湖南省常德市鼎城区第一中学2023-2024学年高二下学期入学考试英语试题

阅读理解

A

Welcome to American United Travel Company. We'll help you spend a perfect holiday. For over 6 years, we have been organizing value for money summer holidays, whether it's a late holiday deal or your main summer holiday. Whether you're looking for a romantic getaway, a luxury 5-star holiday, or you just want to relax and soak up the sun, we've got access to the very best flight and hotel deals throughout the world. We are proud to offer you various services unlike other tour companies where we offer one-stop shop for complete tourism.

Our Services Include

Tours. Meet & Assist Services. Airport Transfer. MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Conferences, Exhibitions) private Jets. Ground handling (24 hours) VIP services on arrival & departure. Adventure Tour.

Means of Transportation Reservations

We operate for all means of transportation available in the country, starting with buses for groups to car rental to individuals.

Guidance

We have the most qualified guides who speak French, English, German, Italian, and Spanish. We bank on their communication skills as well as their knowledge in various fields.

Fancy Dinners

We prepare outdoor dinners in particular places such as castles, beaches, old and traditional houses, etc. Usually, these dinners are arranged according to the clients' choices.

Luggage Concierge

Don't worry about luggage size and weight when travelling. Give your bags to Luggage Concierge in advance and they will be waiting for you at your destination when you arrive.

Call one of our experienced travel consultants on 18884700610 to secure one of these fantastic deals.

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B

Li Jianguo, a 49-year-old teacher at the Tianjin Vocational Institute, is set to be named as one of the "2022 most beautiful teachers" — an annual public award sponsored by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Ministry of Education.

Li has stood out by taking the lead in the training of students in vocational skills, gaining a number of honors including being named a national role model teacher. He has mentored seven national-level technique experts and a team of 14 technique "masters". One of his students, Guo Jinpeng, who graduated from the institute in 2007, became a college teacher at the Chengdu Auto Vocational and Technical School and was named a national role model teacher in 2019.

Li's nomination as one of the "most beautiful teachers" reflects that China is focusing on the importance of vocational education and aims to foster more leading personnel with the spirit of craftsmanship in the manufacturing industry.

At an international vocational and technical education conference in Tianjin last month, Li noted that there is no difference between vocational education and ordinary education, and "vocational education is not "secondary" nor should it ever be treated as less than ordinary education". "Vocational education has the mission of fostering a quality workforce and technical experts for the country. The hardworking spirit is the key to building any ordinary people into leading personnel," he said.

Li joined the institute in 1993 and later founded a machinery engineering practice center, providing free training to 7,500 people a week. In 2015, he led a team of teachers to work for 40 days to renovate 124 machine tools in the center. Li has devoted himself to building the country's first additive manufacturing technique and application center at the institute to satisfy the thirst for the country's human resources in 3D printing.

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C

Have you ever been in mid-conversation with someone, when you look over and find them standing in the same position as you or holding the same facial expression? It may seem like they have consciously copied you, but it is much more likely that it is the chameleon (变色龙) effect at play. 

The chameleon effect is the unconscious imitation of another person's gestures or behavior. Just as a chameleon attempts to match any environment's colors, people acquire the behavior of others to bring them closer together and help make their interactions smooth.

The chameleon effect was confirmed in an experiment by psychologists John Bargh and Tanya Chartrand in 1999. The part of their experiment included 78 people who each spoke with an experimenter. During the test, Bargh and Chartrand studied whether participants would copy the actions of someone they hadn't met before, like moving the foot and touching the face. The second part measured the impact that copying someone has on the person being imitated.

In the first stage, participants increased their face touching by 20% and their foot movement by 50% while in conversation about a photograph with the experimenter. The individuals weren't aware of what they were being studied for, and the photograph was used to catch their attention to insure unconscious acts. The second stage involved half of the participants being copied, and then rating the likability of the experimenter. The results, showed that those who were imitated scored the experimenter higher. It has shown that when someone copies our behavior, we develop more positive feelings about them. These interactions could be a person unconsciously willing to be liked, and forming a moment of connection.

The main reasons behind humans' imitation are positive. However, when people carry this chameleon effect to the extreme, they can lose their sense of self. Those who change their entire personalities in different groups often go undetected. But more common signs of the chameleon effect are easier to notice. Next time you are in a social gathering, take a look around and you might just see some chameleons for yourself.

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D

The elderly residents (居民) in care homes in London are being given hens to look after to stop them feeling lonely. 

The project was dreamed up by a local charity (慈善组织) to reduce loneliness and improve elderly people's wellbeing. It is also being used to help patients suffering dementia, a serious illness of the mind. Staff in care homes have reported a reduction in the use of medicine where hens are in use.

Among those taking part in the project is 80-year-old Ruth Xavier. She said: "I used to keep hens when I was younger and had to prepare their breakfast each morning before I went to school. "

"I like the project a lot. I am down there in my wheelchair in the morning letting the hens out and down there again at night to see they've gone to bed."

"It's good to have a different focus. People have been bringing their children in to see the hens and residents come and sit outside to watch them. I'm enjoying the creative activities, and it feels great to have done something useful."

There are now 700 elderly people looking after hens in 20 care homes in the North East, and the charity has been given financial support to roll it out countrywide. 

Wendy Wilson, extra care manager at 60 Penfold Street, one of the first to embark on the project, said: "Residents really welcome the idea of the project and the creative sessions. We are looking forward to the benefits and fun the project can bring to people here."

Lynn Lewis, director of Notting Hill Pathways, said: "We are happy to be taking part in the project. It will really help connect our residents through a shared interest and creative activities."

阅读下面短文，从短文后的选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Music is present in any part of the world, and it is appreciated and felt everywhere. Without its presence, life could be boring. Studies show that music is good for your body and mind. 

Music can increase pain management. Listening to music can help increase your pain tolerance (耐痛性).   Listening to music can help you gain a sense of control over your ability to deal with pains. If you have a certain pain, for example, listening to music that you enjoy can help reduce the pain that you experience.

Listening to certain types of music, such as relaxing music, can naturally reduce both your heartbeat rate and breathing rate. Additionally, music has shown promising results as a treatment for heart disease. Whether it involves listening to music or composing music, the calming effect that music produces further improves your heart's health by supporting it throughout the healing process.

Music can reduce anxiety and depression   When it comes to anxiety and depression, music treatment can help to reduce the amount of stress hormones. For example, listening to music that you enjoy can naturally decrease the amount of cortisol (皮质醇) that your body releases.

Music can improve self-expression and communication. Self-expression and communication are an important part of the human experience, especially when it comes to basic emotional and mental health needs.  By listening and singing along to music, kids who struggle to interact and communicate with others can practice using the very skills needed to do so.

A. Music can improve heart health.

B. Music can increase your heartbeat rate.

C. Here are some benefits of music treatment.

D. They are two common pains in your daily life.

E. It has been proved to be helpful for anxious and depressed people.

F. Listening to music can also help decrease the strength of your pains.

G. For kids weak in both areas, music treatment can help develop their relative skills.

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

When I was a little girl, every time when my dad was repairing something, he would ask me to hold the hammer. Then we could have a time for a 1  with each other. 

I grew up and left home for the college, and since then, he had been 2  me every Sunday morning. Later, when I bought a house, my dad was 3  it by himself for three days in the 30℃ summer 4 . All he asked for was to hold his paint brush and 5  to him. 

Several years ago, he was 6  me. He spent hours 7  a swing set for my daughter. He asked me to bring him a cup of tea and have a talk with him, but I had to 8  for a trip, so I did not have time for any long conversations. 

One Sunday morning, we had a telephone talk 9  , and I noticed that my dad kept forgetting some things we discussed 10 . Few hours later came a call. He was in hospital with an aneurysm(动脉瘤). Immediately I bought a ticket for the 11  and by the time I got to the hospital, my dad had passed away. Now it was he who did not have 12  for a talk with me. 

After his 13  , I learned more about him, and I realized how little I knew about his deepest 14  and dreams. All he ever asked me was my time, but now he has all my 15  every single day. 

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

It is no secret that China has an   (incredible) rich, complex and ancient history and culture. My first exposure  Chinese culture came at a very early age, totally by chance.

At 8, I walked into a bookshop and picked a book entitled Tao Te Ching, a deeply philosophical book of Taoism. As 8-year-old, the book's content was obviously lost on me, but it provided me with an early connection to a profound philosophical tradition by I am still influenced today.

At school I began studying Chinese. My interest in the language developed early on,(combine) my love of travelling with my love of meeting new people. I am lucky enough to have lived in China for three years. It was a good opportunity for me to experience the(diverse) of Chinese customs and tradition. Culture and food are closely connected and perhaps nowhere else can this be seen more clearlyin China. In recent years there(be) a rise in restaurants offering a variety of foods here. I have introduced many of my friends to Chinese history and culture through a(share) love of food.

It is safe to say that my journey has only just begun. These first steps are only a drop in the ocean of lifelong learning, but as the Chinese philosopher Laozi said, "A journey of a thousand miles (begin) with a single step."

我校英语学习社团(English Club)将举办"读名著，学英语(Read Classics, Learn English)"活动。请你代表该社团写一封倡议书，发表在校报上。要点如下：

1. 活动目的; 

2. 活动内容; 

3. 号召同学们积极参与。

注意：

1. 写作词数应为 80 左右;

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Dear fellow schoolmates,

English Club

 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Nilsa stared at the clock on the classroom wall, daydreaming about lunch. Her mother had prepared a thermos (保温瓶) full of sancocho. It was one of Nilsa's favorite dishes, and the national dish of Panama — a country in central America and the hometown of Nilsa's family. Just thinking about sancocho made her mouth water.

Finally, it was time for lunch. Nilsa carefully poured some sancocho into a bowl. When she looked up, she saw her classmates staring.

"What is that? It smells really bad," said Gus, covering his nose. "It's sancocho," Nilsa responded. "It's kind of like chicken soup." Codi glanced at the bowl and said, "Soup? It's more like a science experiment." He laughed, pointed to his lunch, and asked, "That's one weird lunch. Why don't you eat something normal, like pizza?"

Nilsa looked at everyone else's lunches: pizza, fries, and sandwiches. Suddenly she didn't feel hungry any more.

When Nilsa returned home and complained about her classmates' negative comments, her mother wasn't mad. Instead, she listened attentively and reminded Nilsa that there is no such thing as "normal" or "weird" food, and that different cultures have their own unique dishes that are loved and appreciated by those who grew up with them.

Nilsa's mother also suggested making a fresh batch for Nilsa to bring to school the next day. "Then you can share it with your classmates and tell them sancocho tastes great, and that our family has been eating it for hundreds of years. Your great-grandmother taught your grandmother who then taught me.

Nilsa nodded in excitement, and she was grateful for the opportunity to share her favorite dish with her classmates.

注意：

1.续写词数应为150左右;

2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

The next day at lunch, Nilsa pulled out her thermos. 

When Nilsa returned home and greeted her mother that day, her happiness was beyond description.