高二英语期中模拟卷（考试版A4）【测试范围：选择性必修一Units1~4】（上海专用）

绝密★考试结束前2024-2025学年高二英语上学期期中模拟卷（考试时间：120分钟试卷满分：140分）注意事项：1．答卷前，考生务必将自己的姓名、准考证号填写在答题卡上。2．回答选择题时，选出每小题答案后，用2B铅笔把答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑。如需改动，用橡皮擦干净后，再选涂其他答案标号。回答非选择题时，将答案写在答题卡上。写在本试卷上无效。3．测试范围：选择性必修一Units1~4（2020上教版+上外版）。4．难度系数：0.65。5．考试结束后，将本试卷和答题卡一并交回。I.ListeningComprehension（25分）SectionADirections:InSectionA,youwillheartenshortconversationsbetweentwospeakers.Attheendofeachconversation,aquestionwillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Theconversationsandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaconversationandthequestionaboutit,readthefourpossibleanswersonyourpaper,anddecidewhichoneisthebestanswertothequestionyouhaveheard.1．A．Acook. B．Awaitress. C．Asaleswoman. D．Ashopassistant.2．A．7:00. B．7:10. C．9:10. D．9:00.3．A．Excited. B．Exhausted. C．Bored. D．Dissatisfied.4．A．Ahairdresser. B．Awaitress. C．Apoliceofficer. D．Aninsuranceagent.5．A．Toabank. B．ToMacao. C．Toatravelagency. D．Toagymnasium.6．A．Atanartgallery. B．Inaworkshop.C．Atagasstation. D．Inadepartmentstore.7．A．Playingtennis. B．Writingatermpaper.C．Holdingameeting. D．Gatheringmaterials.8．A．Davidshouldinvestmoreinstocks. B．It’sunwisetomakesuchaninvestment.C．It’sbetterforhimtotakeouthissavings. D．Davidhasthelastsayindecision-making.9．A．Shenoticedthatthestudentsdidn’tdotheirhomework.B．Shedidn’tteachanyclasstoday.C．Sheusuallyassignshomework.D．Sheusuallytalksquietly.10．A．Sheshoulddomorecarefulwork.B．Georgedoesnotcareabouther.C．SheisnotconcernedaboutGeorge'sremarks.D．Georgeshouldn'thavesaidmuchabouther.SectionBDirections:InSectionB.youwillheartwopassagesandonelongerconversation.Aftereachpassageorconversation,youwillbeaskedseveralquestions.Thepassagesandconversationwillbereadtwice,butthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Whenyouhearaquestion,readthefourpossibleanswersonyourpaperanddecidewhichoneisthebestanswertothequestionyouhaveheard.Questions11through13arebasedonthefollowingpassage.11．A．Futureresearchers. B．Collegestudents.C．Companyemployees. D．Successfulartists.12．A．Toteachthelistenershowtoworkhard.B．Toenablethelistenerstogetbettersalaries.C．Topreparethelistenerstogetbetterjobs.D．Toencouragethelistenerstoseizeopportunities.13．A．Kindness. B．Diligence. C．Willingness. D．Interest.Questions14through16arebasedonthefollowingpassage14．A．Thebenefitsofwalking. B．Theimportanceofkeepingfit.C．Thewayofformingahabit. D．Thepossibilityofexcisingregularly.15．A．Becauseitneedsmuchthinking.B．Becausepeopleneedn’tconcentrateonit.C．Becauseitissuitableforeveryone.D．Becausepeoplecanimprovetheirmemory.16．A．Itistheeasiestwaytoloseweight. B．Itcanbemadepartofpeople’slife.C．Itpreventspeoplesufferingfromcancers. D．Itcanmakepeople’sheartsstronger.Questions17through20arebasedonthefollowingconversation.17．A．HehasjustbeenbackfromSouthAmerica.B．Hehasbeenburntforafewhours.C．Hehasbeendoingschoolworkallnight.D．HehasbeensurfingtheInternetforlong.18．A．Tolookforinformationforhisproject.B．Tomeetnewfriendsinthenetchatroom.C．Toreleasepressurefromheavywork.D．Tolookforsomethinginterestingforpleasure.19．A．Quiteafewsitesarejustoldeventcalendars.B．It’sawasteoftimetosurftheInternet.C．Alotofinformationcanbefound.D．AlotoffriendscanbemadeontheInternet.20．A．Ittakeslongtofindthingsbecauseofmanyuselesssites.B．It’shardlythebestsourceofinformationavailable.C．Itishardtostartchattingwithothersinthechatroom.D．Peoplespendmuchtimetalkingaboutotherinterests.II.GrammarandVocabulary(20分)SectionADirections:Afterreadingthepassagebelow,fillintheblankstomakethepassagecoherentandgrammaticallycorrect.Fortheblankswithagivenword,fillineachblankwiththeproperformofthegivenword;fortheotherblanks,useonewordthatbestfitseachblank.ANewWaytoLearnLanguagesNowadays,theInternetischangingthewaypeoplelearnlanguages.Thereisstillnowaytoavoidthehardworkthroughvocabularylistsandgrammarrules,butsincethebirthoftheInternet,books,tapesandevenCDs21(replace)byemail,videochatandsocialnetworks.Livemocha,aSeattle-basedcompany,hascreatedawebsitehelpingpeoplelearnmorethan38languagesbyexchangingmessagesovertheInternetandthen22(correct)eachother’smessages.Thelessons,23formtheyarein,aredeliveredonline.TheCEOofLivemochasaysthewebsite’sadvantageisthecontext24youmaypracticespeakingwitharealperson.“Thegreatironyisthatevenifyouhavelearnedaforeignlanguageintheclassroomforyears,youarenotconfident25(go)intoarestaurant,strikingupaconversation,”hesaid.Thecasualconnectionswithrealpeoplethroughouttheworldarenotjustfunandsurprisingbutrevealmoreabout26thelanguageisreallyused.Livemochaisnowexperimentingwithmanywaysthatresemblethegames27(find)onothersocialwebsitestomotivatepeople.Besides,eachpersoncansetupaprofile28includesashortself-descriptionandwhatlanguageheorshewouldliketolearn.Therefore,ifyouwanttolearnonelanguage,youwilleasilyfindmanypeoplefluentinthislanguage.Anditbecomes29(challenging)tofindastudypartner.Anemailortwoisallittakes.TherearemoreandmorecompanieslikeLivemochaofferingonlinelanguagelearningtostudentsthroughouttheworld.30merelyhelpingpeoplepracticedifferentlanguages,theyalsoenablepeopletoshareinterestsandmakenewfriendsSectionBDirections:Fillineachblankwithaproperwordchosenfromthebox.Eachwordcanbeusedonlyonce.Notethatthereisonewordmorethanyouneed.A．literally

B．innovations

C．eventually

D．professional

E.examineF.features

G.barrier

H.mean

I.please

J.impressive

K.well-positionedTheBestCompanytoWorkForEveryyear,Fortunemagazinepublishesalistofthe“100BestCompaniestoWorkFor”.Howdoesthemagazinechoosethecompanies?Firstly,itusesasurvey:350employeesanswer57questionsabouttheircompany.Secondly,Fortunelooksatimportant31ofcompanies:forexample,pay,benefits,andcommunicationbetweenworkersandmanagement.Finally,themagazinemust32

theresultstofinditsTop100.WegmansFoodMarkets,whichranksNo.1onthelist,hasamotto(座右铭),“Employeesfirst,customerssecond”,anditisalsooneofthe50largestprivatecompaniesintheUS,withannualsalesof$3.6billion,accordingtoForbesmagazine.Apparently,beinggoodtoyouremployeesisno33tomakingmoney.HowmuchofWegmans’successisduetothecompany’spolicies?“Uptoapoint,thesuccessisbecauseofthefreedomtheygiveus,”saysoneemployee.“Ontheotherhand,nocompanygetsrichjustbynotbeing34toitsemployees.Wegmanshasgreatmarketingstrategiesandit’s35withinthecommunity.I’vebeenherefor15years.Lookingback,I’dsaythatthecompany’s36forcustomers’benefits,suchastheShoppers’Clubelectronicdiscountprogrammeinthe1990s,havebeenjustasimportantasthebenefitstostaff.”Buttheemployeebenefitsare37.Fundamentally,Wegmansbelievesin38development.Aswellasscholarships,thecompanygivesitsemployeesbusinessopportunities.Foryears,oneemployeemadedeliciouscookiesforhercolleagues.She39startedsellingthecookiesinWegmans.‘Ijustaskedthemanager,’shesays.‘Whilelookingback,IthinkIshouldhaveaskedearlier.Icouldhavemademoremoney!’Thestaff’sfreedomtomakedecisionsisanotherthingyouwon’tfindeverywhere.Essentially,Wegmanswantsitsworkerstodoalmostanythingto40thecustomers.Believeitornot,anemployeeoncecookedaThanksgivingturkeyinthestoreforacustomerbecausethewoman’sturkey,boughtinWegmans,wastoobigforheroven.III.ReadingComprehension(45分)SectionADirections:ForeachblankinthefollowingpassagetherearefourwordsorphrasesmarkedA.B.CandD.FillineachblankwiththewordorphrasethatbestfitsthecontextIt’slateintheevening:timetoclosethebookandturnoffthecomputer.You’redonefortheday.Whatyoumaynotrealize,41,isthatthelearningprocessactuallycontinues-inyourdreams.Itmightsoundlikesciencefiction,butresearchersareincreasingly42therelationshipbetweentheknowledgeandskillsourbrainsabsorbduringthedayandthefragmented,oftenbizarreimaginingsthey43atnight.Scientistshavefoundthatdreamingaboutataskwe’velearnedisassociatedwith44performanceinthatactivity(suggestingthatthere’ssometruthtothepopularnotionthatwe’re“getting”aforeignlanguageoncewebegindreaminginit).What’smore,researchersarecomingtorecognizethatdreamingisanessentialpartofunderstanding,organizingand45whatwelearn.Whilewesleep,researchindicates,thebrainreplaysthepatternsofactivityitexperiencedduring46hours,allowingustoenterwhatonepsychologistcallsaneuralvirtualreality.Avividexampleofsuch47canbeseeninavideoresearchersmaderecentlyaboutsleepdisorders.Theytaughtaseriesofdancemovestoagroupofpatientswithconditionslikesleepwalking,inwhichthesleeperperformsthekindofphysicalmovementthatdoesnot48occurduringsleep.Theythenvideotapedthe49astheyslept.Lyinginbed,eyesclosed,onefemalepatientonthetape50thedancemovesshelearnedearlier.Thisshowsthatwhileourbodiesare51,ourbrainsaredrawingwhat’simportantfromtheinformationandeventswe’verecentlyencountered,thenintegratingthatdataintothevast52ofwhatwealreadyknow.Ina2010study,researchersatHarvardMedicalSchoolreportedthatcollegestudentswhodreamedaboutacomputermaze(迷宫)tasktheyhadlearnedshoweda10-foldimprovementintheir53tofindtheirwaythroughthemazecomparedwiththeparticipantswhodidnotdreamaboutthetask.RobertStick-gold,oneoftheHarvardresearchers,suggeststhatstudyingrightbeforebedtimeortakinganapfollowingastudysessionintheafternoonmightincreasethe54ofdreamingaboutthematerial.Thinkaboutthatasyourhead55thepillowtonight.41．A．therefore B．otherwise C．instead D．however42．A．focusingon B．experimentingwith C．buildingup D．inquiringabout43．A．conceal B．generate C．dissolve D．remove44．A．worsened B．measured C．improved D．affected45．A．maintaining B．comprehending C．questioning D．sharing46．A．working B．sleeping C．opening D．waking47．A．replay B．pattern C．reality D．experience48．A．normally B．especially C．infrequently D．possibly49．A．researchers B．subjects C．psychologists D．walkers50．A．reflectedon B．forgotabout C．engagedin D．referredto51．A．inpeace B．atrest C．inoperation D．atwork52．A．store B．majority C．range D．collection53．A．willingness B．ability C．desire D．tendency54．A．benefits B．risks C．difficulties D．potential55．A．hits B．imagines C．leaves D．punchesSectionBDirections:Readthefollowingthreepassages.Eachpassageisfollowedbyseveralquestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA,B,CandD.Choosetheonethatfitsbestaccordingtotheinformationgiveninthepassageyouhavejustread.AWhenIfirstpickedupMichelleZauner’smemoir(自传)“CryinginHMart”,IwasattractedbythefamiliarnameofthelocalKoreanmarket10minutesawayfrommyhouse.Lookingthroughitspageswasnodifferentfromlookingthroughanoldphotoalbum(相册),remindingmeofmyoldmemories.AndIwantedtolookateachandeveryphoto,upclose.Despitebeingastrugglingartistmakingupforlosttimewithasickmother,Zaunersomehowmadeheruniqueexperiencesrelatabletoheraudience.Oneofthefactorsthathelpedmakethispossiblewasfood.EveryfoodandeveryaspectofKoreancultureshedescribedseemedsofamiliartome,asI’maKoreanAmerican.Notonlythis,wehavesimilarexperiences,andhavecommonfeelingsofbeingtornapartbytwoculturesthatseemtorefusetoacceptusjustforbeingwhoweare.Zaunershoneanewlightonmyattitudetomyownidentity.Inotherways,thisrelatabilitytosuchaspecifictargetaudiencecanbecomeaweakness.ThismemoirwasobviouslymeantforaKorean,specificallyaKoreanAmericanaudience.Withsuchasmallaudienceof0.6%oftheUnitedStatespopulationin2019,thestorythatZaunerwantedtotellwouldnotbereceivedbymany.Anavoidablepointofthememoirthatcausedconfusioncouldhavebeentheorganizationofthetimeline.Lookingatthebookasawhole,therewasnospecificorderinwhichZaunerorganizedtheeventsofherlife.Themosteffectivewaytodothiswouldhavebeentoprogressthroughthebookstartingwithherearliestmemorieswithhermotherandendingwithhermomentsofgrieving(悲痛).IfeltthankfulthatIwasabletodiscoversuchanovelthatmademefeelunderstoodforthefirsttimeinyears.Andmostofall,IfeltinspiredthattherearepeoplelikeZaunerwhomakemistakesbuttryagain.Evenwhentheworldtellsthemit’stoolate,theytryagainEvenwhentheyfeellost,theytryagainandfindaway.AndtherewasonethingIwassureofafterIreadthebook:Iwilltryagain.56．Whichfactorofthebookattractedtheauthor?A．Koreanaudience. B．Koreanfamilies.C．Americanculture. D．Similarexperience.57．Whichaspectofthebookisdiscussedinparagraph3?A．Itssmallreadership. B．Itsdifficultlanguages.C．ItsweakmarketinKorea. D．ItssalesinAmericain2019.58．Whatistheauthor’spurposeinwritingparagraph4?A．Topointoutonelimitationofthebook.B．TodescribeZauner’slifeinorderoftime.C．Toexplainwhyhefallsinlovewiththebook.D．Tointroduceaneffectivewaytowriteamemoir.59．Whatdidtheauthorlearnfromreading“CryinginHMart”?A．Tobethankful. B．Tostaypositive.C．Tounderstandothers. D．Toavoidmakingmistakes.BManyquestionscanbeexpectedinadvanceandit’swisetohavesomewell-constructedanswersthatyoucantailormorecloselyontheday.It’ssensibletohaveanumberofkeyphrasestouse.Remembertoalwaystryandmakeyouranswerspositive.Q1:Tellmeaboutyourself.(Theinterviewerisreallysaying“Iwanttohearyoutalk.”)A1:Thisisjusttogetthingsstarted,butitisaverycommonquestion.Writeascript,andpracticeitsothatitsoundsnatural.Spendamaximumoffourminutesdescribingyourqualifications,careerhistoryandyourrangeofskills.Emphasizethoseskillsthatarerelevanttothejobonoffer.Q2:Whathavebeenyourachievementstodate?(Theinterviewerissaying“Areyouanachiever?”)A2:Again,thisisacommonquestion,sobeprepared.Selectanachievementthatisexperience-relatedandfairlyrecent.Identifyskillsyouusedinthisachievementandsaywhattheresultswere.Q3:Whatdoyoulikeaboutyourpresentjob?(Theinterviewerisreallytryingtofindoutwhetheryouwillenjoythethingsthenewjobhastooffer.)A3:Thisisastraightforwardquestion.Allyouhavetomakesureisthatyour‘likes’correspondtotheskillsetc.requiredforthejobonoffer.Bepositive,describeyourjobasinterestinganddiverse,butdonotoverdoit.Afterall,youareleaving?Q4:Whatareyourstrengths?(Theinterviewersimplywantsastraightforwardanswerastowhatyouaregoodat.)A4:Thisistheonequestionthatyouaredefinitelygoingtoget,sothereisnoexcuseforbeingunprepared.Concentrateondiscussingyourmainstrengths.Listthreeorfourexplanationsofhowtheycouldbenefittheemployer.Strengthstoconsiderincludetechnicalproficiency;abilitytolearnquickly;determinationtosucceed;positiveattitude;yourabilitytorelatetopeopleandachieveacommongoal.Youmaybeaskedtogiveexamplesoftheabove,sobeprepared.Q5:Tellmeaboutthemostdifficultsituationyou’vehadtofaceandhowyouhandledit.(Theinterviewisreallytryingtofindoutyourdefinitionof“difficult”andwhetheryoucanshowalogicalapproachtoproblemsolvingusingyourinitiative.)A5:Thiscanbeatrap!Toavoidit,selectadifficultworksituationthatwasnotcausedbyyouandwhichcanbequicklyexplainedinafewsentences.Explainhowyoudefinedtheproblem,whattheoptionswere,whyyouselectedtheoneyoudidandwhattheoutcomewas.Alwaysendonapositivenote.60．Thepassageismainlyintendedto________.A．highlighttheimportanceoflookingpositiveinaninterviewB．givesuggestionsonhowtoanswerinterviewquestionsC．providesomesampleanswerstointerviewquestionsD．illustratehowtolookconfidentinaninterview61．Whenaskedaboutwhatyouthinkofyourpresentjob,you’dbetter________.A．talkaboutwhatyoudislikeaboutitB．commentpositivelyonyourcolleaguesC．relatesittothejobyouareapplyingforD．describehowinterestingitisasfaraspossible62．Ifaninterviewerwantstoknowwhetheryoucansolveaproblemproperly,whatwillheask?A．Tellmeaboutyourself?B．Tellmeaboutyourstrengths?C．Whathavebeenyourachievementstodate?D．Howdidyouhandlethemostdifficultsituation?CWhilemoreandmorescientistsareworkingonnonfictionsciencebooksforthegeneralreader,Ithinkwealsoneedachange.Thetypicalexpert-voicedmonologues(独白)thatscientistswriteareawonderfulcomponentoftheengagementeffort,buttheformislimited.Suchbooksarelargelyreadypeoplealreadywillingtopickupasciencebook,orwhoareopentotheauthoritativeacademic’svoicetellingthemhowtothink.Thereareplentyofpeoplewhocanengagewithsciencebutwhofindthosekindsofbooksasometimesunwelcomereminderoftheclassroom.Followingfrommybeliefthatscienceisforeveryone,Isuggestthatpublishersneedtoworkwithscientiststoexpandthekindsofbooksonoffer,assuredthatthereisanaudienceforthem.Progressispossible.Manyyearsago,Irealizeditishardtofindbooksonthenonfictionscienceshelfthatletreadersseethemselvesaspartoftheconversationaboutscience.SoIthoughtaboutanentirebookofconversationsaboutsciencetakingplacebetweenordinarypeople.While“overhearing”thoseconversations,readerslearnsomescienceideas.It’saresurrectionofthedialogueform,knowntotheancientGreeks,andtoGalileo,asadeviceforexchangingideas,butwithcontemporarysettings:cafes,restaurants,trainsandsoon.Idecideditwouldbeengagingforthereadertoactuallyseewho’shavingthoseconversations,andwhere,insteadofdescribingtheminwords.ThisledmetorealizethatIwasthinkingaboutapowerfulformofvisualstorytelling:Graphicnovelsforadultshavematuredandexplodedinpopularityinrecentyears.Spiegelman’s“Maus:ASurvivor’sTale”andBechdel’s“FunHome”arejusttwowell-knownexamples.Butthestorytellingtoolsofthegraphicbookhavebeenlittleusedtoconveynonfictionscienceideastoageneraladultaudience.Thevastmajorityofcontemporarygraphicbookswithasciencefocusarepresentedinsteadas“explainer/adventurecomics”foryoungeraudiences.Thisisanimportantgenre,butgraphicbooksaboutscienceshouldnotbelimitedtothat.Andwhilethereareseveralexcellentgraphicbooksforadultsthatincludescience,theytypicallyfocusinsteadonthelivesoffamousscientists,withdiscussionofthescienceitselfasasecondarygoal.SomeexcellentrecentexamplesthatbalancethetwoaspectswellincludeOttavianiaridMyrick’s“Feyrunan”andDoxiadisandPapadimitriou’s“Logicomix”.Thescarcityofscience-focusednon-biographical(非自传体的)graphicbooksforadultsisespeciallytrueinmyfieldofphysics.SoIdecidedthatherewasanopportunitytobroadenthekindsofnonfictionsciencebookavailabletoengagethepublic.63．ItcanbeinferredfromPara.2thattheexpert-voicedmonologuesdon’tappealto_________.A．thosewhoareinterestedinscientificideasB．thosewhohavenotalentsforscientificresearchC．thosewhowouldliketoknowhowscientiststhinkD．thosewhothinkscienceclassesinschoolareuninteresting64．Theword“resurrection”(inparagraph3)mostprobablymeans_________.A．announcement B．comeback C．explanation D．representation65．Accordingtothewriter,whichmightbethebestformofnonfictionsciencebooksforgeneralreaders?A．Acollectionofscientists’lifestories. B．AbookwrittenbyaNobelPrizewinner.C．Anadventurenovelfocusingonscience. D．Acomicbookconveyingscientificideas.66．Whatispassagemainlyabout?A．Awell-knownwriterwhowritestopromotescienceamongthepublic.B．Apossiblewaytogetnonfictionsciencebookstoappealtothepublic.C．Anewapproachtohavethepublicgetinterestedinnewscientificideas.D．Aneasyaccessforthepublictohaveageneralideaofwhatscienceis.SectionCDirections:Readthepassagecarefully.Fillineachblankwithapropersentencegiveninthebox.Eachsentencecanbeusedonlyonce.Notethattherearetwomoresentencesthanyouneed.Soilconservationmethodshelpfarmersprotecttheirlandfromthedamagecausedbyfarmingandtheforcesofnature.Onemethodofsoilconservationistheuseofwindbreaks.Windbreaksarebarriersformedbytreesandotherplants.67Windbreakshelppreventthelossofsoil.Theystopthewindfromblowingsoilaway.Theyalsokeepthewindfromdamagingordestroyingcrops.Windbreakscanbehighlyvaluableforprotectinggraincrops.Forexample,studieshavebeendoneonwindbreaksinpartsofWestAfrica.Thesestudiesfoundthatgrainharvestswereasmuchastwentypercenthigherinfieldsprotectedbywindbreakscomparedtofieldswithoutthem.68Theyseemtoworkbestwhentheyallowsomewindtopassthroughthebarrieroftreesorplantsaroundafield.Ifnot,thenthemovementofairclosetothegroundwillliftthesoil.Thenthesoilwillbeblownaway.Forthisreason,awindbreakworksbestifitcontainsonlysixtytoeightypercentofthetreesandplantsthatwouldbeneededtomakeasolidline.Aneasyruletorememberisthatwindbreakscanprotectareasuptotentimestheheightofthetallesttreesinthewindbreak.Thereshouldbeatleasttwolinesineachwindbreak.69Thesecondline,rightnexttoit,canbeshortertreesandotherplantswithleaves.Locallygrowntreesandplantsareconsideredthebestchoicesforwindbreaks.Windbreaksnotonlyprotectlandandcropsfromthewind.Surplustreescanbecutdownandusedorsoldforwood.Treesreducethedamagingeffectsofwindandrain.Theirrootshelpprotectsoilfrombeingwashedaway.Andtreescanprovideanothervaluableserviceforagriculture.70A．Cropsinfieldscanbeprotectedbywindbreaks.B．Farmersplantthesebarriersaroundtheirfields.C．Onelineshouldbelargetrees.D．Buthereissomethinginterestingaboutwindbreaks.E．Thenthesoilwillbewashedaway.F．TheycanprovidegrazinganimalswithshadefromthesunIV.SummaryWriting（10分）Directions:Readthefollowingpassage.Summarizethemainideaandthemainpoint(s)ofthepassageinNOMORETHAN60WORDS.Useyourownwordsasfaraspossible.Isfruitgettingsweeter?Ismodernfruitbredtobesweeterthaninthepast?Theshortanswerisyes,thoughthelongeranswerismorecomplicated.Someofthemostpowerfulevidencethatfruitissweeterthanbeforecomesfromzoos.In2018,itwasreportedthatMelbourneZooinAustraliahadstoppedgivingfruittomostofitsanimalsbecausecultivatedfruitwasnowsosweet.Amongfruitbreeders,theword“quality”isnowroutinelyusedasasynonymfor“highinsugar”.In2010,agroupofscientistswroteinanarticlethat“ingeneral,thesugarcontent”ofmanyfruitsisnowhigherthanbefore“owingtocontinuousselectionandbreeding.”Modernapplevarieties,thescientistsnoted,wereonaveragesweeterthanoldercultivars.Withtheriseinsweeterfruit,ourexpectationsofhowfruitshouldtastehavealsochanged.Whetherwearetalkingaboutapplesorpeaches,EuropeansandAmericanstendtofavorfruitthatisbothacidandsweet,whereasinAsia,themostpopularfruitisintenselysweetwithhardlyanyacidity.InAsiancountries,the“honey”flavorsoflow-acidpeachesaremuchappreciated,whileEuropeanconsumerspreferpeachesthatareslightlyacidic.Allaroundtheworld,thecommonthreadinwhatpeoplewantfromfruitissweetness.Buttheexcessivesweetnessofmodern