枣阳市白水高中高二年级2015-2016学年度上学期12月月考英语试题
时间：100分钟 分值120分
★ 祝考试顺利 ★
第Ⅰ卷 选择题 （共两部分，满分70分）
第一部分 阅读理解 （共两节，满分40分）
第一节、 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后1--20各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
On August 26, 1999, New York City was struck by a terrible rainstorm. The rain caused the streets to and the subway system almost came to a stop.
Unfortunately, this happened during the morning rush hour. Many people who were going to work were to go home. Some battled to a taxi or to get on a bus. Still others faced the bravely, walking miles to get to work.
I to be one of the people on the way to work that morning. I went from subway line to subway line only to find that most had stopped. After making my way crowds of people, I finally found a subway line that was . Unfortunately, there were so many people waiting to the subway that I could not even get down the stairs to the . So I took the train going in the opposite direction, and then switch back to the downtown train. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the train my stop. Then I had to walk several blocks in the increasingly heavy rain. When I finally got to my office, I was through, exhausted and .
My co-workers and I spent most of the day drying off. When it was 5:00 pm, I was ready to go home. I was about to turn off my computer I received an email from Garth, my Director:
I would like to thank all of you who made the effort and reported to work. It is always reassuring (令人欣慰), at times like these, when employees so clearly show their to their jobs. Thank you.
Garth’s email was short, but I learned more from that message than I ever did from a textbook. The email taught me that a few words of can make a big difference. The rainstorm and the traffic had made me tired and upset. But Garth’s words immediately me and put a smile back on my face.
1．A. break B. flood C. sink D. crash
2．A. forced B. refused C. adjusted D. gathered
3．A. order B. pay C. call D. search
4．A. climate B. scenery C. storm D. burden
5．A. used B. promised C. deserved D. happened
6．A. practice B. routine C. process D. service
7．A. to B. through C. over D. for
8．A. operating B. cycling C. turning D. rushing
9．A. check B. carry C. find D. board
10．A. street B. ground C. floor D. platform
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11．A. paused B. crossed C. reached D. parked
12．A. wet B. weak C. sick D. hurt
13．A. ashamed B. discouraged C. surprised D. puzzled
14．A. while B. when C. where D. after
15．A. hardly B. casually C. absolutely D. eventually
16．A. devotion B. donation C. connection D. reaction
17．A. accurate B. urgent C. brief D. humorous
18．A. promise B. appreciation C. advice D. guidance
19．A. troubles B. signals C. rules D. signs
20．A. corrected B. supported C. amazed D. refreshed
第二节 阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
High childcare costs are putting British mothers off going out to work. It really is that simple. Eurostat figures show that 66 per cent of mothers in the UK work, less than France (72 per cent), Denmark (86 per cent), the Netherlands (78 per cent) or Germany (69 per cent). This not only damages Britain’s economic prosperity—it limits women’s careers and squeezes family incomes. It would be fine if this is the choice parents want to make, but it isn’t. Half of those surveyed want to go to work and the expense of childcare is one of the key reasons they couldn’t.
Despite claims made by Labour (工党) about childcare, a forthcoming (即将到来的) report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) confirms the true legacy of their time in government. They left behind a childcare system with high costs to parents, variable quality and patchy (不均匀的) coverage, despite soaring government spending. British parents now face the highest childcare bills in the world after Switzerland.
In the Eighties and Nineties under Mrs Thatcher and John Major, the picture was very different. Mothers in England were more likely to go out to work than their Dutch or German counterparts. But the position has reversed, despite a huge rise in public spending.
So why does the British Government spend more on childcare than France or Germany, even though the costs given to parents are sky-high? As always, under the previous government, money was frittered away (浪费) without adequate focus on improving quality. Instead of clear and transparent funding, four separate funding streams were created, skewing (偏离) the market and confusing parents and providers alike. The majority of the money was given away in cash benefits; so much of it did not get through to the front line.
The IPPR report points out that continental systems, in countries such as Germany, France, Denmark and the Netherlands, manage to deliver better value for money. What all of these systems have in common is a focus on quality, with greater flexibility and autonomy given to local providers. They also see a much higher proportion of government money getting to the front line.
21．Which of the following doesn’t belong to the disadvantages caused by the mothers prevented from going to work?
A. Damaging Britain’s economic development.
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B. Causing damage to women’s careers.
C. Decreasing the family incomes.
D. Causing childcare costs to go up.
22．According to the second paragraph, we can infer that the former government of the Labour Party _______.
A. was highly praised by British people
B. made British people face the highest childcare bills
C. left behind a childcare system full of problems
D. managed to decrease the government spending
23．We can learn from the passage that _______.
A. in the Eighties and Nineties, mothers in the UK were likely to work
B. there is a prejudice against mothers in the UK employment market
C. most of the mothers surveyed in the UK don’t want to work
D. the percentage of mothers who work in the UK is the lowest in the world
I was waiting for a phone call from my agent. He had left a message the night before, telling me that my show was to be cancelled. I called him several times, but each time his secretary told me that he was in a meeting and that he would call me later. So I waited, but there was still no call. Three hours passing by, I became more and more impatient. I was certain that my agent didn’t care about my work, and he didn’t care about me. I was overcome with that thought. I started to shout at the phone, “Let me wait, will you? Who do you think you are?”At that time I didn’t realize my wife was looking on. Without showing her surprise, she rushed in, seized the phone, tore off the wires, and shouted at the phone, “Yeah! Who do you think you are? Bad telephone! Bad telephone!” And she swept it into the wastebasket.
I stood watching her, speechless. What on earth…?
She stepped to the doorway and shouted at the rest of the house, “Now hear this! All objects in this room – if you do anything to upset my husband, out you go!” Then she turned to me, kissed me and said calmly, “Honey, you just have to learn how to take control.” With that, she left the room.
After watching a crazy woman rushing in and out, shouting at everything in sight, I noticed that something in my mood(情绪) had changed. I was laughing. How would I have trouble with that phone? Her antics helped me realize I had been driven crazy by small things. Twenty minutes later my agent did call. I was able to listen to him and talk to him calmly.
24．Why did the author shout at the telephone?
A. He was mad at the telephone.
B. He was angry with his agent.
C. He was anxious about his wife
D. He was impatient with the secretary.
25． What did the author’s wife do after she heard his shouting?
A. She said nothing B. She shouted at him.
C. She called the agent D. She threw the phone away
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26．What made the author laugh?
A. His own behavior. B. His wife’s suggestion
C. His changeable feelings D. His wife’s sweet kiss.
27． What does the underlined word “antics” refer to?
A. Smart words B. Unusual actions
C. Surprising Looks D. Anxious feelings
Talking plants might sound like characters in a fairy tale. But recent scientific studies have shown that plants communicate with each other and with other living things in a surprising number of ways. To understand them, scientists say, we just have to learn their language. Farmers are especially interested in what plants have to say.
“Plants are able to communicate with all sorts of organisms (有机体). They can communicate with giant bacteria, with other plants and with insects. They do this chemically，” said Cahill, an Ecology Professor of the University of Alberta in Canada.
Plant scientists are just beginning to understand this chemical “language”. Cahill says studies have shown, for example, that plants can evaluate (评估) conditions in their immediate environment and take appropriate actions. Plants have an ability, for example, to signal pain or discomfort caused by anything from temperature extremes to an insect attack. Jack Schultz, a professor of chemical ecology at the University of Missouri, says when a plant senses that it's being eaten, it cannot walk away from trouble; on the contrary, it will release a chemical vapor(蒸汽) that alerts other plants nearby.
“Their language is a chemical language, and it involves chemicals that move through the air that are easy to be changeable, and most of all are smells that we are familiar with，” Schultz explained.
“All plants responded to the attack by changing their chemistry to defend themselves，” Schultz recalled. “But we were quite surprised to find that nearby plants also changed their chemistry to defend themselves, even though they were not part of the experiment.”
Studies have also shown that plants under attack release pleasant chemicals. Those chemicals attract friendly insects that attack the pests eating the plant.
In the end, plants' ability to communicate their needs—and our ability to understand them—could help farmers reduce the use of poisonous chemicals, cut operating costs and limit damage to the environment.
28．The recent scientific studies have shown that plants can ______.
A．communicate with other living things in a chemical way
B．hardly react to any sudden change in temperature
C．use a very special chemica1 language which is familiar to us
D．respond to the attack by giving off poisonous chemicals
29．When being eaten by an insect, the plant will ________.
A．walk away from trouble
B．change its chemistry to kill the insect
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C．release a chemical vapor to “ask” other plants for help
D．give off nice chemicals to attract friendly insects killing the pest
30．The underlined word “alert” most probably means “______”．
A．warn B．protect
C．threaten D．allow
31．Which would be the best title for the passage?
A．Communication between Plants
B．A Chemical “Language”
C．Plants Can Talk
D．How Plants Protect Themselves
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 ，并在题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
J.K. Rowling had reused her magic and brought Dumbledore back to life.
A spokesperson for the author confirmed Rowling had sent a letter and a package to a Texas teenager who optimistically found strength in the words of a Harry Potter film after witnessing the murder of her family.
Fifteen-yiear-old Cassidy Stay lost both parent s and four siblings to a gunman in Texas last month. Cassidy was shot in the head and survived the gunshot wound only because she played dead. Authorities had called her survival a miracle.
Cassidy had seen the unimaginable tragedy, but was still thinking about happiness. At the memorial(悼念会 ) for her family, Cassidy gave a speech in front of the media saying she believed her family was “in a much better place.”
Quoting the words of Dumbledore, the wise headmaster of Hogwarts, she said, “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
The same day Cassidy gave her speech, a Facebook page called “We want J.K. Rowling to meet Cassidy Stay” formed and quickly draw public attention.
The creator of the page claimed to know a friend of Cassidy’s who “confirmed that J.K. Rowling did write Cassidy a personal letter under the name of ‘Dumbledor’. She also sent a wand, an acceptance letter to Hogwarts with a school supply list, along with the 3rd book with Rowling’s autograph.”
32．Where did Cassidy find strength after the tragedy?
A. In a letter sent to her by J.K Rowling
B. From her friends
C. In the words of a Harry Potter film
D. At the memorial for her family
33．The underlined word “siblings” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by _____?
A. brothers and sisters B. neighbors
C. friends D. classmates
34．Which of the following statements is true?
A. J.K. Rowling brought Dumbledore back to life for a new book.
B. There were seven people in Cassidy’s family before the tragedy.
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C. J.K. Rowling met Cassidy when Cassidy gave a speech at the memorial for her family.
D. Cassidy survived the gunshot accidentally.
35．What is the best title of the passage?
A. J.K. Rowling’s New Book
B. A Smart Teen
C. Cassidy’s Tragedy
D. J.K. Rowling Writes to the Sad Teen
第II卷（非选择题）
第一节、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。选项中有两项为多余选项根据短文内容。（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10 分）注意：把该题答案填写到答题纸上。
Getting your children to study can be a little like getting them to eat their vegetables.
36． Make a study time and have it at the same time every day. This will help your kids to learn to schedule their day and will give them a sense of control over how they spend their time.
Allow them to study in blocks of time, such as for half an hour with a five-minute break in the middle. 37． Ideal （理想的）study times are after dinner or right after school before dinner.
Never allow your children to study in front of the television, as that will encourage passive activity. 38．
You’ll also need to help your kids find the right place to study. After you’ve set up a good study time for little learners, set up a good place where they can get those creative juices flowing.
39．Make sure there is a table or a desk and a comfortable chair.
40． This includes helping them out with their homework sometimes and being there for them with the answers to any questions. The input you give your children during study periods will help form a bond and help make studying enjoyable.
A. Pick a place where your children can study properly.
B. Hold them to the schedule they create for themselves.
C. Finally, spend time with your kids when they’re studying.
D. Keep the atmosphere light and offer lots of encouragement, too.
E. Instead, use TV as a treat or a reward when the homework is completed.
F. Try to stop this bad habit by offering some sort of reward.
G. One of the best ways to form good study habits for your kids is to design a schedule that they keep to.
四、语法填空（15分）
语法填空 (共 10 小题; 每小题 1.5分, 满分 15分) (答在答题纸上)
There was a boy who was excellent at his study except for his poor handwriting
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. One day he made up __41．___ mind to improve it . With the strong will , he made use of old newspapers to write on to reduce his family’s burden. __42．___ time went on , he found that little progress was made ___43．___ he had practised a lot , which made him quite upset .
____44．___( disappoint) , he turned to his teacher for help . After hearing his story , the teacher __45．___ (advise ) him to use the best paper rather than the old newspapers. Much to his puzzle as well as delight , by following his teacher’s __46．__(suggest), he did make it . The teacher then explained to him , “ the key ___47．__ your success is that you couldn’t take it seriously with so many old newspapers . ___48．___you wrote it well or not didn’t matter at all . Instead , while using the paper , you treasure it because it costs you much . Therefore , you devote yourself to ____49．(practise) so as not to waste the best paper and the money. “
So do you treasure everyday by leading __50．___ meaningful life or do you regard your daily life just as “ the old newspapers “ ?
五、书面表达（25分）
51．假如你是李华, 你的美国笔友John想了解你进入高中后的英语课外阅读情况。请你根据下面提示, 给他回一封电子邮件。
阅读现状
以英文报纸为主； 偶尔简单的故事书……；几乎没有经典类的英语读物
原因分析
1. 阅读时间少；
2. 没有养成阅读英语的习惯；
3. 词汇量小, 认为经典类太难, 没有尝试或不感兴趣……
未来打算
……
注意：1. 根据所给提示, 适当发挥, 要求内容充实, 语意连贯。
2. 词数120-150。开头和结尾已经写好, 不计入总词数。
3. 参考词汇：
英语课外阅读 English extracurricular reading;
经典英语读物classic English books.
Dear John,
Thank you for your email. Now I would like to tell you something about my English reading in senior high school.
Best wishes!
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Yours,
Li Hua
参考答案
1．B
2．A
3．C
4．C
5．D
6．D
7．B
8．A
9．D
10．D
11．C
12．A
13．B
14．B
15．D
16．A
17．C
18．B
19．A
20．D
21．D
22．C
23．B
24．B
25．D
26．A
27．B
28．A
29．D
30．A
31．C
36．G
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37．B
38．E
39．A
40．C
41．his
42．As
43．although/though
44．Disappointed
45．advised
46．suggestion
47．to
48．whether
49．practicing
50．a
51．
One possible version:
Dear John,
Thank you for your email. Now I would like to tell you something about my English extracurricular reading in senior high school. Usually I am only asked to read some newspapers. Sometimes I just read some simple English stories or magazines to relax myself. But I have never read classic English books.
Do you know why？The reasons are as follows. First, since entering senior high school, I have been burdened with so much homework that my reading time is very limited. Besides, I haven’t formed a habit of reading English. Lastly, the number of the English words I have mastered is less than 3000. I think the classic English books are too difficult to understand and so I even haven’t had a try.
However, reading is important for our English learning. It can not only enlarge our English vocabulary but show us a colorful world. Especially it helps us to think better in English and learn English better. So I decide to read English widely, ranging from simple English stories to classic English books.
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