人教版高中英语必修五学期期中考试试卷

大连市第十一中学2014-2015学年度上学期期中考试试卷

高二英语

命题人：孙艳

第一部分：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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

A shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The boy walked a long way, and finally came upon the beautiful castle where the wise man lived.

On entering the main room of the castle, the boy was quite surprised: tradesmen coming and going, people chatting in the corners, and a small orchestra playing soft music. The wise man talked with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn.

The wise man listened carefully to the boy’s explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn’t have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.

“Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,” said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. “As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowi ng the oil to spill.”

The boy began to walk up and down stairs of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the wise man.

“Well,” asked the wise man, “Did you see the Persian tapestries（挂毯）in the hall? Did you see the garden that took the master gardener ten years to create?” The boy was embarrassed, and replied that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil.

“Then go back and observe the wonders of my world,” said the wise man. The boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace. This time he observed all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. When he returned, he described in detail everything he had seen.

“But where are the drops of oil?” asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

“Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,” said the wise man. “The secret of happiness is to see all the wonders of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil o n the spoon.”

1.When the boy arrived at the castle, he .

A. received a warm welcome from the wise man

B. had already missed his chance to talk to the wise man

C. was shown around the palace by the local people

D. didn’t expect to see so many people around

2.The wise man gave the boy two tasks in order to .

A. show him how to observe the wonders in the world

B. teach him the secret of happiness

C. make him learn from his mistakes

D. let the boy enjoy his palace and garden

3.We can infer from the article “the drops of the oil on the spoon” probably refer to _____ .

A. the beauty of one’s nature

B. the fortune a person possesses

C. the responsibilities one has to take on

D. the great opportunities in life

4.What would be the best title for the article?

A. Lesson about Happiness

B. The Secret of Happiness

C. Learning about Happiness

D. Searching for Happiness

B．

Jerome Kern is often called “The father of American musical theater (音乐剧)”. Kern is remembered for the hundreds of songs he wrote for musical plays and movies. Music historians say that Kern gave artistic importance to American popular music for the first time.

Jerome Kern was born into a middle-class family in New York City in 1885. Jerome’s mother, Fanny, loved the piano. She began to teach Jerome how to play it when he was very young. He became a fair piano player, but not so good that anyone expected him to become a great musician.

Jerome was a quiet boy. When he completed high school, his father said he would have to work in the family’s store. Mr. Kern said his son could never make money by writing music. But he later came to believe that Jerome might do better in music than in business after all. So he let the boy go to Europe to study music, as almost all serious young musicians did at the time.

Jerome Kern began his career as a songwriter in theaters in London and later in New York City. Success came quickly. By the early 1920s, Kern was a successful young composer for Broadway musical comedies. In one three-year period alone, he wrote music for 19 shows.

Other people wrote the words for Kern’s songs. Kern wrote only the music. And he worked on each song endlessly until he was satisfied that the music was perfect. He almost never changed his music to fit the words.

One critic wrote this about his music: Ke rn’s songs are like black and white drawings. They need no color,no decoration. His song is always in balance, perfect in form and pleasing in design.