湖北省沙市中学高二英语下学期第四次半月考试题

2015—2016学年下学期高二年级第四次半月考英语试卷考试时间：2016年5月13日第一部分：听力（共两节，满分30分）第一节（共5小题；每小题1.5分，满分7.5分）听下面5段对话。

每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。

听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。

每段对话仅读一遍。

1．What does the woman mean？A．Jenny didn’t like the new film at a ll． B．Jenny thought well of the new film． C．She had had no chance to talk to Jenny．2．What does the man prefer？A． Tea with sugar. B．Orange juice. C．Tea with milk.3．What will the woman do？A．She plans to find another job.B．She will stop working and become a full-time student．C．She will drop out of school．4．How does the woman feel about the movie？A．It’s very bad. B．It’s very good. C．She wants to see it again. 5．Why didn’t the woman wear the black dress？A．Because it is too large for her． B．Because it is too small for her． C．Because it is too dressy for the occasion．第二节（共15小题；每小题1.5分，满分22.5分）听下面5段对话或独白。

每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从每题所给的A,B,C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。

听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间，每段对话或独白读两遍。

听第6段材料，回答第6至7题。

6．Where does the conversation probably take place？A．At a post office. B． At a bank. C．At a hospital.7．What does the man want to do？A．Open a savings account. B．Draw some money. C．Close his account.听第7段材料，回答第8至10题。

8．What happened to John？A．An accident happened to him． B．He fell off his bike．C．He was knocked down by a car.9．Who is to blame？A．John. B．The truck driver. C．Someone else.10．What happened to the truck driver？A．He got his head hurt． B．He got his legs hurt. C．He got his arms hurt. 听第8段材料，回答第11至13题。

11．What does the woman say the mountain holds a world record for？A．Having the longest railroad． B．Highest recorded wind speed．C．Highest mountain in America.12．How does the cog(齿轮) railroad differ from a regular railroad？A．It has a scenic view. B．It is controlled by a computer． C．It climbs steep hills．13．How does the man convince the woman to go on the trip？A．He offers to pay for her ticket．B．He offers to let her use his computer．C．He offers to take her on the train．听第9段材料，回答第14至16题。

14．How did the man feel the first time he spoke English to a foreigner？A．Nervous. B．Eager. C．Happy.15．What did the man worry about？A．His bad pronunciation． B．Not being able to express himself clearly．C．Making a lot of mistakes．16．What did the foreigner do at first when the man talked to him？A．He repeated the man’s words． B．He used his body language．C．He nodded and smiled but didn’t say anything.听第10段材料，回答第17至20题17．Where does the speech probably take place？A. In a museum.B. In a restaurant.C. In the speaker’s home. 18．What does the speaker think about the kitchen？A．It’s the best place to see society．B．It gives us some ideas about certain requirements．C．It dates back to the early 1900s．19．What is the kitchen like？A．It’s full of wooden tables． B．It can hold hundreds of people．C．It is a big room with a high ceiling．20．What does the speech mainly suggest？A．The home design tells us about social changes．B．The kitchen is always the center of family life．C．The family kitchen should be well designed．第二部分阅读理解 (共两节，满分40分)第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。

AThe best of adventure and sport in NSWIf you want adventure, then the state of New SouthWales (NSW) in Australia is the place to go. No matterwhat the season is, you can choose from a wide variety oflandscapes, climates, activities and experiences, allwitheasy access to tour operators and local guides.For snow lovers, there's no better place than theSnowy Mountains. Skiers and snowboarders can hit theslopes for some downhill thrills in Kosciuszko NationalPark. Non-skiing adventure-seekers will enjoy hiking or snowshoeing.If water sports are more your thing, there are plenty of places to go. Surfers grab your surfboards and head to Byron Bay, Shellharbour, or Newcastle's Merewether Beach. See spectacular sea life up close, visit Lord Howe Island, a world-famous destination for underwater diving.The oceans, lakes and rivers around NSW offer a lifetime's worth of exciting fishing and boating challenges. Want more? Experience the rush of whitewater rafting in Jindabyne and Penrith, or go barefoot waterskiing in Port Stephens.For adventure in NSW, the sky's the limit! Book a hot-air-balloon or helicopter ride over the stunning vineyards of the Hunter Valley, go skydiving in Wollongong, or try hang-gliding in Stanwell Park.Get to know the State's unique and tough landscapes on a caving, canoeing or rock climbing adventure. Four-wheel-driving and off-roading tours are popular in both Country NSW and Outback NSW. Or explore parts of the State on horseback--- you'll find great horse riding options in Sydney and throughout NSW.21. What is the purpose of this article?A. To advertise a new holiday tour.B. To describe the geography of NSW.C. To promote NSW's tourist attractions.D. To encourage people to move to NSW.22. Where can you go barefoot waterskiing?A. Port Stephens.B. The Hunter ValleyC. Stanwell Park.D. Wollongong.23. Who are the intended readers？A. Families.B. Local guides.C. PhotographersD. Adventure travellersBThe United States of America was founded in 1776 after the 13 independent American statesrose up against the ruling British, defeated them in the American Revolutionary War, and signed the Declaration of Independence, the document which declared the creation of the new country. The men who led the revolution, drafted the Declaration of Independence and wrote the first American laws are known as " founding fathers". Benjamin Franklin, whose picture is on the US 100-dollar note, was appointed to prepare the Declaration that was eventually signed by the other founding fathers.Franklin was born in 1706 in Boston to a soap maker named Josiah Franklin. His father could not afford full schooling for all his children, but Benjamin loved books and worked in his elder brother's printing business before starting a newspaper called the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1729. He wrote and drew cartoons for the newspaper. In addition, he worked to improve living conditions in the city: introducing street lights, cleaning the roads and building libraries. In the 1740s, Franklin retired from his newspaper and turned to science with great success. He was a very smart man and his work on electricity, including the "kite experiment" which confirmed the nature of lightning, made him famous throughout the world.Franklin earned the title of the “First American" for his efforts to unite the 13 American states, and to win their independence. This part of the story started in London. He was sent to the city to persuade the British to treat the American states more fairly. It was here that he began interacting with important political thinkers and activists of the time and developing his own political ideas.Following his return to America in 1761 he became much more active in American politics and in the battle against British rule.After the United States of America was established, Franklin held several important positions such as the first United States Postmaster General, Ambassador to France and President of Pennsylvania. He is also famous today for his wise sayings, including "a penny saved is a penny earn ed” and “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".24. What is the article mainly about?A. The American Declaration of Independence.B. Franklin's contributions to American society.C. The American War of Independence.D. Benjamin Franklin's early life.25. How did Franklin begin developing his own political thinking?A. By discussing ideas with political activists in Britain.B. By persuading the 13 American states to unite.C. By fighting against British rule in America.D. By writing articles for his own newspaper.26. What can be inferred about Franklin from the article?A. His most important contribution was in science.B. He was the leader of the “founding fathers”.C. He was successful in many different areas.D. He came from a very wealthy family.27. What is the correct order for the following events from Franklin's life?a. He started a newspaper business.b. He carried out the kite experience on electricity.c. He worked for his brother in a printing company.d. He was appointed the Ambassador to France.e. He helped write the Declaration of Independence.f. He visited England to discuss independence.A. e, c, a, b, f, dB. c, a, b, f, e, dC. a, c, f, b, d, eD. f, d, a, b, c, eCIt’s that time of year when people need to lock their cars. It’s not because there are a lot of criminals running around stealing cars. Rather, it’s because of good-hearted neighbors who want to share their harvest. Especially with this year’s large crop, leaving a car unlocked in my neighborhood is an invitation for someone to fill it with zucchini（西葫芦）.My sister, Sharon, recently had a good year for tomatoes. She and her family had eaten and canned so many that they had begun to feel th eir skin turn slightly red. That’s when she decided it was time to share her blessings. She started calling everyone she knew. When that failed, she began asking everyone in the neighborhood, eventually finding a neighbor delighted to have the tomatoes. “Feel free to take whatever you want,” Sharon told her. Later that day, Sharon found that her garden had indeed been harvested. She felt happy that she could help someone and that the food didn’t go to waste.A few days later, Sharon answered the door. There was the neighbor, holding a hot loaf of bread. The neighbor smiled pleasantly, “I wanted to thank you for all of the tomatoes, and I have to admit that I took a few other things and hoped you wouldn’t mind.”Sharon couldn’t think of anything else in her garden that had been worth harvesting and said so. “Oh, but you did,” the neighbor said. “You had some of the prettiest zucchini I’ve ever seen.”Sharon was confused. They hadn’t even planted any zucchini. But her neighbor insisted that there really were bright-green zucchini in her garden. Sharon felt curious and decided to go to see where the zucchini had grown. The two of them walked together into the backyard. When the neighbor pointed at the long green vegetables, Sharon smiled. “Well, actua lly, those are cucumbers that we never harvested, because they got too big, soft and bitter for eating.” The neighbor looked at Sharon, shock written all over her face. She gulped（哽住）a few times, and then, smiling, held out the bread, part of a batch she had shared all over the neighborhood. “I brought you a nice loaf of cucumber bread. I hope you like it.”28. Why does the author warn people in the neighborhood to lock their cars?A. They might be stolen by thieves at night.B. They might be moved away by the police.C. Their neighbors might fill them with their harvest.D. Their neighbors might throw cucumbers into them.29. How did Sharon’s friends react to the invitation to take her tomatoes?A. They did not accept her kind offer.B. They were all delighted to have the tomatoes.C. They said they would go when they were free.D. They began to tell everyone they knew about it.30. What did the neighbor do in Sharon’s garden?A. She only harvested some tomatoes.B. She took some cucumbers mistakenly.C. She took something with Sharon’s help.D. She harvested a few zucchini by accident.31. We can infer that the neighbor’s bread would taste ________.A. soft and sweetB. hard and sourC. funny and bitterD. fragrant and deliciousDConventional wisdom is a major barrier to innovation（创新）that threatens the survival of companies everywhere. It’s based on the assumption that old ideas will always work, so they shouldn’t be challenged. While this may be a valid assumption in situations that don’t change, it’s unlikely to hold true in a changing situation. In today’s rapid changing global environment, old methods often don’t work, and stubbornly using them can lead to major problems.Most people seem to agree with conventional wisdom because it gives one a false sense of security. If everyone else believes it, then it must be true. Individuals who use conventional wisdom are certain that they are right, and being right is good. They want to continue using old ideas rather than take risks with changes that might not work. In 1977, Ken Olsen, co-founder and CEO of Digital Equipment Corporation（DEC）, stated “There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home.” Despite being a dominant leader in the computer industry, DEC no longer exists.People seem to forget that since innovation is a change, there can be no innovation without change. Unfortunately, conventional wisdom prevents leaders, followers and companies from changing and therefore innovating. If companies don’t innovate, but their competitors do, the future is likely to be problematic. Breaking from conventional wisdom has led to many of the most innovative companies and products in history across many industries, so it has a powerful effect on business success.Ted Turner（founder of CNN） knew little, if anything, about the news business, but he knew it was inconvenient to watch news only at the dinner hour, as was common before CNN. Turner’s solution was to create a cable channel devoted to news 24 hours a day. The news establishment reflected conventional wisdom at the time, and predicted his idea would fail because no one wanted to watch the news all day. However, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that viewers don’t have to watch the news all day for the CNN to work. Viewers just have to watch when they want to get information. Due to conventional thinking, the critics failed to recognize the opportunity that was clear to Ted. They assumed that only what was familiar to them could work in the future.Conventional wisdom prevents creativity, flexibility and risk-taking, so unconventional leaders enthusiastically break from it. To survive, boom and maintain competitive advantage,companies must be flexible when reacting to change.32. DEC has disappeared probably because ________.A. the CEO stuck to the conventional ideasB. the consumers didn’t like its productsC. the leaders lacked the sense of securityD. the employees took many risks with changes33. The founding of CNN is used as an example to prove ________.A. missing opportunities could lead to failureB. watching news at the dinner hour is convenientC. changing could contribute to business successD. conventional wisdom influences business success34. What does the underlined part probably mean?A. Rocket scientists can ensure the CNN works properly.B. It’s easy to know people needn’t watch the news all the time.C. It’s necessary to understand when people watch the news.D. Most of the viewers don’t like to watch the news at work.35. The passage is mainly written to tell us that ________.A. old methods are changing with timeB. opportunities lead to business successC. successful companies need wise leadersD. conventional wisdom limits innovation第二节（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。