河南省博爱县第一中学2016-2017学年高二下学期第一次月考英语试题

2015级高二年级下学期第一次月考英语试卷第二部分：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，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

AContestants from around the world met in Pomona, California, this month to test their skills at things like driving a car, walking down stairs, and opening doors. Sounds easy, right? But the competitors weren't people — they were robots!The bots were participating in the final round of the US's DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Robotics Challenge. This event, which took place on June 5-6, tested robots on how well they could respond during a disaster and the winning team finally took home a $2 million grand prize.The DARPA challenge was created after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. An earthquake caused a tsunami, which damaged a nuclear power plant. Workers at the plant needed to shut off an important valve (阀门), but it was too dangerous for humans to reach it. The US scientists at DARPA wondered whether the disaster could have been avoided if a robot had been sent to do the job. So they set up the robotics competition.Turning a valve was just one task a robot might have to perform when entering a disaster zone. In addition to doing this, robots participating in the challenge had to navigate a course containing several other tasks: driving and exiting a vehicle, opening a door, walking over or clearing objects, cutting a hole in a wall, plus climbing a flight of stairs.Teams had to complete the challenge in one hour, and points were awarded based on how quickly the robots completed a task. They didn't have to attempt all the tasks. To make things even more realistic, challenge organizers caused short computer-system blackouts (断电) that prevented robots and the human operators controlling them from communicating. That means teams had to program their bots to be partially autonomous (独立的). Robots also couldn't be attached to anything that could keep them from falling down, which happened a lot.21. What do we know about this year's DARPA challenge?A. It lasted five days.B. It was held in Japan.C. Its winner got a cash prize.D. Its winner will work in Fukushima.22. What does the underlined part “the job” in Paragraph 3 refer to?A. To open a door.B. To close a valve.C. To predict a tsunami.D. To rebuild a nuclear power plant.23. The robots that participated in the US's DARPA challenge were required to _____.A. challenge all the tasksB. have a good sense of smellC. complete their tasks in an hourD. act in the dark in the whole processBOur tiny boat was ploughing through (费力穿过) the waves across the Indian Ocean and I was absolutely freezing. The further we got from the shelter of the land, the more I thought how foolish I'd been to come along on this trip.The pilot of the boat looked almost 60 but, perhaps because of a lifetime on the open sea in the hot sun, was very fit and strong. I was wondering how he managed to find his way. To me, it seemed difficult enough to navigate (驾驶) a boat without any electronic equipment even on a sunny day.So at least we were safe. But this was not what we had come along for. A look at the other divers' faces suggested that now they were also doubtful that we'd ever get the chance to see a whale shark — these weather conditions were totally unsuitable for diving! None of us spoke. It seemed too much of an effort. Then suddenly the boatman stopped the engine. He said a few words in his own language to the diving instructor, who immediately jumped up from his seat and told us to get ready to dive.When I jumped into the grey sea, I was sure I wouldn't see anything. But then ... there it was! An enormous whale shark, slowly swimming through the water. I couldn't believe my eyes — my first whale shark! I hardly dared breathe — I was afraid my streams of bubbles(气泡) might scare the huge creature away. And the other divers were equally awed. Slowly we approached this huge animal. It was swimming quite slowly and we were able to swim with it, looking at the beautiful markings on its back. I was still holding my breath, telling myself that this huge fish was harmless! Then I reached out and touched it, stroking (轻抚) its thick skin. It was amazing how this giant suddenly gained speed —we watched it as it swam away from us, and a few moments later it was gone.24. While riding a tiny boat across the Indian Ocean, the author _____.A. volunteered to act as a pilotB. felt regret about his decisionC. enjoyed the beautiful sunshineD. talked with other people happily25. The author probably wanted to know how the boatman _____.A. kept fit in his spare timeB. spent his life on the boatC. navigated his boat at seaD. communicated with others26. What was the purpose of the author's trip?A. To see a whale shark.B. To learn how to dive.C. To swim the Indian Ocean.D. To save underwater creatures.27. How did the author feel after he jumped into the sea?A. Rather anxious and angry.B. A little scared but excited.C. Doubtful and disappointed.D. A bit tired but later relaxed.CHistory tells us that footwear was one of thefirst things ancient people learned to make.Footwear helped them across rocky paths or hot sands without injuring themselves. The earliest footwear we know of was simply a piece of plaited (编织的) grass or leather tied to the feet.The ancient Egyptians seem to have invented the first footwear with a firm sole (鞋底) —sandals. Egyptian royalty usually wore sandals that had a different style from those with lesser status, while slaves were not allowed to wear anything on their feet. The sandal is still the basic form of footwear in many countries, particularly those with a hot climate, whereas in cold climates, an entirely different type of shoe appeared — the moccasin — a slipper-shaped shoe made of soft but strong leather.The Greeks were the first to develop shoes withheels. Then, in the Middle Ages, shoes with long pointsat the toe became very chic for the nobility. These shoeswere often very difficult to wear. Other trends followed,with square-toed shoes, wide shoes, and even shoes thatcould make a woman stand two feet taller. Not surprisingly, these sometimes led to accidents. Even today, fashion rather than comfort often leads to the kind of shoes women wear.Mechanical shoemaking appeared in the 1800s in North America. Until then, shoes had been made with the same kinds of hand tools used by the ancient Egyptians. And in 1858, a machine was invented that could stitch (缝合) the sole of a shoe to the upper part. Now it was possible to make shoes that were shaped to fit either the left or right foot. Toward the end of the 1800s came a new type of shoe that was specifically designed for sports — the sneaker —and it soon become an all-time favorite.28. What did shoes often show in ancient times?A. The rich resources.B. People's different beliefs.C. People's status in society.D. The changeable climates.29. What does the underlined word “chic” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?A. Valuable.B. Convenient.C. Fashionable.D. Comfortable.30. Before mechanical shoemaking appeared, _____.A. shoes were often very difficult for people to wearB. all the shoe patterns made by the Greeks were the sameC. the only function of footwear was to protect people's feetD. people wore the same-shaped shoes on their two feet31. How does the text mainly develop?A. By providing examples.B. By making comparisons.C. By following the order of time.D. By following the order of importance.DScientists have long known that turtles, like many animals, find their way and direction at sea by sensing the invisible (无形的) lines of Earth’s magnetic field (磁场), similar to how sailors use latitude (纬度) and longitude (经度). But they didn’t know how turtles were able to return to the very spot where they were born.Now a study has the answer: Turtles also rely on Earth’s magnetic field to find their way home. That’s because each part of the coastline has its own magnetic signature, which the animals remember and later use as an internal compass (指南针). It’s not an easy way, though — the magnetic field turns slowly, and turtles have to change their nesting sites in response. “It’s pretty amazing how these creatures can find their way through this vast expanse of nothing,” said study co-author J. Roger Brothers.Turtles have a great range that surrounds all but the coldest waters of the world’s oceans. Though they travel hundreds of miles out to sea, turtles seem to prefer coastal areas.Every year, thousands of volunteers walk along Florida’s sandy beaches to count turtle’s nesting sites, which provides scientists with a rich population data set. At the same time, researchers have been studying slight changes in Earth’s magnetic field along Florida’s coasts to measure how the field’s strength and other characters change over time. Brothers and his colleagues combined the citizen-science data on turtle nests and official data about the magnetic field to find how everything changed over time.Nathan Putman, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center, added, “It’s really creative work, the type that makes you think, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’”The results could also influence conservation (保护) ways for these endangered animals, said Brothers. The population of the animals has fallen due to pollution, and development in their nesting areas. Many conservationists surround turtles’ nests with wire cages. Since these cages are usually metallic, the practice could affect the turtles’ ability to find their way home.32. Why does the author say “It’s not an easy way”?A. Turtles always travel far away from home.B. Earth’s magnetic field changes constantly.C. It’s hard for turtles to feel the invisible lines.D. It takes turtles too much time to plan their route.33. What is the main idea of Paragraph 4?A. How the data was collected.B. How important the research was.C. How the research was carried out.D. How meaningful the data is in modern life.34. What does Nathan Putman think of the findings of Brothers and his team?A. There is still a long way to go.B. Their efforts are worthwhile and inspiring.C. They are the most important findings on turtles.D. The results may cause doubts from other scientists.35. According to the last paragraph, why are some cages put around turtles’ nests?A. To expand their nesting areas.B. To help them rest comfortably.C. To guide them to their home.D. To prevent them from leaving.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。