河北省部分市2023-2024学年高二上学期期末考试英语试题汇编：阅读理解（含解析）

PAGE43PAGE河北省部分市2023-2024学年高二上学期期末考试英语试题分类汇编阅读理解河北省沧州市2023-2024学年高二上学期期末教学质量监测英语试题第一节（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A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。AAMTRAKTRAINTICKETSFROMWASHINGTONTONEWYORK

DepartureArrivalDurationPriceUnionStation—PennStation1:50PM4:38PM2h48m$184UnionStation—PennStation4:00PM6:40PM2h40m$190UnionStation—PennStation10:30AM1:20PM2h50m$175UnionStation—PennStation8:00AM10:30AM2h30m$195DealsanddiscountsThetraincompanyhasadiscountpolicyontraintickets.Itoffersadiscountforfamilygroups(3ormorepeople)andbabies.Itoffersa50%discountforbabiesundertheageof24months.Disabledpeopleandpeoplewithreducedmobilitycanreceivefreeassistanceatthetrainstationandonthetrain.TicketrefundsandexchangesIfthepassengerhasanyproblembeforethetrip,thetraincompanyallowssomekindofchangeslike:refundiftheclientwon’ttravelanymoreorschedulechanges.Butremember,therearecancellationfeesthatvaryaccordingtotheadvanceofthechangerequest.BoardingontrainIt’simportanttoarriveatthestationonehourbeforeyourtrainleaves,soyoucancheckyourticketwithoutproblems.BaggagesizeandweightlimitsEachtraincompanyhasitsownrulesaboutcarryingluggage.Thecompanyallowsthetransportofoneortwopiecesofluggageweighingupto20kg.PetsontrainAmericantraincompaniesdonotallowthetransportofanimalsintheircarriages.Haveanawesometraintrip!1.Whichtraintakestheleasttime?A.1:50PM. B.4:00PM. C.10:30AM. D.8:00AM.2.Howmuchshouldtwoteenagerspayiftheychoosethe4:00PMtrain?A.$190. B.$195. C.$380. D.$390.3.Whatcanwelearnfromthetext?A.Touristscancarryluggageweighingabove20kg.B.Touristscantaketheirpetsontothetrainwiththemselves.C.Touristscangetafullrefundiftheyhaveaproblembeforethetrip.D.Touristshadbetterarriveatthestationonehourbeforetraindeparture.BSouthBaltimoreissurroundedbywater,highways,andtraintracks.It’salsooftenthoughtofasaplacetoavoid—folksaretaughttobecarefuloforevenavoidSouthBaltimore.“PeoplethinkSouthBaltimoreisaplacefilledwithdanger.It’snot.It’sjustwe’resurroundedbydangerousthings,”saysTaysia,17.Taysiaispartofagroupofstudentactivistsfightingagainstaverydifferentkindofdangerintheirneighborhood:airpollutionandclimatechange.Lotsoftruckswiththeirnoisepassthroughtheneighborhood.SouthBaltimoreisalsohometoajunkyardwheretheycrush(压碎)cars,anoldlandfill,chemicalplants,andmountainsofcoal.Thesearenotthecommunitiesanyonewants.TheresidentsofSouthBaltimorearebreathingpollutedairtoday.Coalreleasesablackdustthat’ssmallenoughtogetintopeople’slungs.Itcancausediseaseanddeathifyou’rebreathingitdayafterday.ThemountainsofcoalarethefocusofagrowingoppositionmovementcalledFreeYourVoice,ledbySouthBaltimoreteenagers.TheteensofFreeYourVoicearetakingonabigopponent(对手):themassivetransportationcompanyCSX,whichtransportsmorethan8milliontonsofcoalthroughSouthBaltimoreannually.CSXmakesbillionsofdollarsayear.Theteenswentdoortodoor,warningtheirneighborsaboutthedangersofthecoaltransportation.Noteveryonewasonboardatfirst.“Weweretalkingtopeopleandthat’sjustlike,‘You’reakid!Likethisisnotgonnachange,it’sbeenhappeningforever.’”Taysiasays.Meanwhile,thestudentsspentthesummerusingstickypapertogathersamplesofdustfromallovertheneighborhoodtoprovethatthedustwasfromcoalandtopinpointwhichpartsoftheneighborhoodweremostaffected.ThegoalistoeventuallygetthestateregulatorstodenythepermitthatCSXneedstooperate,oratleastrequirethecompanytoencloseallthecoal,orattheveryleastputwaterontoallofitsothere’slessdustblowingaround.Andthestateisconsideringallofthoserequests.4.HowdidpeopledescribeSouthBaltimoreaccordingtoTaysia?A.Wealthy. B.Dangerous. C.Peaceful. D.Inclusive.5.WhatisthemainfocusoftheoppositionmovementcalledFreeYourVoice?A.Thejunkyard. B.Theoldlandfill.C.Thechemicalplants. D.Thecoaltransportation.6.Whydidsomepeopleintheneighborhoodinitiallydoubtthestudents’efforts?A.Theybelievedthepollutionwasharmless.B.TheytrustedCSX’senvironmentalpractices.C.Theyhadnoawarenessofthepollutionandclimatechange.D.Theythoughtthestudentsweretooyoungtomakeachange.7.Whatmethoddidthestudentsusetogatherevidenceofcoal-relatedpollution?A.Conductingsurveys. B.Distributingleaflets.C.Usingstickypaperfordustsamples. D.Organizingprotests.CThe“marktest”(or“mirrortest”)isawaytotestanimalintelligence—whetherananimalcanrecognizeitself,especiallyanimalswithlargebrains.Amarkisputonananimal,usuallyinaspotthatcanonlybeseenwithamirror.Thentheanimalisallowedtolookinamirror.Iftheanimalseemstopayattentiontothemark,scientistsbelievetheanimalhasrecognizeditself.Butsomescientistsbelievethemarktestdoesn’tworkwellforallanimals.Roosters(公鸡)areagoodexample.ScientistsattheUniversityofBonnrecentlyranthemarktestonroosters.Theyputapinkishtriangleonthechestoftheroosters.Butwhentheroosterslookedinamirror,theydidn’tseemtonoticethemark.Thescientistsneededadifferentwaytotestwhethertheroosterscouldrecognizethemselves.Whenthere’sdanger—likeahawk(鹰)flyingabove—roostersmakeloudcallstowarnnearbychickens.Butroostersonlymakethecriesifotherchickenscanhearthem.Ifthey’realone,theyremainquietsothehawkwon’tseethem.Thescientistsrealizedthattheycouldusetheshadowofahawktotestifroosterscouldrecognizethemselvesinamirror.First,thescientistslettheroostersspendtimegettingusedtobeinginaclosed-inspaceandhavingamirroraround.Then,theyranseveraltestsbymakingahawkshadowappearabovethebirdandwatchinghowtheroosterreacted.Whentherewasnomirror,theroostersreactedasusual.Theycalledoutwhentheywerenearanotherrooster,butremainedquietwhentheywerealone.Butwhenaroosterwasinaspacewhereitcouldseeitselfinthemirror,itwasn’tfooledintothinkingtherewasanotherrooster.Itremainedsilentdespitethehawkshadow.Itprovestheroostersknewtheywereseeingthemselvesinthemirror,andnototherroosters.Thatsuggeststhatthemarktestmaynotbeagoodtestofwhetherananimalcanrecognizeitself.Thescientistshopetheirresultswillencourageotherscientiststolookforbetterwaysoftestingself-recognitioninanimals.8.Whatisthepurposeofthe“marktest”?A.Totestabird’sabilitytofly.B.Tomeasureananimal’sbrainsize.C.Toseeifananimalcanrecognizeitself.D.Tocomparedifferentanimals’intelligence.9.Howdidscientiststestwhethertheroostersthoughttheywerealone?A.Bytestingtheireyesightwithamirror.B.Byputtingamarkontheroosters’chest.C.Byplacingtworoostersbeforethemirror.D.Byobservingtheirreactionstoahawkshadow,10.Whatdotheresultsoftheroosterexperimentsuggest?A.Roostersarenotintelligentanimals.B.Themarktestisareliablemeasureofself-recognition.C.Themarktestmaynotaccuratelydetermineself-recognition.D.Roosterscanrecognizethemselvesbetterthanotheranimals.11.Whatdothescientistsexpectoffurtherstudies?A.Conductingmoreexperimentsonroosters.B.Usingthemarktestonotherbirdspecies.C.Studyingself-recognitionindolphinsandelephants.D.Searchingforbetterwaystotestanimalintelligence.DWhenwe’refacingacomplexproblem,weoftengatheragrouptobrainstorm.We’relookingtogetthebestideasasquicklyaspossible.Weloveseeingithappen—exceptforoneproblem.Groupbrainstormingusuallybackfires.Extensiveevidenceshowsthatwhenwegenerateideastogether,wefailtomaximizecollectiveintelligence.Brainstorminggroupsfallsofarshortoftheirpotentialthatwegetmoreideas—andbetterideas—ifweallworkalone.AsthehumoristDaveBarryquipped(打趣道),“Ifyouhadtoidentify,inoneword,thereasonwhythehumanracehasnotachieved,andneverwillachieve,itsfullpotential,thatwordwouldbe:‘meetings’.”Buttheproblemisn’tmeetingsthemselves—it’showwerunthem.Tounearththehiddenpotentialinteams,insteadofbrainstorming,we’dbetterturntoaprocesscalled“brainwriting”.Theinitialstepsaresolo.Youstartbyaskingeveryonetogenerateideasseparately.Next,youpoolthemandsharethemanonymously(匿名地)amongthegroup.Topreserveindependentjudgment,eachmemberevaluatesthemontheirown.Onlythendoestheteamcometogethertoselectandrefine(完善)themostpromisingoptions.Bydevelopingandassessingideasindividuallybeforechoosingandstatingthem,teamscansurfaceandadvancepossibilitiesthatmightnotgetattentionotherwise.Anexampleofgreatbrainwritingwasin2010when33minersweretrappedundergroundinChile.Withtimeoftheessence,therescueteamdidn’tholdlongbrainstormingsessions.Theyestablishedaglobalbrainwritingsystemtocrowdsourceindependentideas.Atinyplastictelephoneendedupbecomingtheonlymeansofcommunicatingwiththeminers.Andthespecializeddrillthatultimatelymadeitpossibletosavetheminerswassuggestedbya24-year-oldengineer.OrganizationalbehaviorscholarAnitaWoolleyhelpstoexplainwhythismethodworks.Theyfindthatakeytocollectiveintelligenceisbalancedparticipation.Inbrainstormingmeetings,it’seasyforparticipantstobecomeinfavorofthemostpowerfulpeople.Thebrainwritingprocessmakessurethatallideasarebroughttothetable.Thegoalisn’ttobethesmartestpersonintheroom—it’stomaketheroomsmarter.12.Whatdoestheunderlinedword“backfires”inParagraph1probablymean?A.Fails. B.Freezes. C.Arises. D.Expands.13.WhywasDaveBarrymentionedinParagraph2?A.Toexplainthepowerofhumoronefficiency.B.Toillustratethedrawbackofbrainstormingmeetings.C.ToreviewtheachievementofDaveBarryinhistory.D.Toshowapproachestoreachinghumanpotential.14.Howdoesbrainwritingdifferfrombrainstormingaccordingtothetext?A.Brainstormingallowsformorediversethoughts.B.Brainstorminginvolvessharingideasanonymously.C.Brainwritingrequiresteamstorefineandpolishideastogether.D.Brainwritinginvolvesindividualideagenerationandevaluation.15Whichofthefollowingcanbethebesttitleofthetext?A.WhyBrainstormingDoesn’tWorkB.WhatBrainstormersUsuallyDoC.WhyBrainstormingBoostsCreativityD.HowWeBecometheSmartestPersonintheTeam河北省张家口市2023-2024学年高二上学期1月期末英语试题第一节（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A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。AIsthereanytruthbehindthesaying“Youarewhatyoueat”?Weputthistothetestbyaskingthreepeopletoopentheirfridgedoorsandtalkabouttheirlifestyles.Jenny31TeacherMyhusbandandIavoidallproductsthatcomefromanimals.Thismeanswedon’teatmeat.Welikecookingathomeandmakeourmealsfromfresh,seasonalfruitandvegetables.Cookingtogethergivesusachancetorelaxandcatchuponeachother’sdays.Ifwehavechildren,Iwanttobringthemupjustlikeus,butmyhusbandsaysthateveryoneshouldbeabletomaketheirownlifestylechoices.Ted35ConstructionworkerEachdayattheconstructionsiteismoreorlessthesame—tiring!WhenIgetbackhome,there’snothingmoresatisfyingthanabigmeatdinner.IguessI’vealwaysbeenabigmeateaterandinthishouse,nofamilymealiscompletewithoutsomeformofmeat.Istilldon’tthinkthatanythingcanbeatmymum’shomemadesausages,though.Mike49ChefWithfivechildren,we’reonebigfamily!MywifeandIbothworkfull-time,solifecangetprettybusy!LikealotofchefsIknow,Idon’treallydomuchcookingathome.SometimesIbringhomefoodfromtherestaurantwhereIwork.Onceaweek,wedoabigshopandbuyalotoffrozenfood.Iknowweshouldeatmorefreshfruitandvegetables,butreadymealsaresoconvenient.1．WhatcanwelearnaboutJenny?A．Shelikesreadymeals. B．Shehaschildrentobringup.C．Sheenjoysvegetable-freedinners. D．Sheenjoyscookingtogetherwithherhusband.2．WhatmightMikesay?A．Myfridgeisfilledwithmeat.B．Asachef,Idon’tneedsomuchfrozenfood.C．Iprovidefreshfruitandvegetablesformychildren.D．It’sconvenienttoeatfoodbroughtfrommyworkplace.3．Whatisthetypeofthetext?A．Interviewnotes. B．Acookingguide.C．Anadvertisement. D．Productintroductions.BIt’sMarchinAfrica.Onthefarm,localpeoplearedancingandsingingtocelebratetheirrecentharvest.Theirhardworkhaspaidoffandgotbeautifulfruit—whiteandfragrantrice!ThisistheSecondFarminXai-Xai.Mozambique,whereYiYunhasbeenworkingforsixyears.The37-year-oldfromLiaoning,China.followedhisChinesecompanyhereasaprojectmanager.Thecompanyrunsaprojecttogrowriceonthefarm,whichcoversabout1,667hectares.“Whenwefirstarrivedin2017,thefarmwasfullofweeds(杂草),astallasaman,”saidYi.Afterclearingtheweeds,thecompanybegantoteachlocalsfarmingskills.“Wetaughtthemhowtodrivetractors(拖拉机)andharvesters,andhowtogrowricestepbystepincludingsowingseedsandsprayingpesticide.”Since2000,whentheForumonChina-AfricaCooperationstarted,anincreasingnumberofChinesecompaniesandorganizationshavegonetoAfricatoworkintheagricultureindustry.“Webringinnewtechniques,equipmentandhigh-qualityseeds,”saidYi.“Localpeoplearehappythatweareherebecausewenotonlyhelpthemsolvefoodproblemsbutalsoprovidejobopportunities,”saidYi.“Ourfarmcanemploy500to1,000localpeople.Theirlivingconditionshavebeengreatlyimprovedinrecentyears.Somefamilieshaveevenboughttelevisionsandfridges.”“Africanpeoplearejustashard-workingastheChineseandalsowanttopursueabetterlife.Whattheyneedismoreopportunities,whichChinaisnowhelpingwith.I’mproudofwhatmycountryisdoing,”Yisaid.4．Whatdoesparagraph1describe?A．Acelebrationscene. B．Atradingscene.C．Aworkingscene. D．Aharvestscene.5．WhatdidYiYunseewhenhefirstarrivedatthefarminMozambique?A．Oldtractors. B．Tallweeds. C．Localfarmers. D．Ricefields.6．WhatcanbelearnedaboutYiYun’scompany?A．ItstartedaprojectinMozambiquein2000.B．ItsufferedfromfoodshortageinMozambique.C．ItsellselectricalappliancestopeopleinMozambique.D．IthascontributedtotheagriculturedevelopmentofMozambique.7．WhatdoesYiYunthinkofAfricanpeople?A．Theyshouldgetbetter-paidjobs.B．Theyareproudoftheirowncountry.C．Theyneedopportunitiestocreateabetterlife.D．TheyhavelearnedfromtheChinesetobehard-working.CEsperanto(世界语)wascreatedinthelate1800sbyLudwikLejzerZamenhof,aPolishmedicaldoctor.Healonebuiltthebasisforthelanguageandhelpedintroduceitintotheworld.ThoughZamenhof’sprofessionwasaphysician,hewasnoamateur(外行)inlanguages.ZamenholsaidRussianwashismothertongue—theareaofPolandhelivedinwasthenpartoftheRussianFederation—buthegenerallyspokePolisheveryday.EvidencealsoshowsthathelearnedYiddishfromhismotherandthathestudiedGerman,English,Spanlsh,Lithuanian,ItalianandFrench.Inaddition,ZamenhoflearnedtheclassicallanguagesHebrew,LatinandAramaicinschool.Esperantowasnotthefirstconstructedlanguagehe’ddealtwith.First,helearnedabitofVolapuk(沃拉普克语),whichwasinventedinGermanyadecadebeforeEsperanto.HavingcommandofsomanylanguageshadagreatimpactonhiscreationofEsperanto,whichwasZamenhof’s14thlanguage.Duringhislife,Zamenhofbecameextremelyinterestedintheideaofcreatingatolerantworld,freefromthehorrors(恐怖)ofwar.Hedreamedofadaywhenpeoplecouldcometogether.Tomakethisworldareality,hedecidedthebestthinghecoulddowasmakeaninternationallanguage.Itwouldnotbeanyone’smothertongue,butpeoplecanquicklylearnitasasecondlanguagetomakeconversationeasilywithpeoplefromanywhereintheworld.WhywouldZamenhofcreateEsperantowhenEnglishbasicallyalreadywasusedasaninternationallanguage?TheproblemisthatusingEnglishgivesahugeadvantagetopeopleandplacesthatalreadyspeakEnglish.Esperantotriestobypasspoliticalandculturalproblemsbybeinganeutral(中性的)language.YetEsperantoisnotwithoutflaw.ItwasstronglyinfluencedbyEuropeanlanguage,whichcanputpeoplewhospeakAsianlanguagesatadistinctdisadvantageinlearningandspeakingEsperanto.Esperanto’ssimplerulesmightmakeiteasiertolearnthanotherlanguagesforanAsianspeaker,butitstilllosessomeofits“neutrality”.8．WhichlanguagewasZamenhof’smothertongue?A．Russian. B．German. C．Spanish. D．Italian.9．ZamenhofwasabletocreateEsperantobecause________.A．hehadmasteredVolapuk B．hehadbeentomanycountriesC．hewasanamateurinlearninglanguages D．hewasinfluencedbythe13languageshehadlearnt10．WhatgaveZamenhoftheideaofcreatingEsperanto?A．Hisfamilybackground. B．Hisdesireforapeacefulworld.C．Hisinterestinclassicallanguages. D．Hisexperienceasaninternationalstudent.11．Whatdoestheunderlinedword“flaw”meaninthelastparagraph?A．Significance. B．Difficulty. C．Weakness. D．Contribution.DFromwritingShakespeare-stylepoetrytomakingmusic,ChatGPThasamazedheworldsinceitslaunchinlate2022bytheUS-basedcompanyOpenAI.ItevenpassedseverallawexamsinfourcoursesattheUnlversityofMinnesota,US.TheAIprogramcananswerquestionsonawholehostoftopicsandwriteessays,storiesandanyotherwrittentextsyoucanthinkof.Itdoesthisbydrawingoninformationcollectedfromalargecorpus(语料库)oftextdata.WhatmakesChatGPTsoimpressive?AsSamAltman,theCEOofOpenAIsaidnaninterview,“It’snotactuallyafundamentallynewtechnologythatmadethis(ChatGPT)haveamoment.”AccordingtoMITTechnologyReview,ChatGPTisbasedonGPT-3,alargelanguagemodel.Becausetextsaremorecomplexthanthemeaningofeverywordcombined,languagemodelsrequireatypeofneuralnetwork(神经网络)thatcanmakesenseoftexts.Onebreakthroughbehindtoday’smodelisanetworkcalledTransformer,whichwasinventedbyGoogleresearchersin2017.Theneuralnetworkcaninferwordmeaningsbytrackingwherethewordappearsinasentence.Transformercanthereforegatherthemeaningoftextsmoreaccurately.TheGPTmodelswerebuiltbyOpenAIcombinedTransformerwithunsupervised(无人指导的)learning,meaningthatthemodelscanlearnbythemselveswithoutbeingtoldwhattolookat.ChatGPTcannowgeneratehuman-likeresponsesinstantlyduetothelargescale(规模)oftextsItmadesenseofandlearnedfrom.“OneofthebiggestproblemswithChatGPTisthatitcomesback,veryconfidently,withfalsities,”MichaelWooldridgeattheAlanTuringInstituteinLondon,UK.ThismeansthatChatGPTdoesn’tknowthetruthabouttheworld—itlearnsinformationfromvariousresourcesbutItcannotdecidewhatistrueorfalse.Asforeducation,manyUSschoolsrecentlybannedstudentsfromusingChatGPTonschoolnetworksbecausestudentsbegantouseitasashortcutforessays.12．WhataspectofChatGPTismostimpressive?A．Theneuralnetwork. B．Thelargetextdatabase.C．Theabilitytocombinewords. D．Theapplicationoftechnology.13．WhatisthekeytoChatGPT’sresponselikehumans?A．Data-basedcommunication. B．Learningfrommassesoftexts.C．Human-guidedmachinelearning. D．Collectingtextsforalargecorpus.14．Whatistheauthor’sattitudetowardChatGPT?A．Supportive. B．Confused. C．Objective. D．Confident.15．Whatcanbeasuitabletitleforthetext?A．IsChatGPTaGoodTranslator?B．ShouldChatGPTbeBannedatSchool?C．CanChatGPTChooseTrueInformation?D．WillChatGPTbetheWonderofModernTechnology?河北省石家庄市2023～2024学年高二上学期期末教学质量检测英语试卷第一节（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A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。ALastFriday,Britain’sPrinceWilliamannouncedthewinnersofthisyear’sEarthshotPrize.Theprizeismeanttoencouragenewideasandrapidactiontohelpprotecttheplanet.Belowarepartsofthisyear’sprize-winningprojectsineachcategory.ProtectandRestoreNatureKheytiwontheprizeforprotectingandrestoringnaturewithits“Greenhouse-in-a-box”idea.Kheytiisalreadyworkingwith1,000farmersacrossIndia,whichisoneofthemostclimate-affectedcountriesintheworld.Thecompanysaysthegreenhousesallowfarmerstouse90%lesswaterandproduceseventimesasmuchfood.Kheytihopestogetitsgreenhousesto50,000farmersby2027.CleanOurAirCharlotMagayiwontheprizeforcleaningtheair.Ms.Magayidevelopedastove（炉子）thatusesafuelthat’scheaperandpollutesfarlessthancharcoalstoves.Currently,over200,000ofherCleanStovesarebeingusedinKenya.BuildaWaste-FreeWorldALondon-basedcompanycalledNotpla（for“NotPlastic”）wontheprizeforbuildingawaste-freeworld.They’vecreatedaplasticsubstitute（替代品）fromplantsfoundintheocean.Unlikemostplastic,theirproductsbreakdownnaturallywithnomicroplastics.Notplabelievestheirproductscanhelpendtheplasticpollutionthat’sfillinglandfillsandpollutingoceans.FixOurClimateTheEarthshotPrizeforworkingtowardfixingourclimatewenttoacompanycalled44.01fromOman.44.01hascomeupwithawaytoturnpollutingcarbondioxide（CO2）intoarockcalledperidotite.OncetheCO2hasbeenturnedintorock,itcannolongerbereleasedintotheatmosphereagain.Themethodthat44.01usesisfast,cheapandpermanent.21.WhatistheaimoftheEarthshotPrize?A.Toofferpracticaladviceonglobalwarming.B.Tofindsolutionstotheenvironmentalproblems.C.Todevelopastrategicpartnershipwithallparties.D.ToencourageliterarycreationsoftheBritishpeople.22.WhereareKheyti’sgreenhouseswidelyused?A.InIndia. B.InKenya.C.IntheUK. D.InOman.23.WhatdoCharlotMagayiand44.01haveincommon?A.Theywanttobuildawaste-freeworld.B.Theirprojectsaredirectlygoodforfarmers.C.Theirachievementsbenefittheaircleaning.D.Theyuseplantsfromtheoceanintheirproducts.BSomeofmyearliestmemoriesinvolvesittingwithmydadinhisstudyeverynightwhenhecamehomefromtheoffice.I’dwatchasheputhispersonalitemsaway:hiswatch,wallet,combandcarkeys.Theywouldalwaysoccupythesamespotonthetableeverytime.Dad’scombwasjadegreen.IheardheboughtitwhenhemarriedMum.Everynight,hewouldsmile,handmethecombandsay,“BeagoodgirlandhelpDaddycleanit,OK?”Iwasmorethanhappytodoit.Atagefive,thiskindoftaskbroughtmesuchjoy.Iwouldexcitedlyturnthetapon,andthenbrushthecombwithausedtoothbrushashardasIcould.SatisfiedthatI’ddoneagoodjob,IwouldproudlyreturnthecombtoDad.Hewouldsmileatme,andplacethecombontopofhiswallet.Abouttwoyearslater,Dadlefthissalesjobandstartedhisownwholesalebusiness.Istartedprimaryschool.Thatwaswhenthingsstartedtochange.Dad’sbusinesswasn’tdoingsowell,andourstablelifestartedgettingshaky.Hedidn’tcomehomeasmuchasheusedto.Andwhenhedidcomehome,itwasalwayslateandI’dalreadybeinbed.Istartedtogetmad.Whydidn’thelistentoMumandjuststicktohisoldjob?Whydidhetaketheriskandplacethewholefamilyintrouble?Overtheyears,Istoppedwaitingforhimtocomehome,andstoppedgoingdownstairstocheckonhim.Now28,I’vegraduatedfromcollegeandgotajob.Dad’sbusinesshasalsostartedtogetbackontrack.YettheuncomfortablesilencebetweenDadandmewenton.Twodaysbeforemybirthdaylastyear,Dadcamehomeearly.Onthatevening,Ihelpedhimcarryhisbagsintohisstudyasusual.WhenIturnedtoleave,heaskedmetocleanhiscomb.Ilookedathimforawhile,thentookthecombandheadedtothesink.Itwasthesamecomb.Aftercleaningit,IpasseditbacktoDad.Helookedatitandsmiled.Butthistime,Inoticedsomethingdifferent.Mydadhadaged.Hehadwrinklesnexttohiseyeswhenhesmiled,yethissmilewasstillasheartwarmingasbefore.24.Fromthefirstthreeparagraphs,wecanlearn________.A.theauthorwouldstudywithDadeveryeveningB.thepreciousgreencombofDadwasmadeofjadeC.theearliestmemorieswithDadwerefullofjoyD.theauthorwasunwillingtocleanthecombforDad25.WhatprobablymadeDaddecidetostarthisownbusiness?A.Hewaseagertogeteverythingontrack.B.Hewantedtokeephisfamilylifestable.C.Hewaslaidoffandhadtomakealiving.D.Hehopedtoearnabetterlifeforthefamily.26.WhatemotionalchangesdidtheauthorexperiencewhenstayingwithDadtheseyears?A.Cheerful→mad→warm. B.Mad→satisfied→warm.C.Satisfied→worried→angry. D.Warm→concerned→uncomfortable.27.Whichcouldbethebesttitleforthetext?A.MyDad’sComb B.Dad’sWholesaleBusinessC.ChangesofMyDad D.MyEarliestMemorieswithDadCMostpeopledon’tlieverymuch.Itmakessense.Bybeinghonestwithpeople,younotonlybuildupgoodwill,butalsosavealotofbrainpowersinceyourbraindoesn’thavetodoanythingoutoftheordinarywhenyoutellthetruth.Youjustthinkofwhatyouwanttosay,andyousayit.Actually,lyingtakesmuchmorework.Imagineyou’relatetoclassandtheteacheraskswhy.Ifyoudecidetolie,youhavetomakeupastoryonthespot,thinkaboutthevariousdirectionstheconversationmighttakeandfigureoutwhatyouneedtosaytokeepthiswholeliefromfallingapart.Youmightnotbeawareofit,butyoujustgiveyourbrainalotofextrawork.“Alotofthatbrainworkisdoneinaregioncalledtheprefrontalcortex.It’sthepartinchargeofworkingmemory,”explainsJenniferVendemia,ascientistfromtheUniversityofSouthCarolina.Workingmemorykeepssomethinginmindjustforalittlewhile,suchasrememberinginstructionsforhowtoplayagameorsomeotherspecifictasks.Itstoresthingsforonlyashortwhileasyou’reusingthem,anditdoesn’tputtheminlong-termstorage.Besidesworkingmemory,theprefrontalcortexalsotakescareoftaskssuchasplanning,problem-solvingandself-control.Scientistsdescribetheseasexecutivefunctiontasks.Executivefunctionletsyouthinkasteportwoaheadtomakesurethelieyou’ret