2020届贵阳市开阳县第三中学高三英语期末试卷及答案

2020届贵阳市开阳县第三中学高三英语期末试卷及答案

第一部分阅读（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，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项

A

It was a weeknight and one of my twin daughters marched into the room, waving a book she'd finished. “Dad, why are books with science in them always about boys?” she asked.

I told her that simply wasn't true; there were loads of great science fictions with girls in them. She agreed, but argued that in those stories it was the boys who were doing science, and the girls were justalong for the ride. My other daughter took her sister's side and challenged me to give an example.

This left me in a difficult position. I could either go through our library to point out some wonderful examples of female-led science fictions, or just admit they were right and remain in my comfortable chair.

I've been asked several times how I came up with the idea forA Problematic Paradoxand my answer is always the same: it came to me in a moment of inspiration. I like that answer because it's simple and makes me seem very creative. The fact that this explanation is not true bothers me from time to time. Here's the truth: the story wasn't my idea. It was my daughters who suggested I write something for them that had a girl doing science.

My daughters were at an age when many young women turn away from STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), believing those areas of study unfriendly or out-of-the-norm for girls. I also read about how important role models can be to young people. It's one thing to tell a person they can do something, but seeing someone like them doing that thing can be more powerful.

So, I kept two guidelines for the book in mind: First, the story had to be fun for anyone, because it's as important for boys to understand that science is for everyone. Second, I wanted the main character, Nikola, to be imperfect. She should be someone with shortcomings as we all have. I think this not only makes a story more interesting to read, but also helps make it clear that the most extraordinary things can be done by ordinary people.

1. What does the underlined phrase “along for the ride” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A. Entering a bike race.

B. Offering vital help.

C. Doing unimportant things.

D. Playing the leading role.

2. What do we know about the bookA Problematic Paradox1?

A. Its main character is perfect.

B. It is a female-led science fiction.

C. It is intended to appeal to girls only.

D. Its idea comes from the author's inspiration.

3. Which of the following best describes the author's book?

A. Serious and abstract.

B. Simple and practical.

C. Creative and well-organized.

D. Inspiring and interesting.

B

Scientists have recently discovered thatAndean condors (秀鹫)— some of the world’s largest birds——barely flap their wings at all while flying. Instead, they use rising air currents to remain in the air for hours.

The Andean condor is the world’s largest soaring bird. They can weigh up to 15 kilograms. Their wings, when spread out, measure up to three meters. Their main food source is the meat of large animals which have died. Soaring high in the sky allows condors to easily spot possible meals on the ground.

Scientists worked together to study the flight patterns of these huge birds and how much effort the birds use when flying. To study the birds while they were in the sky, the researchers attached special devices which could record every beat of their wings.

The scientists learned that most of the condors’ flapping— over 75%— came when the birds were taking off. Once in the sky, the birds flew for very long periods of time without flapping at all. In fact, they only flapped their wings for 1% of the time they were in the air. One bird flew for over five hours without flapping, covering nearly 117miles.

Soaring without flapping is important because birds bum energy every time they flap their wings.

The birds’ soaring isn’t magic. They use the fact that hot air rises to keep themselves up. As hot air rises, it often creates “thermals”— currents of warm air moving upward. The condors soar by making use of these thermals. The tricky part is finding thermals and moving between them.

When birds are forced to land and take off again often, it costs them a lot of energy. The researchers learned that to avoid having to land, the condors did most of their non-take-off flapping when they were closer to the ground and looking for a new thermal.

The scientists reported that even though all of the condors they studied were young, they knew well how to take advantage of the air currents.

4. What can we learn about the Andean condor from the text?

A. They live mairly on small animals.

B. Their wingspan is at least three meters.

C. They rely on hot air to remain high in the sky.

D. They are the birds with the strongest flying ability.