following would be the best title of the test
A. Novelty as an engine of Scientific Discovery. B. Collective Inspection in Scientific Discovery.
C. Evolution of Credibility in Doing Science. D. Challenge to Credibility at the Gate to Science.
Section C
Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.
What distinguishes Nobel laureates is passion for their work, work that engages their hearts as well as their heads. But early privilege is not essential. The typical Nobel laureate in science is a male born into a middle-class family. In many Nobel laureates’ autobiographies, they pay tribute to an outstanding mentor. In fact, Nobel laureates are mostly down-to-earth and discreet. AB. Yet recently published researches indicate that successful innovators take a broader path.
What Makes a Nobel Laureate
Are there any predictors that point to who will be selected as Nobel laureates
Is brilliance in childhood a predictor When the 2006 chemistry laureate, Roger Kornberg, was asked what he wanted for Christmas, he said, “A week in the lab.” ___78___. Mario Capecchi (medicine, 2007) was an abandoned child on the streets of wartime Italy.
___79___. Five of Enrico Fermi’s (physics, 1938) postdoctoral students went on to win the Nobel Prize. Otto Warburg (medicine, 1931) advised an American doctoral student, “If you wish to become a scientist, you must ask a successful scientist to accept you in his laboratory.”
Experts often recommend that people specialize in one field of work or research to maximize their chances of success. ___80___ If you look at the careers of Nobel Prize winners, you’ll find that they are unusually likely to be “creative polymaths.” That is, they purposely integrate formal and informal expertise from widely varied disciplines to yield new and useful ideas and practices.
There remains one quality that is essential. It is what Leon Lederman (physics, 1988) called “compulsive dedication.” ___81___. Take Marie Curie (physics, 1903; chemistry, 1911) and her husband Pierre (physics, 1903). The Curies were assigned a shed with a leaking roof and a dirt floor, where they worked for years, freezing in winter and sweltering in summer. “And yet,” Marie Curie wrote in her biography of her husband, “it was in this miserable old shed that the best and happiest years of our life were spent, entirely dedicated to work.”
IV. Productive Grammar
Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct.
Future living: what will the home of tomorrow look like
What will our homes be like in the future Growing cities, shrinking living spaces, and climate change are major challenges ___82___(face) urban planners and architects. We’re sharing three trends with you ___83___ will shape the home we live in tomorrow.
Energy efficient and carbon neutral
One of the greatest challenges for homes of the future is our increasing energy consumption, something that cannot be covered by fossil fuels going forward. ___84___the impact of climate change becoming notable, it’s perfectly understandable that the buildings of the future could function as environmentally friendly power plants. Solar collectors and heat storage systems allow ___85___ are known as ‘plus-energy buildings’ to produce 100 percent renewable energy for emission-free operation.
The trend to downsizing
Living more efficiently not only means improving energy use and reducing one’s own carbon footprint, but also building to save space. Rooms ___86___(design) to be multifunctional when there’s not a dedicated room available for every potential purpose. Modular and flexible furnishing systems that can be adapted to the individual floor space and room zones will replace ___87___(fix) structures, ensuring that there’s room for everything even in a small space.
Trends for living and working under one roof
Over the last few months, the office ___88___(become) a feature in many people’s homes. For a number of years now, the home office has been evolving from a make-do desk into a comfortable long-term solution. This development means we need to ask ___89___ how we should construct our living spaces to allow us to concentrate and work productively.
___90___ you rent or own your own home in the future, what’s clear is that the home of tomorrow will be smarter, more flexible, and more sustainable. It will offer us space ___91___(live), sleep and work both indoors and outdoors.
V. Translation
Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
她刚批准这个项目，就意识到这不过是一时心血来潮。 (Hardly)
令我印象最深刻的是这位饱经风霜的生物学家始终直面每一个挑战。(take)
要不是他拙劣的演讲风格，这位有前途的年轻人本可以赢得演讲比赛一等奖。(If)
上海中学2023学年第一学期期末考试
英语听力文稿及答案
I. Listening Comprehension
1-10 CAABB BADDB 11-20 CBB BCA CABD
II. Grammar and Vocabulary
Section A
21-41 CBBCD DABCD BAACB ADACCB
Section B
42-51 D/AC/C/A/AB B/E/AD/AE/BD
III. Reading Comprehension
Section A
52-66 BBCAC BADBA ACBAD
Section B
67-70 DABD 71-73 BBD 74-77 ABDC
Section C
78-81 B/D/AB/A
IV. Productive Grammar
facing that/which With what will be designed
fixed has become ourselves Whether to live
V. Translation
92. 她刚批准这个项目，就意识到这不过是一时心血来潮。 (Hardly)
Hardly had she approved the project when she realized that it was just a passing fancy.
令我印象最深刻的是这位饱经风霜的生物学家始终直面每一个挑战。(take)
What impresses me most is that the weather-beaten biologist takes up every challenge head-on all the time.
要不是他拙劣的演讲风格，这位有前途的年轻人本可以赢得演讲比赛一等奖。(If)
If it hadn’t been for his poor delivery, the promising young man could have won (the) first prize in the speech contest.
V. Transcript
M: I’ve been assigned to cover the visiting professor’s speech today. What about you
W: Nothing as grand as yours. I have to do an interview for the evening news about a man adopting over 200 dogs.
Q: What are the speakers (C)
M: How much are these lovely roses
W: The regular price is $30 a dozen, but, as you know, on such a special day, it’s 20% up.
Q: How much should the man pay for a dozen roses today (A)
W: You seem to be unable to sit still today. What’s going on
M: The winner of the first prize will be announced at the conference today.
Q: How does the man feel today (A)
M: For me, a day hardly goes by without doing exercise.
W: I can’t agree with you more.
Q: What can we learn from the conversation (B)
W: Excuse me. Is it extra to upgrade my room
M: No, it’s the same price.
Q: What’s the probable relationship between the two speakers (B)
W: I’m having a lot of trouble with logic and it seems my professor can’t explain it in a way that makes sense to me.
M: You know, there’s a tutoring service on campus organized by the Student Union. I was about to drop advanced mathematics before they helped me out.
Q: Where will the woman probably go next (B)
W: Just look at the newspapers, nothing but robbery, suicide and murder. Do you still believe people are basically good
M: Of course. But many papers lack interest in reporting something positive.
Q: What are the two speakers talking about (A)
8. M: When I was at Doctor Green’s office last Monday, I spent over an hour in the waiting room.
W: Really Something must have come up that day.
Q: What does the woman imply (D)
M: Jerry and I have decided to go camping in the tropical jungle this summer holiday.
W: Are you crazy Why don’t you give it a second thought
Q: What does the woman mean (D)
W: How much did you spend during the double 11 online shopping festival
M: Not much. Although there is a big discount, I still prefer to shop in physical stores for immediate satisfaction.
Q: Why didn’t the man spend much money during the online shopping festival (B)
Section B
Questions 11 through 13 are based on the following passage.
In more than 60 countries, people can only walk on established, well-worn paths. Why Because their fields and forests are littered with landmines left from war. Even when people walk carefully off the paths, they can accidentally step on a landmine. As a result, innocent civilians are injured or lose their lives. Many people want to clear the landmines and give people their land and lives back. APOPO, a non-profit organization started in Belgium, has a creative solution to the problem. They don't train people to use metal detectors to find the landmines. They pioneered the use of African giant rat, which can be found in most of sub-Saharan African nations, in landmine detection to free people from the terrors of the explosive leftovers of war. They breed and train African giant rats for the job. These trained rats, called “HeroRATs,” have a keen sense of smell that allows them to smell out landmines quickly. A rat can clear a tennis-court sized area in just 30 minutes. A human with a metal detector would take four days to sweep the same area. Not only that, but the rats are too light to explode a landmine. No rat has ever died detecting landmines.
Questions:
11. Why people in those countries have to walk on established paths (C)
12. What can we learn about the African giant rat (B)
13. How much time does it take a rat to clear a tennis-court sized area (B)
Questions 14 through 16 are based on the following passage.
As we all know, being overweight can harm one's health. Naron, a small town in Spain, has set a weight loss challenge for itself in recent days: by early 2020, its people must get rid of a combined total of 100,000 kg.
There are around 40, 000 people living in the town, with 9,000 overweight people and another 3,000 suffering from obesity. More than 4,000 people, or one-tenth of the population, have joined the project.
To show their support, the mayor, Marian Ferreiro, and her municipal councilors weighed themselves together in public on giant scales.
The programme, drawn up by local doctors, offers personalized diets and physical activity adapted to those who stick to it.
Gone are bacon and fried food from the diets of thousands of residents in Naron who are taking to sport again as part of a slimming program that kicked off in January.
Local restaurants are trying to help, too. They now offer healthier dishes, replacing salt with seafood and butter with olive oil.
Schools there also allow students to ride exercise bikes while reading. Those who live nearby are encouraged to walk or cycle to school, or ride scooters, wearing special electronic devices that let parents know when they have arrived. The slogan “get addicted to fruit” decorates the walls of the school where fruit is given out every morning.
Questions:
14. What's the challenge for the Spanish town (B)
15. How do local people rise to the challenge (C)
16. What do schools do to support the project (A)
Questions 17 through 20 are based on the following conversation.
W: Martin, have you got John anything for his birthday yet
M: No, I know he is a huge fan of games but good games are expensive.
W: Well, we could go in on a game together! What do you think
M: That's perfect! There are a lot of new games out right now. Which one should we give
W: I just saw a review for a great game. It's a board game that includes fantasy role-playing. I think he would really like it!
M: A board game I think he would be more enthusiastic about a game he can play on his computer. You know how much he likes playing games online.
W: Online games can be addicting. A lot of them don't have an actual ending, so people don't stop playing.
M: Just because you can play them for a long time doesn't mean they are addicting. But you can play them anytime you want, unlike board games.
W: We should get John something he can play with his friends.
M: That's the great thing about online games, cooperative play is easy.
W: But you don't always play with your friends, just other people who have the game!
M: I think it's exciting to play with people around the world.
W: That's fine sometimes. But you play board games to have fun with people you know. Nowadays, people don't spend enough time face to face.
M: That might be true. But what is the likelihood of getting enough people together to play
W: You only need two or three people to play most games. Besides, it's a great excuse to share some pizza and have fun!
M: Some online games let you play with a friend or two. Like racing games. The best racing games never get old!
W: Neither do board games. There are even board games with expansion sets to add variety to the fun.
M: Well, let me look around a bit. Maybe I can find an online game we both agree on.
W: Ok, but it would have to be really cool to change my mind.
Questions:
17. Why did the two speakers decide to buy a game for John together (C)
18. What can we learn about the game recommended by the woman (A)
19. What’s the advantage of a board game (B)
20. What is the man going to do next (D)上海中学2023学年第一学期期末考试
英语试题
高二_____班 学号_________ 姓名_________ 成绩_________
I. Listening Comprehension
Section A
1. A. Job applicants. B. University students. C. News reporters. D. Public speakers.
2. A. $ 36. B. $60. C. $ 24. D. $30.
3. A. nervous. B. excited. C. surprised. D. calm.
4. A. They can hardly find time to do exercise.
B. Both of them are fond of doing exercise.
C. Doing exercise is the last thing they’d like to do.
D. The woman disagrees to do exercise with the man.
5. A. Student and teacher. B. Guest and receptionist.
C. Customer and shop assistant. D. Daughter and father.
6. A. The Student Union. B. The Tutoring Service Center.
C. Her professor’s office. D. Her tutor’s home.
7. A. The coverage of newspapers. B. The nature of humans.
C. The increase of crime rate. D. The impact of mass media.
8. A. Doctor Green is very busy on Mondays.
B. Doctor Green forgot to put the man on the schedule.
C. An unexpected patient visited Doctor Green last Monday.
D. Patients can usually see Doctor Green on schedule.
9. A. She is disappointed with his decision.
B. She is crazy about going camping in the tropical jungle.
C. She tries to persuade the man not to go with Jerry.
D. She suggests the man reconsider his plan.
10. A. Because he favors goods in physical stores.
B. Because he enjoys the offline shopping experience.
C. Because he doesn’t have much money.
D. Because he doesn’t like the shopping festival.
Section B
Questions 11 through 13 are based on the following passage.
11. A. A number of giant rats are hidden in the fields or forests.
B. Violent robbers may come out and hurt innocent civilians.
C. People may step onto a landmine (地雷) and get injured.
D. Other roads have a litter problem, which spoils good mood.
12. A. It is a rare species of rat. B. It has a good sense of smell.
C. It sacrifices its life to detect dangers. D. It is terrified of explosive devices.
13. A. 13 minutes. B. 30 minutes. C. 40 minutes. D. 4 days.
Questions 14 through 16 are based on the following passage.
14. A. It bans the sales of salty and unhealthy food.
B. Its residents lose altogether 100,000 kg by 2020.
C. Everyone weighs himself on giant scales in public.
D. Local doctors make personalized diets for everyone.
15. A. Local people share healthy diet with each other.
B. Thousands of residents kick football to keep slim.
C. Local restaurants use olive oil to replace butter.
D. Government officials persevere in physical exercise.
16. A. Students are encouraged to walk or ride to school.
B. Students are allowed to ride bicycles in school libraries.
C. Parents are offered devices to monitor children’s walking time.
D. Fruits are provided for those who are addicted to online games.
Questions 17 through 20 are based on the following conversation.
17. A. Neither of them can find a suitable game.
B. They are both enthusiastic about games.
C. Good games cost a large amount of money.
D. They often go Dutch when buying gifts.
18. A. It includes fantasy role-playing. B. It doesn’t have an actual ending.
C. It is an expensive online game. D. It is something like a racing game.
19. A. Players have opportunities to make new friends.
B. Players can have face-to-face communication.
C. Players may be rewarded with delicious food.
D. Players can start the game at anytime they want.
20. A. Add variety to the recommended game. B. Look around to find a cheaper online game.
C. Persuade the woman to change her mind. D. Try to find an extraordinary online game.
II. Grammar and Vocabulary
Section A Multiple Choice
Directions: Beneath each of the following sentences there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence.
21. I dare ________ that without your help, we ________ so much progress in our work.
A. say; can’t make B. to say; couldn’t make
C. say; couldn’t have made D. to say; shouldn’t have made
22. But for the fact that she ________ dance, I would invite her to the party.
A. couldn’t B. can’t C. mustn’t D. shouldn’t
You can’t imagine that a gentleman ________ so rudely to an old lady.
A. shall have behaved B. should have behaved
C. could have behaved D. might have behaved
24. The door won’t ________ from the inside, so you ________ call the repairman.
A. open; may well B. be opened; may well
C. open; may as well D. be opened; may as well
25. ________ breakfast earlier, I would have had enough time to take care of domestic chores.
A. Had I B. If I had C. Were I to have D. Had I had
26. If a man living in the Middle Ages ________ forward in time, he ________ amazed by today’s technological landscape.
A. traveled; would have been B. was to travel; could be
C. were going to travel; must be D. had traveled; would be
27. If you ________ the highlights of 2008 Summer Olympics, you would most likely find that they were all marked by sportsmanship.
A. were to examine B. had examined C. would examine D. have to examine
He boarded the airplane as if he ________ an experienced traveller, yet he had never left town before.
A. is B. were C. has been D. had been
—He failed his driving test.
—What a pity! If only he ________ what his driving instructor had been telling him.
A. listened to B. would listen to C. had listened to D. should listen to
30. ________ in the future to bridge the gender gap and diversity in the scientific field
A. Do you suggest what we can do B. What do you suggest that we should do
C. Do you suggest what can we do D. What do you suggest we do
31. ________ on the blackboard ________ the words we’ll learn in this period.
A. Being written; are B. Written; are
C. Writing; is D. Writing; are
32. At no time during that conversation _________ by the attacker’s words.
A. was anybody threatened B. did anybody threaten
C. anybody was threatened D. did nobody threaten
33. Hardly _________ heard of us, let alone been influenced by our lives.
A. anybody has B. nobody has
C. has anybody D. has nobody
34. —I was born in China and I never learned Japanese.
—_____________.
A. So was Sandra B. Neither did Sandra
C. So it was with Sandra D. Neither it did with Sandra
35. The scientific research that Deng Jiaxian had devoted his life ________ his death.
A. to causing B. to caused C. to having caused D. to have been caused
36. Four of the five bedrooms make the most of the views through glass balconies that ________ the sea.
A. overlook B. oversee C. overhead D. overcoat
37. We need artists and filmmakers to ________ people around the world to the climate disaster ahead.
A. wake B. waken C. awake D. awaken
38. The award-winning film ________ the director to an outstanding figure in the industry.
A. elevated B. assigned C. devoted D. credited
39. They ________ wandering along the river after work to appreciate the spectacular sunset.
A. take on B. take up C. take to D. take in
40. I wear a bright orange jacket while bicycling because it makes me highly ________ to car drivers.
A. vigorous B. vital C. visible D. visual
41. This study helps to _________ the urgent need to better manage patients so they survive longer following their diagnosis.
A. emerge B. highlight C. weaken D. outperform
Section B
Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A. replace B. trustworthy C. apparently D. pick
E. owe AB. expressing AC. land AD. ironically
AE. version BC. position BD. challenging
What Is 2023’s Word of the Year, According to Dictionaries
What word defined the past year for you Find out if your answer matches the actual word of the year from four famous dictionaries.
Cambridge Dictionary’s ___42___ for 2023 is hallucinate. The common definition of hallucinate is “to see or hear things that are not really there because of illness or drugs.” In 2023, however, to hallucinate can mean something different, thanks to AI. According to Cambridge’s alternate definition of hallucinating, “when an artificial intelligence hallucinates, it produces false information.” Sure, using AI can be fun for creating dog selfies or could even help you ___43___ a job, but it’s likely to produce misleading or made-up facts—or “hallucinating.”
Those dictionary people are ___44___ all on the same page. Similar to Cambridge, Collins Dictionary’s word of the year is the broader term AI. ChatGPT was released in late 2022, with companies attempting to use it to cut costs, worrying employees that it would ___45___ their jobs. AI pioneers and creators began ___46___ concerns that AI could be “dangerous” and operated by “bad actors.” President Biden even issued an executive order on “safe, secure and ___47___ artificial intelligence.”
With Merriam-Webster’s word authentic, we have an AI trifecta(三连胜)! While its core meaning is the same—“not false or imitation”—it should ___48___ its popularity in 2023 to AI, with the rise in deepfake videos and the potential use of AI in entertainment. However, being authentic is also about being “true to one’s own personality, spirit or character.” Are the public figures you look up to being true to themselves As people search for authenticity, Merriam-Webster notes, “___49___, with ‘authentic content creators’... authenticity has become a performance.”
Oxford slides in at the last minute with a totally different word of the year for 2023: rizz. This noun means “style, charm or attractiveness”. It’s believed to be a shortened ___50___ of the word charisma, a special magnetic charm or appeal. It also hints at a changing attitude in 2023. “It’s interesting to see a contrasting word like rizz come to the forefront, perhaps showing that this year more of us are opening ourselves after a few ___51___ years and finding confidence in who we are,” notes Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages.
III. Reading Comprehension
Section A Cloze
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
Research has shown that two-thirds of human conversation is taken up not with discussion of the cultural or political problems of the day, not heated debates about films we’ve just watched or books we’ve just finished reading, but plain and simple ___52___.
Language is our greatest treasure as a species, and what do we ___53___ do with it We gossip. About others’ behaviour and private lives, such as who’s doing what with whom, who’s in and who’s out—and why; how to deal with difficult ___54___ situations involving children, lovers, and colleagues.
So why are we keen on gossiping Are we just natural ___55___, of both time and words Or do we talk a lot about nothing in particular simply to avoid facing up to the really important issues of life It’s not the case according to Professor Robin Dunbar. In fact, in his latest book, Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language, the psychologist says gossip is one of these really ___56___ issues.
Dunbar ___57___ the traditional view that language was developed by the men at the early stage of social development in order to organize their manly hunting activities more effectively, or even to promote the exchange of poetic stories about their origins and the supernatural. Instead he suggests that language evolved among women. We don’t spend two-thirds of our time gossiping just because we can talk, argues Dunbar—___58___, he goes on to say, language evolved specifically to allow us to gossip.
Dunbar arrived at his cheery theory by studying the ___59___ of the higher primates(灵长类动物) like monkeys. By means of grooming—cleaning the fur by brushing it, monkeys form groups with other individuals on whom they can rely for support in the event of some kind of conflict within the group or ___60___ from outside it.
As we human beings evolve from a particular branch of the primate family, Dunbar ___61___ that at one time in our history we did much the same. Grouping together made sense because the bigger the group, the greater the ___62___ it provided; on the other hand, the bigger the group, the greater the stresses of living close to others. Grooming helped to ___63___ the pressure and calm everybody down.
But as the groups got bigger and bigger, the amount of time spent in grooming activities also had to be ___64___ to maintain its effectiveness. Clearly, a more ___65___ kind of grooming was needed, and thus language evolved as a kind of vocal grooming which allowed humans to develop relationship with ever-larger groups by exchanging information over a wider network of individuals than would be possible by one-to-one ___66___ contact.
52. A. gesture B. gossip C. description D. recognition
53. A. occasionally B. habitually C. discreetly D. originally
54. A. historical B. natural C. social D. cultural
55. A. wasters B. users C. masters D. owners
56. A. witty B. vivid C. vital D. worthless
57. A. supposes B. rejects C. highlights D. outlines
58. A. on the contrary B. for instance C. in addition D. as a result
prehension B. appearance C. motivation D. behaviour
60. A. contact B. attack C. assistance D. trick
61. A. concludes B. recalls C. requires D. confesses
62. protection B. prospect C. responsibility D. promise
63. echo B. blame C. ease D. preserve
64. A. established B. extended C. earned D. consumed
65. A. efficient B. scientific C. considerate D. common
66. A. regular B. independent C. widespread D. physical
Section B
Directions: Read passage A, B, and C. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
(A)
Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language is universal, but that the gestures we use are understood by everyone. We do not realize that waving good-bye is the way to ask a person from the Philippines to one’s side, or that in Italy and some Latin-American countries, curling the finger to oneself is a sign of farewell.
Those private citizens who sent packages to our troops occupying Germany after World War II and marked them GIFT to escape duty payments did not bother to find out that “Gift” means poison in German. Moreover, we like to think of ourselves as friendly, yet we prefer to be at least 3 feet or an arm’s length away from others. Latins and Middle Easterners like to come closer and touch, which makes Americans uncomfortable.
Our linguistic and cultural blindness and the informality with which we take notice of the developed tastes, gestures, customs and languages of other countries, are losing us friends, business and respect in the world.
Even here in the United States, we make few compromises to the needs of foreign visitors. There are no information signs in four languages on our public buildings or monuments; we do not have multilingual guided tours. Very few restaurant menus have translations, and multilingual waiters, bank clerks and policemen are rare. Our transportation systems have maps in English only and often we ourselves have difficulty understanding them.
When we go abroad, we tend to cluster in hotels and restaurants where English is spoken. The attitudes and information we pick up are conditioned by those natives—usually the richer—who speak English. Our business dealings, as well as the nation’s diplomacy, are conducted through interpreters.
For many years, America and Americans could get by with cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance. After all, America was the most powerful country of the free world, the distributor of needed funds and goods.
But all that is past. American dollars no longer buy all good things, and we are slowly beginning to realize that our proper role in the world is changing. A l979 Harris poll reported that 55 percent of Americans want this country to play a more significant role in world affairs; we want to have a hand in the important decisions of the next century, even though it may not always be the upper hand.
67. It can be inferred that Americans being approached too closely by Middle Easterners would most probably________.
stand still scream out step forward draw back
68. The author gives many examples to criticize Americans for their ________.
A. cultural self-centeredness B. casual manners
indifference towards foreign visitors blindness to native culture
69. In countries other than their own, most Americans ________.
A. are isolated by the local people
are not well informed due to the language barrier
tend to get along well with the natives
need interpreters in hotels and restaurants
70. The author’s intention in writing this article is to make Americans realize that ________.
A. it is dangerous to ignore their foreign friends
it is important to maintain their leading role in world affairs
it is necessary to use several languages in public places
it is time to get acquainted with other cultures
(B)
Shipping containers are gaining popularity as an alternative to traditional houses. These 20-or 40-foot containers can be obtained for as little as several hundred US dollars a piece, and it’s not surprising that some industry professionals and even city planners consider them the future of home building. Below are details of some amazing homes made out of shipping containers.
London Container City (I and II)
London’s Container City first sprang up in the heart of the docklands in 2001. It took just five months to complete the original 12 work studios. Shortly after that, a fourth floor of studios and living apartments was built on top of these. The first container city was so successful that another—Container City II—was added to it.
Los Angeles Redondo Beach house
With its modern lines and appealing spaces, the award-winning Redondo Beach House is a luxury beachside showpiece built from eight recycled steel shipping containers, along with some traditional building materials. According to the architects, the modified containers are “nearly indestructible”.
Amsterdam Keetwonen
Amsterdam’s massive Keetwonen complex houses 1,000 students and it is the largest container city in the world. The housing project is a roaring success and features units that are quiet and comfortable. Each resident enjoys a bathroom, a kitchen and separate sleeping and studying quarters. The complex even has central heating and high-speed internet as well as areas for parking bikes.
Mexico M2ATK Container House
M2ATK designed this unique container house for an artist. It’s fully equipped with heating and cooling, a kitchen and bathroom. On the bottom floor of the house are “public spaces” such as the kitchen and living room. The second floor are bedrooms, and the top floor is a studio space in which to work, read and “let fly the imagination”.
71. Compared to traditional houses, container houses are________.
A. easier to maintain B. less expensive to build
C. more comfortable to live in D. more fashionable in style
72. What can be learned about Amsterdam’s Keetwonen complex
A. It is the first container city in the world. B. It’s equipped with modern facilities.
C. It features a luxury and unique style. D. It includes living space and car parks.
73. An architect is designing a container house for a family consisting of a married couple and their five school-age children in Canada. The family requires both public spaces and separate quarters. Which container home can the architect refer to
A. London Container City (I and II) B. Los Angeles Redondo Beach house
C. Amsterdam Keetwonen D. Mexico M2ATK Container House
(C)
In the idealized version of how science is done, facts about the world are waiting to be observed and collected by objective researchers who use the scientific method to carry out their work. But in the everyday practice of science, discovery frequently follows an unclear and complicated route. We aim to be objective, but we cannot escape the context of our unique life experience. Prior knowledge and interest influence what we experience. Opportunities for misinterpretation are everywhere.
Consequently, discovery claims should be thought of as early forms of science and are full of potential. But it takes collective inspection and acceptance to transform a discovery claim into a mature discovery. This is the credibility process, through which the individual researcher’s me, here, now becomes the community’s anyone, anywhere, anytime. Objective knowledge is the goal, not the starting point.
Once a discovery claim becomes public, the discoverer receives intellectual credit. But the community takes control of what happens next. Within the complex social structure of the scientific community, researchers make discoveries; editors and reviewers act as gatekeepers by controlling the publication process; other scientists use the new finding to suit their own purposes; and finally, the public (including other scientists) receives the new discovery and possibly accompanying technology. As a discovery claim works it through the community, the interaction and battle between shared and competing beliefs about the science and the technology involved transforms an individual’s discovery claim into the community’s credible discovery.
Two problems exist throughout this credibility process. First, scientific work tends to focus on some aspect of current knowledge that is viewed as incomplete or incorrect. Little reward accompanies repetition and confirmation of what is already known and believed. The goal is new-search, not re-search. Not surprisingly, newly published discovery claims and credible discoveries that appear to be important and convincing will always be open to challenge and potential modification or contradiction by future researchers. Second, novelty itself frequently provokes disbelief. Nobel Laureate and physiologist Albert Azent-Gyorgyi once described discovery as “seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” But thinking what nobody else has thought and telling others what they have missed may not change their views. Sometimes years are required for truly novel discovery claims to be accepted and appreciated.
In the end, credibility “happens” to a discovery claim—a process that corresponds to what philosopher Annette Baier has described as the commons of the mind. “We reason together, challenge, revise, and complete each other’s reasoning and each other’s conceptions of reason.”
74. According to the first paragraph, the process of discovery is characterized by its ________.
A. uncertainty and complexity B. misconception and falsehood
C. logicality and objectivity D. systematicness and regularity
75. It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that credibility process requires ________.
strict inspection shared efforts individual wisdom persistent innovation
76. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi would most likely agree that ________.
A. scientific claims will survive challenges. B. discoveries today inspire future research.
C. efforts to make discoveries are justified. D. scientific work calls for a critical mind.
77. Which of the following would be the best title of the test
A. Novelty as an engine of Scientific Discovery. B. Collective Inspection in Scientific Discovery.
C. Evolution of Credibility in Doing Science. D. Challenge to Credibility at the Gate to Science.
Section C
Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.
What distinguishes Nobel laureates is passion for their work, work that engages their hearts as well as their heads. But early privilege is not essential. The typical Nobel laureate in science is a male born into a middle-class family. In many Nobel laureates’ autobiographies, they pay tribute to an outstanding mentor. In fact, Nobel laureates are mostly down-to-earth and discreet. AB. Yet recently published researches indicate that successful innovators take a broader path.
What Makes a Nobel Laureate
Are there any predictors that point to who will be selected as Nobel laureates
Is brilliance in childhood a predictor When the 2006 chemistry laureate, Roger Kornberg, was asked what he wanted for Christmas, he said, “A week in the lab.” ___78___. Mario Capecchi (medicine, 2007) was an abandoned child on the streets of wartime Italy.
___79___. Five of Enrico Fermi’s (physics, 1938) postdoctoral students went on to win the Nobel Prize. Otto Warburg (medicine, 1931) advised an American doctoral student, “If you wish to become a scientist, you must ask a successful scientist to accept you in his laboratory.”
Experts often recommend that people specialize in one field of work or research to maximize their chances of success. ___80___ If you look at the careers of Nobel Prize winners, you’ll find that they are unusually likely to be “creative polymaths.” That is, they purposely integrate formal and informal expertise from widely varied disciplines to yield new and useful ideas and practices.
There remains one quality that is essential. It is what Leon Lederman (physics, 1988) called “compulsive dedication.” ___81___. Take Marie Curie (physics, 1903; chemistry, 1911) and her husband Pierre (physics, 1903). The Curies were assigned a shed with a leaking roof and a dirt floor, where they worked for years, freezing in winter and sweltering in summer. “And yet,” Marie Curie wrote in her biography of her husband, “it was in this miserable old shed that the best and happiest years of our life were spent, entirely dedicated to work.”
IV. Productive Grammar
Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct.
Future living: what will the home of tomorrow look like
What will our homes be like in the future Growing cities, shrinking living spaces, and climate change are major challenges ___82___(face) urban planners and architects. We’re sharing three trends with you ___83___ will shape the home we live in tomorrow.
Energy efficient and carbon neutral
One of the greatest challenges for homes of the future is our increasing energy consumption, something that cannot be covered by fossil fuels going forward. ___84___the impact of climate change becoming notable, it’s perfectly understandable that the buildings of the future could function as environmentally friendly power plants. Solar collectors and heat storage systems allow ___85___ are known as ‘plus-energy buildings’ to produce 100 percent renewable energy for emission-free operation.
The trend to downsizing
Living more efficiently not only means improving energy use and reducing one’s own carbon footprint, but also building to save space. Rooms ___86___(design) to be multifunctional when there’s not a dedicated room available for every potential purpose. Modular and flexible furnishing systems that can be adapted to the individual floor space and room zones will replace ___87___(fix) structures, ensuring that there’s room for everything even in a small space.
Trends for living and working under one roof
Over the last few months, the office ___88___(become) a feature in many people’s homes. For a number of years now, the home office has been evolving from a make-do desk into a comfortable long-term solution. This development means we need to ask ___89___ how we should construct our living spaces to allow us to concentrate and work productively.
___90___ you rent or own your own home in the future, what’s clear is that the home of tomorrow will be smarter, more flexible, and more sustainable. It will offer us space ___91___(live), sleep and work both indoors and outdoors.
V. Translation
Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
她刚批准这个项目，就意识到这不过是一时心血来潮。 (Hardly)
令我印象最深刻的是这位饱经风霜的生物学家始终直面每一个挑战。(take)
要不是他拙劣的演讲风格，这位有前途的年轻人本可以赢得演讲比赛一等奖。(If)
