上海市洋泾中学2014年第一学期高三期中考试.doc

上海市洋泾中学2014学年第一学期高三期中考试试卷Section A Directions:After reading the passages below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks,use one word that best fits each blank.(A)Every people _25_(have)its own way of saying things, its own special expressions. Many everyday American expressions are based _26_colors.Red is a hot color. Americans often use it to express heat. They may say they are red-hot about something unfair. When they are red-hot they are very angry about something. The small hot tasting peppers_27_(find)in many Mexican foods are called Red Hots for their color and their fiery taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot. Pink is a_28_(light)kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pick when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century. It probably comes from the fact_29_many babies are born with a nice pink color that shows that they are in good health.The color black is used often in expressions. People describe a day _30_everything goes wrong as a black day. The date of a major tragedy is remembered as a black day. A blacklist is illegal now. But at_31_time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for_32_(belong)to unpopular organizations.(B)_33_(belong)back at the 21-year-old that I was at graduation, is a slightly uncomfortable experience for the 42-year-old that she has become. Half my lifetime ago, I was striking an uneasy balance_34_the ambition I had for myself, and what those closest to me expected of me.I _35_(convince)that the only thing I wanted to do, ever, was to write novels. However, my parents, both of whom came from impoverished backgrounds and neither of whom had been to college, took the view_36_my overactive imagination was meaningless.So they had hoped that I would take a vocational degree. I told them I wanted to study English Literature. But they thought no other subject could be_37_(useless).I would like to make _38_ clearthat I do not blame my parents for their point of view. What I feared most for myself at your age was not poverty, but failure.Now, I am not going to stand here and tell you that failure is fun. That period of my life was a dark one, and I had no idea that there was going to be what the press has since represented as a kind of fairy tale resolution. I had no idea how far the tunnel extended, and for a long time, any light at the end of it was a hope rather than a reality.So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I_39_(set)free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had _40_ old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.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. arrangedB. challengesC. competitorsD. cooperateE. twistsF. finishingG. identifyH. oppositeI. fastJ. processedK. highlightedFamiliar fables can be narrated differently or extended in interesting and humorous ways. The end of the famous fable of “The Tortoise and the Hare” is well known to all: the tortoise wins the race against the hare. The moral lesson is that slow and steady wins the race. We all have grown up with this popular version, but the samefable can be extended with different _41_. At the request of the hare, a second race is_42_and this time, the hare runs without taking a rest and wins. The moral lesson is that_43_and consistent will always beat slow and steady. Then it is the tortoise that_44_the hare to a third race along a different route in which there is a river just before the final destination. This time, the tortoise wins the race because the hare cannot swim. The moral lesson is “First_45_your strengths, and then change the playing field to suit them.”But the story continues. Both_46_know their own drawbacks and limitations very well; therefore, they jointly decide to have one last racenot to decide who the winner or loser is, but just for their own pleasure and satisfaction. The two_47_as a team. Firstly, the hare carries the tortoise on its back to the river. Then, the tortoise carries the hare and swims to the_48_bank of the river. Lastly, the hare carries the tortoise again on its back. Thus they reach the_49_line together. Overall, many moral lessons from the last match are_50_. The most obvious one is the importance of teamwork.Another moral which also means a great deal is “competition against situations rather than against rivals.”III. Reading ComprehensionSection ADirections: 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. The Dubai crisis has caused fluctuation in the global financial market. Asian stocks slumpedwith banking shares pushing the yen to a 14-year high against a struggling dollar as investors unwound risky trades.Chinas stock market_51_more than a hundred points following Dubais announcement. However, experts say the current impact is more on a mental level, while the real impact_52_uncertain.Huang Xianbin, chief Strategic Analyst of CINDA Securities, said, Domestic investors worry whether outside factors will affect the Chinese financial_53_, so the current adjustment is on a mental level. Generally, I think it will have a short-term_54_.However some experts worry international hot money will soon be withdrawn from new _55_markets that are high risk. This would likely_56_another round of financial hurt.Fang Ming, senior analyst of Financial Market Dept., BOC, said, Some hot money will depart from new emerging markets after the Dubai crisis. There is hot money in China, which will also be _57_from the market. The stock market will surely be_58_.Dubai is_59_for its seven star hotel. In the past four years, the city has launched construction projects_60_a cost of over 300 billion US dollars. Under such_61_, the global financial crisis that first bit in last year_62_Dubai directly. Housing prices dropped and construction projects were canceled. Experts have noted that China should learn from the situation.Li Gang, Financial Market Dept., Agricultural Bank of China, said, The economic bubble popped in Dubai as its property market_63_. China should learn from this. It also reminded us of the importance of a_64_economic recovery and controlling hot money.Chinas four leading banks said on Friday that they do not hold any troubled Dubai World bonds. The claim was_65_by Chinas Bank of Communications, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, and China Construction Bank.51.A. relaxedB. droppedC. reservedD. rebounded52.A. remainsB. takesC. tellsD. acts53.A. societyB. fieldC. marketD. bottom54.A. disadvantageB. barrierC. impactD. result55.A. demandingB. appearingC. challengingD. calculating56.A. causeB. addC. reduceD. realize57.A. affectedB. analyzedC. dismissedD. withdrawn58.A. protectedB. affectedC. addedD. decreased59.A. popularB. well-knownC. badD. high-sounding60.A. forB. withC. inD. at61.A. situationsB. problemsC. circumstancesD. environments62.A. hitB. breakC. chooseD. pick63.A. doomedB. collapsedC. fallenD. failed64.A. applicableB. suitableC. paralleledD. balanced65.A. saidB. spokenC. madeD. doneSection BDirections:Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.AMy first performance in front of an audience was coming up soon. I tried as hard as I could to remain calm, but my heart was racing. I stared down at my sweat-covered, shaking hands. I looked up again at the audience, realizing that these were real people. They were not just my mum and dad, who would say, “Good job!” even if I messed up the entire piece. What if I had the wrong music? What if I played the wrong notes? As it turned out, I was never able to answer these questions because the spotlight (聚光灯) was waiting for me. I grasped my hands tightly together, drying off the sweat. Slowly I walked to the mud-brown piano in the center of the room. It contained 88 demanding keys, which were waiting impatiently to be played. I swallowed the golf-ball-sized lump (隆起部分) in my throat and sat down. Slowly, I opened the music. Next, I rested my still shaking hands on the ivory (象牙色的) keys. As my fingers played across the keys, I was becoming more unsure of my preparation for this moment. But the memory of my years of training came flooding back. I knew that I had practiced this piece so many times that I could play it backwards if requested. Although at one point I accidentally played two keys instead of the intended one, I continued to move my fingers automatically (自动地). My eyes burned holes into (were fixed on) the pages in front of me. There was no way that I was going to lose my concentration. To keep this to myself, I leaned forward and focused carefully on the music. When I came to the end of the page, a warning went off inside my head: DONT MAKE A MISTAKE WHEN YOU TURN THE PAGE! Needless to say, I obeyed myself with all my heart and mind. And, proud of my “page-turning” feat (技艺), I finished the rest of the piece without making a single mistake. After the final note died away, a celebration went into action inside my head. I had finished. I had mastered the impossible.66. The author was nervous before the performance because _. A. her mother and father werent present B. the strong spotlight was shining onto the stage C. she hadnt mastered the entire piece D. she had never performed in public before67. The underlined phrase “mess up” in Paragraph 3 probably means _. A. put into disorderB. forget aboutC. stop halfwayD. do well in68. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the author?. A. She didnt make any mistake in the performance B. She felt better at the beginning of the performance C. She paid all attention to nothing but her performance D. She lost her concentration sometimes during the performance69. What did the author feel abouther performance? A. She thought it was comfortable and successful. B. She thought it was very difficult but successful. C. She thought she had never made a mistake during the performance.D. She thought she played through the piece carefully but light-heartedly. BTo Whom It May Concern:Your address was forwarded to us by Why Bother Magazine. All of us here think The International Institute of Not Doing Much is the best organization in the world. You know how to avoid unnecessary activities! We closely followed the advice in your article. First, we replaced all our telephones with carrier pigeons. Simply removing the jingle of telephones and replacing them with the pleasant sounds of birds has had a remarkable effect on everyone. Besides, birds are cheaper than telephone service. After all, we are a business. We have to think of the bottom line. As a side benefit, the birds also fertilize the lawn outside the new employee sauna. Next, we sold the computers off to Stab, Grab, Grit, and Nasty, a firm of lawyers nearby. Our electricity bill went way down. Big savings! The boss is impressed. We have completely embraced paper technology. Now that we all use pencils, doodling is on the increase, and the quality of pencilwomanship is impressive, as you can tell from my handwriting in this letter. By the way, if you can, please send this letter back to us. We can erase and reuse it. Just tie it to Maggies leg and shell know where to take it. Now its very calm and quiet here. You can notice the difference. No more loud chatter on the telephones! All we hear is the scratching of pencil on paper, the sound of pigeons, and the delivery of inter-office correspondence by paper airplane.Wonderful! Ive always wanted to work for an insurance company ever since I was a little girl. Now its perfect. Sincerely yours,Eleanor LightlySpokeswoman and Company Hair StylistABC Activity Insurance: Insure against overdoing it70.Which of the following best describes the life the author is leading?A. A simple, slow-paced life.B. A life of hard work and security.C. A religious, peasant-like life.D. A life away from paper and pencils.71.Where is Eleanors letter sent to? A. Why Bother Magazine.B. ABC Activity Insurance Company.C. Stab, Grab, Grit, and Nasty Law Firm.D. The International Institute of Not Doing Much.72.Which of the following is practiced in the authors company?A. Replacing the manual work system with modern technology.B. Turning off lights in the daytime to save electricity.C. Recycling paper resources whenever possible.D. Buying birds and pets as company for the staff.73.What is true about Maggie?A. She works as a manager in the authors company.B. She sometimes helps fertilize the lawn outside the sauna.C. She often helps with inter-office correspondence using e-mail.D. Her handwriting has improved a lot after entering the company.CThe question of whether our government should promote science and technology or the liberal arts in higher education isnt an either/or proposition(命题)，although the current emphasis on preparing young Americans for STEM(science, technology, engineering, maths-related fields can make it seem that way.The latest congressional report acknowledges the critical importance of technical training, but also asserts that the study of the humanities (人文学科)and social sciences must remain central components of Americas educational system at all levels. Both are critical to producing citizens who can participate effectively in our democratic society, become innovative(创新的)leaders, and benefit from the spiritual enrichment that the reflection on the great ideas of mankind over time provides.Parents and students who have invested heavily in higher education worry about graduates job prospects as technological advances and changes in domestic and global markets transform professions in ways that reduce wages and cut jobs. Under these circumstances, its natural to look for what may appear to be the most “practical” way out of the problem “Major in a subject designed to get you a job” seems the obvious answer to some, though this ignores the fact that many disciplines in the humanities characterized as “soft” often, in fact, lead to employment and success in the long run. Indeed, according to surveys, employers have expressed a preference for students who have received a broadly-based education that has taught them to write well, think critically, research creatively, and communicate easily.Moreover, students should be prepared not just for their first job, but for their 4th and 5th jobs, as theres little reason to doubt that people entering the workforce today will be called upon to play many different roles over the course of their careers. The ones who will do the best in this new environment will be those whose educations have prepared them to be flexible. The ability to draw upon every available tool and insightpicked up from science, arts, and technologyto solve the problems of the future, and take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves, will be helpful to them and the United States.74. What does the latest congressional report suggest?A. STEM-related subjects help students find jobs in the information society.B. The humanities and STEM subjects should be given equal importance.C. The liberal arts in higher education help enrich students spiritual life.D. Higher education should be adjusted to the practical needs of society.75. What is the main concern of students when they choose a major?A. Their interest in relevant subjects.B. The academic value of the courses.C. The quality of education to receive.D. Their chances of getting a good job.76. What does the author say about the so called soft subjects?A. The benefit students in their future life.B. They broaden students range of interests.C. They improve students communication skills.D. They are essential to students healthy growth.77. What kind of job applicants do employers look for?A. Those who have a strong sense of responsibility.B. Those who are good at solving practical problems.C. Those who are likely to become innovative leaders.D. Those who have received a well-rounded education.Section CDirections: Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words.Children normally have a distrust of new foods. But its the parents job to serve a variety of foods and expose their children to healthy dieting habits.Some simple strategies can help even the pickiest eater learn to like a more varied diet. First of all, you dont have to send children out of the kitchen. With hot stoves, boiling water and sharp knives