湖南省永州市重点中学2023-2024学年高二上学期入学考试英语试题

Smart kids festival events

Smart kids is a collection of one hundred events scheduled in October. This year, it is experimenting with Pay What You Decide (PWYD). That is, you can decide to pay what you want to or can afford, after you have attended an event. You can pre-book events without paying for a ticket in advance. Here are some of the director's picks.

Walk on the Wild Side

Not ticketed, Free

Join storyteller Sarah Law to hear science stories about animals. Along the way you'll meet all sorts of beautiful creatures and discover life cycles and food chains. Best suited to children aged 5-9. Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult.

Introduction to Waves

Pre-book, PWYD

Subjects range from sound waves to gravity waves, and from waves of light to crashing waves on the ocean. Mike Goldsmith explores the fundamental features shared by all waves in the natural world.

Science in the Field

Not ticketed, Free

This storytelling night features a scientist sharing his favorite memories of gathering first-hand data on various field trips. Come along for inspiring and informative stories straight from the scientist's mouth. Join Mark Samuels to find out more in this fun-filled workshop.

Festival Dinner

Pre-book, $25 per person

Whether you want to explore more about food, or just fancy a talk over a meal, join us to mark the first science festival in London. Which foods should you eat to trick your brain into thinking that you are full? Find out more from Tom Crawford.

John von Neumann was the oldest of 3 children of a banker, and his speed of learning new ideas and loving problems stood out early. At 17, his father tried to persuade him not to become a mathematician because he might lead a poor life being a mathematician, so von Neumann agreed to study chemistry as well. In 1926, at 23, he received a degree in chemical engineering and a Ph. D. in mathematics. From then on, mathematics provided well enough for him, and he never had to turn to chemistry.

In 1930, von Neumann visited Princeton University for a year and then became a professor there. His first book was published in 1932. In 1933, the Institute for Advanced Study was formed, and he became one of the 6 full-time people in the School of Mathematics (Einstein was one of the others).

World War Ⅱ hugely changed von Neumann's areas of interest. Until 1940 he had been a great pure mathematician. During and after the war, he became one of the best mathematicians who put mathematical theories into practice. During the last part of the war, he became interested in computing machines and made several fundamental contributions. After the war, von Neumann continued his work with computers, and was generally very active in government service. He received many awards, was president of the American Mathematical Society and was a member of the Atomic Energy Commission. He died of cancer in 1957.

Von Neumann made several great contributions and any one of them would have been enough to earn him a firm place in history. He will be remembered as one of the greatest minds of the 20^th century.

Von Neumann really was a legend in his own time, and there are a number of stories about him. His driving abilities is a part of his legend. He reported one accident this way: "I was driving down the road. The trees on the right were passing me in an orderly fashion at 60 miles per hour. Suddenly one of them stepped in my path."

Yesterday, after a day of Zoom(视频会议软件) meetings in my living room, I stepped out for a walk leaving my teen son bored on the couch. Bleecker Street, usually packed with people, was sprinkled with only the occasional pedestrians. Bars and restaurants lining the street were dark. Stores with bright neon lights, doors open, beckoned for the rare passers-by to enter. After just a week of the Covid-19 pandemic, an afternoon walk in Greenwich Village neighborhood felt surreal.

But then I noticed a row of daffodils(水仙) reaching for the sun in the small triangle-shaped park by Minetta Lane. On the windows of a locked restaurant, in bright yellow paint, were the words "We love you, West Village. Take care of each other." My phone buzzed—a colleague sent a picture of her newborn baby just home from the hospital. I arrived home to find my son animated on the couch playing a video game virtually with his friends. Life, love, play, and human connection persist, even though our world has been turned upside down.

In my welcome note to the new students in the Fall, I wrote that this year is about our college's core values of inclusion, innovation, and impact and emphasized the power of interconnection. Today, these core values persist, with interconnection taking on even greater significance. Our collaborative spirit has always given us an advantage – academically, creatively, culturally, and now, remotely.

A wise person once told me that getting through a crisis is like being given a new hand of cards in the middle of a game. We are halfway through the semester, with new hands to play, but the game hasn't changed. We will find new ways to continue to work, teach, create and learn. Let's also continue the informal interactions that make us a community – the study groups, coffee dates, drop-ins just to say hello. In doing so, we will remain connected.

We will come together, from spaces around the world, to meet this new reality. This is who we are. Nothing—not space, nor time—can keep us from moving forward, together.

Scientists think that growing garden grass could be the secret to solving our energy needs, and we may soon be able to replace our gasoline with "grassoline".

The team, including experts from Cardiff University in Wales, has shown that hydrogen can be taken from grass in useful amounts with the help of sunlight and a cheap catalyst—something that speeds up a chemical reaction without being used up.

It is the first time that this has been shown and it could lead to a sustainable way of making hydrogen, reported Asian News International. This could be an important kind of renewable energy because it is high in energy and it does not give out harmful gases when it is burned.

Study co-author Michael Bowker said, "This is really a green source of energy. Hydrogen is seen as an important future energy carrier as the world moves from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and our research has shown that even garden grass could be a good way of getting it."

Cellulose(纤维素), which is a key part of plants and the biopolymer found in the largest numbers on the earth, could be a great source of hydrogen.

In their study, the team looked at the possibility of getting hydrogen form cellulose using sunlight and a simple catalyst.

This is called photocatalysis(光催化作用) and in it, the sunlight starts the catalyst, which then makes cellulose and water into hydrogen. The researchers studied the effectiveness of three metal-based catalysts, of which nickel(镍) especially interested the researchers, as it is a much more common metal than gold and palladium and it saves more money.

According to Bowker, producing hydrogen from cellulose using photocatalysis has not been studied in detail. The team's research shows that large amounts of hydrogen can be produced using this method with the help of a bit of sunlight and a cheap catalyst.

The study shows that it is effective to use real grass taken from a garden. "This is important as it avoids the need to separate and clean up cellulose, which can be both difficult and costly," said Bowker.

Do you like the idea of running your own business from home? Most of you do, and the first things you say you like about it are being your own boss, having flexible hours and working in your pajamas(睡衣).    

Being your own boss is definitely one big advantage.  You must commit to work on your business regularly to make profits. If not, you will find that your income becomes non-existent. So, have set office hours where you productively work on building your business.

Doctors' appointments and family commitments can simply be worked into your schedule. Again, you need to arrange your appointments carefully and try to book them together. This way you can get all of your running around done in one day.

Working in your pajamas may seem appealing initially. But it can also prevent you from actually getting your work done. After that, just walk into your office and start your day's work. Being too casual means getting less work done on a regular basis.

In order to run a successful business from home you need to have a good mindset. Taking off too many hours each week will damage your financial stability and long-term success. Set goals and limits on your time. Build your business first, before taking advantage of what working from home offers.

A. Once it's achieved, you'll have more opportunities to develop business contacts.

B. One of the biggest drawbacks is that it is so easy to allow yourself to have excuses.

C. Flexible hours are another huge plus of working from home.

D. You may find it more efficient to get up, exercise, then shower and dress for work.

E. While these benefits sound great, the reality of working from home can be a little different.

F. This includes realizing that you and only you are responsible for your own income.

G. But it can also become your downfall without care.

I was getting ready to go to bed when the phone rang. This could not be good. My mind 1  through the list of family members who might need help, but the 2 was hardly familiar.

"Lindy, this is Lesley." I didn't know Lesley well. We did 3 speak with each other, but to say we were friends was not appropriate. I asked what she needed. Perhaps something really awful caused her to 4 someone she barely knew. 5 , she asked me, "Do you have room for a turkey? In your freezer?" We had lots of room in our freezer, and in fact, too much. "Sure," I responded, "did your freezer6 ?" "Not exactly," Lesley replied, "but I will explain when I arrive."

Minutes later came a huge freezer truck. Lesley stepped down and 7 the lease(租约) of the grocer store her husband serviced had 8 and that they had to empty all the freezers that very night. Thinking it was a shame to throw away all this good food, they decided to 9 off food to anyone she could think of. 10 our freezer was pretty empty, Lesley asked to fill it up. Our home was their 11 stop and anything left would have to be put in our freezer. An hour later, everything finished, I asked her, "When will you come back for all this?" Lesley 12 , "We don't want it back. It is yours! Thanks for helping us out!" Then they waved goodbye and drove away.

"For helping them out?" We opened our freezer door. Inside were all expensive foods we never bought but often 13 to try. We were struggling to buy groceries, 14 it was not something we shared with anyone. However, our 15 were met in an unexpected way, by that "Do you have room for a turkey?"

A comforting cup of tea is  essential part of the day for hundreds of millions of people around the globe. Worldwide, three cups of tea  (consume) for every cup of coffee. To fully appreciate the ancient roots of the herbal drink, a visit to the China National Tea Museum might be in order. The institution has a long history.

 (locate) in Hangzhou, the museum occupies a parklike setting. Inside, various halls demonstrate the story of tea, its ceremonies and its tools. Records of tea drinking date  far back as the tenth century B. C. in China.  (origin) the leaves were baked into a brick, a part of  could be broken off and made into a powder. Tea spread into northern China during the Tang Dynasty; by the Song Dynasty it  (acquire) a loose-leaf production as well as the ceremonies that made  (it) consumption an art form.

The art of tea extended to its fancy  (contain), which are on display at the museum. Gracefully rounded kettles date back 5,000 years; tea bowls from the Tang Dynasty have a beautiful simplicity. Today visitors can observe a tea ceremony that might be enough (change) even the most passionate coffee drinker.

注意：1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

My Favorite Food

Polly Goodman, 82-year-old, was a rich old woman. Her husband was a businessman and left her a large fortune after his death, so she had no problems supporting herself. The only problem was that her son who was a doctor busy with his work seldom had time to visit her, leaving her living lonely.

One day, Polly was walking along the beach, like she did every evening near her seaside house, when she noticed a young boy and his little sister playing there. As she was passing by them, she heard their mother calling out to them. "Corey! Daisy! Be careful! Stay away from the water!"

Polly noticed their mother resting on a bench, appearing sick and tired. The dark circles under her eyes were quite obvious, and she coughed frequently. Polly always had a desire to have a chat with someone. So she walked carefully towards the mother with a kind smile on her face.

"Hi, I'm Polly. I live by the beach." Polly said.

The mother looked up at Polly, feeling a little surprised. The mother told Polly she was Lydia and had worked as a waitress. Lydia further said that she and her children had only recently moved to that location because her children had always wanted to see the ocean. Then Lydia stopped to cough heavily. After she calmed down, it seemed she wanted to say something, but stopped as if there was something difficult to tell. Polly did not follow up, saying goodbye and left.

When Polly went to the beach the next day, she saw the kids again, but this time their mother wasn't with them. She observed them playing by themselves until late in the evening before heading home. The third day came and again the two kids played at the seaside until late in the evening, still without their mother's company. Then the elder brother was about to lead the sister back home. Out of curiosity and care Polly decided to follow them to their house.

注意：1.续写词数应150个左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Upon arrival, the kids invited Polly inside.

……

Polly took the mother to the hospital her son worked in.