四川省成都市教育科学研究院附属中学2024届高三下期二诊热身考试英语试题

Growing Green Thumbs

Children's Community Garden

2200 Bowling Green Ave., 940/349-2883

www.cmga.com

LEARN: Join the weekend work at the community garden, where caregivers and master gardeners help kids aged 5 or older plant and water new vegetables, and harvest from the gardens. All harvested foods are either sold at the community's farmers ' market or donated to the area food bank. The instructors also lead games about nutrition, beetles and butterflies and more. Work begins in May, 10 a. m. - 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

COST: Free

Coppell Community Garden

255 Parkway Blvd Coppell

www.coppellcommunitygarden.org

LEARN: Kids (aged 6 but not turning 12 before Dec. 31 this year) with a parent can volunteer at either the Helping Hands Garden, 25 Parkway Blvd. or Ground Delivery Garden, 45 S. Denton Tap Road. Children will have the opportunity to till (耕) the ground, plant vegetables, harvest from the garden and more. Work begins every Saturday at about 9 a. m.

COST: Free

Callie's Kids by Calloway Nursery

Denton, 940/591-8865; Flower Mound, 972/691-2650

www.mytexasgarden.com

LEARN: Kids aged 5 to 10 years old can explore and plant in the Calloway gardens with a caregiver's supervision at 9:30 a. m. on the first or third Wednesdays from June to August. A garden expert will share tips and advice for the best gardening practices during the 45-minute session beginning on June 2. Preregistration online is required.

COST: Free

The person who set the course of my life was a school teacher named Marjorie Hurd. When I stepped off a ship in New York Harbor in 1949, I was a nine-year-old war refugee, who had lost my mother and was coming to live with the father I did not know. My mother, Eleni Gatzoyiannis, had been imprisoned and shot for sending my sisters and me to freedom.

I was thirteen years old when I entered Chandler Junior High. Shortly after I arrived, I was told to select a hobby to pursue during "club hours" .The    idea    of hobbies    and    clubs    was    perplexing    to    myimmigrant    ears, but I decided to follow the prettiest girl in my class. She led me into the presence of Miss Hurd, the school newspaper adviser and English teacher.

A tough woman with salt-and-pepper hair and determined eyes, Miss Hurd had no patience with lazy bones. She drilled us in grammar, assigned stories for us to read and discuss, and eventually taught us how to put out a newspaper. Her introduction to the literary wealth of Greece gave me a new perspective on my war-torn homeland, making me proud of my origins. Her efforts inspired me to understand the logic and structure of the English language. Owing to her inspiration, during my next twenty-five years, I became a journalist by profession.

Miss Hurd retired at the age of 

62. By then, she had taught for a total of 41 years. Even after her retirement, she continually made a project of unwilling students in whom she spied (发现) a spark of potential. The students were mainly from the most troubled homes, yet she alternately bullied and charmed them with her own special brand of tough love, until the spark caught fire.

Miss Hurd was the one who directed my grief and pain into writing. But for Miss Hurd, I wouldn't have become a reporter. She was the one who sent me into journalism and indirectly caused all the good things that came after.

I joined the coast guard because I wanted to help people. Hovercraft (气垫船) are rare and special. They've been discontinued in most commercial operations because they're so expensive to make, but when it comes to search and rescue, they're priceless.

From far away, a hovercraft looks like a normal boat. But if you look under its skirt, the craft is not touching the water —it floats on a cushion of air. That cushion allows us to travel over everything from water to muddy land — and even break through ice. We do all of that as a 70-tonne machine, going a maximum of nearly 120 kilometers per hour. These features allow us to rescue a large number of people quickly, get onto land, and get someone into an ambulance far easier than with any other device I can think of.

The advantages of hovercraft can also make them difficult to handle. We've got a massive vehicle moving fast, sometimes in a thick fog bank up a narrow river. During assignments on other coast guard ships, I had 20 minutes to make changes to avoid a crash. In a hovercraft, I have 10 seconds. You have to have enough situational awareness to make the right decision every time.

People call us for all sorts of problems: missing divers, on-board fires, or even when they've run out of fuel or had a mechanical breakdown. A container ship could burst into flames. We have a strong network here at the base to help everyone through difficult situations like that. Thankfully, we have captains who train us in a safe environment, but you don't ever get fully comfortable. Anything can throw the hovercraft off—maybe your lift settings are off a little, or the wind blows with a bit of extra weight. After several years operating a hovercraft, I'm still learning. Every one of the captains here agrees: you can drive this thing for 20 years and still be surprised.

When caught in the rain, we have all run for cover —often to a nearby tree. On the way, we step over short-lived puddles (水坑) and hastily-formed streams, surprised at how quickly the soil changes from supportive and predictable to untrustworthy: slippery, soft, and spongy. At first chance we tend to flee, skipping further observation.

Given that direct observations are often impracticable, remote observation systems are crucial for capturing phenomena that are frequent and unpredictable. However, the Bimbache community of ElHierro observed water running down tree bark during fog events and captured it for drinking, washing and agriculture many years ago. If more contemporary hydrologists (水文学家) had watched fog by trees, forest managers might not have logged (伐木) the Bull Run Watershed, which reduced local rainfall by 30% in 

1982.

Water science faces criticism because of a "techno optimism that tries to solve all problems" . In fact, this issue extends beyond water science. An interdisciplinary research team led by John T. VanStan from Cleveland State University argues that scientists should go beyond the laboratory to directly observe weather phenomena. The researchers insist that hands-on observation of storm events is crucial for comprehending the complexities of wet weather.

"Natural scientists seem increasingly content to stay dry and rely on remote sensors and samplers, models, and virtual experiments to understand natural systems. Consequently, we can miss important stormy phenomena, imaginative inspirations, and opportunities to build intuition (直觉)—all of which are critical to scientific progress," said Van Stan's team.

This type of "umbrella science", they warn, can miss important localized events. For instance, in describing rainwater's flow from the forest treetops to the soils, the authors note that "if several branches efficiently capture and carry storm water to the stem, rainwater inputs to near-stem soils can be more than100 times greater." Likewise, water vapor (水蒸气) clouds trapped beneath forest treetop covers may escape remote detection, yet be sensitive to scientists on the ground. At the broader scale, these oversights can affect Ground Earth systems models, which often underestimate forest treetop water storage.

Direct observation, however, has gone beyond making up for the shortcomings of "umbrella science." Van Stan and colleagues see core value in firsthand storm experiences —not only for natural

scientists, but also for students studying climate change impacts on ecosystems.

How to Politely Cancel Plans Over Text

You made plans with friends, but when it's time to leave the house, you just don't have the energy. Or, maybe something else comes up, and you can't make it. But with a few tips, you can do it politely.

◆Text them as soon as possible.

That way, your friends can rearrange their schedules. If you know you cannot make it, try to text a day ahead of time. Otherwise, your friends might be annoyed about the inconvenience. If there's an emergency and you have to cancel the plan at the last minute, that's fine.

◆Be honest about your situation.

If you've encountered a change in your schedule, just tell them what it is. Your friends will be more understanding if they can tell you're telling the truth. Just say things like: "I ran into an issue at work." or "I'm dealing with some family problems."

◆Ask if you can reschedule.

Instead of saying "Let's hang out soon!", pick a new time, so your friends know that you're serious. Besides, share with them what you are busy with. And try to include this in your original message so they know what you're doing right away, and make sure it's a plan you can stick to and you don't have to cancel again.

◆

Add in one more nice thing to make a compliment (赞美) sandwich. After you tell your friends you have to cancel and apologize, let them know how much you appreciate them making plans with you. This will reassure them that you love spending time with them, and it can even help you feel less guilty, too.

A. Start with your appreciation.

B. Thank them for inviting you out.

C. Let them know how terrible the situation is.

D. There's no need to lie about what's going on.

E. It shows that you aren't just blowing them off.

F. Otherwise, you should try to cancel ahead of time.

G. Whatever the case is, cancelling plans can be annoying.

Not too long ago, an incident that happened at Walt Disney touched me greatly. A guest 1 of our Polynesian Village resort (度假胜地) at Walt Disney was asked how she 2  her visit. She told the front-desk clerk she had a (n) 3 vacation, but was heartbroken about  4 several rolls of Kodak color film she had not yet 5 . At the moment she was particularly 6 over the loss of the pictures she had shot at our Polynesian Luau,  7 this was a memory she especially treasured.

Now, please understand that we have no written service rules8 lost photos in the park.9 , the clerk at the front desk10 Disney's idea of caring for our11 . She asked the woman to leave her a couple rolls of12 film, promising she would take care of the rest of our show at Polynesian Luau.

Two weeks later the guest received a 13  at her home. In it were photos of all the actors of our show, 14 signed by each performer. There were also  15  of the public processing (游 行队伍) and fireworks in the park, taken by the front-desk clerk in her own 16  after work. I happened to know this 17 because this guest wrote us a letter. She said that  18 in her life had she received such good service from any business.

Excellent19 does not come from policy handbooks. It comes from people who  20 and from a culture that encourages and models that attitude.

The year 2023 witnessed the significant protection plan released for Beijing's Central Axis (轴 线),(stretch) for 7.8 kilometers through the Chinese capital. World-famous landmarks like the Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square, the Temple of Heaven are located along the central axis,construction began in the Yuan Dynasty (1271- 1368) and (last) until the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The protection plan for Beijing's Central Axis from 2022 to 2035 was released in January of 2023, markingnew stage in its conservation, sustainable development and application as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The plan is said to be one of the necessary steps for UNESCO World Heritage status, and(it) release and implementation ( 实 施 ) will play an important role in the protection and(manage) of the capital's central axis.

Alongside regulations on the protection of the Central Axis  (carry) out earlier, the plan is in line with the requirements of World Heritage   conservation   and   provides   an   effective strategy the conservation.

The 21 member countries of the World Heritage Committee will decide on whether Beijing's Central Axis can(add) to the World Heritage List at the committee's 46th annual conference in 2024.the application succeeds, it will reinforce Beijing's top position among cities worldwide by number of World Heritage Sites.

增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号(∧), 并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线(﹨) 划掉。

修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：

1. 每处错误及修改均仅限一词；

2. 只允许修改 10 处，多者（从第 11 处起）不计分。

Good morning, everyone! It is my great honour to be here to share with you my opinions on how to learn well in school.

Firstly, we should learn to learn efficient. Personally, I used to trying effective method to achieve my academic goals. Develop a good habit is also of importance. It really benefited me a lot of to preview lessons, get actively involved in class, and review what have been taught after class. In addition, we should learn how to get along well with others people. In school, I respected teachers and was friendly with classmates. It was with sincere and faithfulness that we created a harmonious atmosphere. Finally, we should take part in sports and outdoor activities frequently, that were really helpful to build up our body and enrich our school life.

No pains, no gains. I am sure that with your great efforts, you will enjoy colorful and meaningful life here.

1. 该志愿活动的过程； 

2. 你的活动感受。

注意：

1. 词数 120 左右； 

2. 开头可适当增加细节，使行文连贯。

Dear Mary,


 

Yours sincerely, 
Li Hua