高二下学期英语期末考试试卷（附答案）一、阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）（共4题；共30分）1.阅读理解We produce 500 billion of plastic bags in a year worldwide and they are thrown away polluting oceans, killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1,000 years to decompose. Researchers have been unsuccessfully looking for a solution.The 16-year-old Canadian high school student, Daniel Burd, from Waterloo Collegiate Institute, has discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade(降解) in as few as 3 months, a finding that won him first prize at the Canada Wide Science Fair, a ＄10,000 prize, a ＄20,000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.Burd's strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms(微生物)．If those microorganisms could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.With this goal in mind, he grounded plastic bags into a powder and concocted(调制) a solution of household chemicals, yeast(酵母) and tap water to encourage microbes growth．Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for 3 months．Finally, he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags, exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control．Sure enough, the plastic exposed(暴露) to the live bacteria was 17% lighter than the control after six weeks.The inputs are cheap, maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because microbes produce heat as they work, and the only outputs are water and tiny levels of carbon dioxide.“Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have piles of plastic bags falling on top of me．One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags．The answer: not much．So I decided to do something myself.” Said Daniel Burd.（1）Daniel Burd won first prize at the Canada-Wide Science Fair because ________.A.he found a way to degrade plastics in shorter timeB.he contributed much to environmental protectionC.he found a new kind of microorganismD.he could encourage microbe growth in an easier way（2）Daniel Burd exposed one plastic sample to dead bacteria to ________.A.make the live bacteria work betterB.know which bacteria worked fasterC.test how effective his method wasD.control the temperature in the process（3）Maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because ________.A.plastics can get hot easilyB.microbes can produce heat themselvesC.much carbon dioxide is producedD.the temperature can be controlled（4）Daniel Burd got his idea from ________.A.his school textbookB.the failure of researchersC.his everyday workD.the practice of other people2.阅读理解For hours after their boat sank, Ken Henderson and Coen trod(踏) water in the Gulf of Mexico, talking about life and death while struggling to survive. For more than 30 hours, it worked.Then Henderson was forced to make a decision. “I'm going to go for help or you're not going to make it,” Henderson told Coen, just before cutting the strap(带子) that connected them in the deep, cold waters. “I understand,”Coen responded, giving Henderson a last set of instructions, “Kiss my babies for me.”Days after the fishing trip ended in tragedy, Henderson told the story for The Associated Press.They had been fishing for a few hours when suddenly Coen noticed the boat was filling with water. Henderson got both motors roaring, only to have the saltwater that had leaked in break them straight away…Coen jumped to the right, his sunglasses and cap flying off. The two grabbed extra life jackets and other floating items, including a half full bottle of Diet Coke.“The water was so cold and it took your breath away,” Henderson said. They immediately began to tremble.The pair prepared for a long wait. And they talked.“We discussed things and discussed life. We discussed families. We just tried to keep occupied,” Henderson said.Eventually Coen started hallucinating(有幻觉). Henderson tried to keep Coen's arms and legs moving. But as morning came, Coen's situation worsened. And so Henderson decided to cut the strap.He swam for two hours, tired, frustrated and depressed. Then he saw an oil rig(钻探平台) in the distance. He swam, seeing ice and crystal trees in the water. He reminded himself constantly there were no trees.His legs was so weak that he could barely lift them. Henderson slowly pulled himself up the rig's ladder.It was over 50 miles from where they had gone in the water.All he could think of was Coen. Convinced his friend would survive, he told the coast guard where they had parted.Two hours later, a fisherman found a body in a life jacket.Later, in the hospital, Henderson saw his friend. He apologized and asked for forgiveness. He promised to realize his wishes and look after his girls.“I felt like a part of me had died out there,” Henderson said.（1）Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?A.It was Henderson who first noticed something was wrong with the boat.B.Everything the men did to get the boat to work made matters worse.C.Henderson alone did what he could but it had little effect.D.The men's long discussion about life and death filled them with sadness.（2）After Henderson cut the strap and swam away, .A.he regretted his decision to leave his friendB.he knew he had a good chance of being savedC.he had to fight against exhaustion and hallucinationsD.he got encouraged by remembering the talk with Coen（3）What can we conclude from the article?A.Henderson tried to rescue both of them.B.They kept talking because they felt excited.C.Coen would have survived if he had believed in his friend.D.Coen was unwilling to be left alone but he eventually agreed.（4）What kind of person is Henderson?A.Strong-willed and loyal.B.Selfish but decisive.C.Smart and creative.D.Experienced but indifferent.3.阅读理解By now, you've probably been warned that a robot is coming for your job. But rather than repeat the warning, I've decided to throw down a challenge: man against machine.Start with the task we're doing right now: communicating in fluent human. We're sharing abstract ideas through words that we choose with an understanding of their slight difference and impact. We don't just speakin human; we speak as humans. A robot who says that science is fun is delivering a line (念一句话). A human who says that science is fun is telling you something important about being alive.Here's another inbuilt advantage we take for granted: as humans we are limited by design. We are bound in time: we die. We are bound in space: we can't be in more than one place at a time. That means when I speak to an audience, I am giving them something special. It's a custom-made, one-off, 100% robot-free delivery, from today's one-and-only Australian Chief Scientist.True, I now come in digital versions, through Twitter and Facebook and other platforms, but the availability of those tools hasn't stopped people from inviting me to speak in person. Digital Alan seems to increase the appetite for human Alan, just as Spotify (a digital music service) can increase the demand for a musician's live performances.Thanks to technology, many goods and services are cheaper, better and more accessible than ever before. We like our mass-produced bread, and our on-tap lectures and our automated FitBit advice. But automation hasn't killed the artisan bakery (面包店). Online courses haven't killed the booming, alongside their machine equivalents.Here's a third argument for the win. We humans have learned the habit of civilization. Let me explain this point by a story. A few years go, some researchers set out to study the way the people interact with robots. They sent out a small robot to patrol (巡逻) the local mall. That robot had a terrible time, and the villains of the story were children. They kicked him, bullied him, and smacked (掌击) him in the head.The point is not that the children were violent. The point is that the adults were not. They restrained whatever primitive impulse (冲动) they might have felt in childhood to smack something smaller and weaker in the head, because they had absorbed the habit of living together. We call it civilization. If we want artificial intelligence for the people, we'll need every bit of that civilizing instinct.Together, these points suggest to me that humanity has a powerful competitive edge. We can coexist with our increasingly capable machines and we can make space for the full breadth of human talents to flourish. （1）What's humans' second advantage according to the author?A.Our special personality.B.Our super intelligence.C.Our unique existence.D.Our language ability.（2）What's the author's attitude towards Spotify and FitBit?A.Negative.B.Doubtful.C.Grateful.D.Reserved.（3）Why does the author tell the story of a small robot?A.To prove humans are well-educated.B.To show children are naughty in nature.C.To suggest machines will become violent.D.To indicate machines can serve humans well.（4）What's the author's final conclusion about humans and machines?A.Both sides would be losers in the fight.B.Humans will completely defeat machines.C.Machines will replace humans in many fields.D.Humans and machines will live in harmony with each other.4.阅读理解One of the most firmly established idea of manliness is that a real man doesn't cry. Although he might shed a tear at a funeral, he is expected to quickly regain control. Sobbing openly is for girls. One study found that women cry significantly more than men do—five times as often, on average, and almost twice as long per period.Historically, however, men routinely wept, and no one saw it as shameful. For example, in the Middle Ages, knights cried purely because they missed their girlfriends. In The Knight of the Cart, no less a hero than Lancelotweeps at a brief separation from Guinevere. There's no mention of the men in these stories trying to restrain or hide their tears. They cry in a crowded hall with their heads held high. Nor do their companions make fun of this public crying; it's universally regarded as an admirable expression of feeling.So where did all the male tears go? The most obvious possibility is that this shift is the result of changes as we moved from an agricultural society to one that was urban(城市的) and industrial. In the Middle Ages, most people spent their lives among those they had known since birth. If men cried, they did so with people who would sympathize. But from the 18th to 20th centuries, the population became increasingly urbanize, and people were living in the midst of thousands of strangers. Furthermore, changes in the economy required men to work together in factories and offices where emotional expressions and even private conversations were discouraged as time wasting.Yet human beings weren't designed to swallow their emotions, and there's reason to believe that holding back tears can be harmful to your well-being. Research from the 1980s has suggested a relationship between stress-related illnesses and inadequate crying. Weeping is also, somewhat related with happiness and wealth. Countries where people cry the most tend to be richer and more confident.（1）In history, people considered it ________ for men to cry in public.A.manlyB.acceptableC.shamefulD.ridiculous（2）How does the author answer the question raised in paragraph 3?A.By making comparisons.B.By explaining effects.C.By offering descriptions.D.By giving definitions (定义).（3）Who is likely to be healthier according to the passage?A.Tony who lives alone and seldom expresses himself.B.Emily who is outgoing but sometimes sobs in public.C.Arthur who is under great stress but never shed a tear.D.Rebecca who sometimes cries but quickly regain control.二、任务型阅读（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）（共1题；共10分）5.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。
