2025~2026学年上海市徐汇区上海中学高三上学期期中考试英语试卷

2025~2026学年上海市徐汇区上海中学高三上学期期中考试英语试卷一、单项选择1.Thesuddenchangesintheschedulemay___________theflowoftheentirepresentation.

A．underlieB．tendC．disruptD．sustain2.Theancientruinshavenowbecomeaprotected___________ofculturalheritage,attractingscholarsandtouristsalike.

A．spectacleB．mediumC．inventionD．occasion3.Duringtheparade,spectatorslinedthestreetsand___________themselvesalongtheentireroute.

A．appointedB．rangedC．stretchedD．scattered4.Despitehercalmtone,theteacher’ssharpcritiqueseemedto___________asenseofurgencyamongthestudents,pushingthemtoreconsidertheirapproach.

A．inspireB．maskC．chartD．inject5.Thepoet’swordscould___________emotionsinthereaderthathadlongbeenburiedbeneaththesurfaceofeverydaylife.

A．springB．furnishC．stirD．project6.Thesea,socalmjusthoursago,nowroseinwavesthatcrashedagainstthecliffswithaforcethatseemedto___________theveryfoundationsoftheoldlighthouse.

A．scaleB．threatenC．reverseD．enforce7.Sheopenedtheletterwithtremblinghands,hereyesscanningthewordsthat___________bothhopeandregret.

A．wiredB．insertedC．boreD．spun8.Theriversidetownslowlyfellintoquietdecay,seemingto___________thepassageoftimeratherthanfightit.

A．amounttoB．resorttoC．awakentoD．yieldto9.Asthefinallightofdayslippedbehindthehills,thevillage___________intoitsquietness,thechurchbellsdistant,thewindowsdarkeningonebyone.

A．faredB．pluggedC．dawnedD．settled10.Hewatchedthestormapproachquicklyfromthehilltop,andinthatwildand___________momentherealisedthatnothingremainedunchanged.

A．chargedB．pantingC．terminalD．uniform二、语法填空Directions:Afterreadingthepassagebelow,fillintheblankstomakethepassagescoherentandgrammaticallycorrect.Fortheblankswithagivenword,fillineachblankwiththeproperformofthegivenword;fortheotherblanks,useonewordthatbestfitseachblank.GodsinGreekMythologyThegodsoftheGreekreligionwerepersonificationsofnaturalpowers.Yetthey11(shape)afterthefashionofhumanbeings,bothinbodilyformandintheirneedsandpassions.Theywereborn,grew,married,andsuffered,12deathnevercametothem.Thesebeings,likemen,onlygreaterandmorebeautiful,musthavecitiesandhomeslikethoseofmen.YettheGreeksofthemainlandrealizedthatitwasn’ttheirimmortalitythatmadethemremarkable,butthattheirveryexistenceseemed13(belong)toaworlduntouchedbytimeanddecay.SotheylookeduptotheMt.Olympusupinthesky,majestic,mysterious,eternallyenduring,andsawthere,underthearchofheaven,thegoldenhallsofthedivinecity.Itwasatruecityofthesky,structuredafterthemodeloftheGreekcity-states.AtthegatesofcloudtheHoursstoodasguardians;withinthewallsrosethepalacesofthegods.Andonthetopmostpeakwasthegreathall14themembersoftheOlympicCouncilgatheredfordeliberationorforfeasting.Ambrosiawasthefood15(serve)atthesebanquets,andnectar,pouredintothecupsbyHebe,thegoddessofyouth,nourishedtheichor(灵液)flowinginthegods’veinsinsteadofblood.Therichodorofsacrificesofferedonearth16(fill)thenosesofthefeasters.TheirearswerecharmedbythesongstheMusessang17theaccompanimentofApollo’slyre(七弦竖琴).IntheplaceofhonoursatZeusonhisgoldenthrone,andHera,hissisterandwife,satbesidehim,whileaboutthemassembledtheothertenOlympians,whoseverypresencemadeitclear18theywereallbrothers,sisters,sons,ordaughtersofthe“fatherofgodsandkingofmen.”ForafterhisvictoryovertheTitans,Zeusruledsupremeoverheavenandearth.Assky-godhedrewthecloudsoverthefaceofheaven,19(send)stormandrainupontheearth,orhespreadthemandlookeddownoverallasakindfather.Theweaponofhisangerwasthethunder;Victorystoodathisrighthand.Yethisrulewasnot20ofrandomviolence;hewastheauthorandpromoteroflawandorder,ofacivilizedandregulatedinteractionbetweenmen,ofhospitalityandjusttreatmentofmanbyman.三、选词填空Directions:Completethefollowingpassagebyusingthewordsinthebox.Eachwordcanonlybeusedonce.Notethatthereisonewordmorethanyouneed.

A.representationB.intellectualC.distinctD.superficialE.appreciatedAB.lackAC.endangeredAD.extinguishedAE.stuffBC.conventionalBD.nativesDeepReadingItisobviousthatourlivesarebeingincreasinglydominatedbydigitaldevicesandinstantgratification.Asaresult,“deepreading”,asopposedtotheoftensuperficialreadingwedoontheWeb,hasbecomea(n)21practice,oneweoughttotakestepstopreserveaswewouldahistoricbuildingorasignificantworkofart.Itsdisappearancewouldthreatenthe22andemotionaldevelopmentofgenerationsgrowinguponline.Worsestill,itwouldaffecttheprotectionofacriticalpartofourculture:thenovels,poemsandotherkindsofliteraturethatcanbe23onlybyreaderswhosebrains,quiteliterally,havebeentrainedtocomprehendthem.Recentresearchhasdemonstratedthatdeepreadingisanexperience,differentinkindfromthemeredecodingofwords.Althoughdeepreadingdoesnot,strictlyspeaking,requirea(n)24book,thebuilt-inlimitsoftheprintedpageareuniquelyhelpfultothedeepreadingexperience.Abook’s25ofhyperlinks,forexample,freesthereaderfrommakingdecisions—ShouldIclickonthislinkornot?—allowinghertoremainfullyfocusedonthenarrative.Thatfocusissupportedbythewaythebrainhandleslanguagerichindetail,allusion(暗示)andmetaphor:bycreatingamental26thatdrawsonthesamebrainregionsthatwouldbeactiveifthescenewereunfoldinginreallife.Theemotionalsituationsandmoraldilemmasthatarethe27ofliteraturearealsovigorousexerciseforthebrain,pushingusinsidetheheadsoffictionalcharactersandeven,studiessuggest,increasingourreal-lifecapacityforsympathy.Noneofthisislikelytohappenwhenwe’rebrowsingthroughwebsite.Althoughwecalltheactivitybythesamename,thedeepreadingofbooksandtheinformation-drivenreadingwedoontheWebarevery28bothintheexperiencetheyproduceandinthecapacitytheydevelop.Agrowingbodyofevidencesuggeststhatonlinereadingmaybelessproductive,evenforthe“digital29”towhomitissofamiliar.Researchersreportedthat39%ofchildrenandteensreaddailyusingelectronicdevices,butonly28%readprintedmaterialseveryday.Thosewhoreadonlyonscreenwerethreetimeslesslikelytosaytheyfindreadingsatisfying.Evenonetenthfearthattheirdesiretoengageindeepreadinghasalreadybeen30bythefastpaceofmodernlife.四、完形填空Throughouttheirlifetime,individualstodayaremoreresponsiblefortheirpersonalfinancesthaneverbefore.Withlifeexpectanciesrising,pensionandsocialwelfaresystemsarestrained,andemployer-sponsoreddefinedbenefit(DB)plansarerapidly_________privatedefinedcontribution(DC)plans,shiftingretirementresponsibilityfromemployerstoemployees.Labormarketshavealsochanged,withwages_________betweenhigher-andlower-educatedworkers,asemployersincreasinglyrewardadvancedskillsanddigitalcompetence.Meanwhile,financialmarketsandproducts—fromstudentloanstocreditcards,mutualfunds,andannuities(年金)—havegrownmorecomplex,andfinancialtechnology(fintech)isrevolutionizingpayments,investments,andfinancialadvice._________,understandingfinancialliteracyanditsimpactonfinancialdecision-makingiscrucial.Financialliteracy,asdefinedbytheOECD,includesnotonlyknowledgeoffinancialconceptsandrisksbutalsotheskills,_________,andconfidencetoproperlyandactivelyapplythisknowledgeindailylifetoimproveindividualandsocietalwell-being.Researchconsistentlyshowsthatfinancialliteracyislowworldwide,eveninadvancedeconomies.Onlyaboutonethirdofadultsgloballyarefamiliarwiththebasicconceptsunderlyingeverydayfinancialdecisions,andcertaingroups—women,theyoung,andthelesseducated—areparticularly_________.Astandardwayto_________financialliteracyisthe“BigThree”questions,whichinvolvetheunderstandingofinterestrates,inflation,andriskdiversification,respectively.Surveysusingthesequestions,suchastheFinancialLiteracyAroundtheWorldproject,reveal_________results.Globally,onlyaround30%ofadultsanswerallthreecorrectly,withknowledgeofriskdiversificationconsistentlylowest._________emergeacrossage,gender,andeducation:youngeradultsandwomentendtohavelowerfinancialliteracy,andeventhehighlyeducatedoftenlackpracticalfinancialskills.Needlesstosay,financialliteracyprofoundlyaffectsbehavior.Thosewithhigherliteracysavemore,planforretirement,investwisely,managedebteffectively,andcopebetterwithfinancialshocks.Conversely,thelessliteraterelyonhigh-costborrowing,accumulatedebt,andare_________emergencies.Undergraduates,forexample,oftenmisunderstandstudentloansand_________expensivefinancialbehaviorsfacilitatedbyfintech,suchasmobilepayments.Thesetrendsunderlinethatfintechcannotsubstituteforfinancialknowledge.Therefore,effortstoimproveliteracymustbelarge-scaleand_________.Schools,colleges,workplaces,andcommunityplatformsareidealfordeliveringtailorededucation,withafocusondisadvantagedgroupssuchasyouthandwomen.School-basedprogramsareespeciallyeffective,_________youngpeopletoessentialconceptsbeforemajorfinancialdecisions.Workplaceinterventions,whendesignedtoberelevantandbrief,alsoimprovebehavior,while_________initiatives—likefinancialmuseums—canreachbroaderaudiences.Thelackoffinancialliteracy,eveninwell-developedmarkets,isofurgent_________.TheBigThreequestionshelpidentifythoseinneedandguidetailoredprogramsinschools,workplaces,andcommunities.AsDirectoroftheItalianFinancialEducationCommittee,Iaimtoapplythisresearchtopolicyinitiatives,promotingfinancialliteracyasafundamentalskill.Financialliteracyisaglobal_________fornavigatingcomplexfinancialproducts,makingsounddecisions,andachievingpersonalandsocietaleconomicpotential.Likebasicliteracy,itisauniversalneed,essentialforthrivingintoday’sworld.31.A．takingoverfromB．fallingbackonC．givingwaytoD．leadingupto32.A．wideningB．stabilisingC．shiftingD．peaking33.A．InthiscontextB．TothatendC．IntheoryD．Bycontrast34.A．focusB．resourcesC．motivationD．opportunities35.A．dependentB．cautiousC．competentD．disadvantaged36.A．predictB．measureC．assureD．promote37.A．predictableB．alarmingC．long-lastingD．encouraging38.A．InitiativesB．FactorsC．PatternsD．Action39.A．light-heartedaboutB．over-pessimisticaboutC．mis-informedofD．ill-preparedfor40.A．giverisetoB．giveintoC．comeclosetoD．fallvictimto41.A．targetedB．unlimitedC．enlightenedD．intended42.A．presentingB．linkingC．subjectingD．exposing43.A．communityB．networkC．operationD．organisation44.A．capacityB．challengeC．concernD．basis45.A．qualificationB．gatewayC．permitD．passport五、阅读理解America’sBaldEagles—ARemarkableStoryofSuccessWhenitcomestowildlife,mostnarrativesemphasizecatastropheandspecieslosscausedbyhumanactivity.Soitisrefreshingtoencounterexceptions,andperhapsnostoryismoreinspiringintheUnitedStatesthanthatofthebaldeagle,rescuedfromnearextinction.ItsstatusasAmerica’snationalemblem(国徽)mayhavedrawnattention,butsymbolicrespectalonecouldnotsafeguardthespecies.OriginallywidespreadacrossNorthAmerica,thebaldeaglewasanaturalchoiceforanationalsymbol,withitsimpressivewingspan,commandingpresence,anduniqueassociationwiththecontinent.Yetoverthenineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturies,thespeciesfacedconstantthreats.Urbanexpansion,agriculturaldevelopment,andindiscriminatehuntinggraduallyreduceditsnumberstodangerouslylowlevels.Federalprotectionandpublicawarenesscampaignsbecameessentialtopreventcompletecollapse.Akeyfactorintheeagle’sdeclinewaswidespreadpesticideuse,particularlyDDT.Affectedfishdisruptedreproduction,aseagleslaideggswithshellstoofragiletosurvive.Awarenessoftheproblem,broughttonationalattentionbyRachelCarson’sSilentSpring,eventuallyledtothebanningofDDTandmarkedapivotalturningpointinconservationefforts.Toacceleraterecovery,theU.S.FishandWildlifeServicedevelopedacaptive-breedingprogram.Scientistsartificiallyincubated(孵化)initialgroupsofeggs,allowingeaglestoproducefollowinggroupsnaturally,whichsignificantlypromotedpopulationgrowth.Thesejointefforts,alongsidehabitatprotectionandstrictlegalsafeguards,graduallyrestoredthespecies.Today,baldeaglepopulationshavereboundedimpressively.Whilestillclassifiedas“threatened”andprotectedundermultiplefederalstatutes,thespecies’resurgenceillustratesthepowerofsustainedconservation,legislativeaction,andpublicengagement.Theirrecoverystandsasaprooftowhatcanbeachievedwhenhumanstakeresponsibilityforpreservingthenaturalworld.Thestoryofthebaldeagledemonstratesthatevenseverepopulationdeclinescanbereversedwithcarefulplanning,dedicatedeffort,andsocietalcommitment.Itisarareandcompellingexampleofhumaninterventionsuccessfullypreservingbothanationalsymbolandaspeciesonceonthebrinkofextinction.Thebaldeagle’scomebackremindsusthat,withalertnessandcooperation,itispossibletobalancehumanactivitywiththesurvivalofthewild.46.Whatistheauthor’spurposeinmentioningthebaldeaglebeingthenationalemblem?

A．Toprovethatthebaldeaglewasmoreimportantthananyotheranimals.B．Toillustratethatthebaldeagle’spopularityledtoitsdecline.C．TosuggestthatitsnearextinctionwascausedbyAmerican’sneglect.D．Toemphasizethatadmirationwasinsufficienttoprotectthespecies.47.Whatdoestheunderlinedphrase“apivotalturningpoint”inpara.3mostlikelyreferto?

A．Thefirstscientificdiscoveryoftheharmfuleffectsofpesticides.B．Theintroductionoflawsprotectingendangeredwildlifespecies.C．ThebanonDDTfollowingtheawarenessraisedbySilentSpring.D．ThepublicationofRachelCarson’sbookandherlaterrecognition.48.Whichmeasurecontributedmostdirectlytothepopulationrecoveryofbaldeagles?

A．Thebanonpesticideuseinbaldeagles’habitats.B．Thebreedingplanandeggincubationsystem.C．Theimprovementofpublicawarenesscampaigns.D．Sciencewriters’appealtoprotectbaldeagles.49.Whatlargermessagedoestheauthorconveythroughthestoryofthebaldeagle’srevival?

A．Restoringnaturerequiresadvancedtechnologyandstrictmanagement.B．Humanefforts,whenconsistentandcollective,canreversegravedamage.C．Symbolicspeciesoftenrecoverfasterbecausetheyattractmoresympathy.D．Environmentalprotectiondependsmainlyonpoliticalwillandlegislation.

LivingwithFire:SurvivingtheForestWildfiresofCaliforniaCaliforniawildfirescancausedevastatingdamagetopropertyandhumanlives.Butforplantspeciesthathavelivedforthousandsofyearsinthefire-proneSierraNevada,forestfiresareanexpectedpartofthenaturalenvironment.ThisinfographicintroducesfourdifferentCaliforniaplantspecies,allwithdifferentadaptationstofire.GiantSequoia·SequoiadendrongiganteumThegiantsequoiaisthetypicalexampleofafire-adaptedplantspecies.Oneofthelargesttreesintheworld,giantsequoiasgrowparticularlywellinthemineralsoilexposedbywildfire.Giantsequoiasalsohavethickbarkthatprotectsthemfromlow-severityfires.Becauseyoungertreesmaycatchfireeasily,giantsequoiatreesgrowquicklyasanotheradaptationtofire-proneenvironments.Fire-ResistantBark

Maturetreescanhavebarkupto2feetthick,although6-8inchesismorecommon.Thisspeciesgrowstoaheightof250feet-aboutthewingspanofaBoeing747.

SeedGermination(发芽)

Giantsequoiaseedsgerminateparticularlywellinmineralsoil—thesoillayerbelowtheneedlesanddecomposedmaterialonforestfloorthatisexposedafterfiresburn.Fireweed·ChamerionangustifoliumAfterawildfire,fireweedisoneofthefirstplantstore-growinburnedareas.Likemanyotherplantsthatgrowinopeningscreatedbyfire,fireweedseedsarespreadbywind.Thisallowstheplanttoreachnewlyburnedareas,eveniftheparentplantisfaraway.Fireweedisanimportantpost-disturbancespeciesbecauseitcanrecyclenutrientsfromburnedsoil.Infact,itwasoneofthemostabundantspeciestorecolonizeMountSt.Helensafterthe1980volcaniceruption.Wind-spreadSeeds

Eachfireweedplantcanproduce80,000seedsperyear.Thesesmallseedsaredispersedbywind,allowingfireweedtoquicklyestablishcoloniesinnewlydisturbedareas.PonderosaPine·PinusponderosaPonderosapinehasthickbarkplatesthatprotectthetree’sinteriorandhelpthetreesurvivemostfires.Maturetreescanwithstandhigh-severityfires,andevenyoungtreescansurvivelow-intensityfires.Thesetreesalsodroptheirlowerbranchesastheygrow.Withlessfuelneartheground,there’slesschancethatfirewillspreadfromthegroundupintothelivingcanopy(树冠)tree,destroyingthepineneedlesrequiredforphotosynthesis.Finally,ponderosapinetreeshavedeeprootsthatarelesslikelytobedamagedbyfire.Fire-ResistantBark

Thebarkofmatureponderosapinetreesisthickandplated.Thisfire-resistantbarkcoversaverymoistcorethatalsohelpstogetridofheatfromwildfires.CaliforniaLilac·CeanothuscordulatusCaliforniaLilacseedsarecoveredbyanextremelyhardseedcoat.Wildfirescrackopenthiscoating,whichthenallowswatertoreachtheseedandbeginthesproutingprocess.Seedlingsseldomsproutifthereisnofiretobegintheprocessofgermination.Infact,Californialilacseedscanlieinactiveforhundredsofyearsuntilthenextwildfire,althoughtheareaswhereCalifornialilacgrowsnaturallyexperiencefireeveryoneortwodecades.BuriedSeeds

CaliforniaLilacseedsburiedwithinthesoilcanwithstandfiresashotas220°F(105℃)

SoilSeedBank

Becauseseedsrequirefiretogerminate,droppedseedsaccumulateinsoil“seedbanks”everyyear.Insomeforests,therearealmost2millionCalifornialilacseedsperacreofsoil.50.Whichofthefollowingisacorrectmatchfortheplantanditsfeatures?

A．GiantSequoia:thickbarkandquickgrowth.B．Fireweed:fastregrowthandwind-spreadbranches.C．PonderosaPine:stronglowerbranchesandbigcanopy.D．CaliforniaLilac:hardseedcoatandinactivityafterfires.51.Amountainousregionhasjustexperienceditsfirstmajorwildfireinyears.Thefireburnedextremelyhot,leavingbehinddeeplayersofashandexposedsoil.Theareaisexpectedtoremainopen,withstrongseasonalwindsblowingacrossit.Whichplantwouldmostlikelytorecolonisethisenvironment?

A．GiantSequoia.B．Fireweed.C．PonderosaPine.D．CaliforniaLilac52.Wherewouldyoumostlikelyfindtheabovepieceofinformation?

A．InatravelguideaboutCaliforniaforests.B．Inagardeningmagazinefocusedondomesticplants.C．InanewspaperreportonrecentCaliforniawildfires.D．Inafieldguideaboutfire-adaptedplants.Forthetimebeingit’sdominant—butastheRomanscouldtellyou,nothinglastsforever.Giventhat1,500languagescoulddisappearbytheendofthiscentury,bysomeestimates,somemayfinditabsurdtoevenaskthisquestion.Englishiscertainlynotontheendangeredlist.Astheonetrulygloballanguage,itismoreoftenlabelledan“exterminator”,ahugeyetslowdinosaurthatunknowinglycrushesunfortunatesmallerlanguagesunderfoot—orundertongue.Thefactis,though,thatnolanguagehasyetprovedeternal.SubjectsoftheRomanorEgyptianempiresmightoncehaveassumedthattheirlanguageswouldlastforever,liketheirdominance,buttheywerewrong.“Englishcouldofcoursedie,justasEgyptiandied,”sayslinguistMartinHaspelmath.Themoreinterestingquestionsare:whenandhow?Predictingthefutureofanylanguageis,mostlinguistsbelieve,anexerciseinquestion.Thecodebywhichwecommunicateissubjecttosomanycomplexandinteractingforcesthatwecan’tdomuchmorethanguess.Still,mostexpertswouldagreeonafewguidingprinciples.Migrationisamajordriveroflanguagechange,asistechnology—thoughthetwocancounteractaswellaspromoteeachother.Somepredictthatinternationalmigrationwillriseastheclimatecrisisintensifies,andtechnologicalrenewalisspeedingup,buttheyaren’ttheonlyfactorsinthemix.Widespreadliteracyandschooling—bothonlyafewhundredyearsold—actasbrakesonlinguisticevolution,byimposingcommonstandards.We’reinunchartedterritory.Englishcouldcomeunderpressureasagloballinguafrancaif,forinstance,IndiadropsEnglishasanofficiallanguage.“Ahundredyearsfromnow,theworldcouldbeverydifferent,”Haspelmathsays.ButEnglishwillstillbespokeninEurope,NorthAmerica,AustraliaandNewZealand,inalllikelihood.Andwehavetodistinguishbetweentwophenomena:theresizingofEnglish’sdominion,anditsowninternalevolution.Englishexiststodayinmanyspokenvariants,justasLatindidbeforeitexplodedintoRomance.ThosevariantsarebeingheldtogetherbyacommonwrittenformandtheInternet—adhesive(黏合的)forcesthatwereabsentinthelateRomanempire,mostofwhosesubjectswereilliterate—soEnglishisunlikelytogothewayofLatin.AsforthecombinedimpactofmigrationandtechnologyonthenatureofEnglish,that’shardertoanticipate.Althoughthelanguagehasneverstoodstill,thegrowinginflowofnon-nativeEnglishspeakerstoEnglish-speakingstrongholdscouldstartaperiodofacceleratedchange,leadingtoanewlanguageinneedofanewname:post-modernEnglish.Andifmachinetranslationistakenuponamassivescale,boththeresidentsandtheimmigrantscouldberelievedofthepressuretolearneachother’slanguages.Thepointisthatevenifwecan’tpredicthowEnglishwillchange,wecanbesurethatitwill,andthatnogloballanguageisimmunefromextinction.BothLatinandEgyptianwerespokenformorethan2,000years;Englishhasbeengoingstrongforabout1,500.It’slookinghealthynow,butitsdayscouldyetbenumbered.53.Whatcanbeinferredfromthefirstthreeparagraphs?

A．Englishisandwillnotbeanendangeredlanguage.B．Englishintentionallyexterminatesotherlanguages.C．Evenhistoricallydominantlanguageseventuallydecline.D．Predictingthefutureofanylanguageisneverpossible.54.WhathelpsmaintaintheunityofEnglishdespiteitsmanyspokenvariants?

A．ThecommonwrittenformandtheInternet.B．Thecombinedeffectsofmigrationandtechnology.C．Thewidespreadliteracyandonlinecommunication.D．TheongoingdominanceofEnglishintheWest.55.Whichstatementbestreflectstheauthor’sviewonthelong-termfutureofEnglish?

A．Englishismostlikelytoremainwidelyspoken,thoughitsexactformmayshift.B．Englishmayeventuallyevolveintoanewlanguage,influencedbymanyfactors.C．EnglishissafefromextinctionbecauseofitscommonwrittenformandtheInternet.D．Englishmightdisappearsoonduetopoliticalshiftsandtechnologicalchanges.56.Whichofthefollowingwouldbethemostsuitabletitleforthispassage?

A．WhenMigrationandTechnologyCollidewithWordsB．ExtinctionorEvolution:PredictingEnglish’sFateC．WhatWillReplaceEnglishastheGlobalLanguage?D．CouldtheEnglishLanguageReallyDiesomeday?TheScienceofMeasuringTimeCaesiumisasoft,silvery-goldmetalthatbecomesliquidwhenstoredinawarmroom.ItismostlyfoundinmineraldepositsnearasmalllakeincentralCanada.57Butdoyouknowthatcaesiumisalsothemetronome(节拍器)oftheworld,theultimatesourceofallmoderntime?Forathousandyears,phenomenaintheskywereourtimekeepersandcalendars.Prehistorictombsandmonumentsaroundtheworldareinlinewiththesunriseonthesolstice(至日).Weknewtimepassedbecausewesawthingschange.TheSunrose,seasonsturned.58Asecondwasdefinedasafractionofthesolaryear.Butin1967,atthe13thGeneralConferenceonWeightsandMeasuresinParis,thesecondwasredefinedaccordingtorhythmicshakingofthecaesiumatom.Caesiumatoms,whenexcitedbyjusttherightfrequency,resonatelikeawineglassshatteredbyanoperasinger.Bymeasuringthisfrequency,wemeasuretime.Atomsmakeforhandyclockwork:theyhavenomovingparts,don’twearout,andareattractivelystandard.59Andtheytickveryfast.Halfacenturybeforethefirstaccuratecaesiumclockmeasurement,somephysicistssuspectedtheyhadgoneasfarastheycouldwithworld-changingtheories.However,moderndaytimekeepinghavebeenandarebeingimprovedbyabouttentimesperdecade.Themostadvancedatomicclocksnowaresoprecisethattheywouldloselessthanasecondovertheentireageoftheuniverse.60Itisnotoutofobsession,butbecausethemoreaccuratelywemeasuretime,themoreclearlywecanobservereality.Inthefuture,clocksmaynotjusttelltime;theymayhelprewritethelawsoftimeitselftoo.

A．Andyet,thepursuitforgreaterprecisioncontinues.B．Timeprobablydoesnotevenexistintheworld,butratherinpeople’sprojection.C．Aslateasthemid-20thcentury,ourtimeremainedtiedtotheSun.D．Itsmaincommercialuseisindrillingfluidsforpetroleumexploration.E．Ev