新疆乌鲁木齐市第二十三中学2023-2024学年高三下学期2月月考英语试题

阅读理解

Millions of New Yorkers and visitors ride the city's subway and other trains each day. The public transportation system offers more than just a trip, however. It also has one of the most extensive public art collection in the world, with much of it under city streets.

Some people call it New York's "underground art museum". It includes more than 250 works of art. They are meant to brighten everyone's ride around the city. There is a huge painting of the night sky on the ceiling of Grand Central Terminal. New Yorkers have been looking up at that artwork for 100 years.

Sandra Bloodworth has directed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's arts program since it began in 1985. "But actually, it really began much earlier. When the subway was founded in 1904, a percentage of money was set aside to create a special ornamentation (装饰) within the system, in order to make the place a very special place that people would want to use. "he says. For the past 30 years, artists have been asked to make works that relate to city life or to the neighborhood around a train station. There are coastal scenes at stations near the Atlantic Ocean.

Rider Tonya Pierre praises the underground art. "When I'm stressed, I look at the subway art. I love the colors. Where I live, they have a mosaic (镶嵌画) of a man and a woman, like floating across the water, and it's beautiful. It's just beautiful to have art everywhere. "Nearby is Alejandra Acosta，a visitor from Colombia. "I think it's nice when you see these kinds of things that catch your eye when you're walking in spaces like the subway stations that seem a little bit dull. They don't have a lot of decoration. "

阅读理解

Researchers are looking into new ways to generate efficient photovoltaic energy (光伏能源) and for this they have been inspired by the v-shaped posture of the Cabbage White butterfly (菜粉蝶).

Photovoltaic energy is the science behind solar power, where light is turned into electricity. It is a two-step process. Step one is a photoelectric effect, caused by sunlight. The second step is an electrochemical process, which generates an electric current.

To improve the collection of sunlight, a research group has been inspired by the resting posture of the Cabbage White butterfly. The species has a natural range across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. To many farmers, the butterflies are regarded as a pest; to others, they are pretty to look at. To one research group the butterflies are an inspiration.

The butterfly adopts a v-shape in order to heat up its flight muscles before taking off. By creating solar panels (太阳能电池板) in this formation, scientists think that the quantity of power that a solar panel can produce can be increased by around 50 percent.

The Cabbage White butterfly is different to many other butterflies in using the v-formation. On cloudy days butterflies need to wait to receive enough sunlight in order to fly. However, by using the v-posture, the Cabbage White butterfly is able to take in more energy more quickly than other butterflies. In addition, the butterfly can reflect sunlight from its wings, which allows its flight muscles to be warmed to an ideal temperature.

The new research was conducted at the University of Exeter's Environment and Sustain --ability Institute (ESI) and the Centre for Ecology and Conservation. Discussing the findings with Laboratory Manager magazine, lead researcher Professor Tapas Mallick stated: "Biomimicry (仿生学) in engineering is not new. However, this research shows pathways to develop low cost solar power that have not been done before."

阅读理解

Envelope Budget

From McDonald's to Sonic, fast food had a bad effect on my waistline and my budget. It was nothing to run to a drive-through to pick up a cold drink or a quick bite to eat. It was so easy to use my card for a small purchase. For me, I got a lot of satisfaction from fast food.

One day I sat down and calculated that I was spending a surprising $40 a week on fast food. This was a lot of iced coffee and hamburgers! Instead of reducing my guilty pleasures, I decided to give myself a strong budget to reduce my consumption. Every Monday I placed an envelope with$20 in my purse. That was my fast food budget for the entire week. If there was anything left over at the end of the week, it was mine to save or spend. If I spent all of the money during the week, there were no more fast food stops that week.

The budget made me more mindful of my purchases. Instead of purchasing a large drink from Sonic, I would purchase a small. It was still satisfying but not nearly as pricey. Instead of eating a whole meal, I would pick the part that I actually wanted. Many days, the thought of hanging onto the money for a special purpose meant more to me than the instant satisfaction of fast food. I never really felt unhappy because it was a conscious choice to spend or save with each purchase.

Envelope budget kept me honest. I had a clear idea how much money was spent each week on fast food purchases. I started to bring my lunches more often to save more money for the week. It was a fun challenge to see how much I could save every week.

Changing the way I spent on fast food not only helped my budget, but improved my weight. In the first month I was able to get rid of 5 pounds by simply changing the way I approached spending on fast food. Now I am more likely to bring my lunch than to buy it. I am not upset, but empowered to make positive choices to improve my life.

阅读理解

The whole world knows them: actors, singers, models, athletes and TV personalities. If I use social media, I get too familiar. 

I have nothing against the entertainment industry and celebrities. The problem is that by idolizing the entertainment industry so much, we sometimes completely forget about the things that are truly important and that are changing our world. You probably know who Leonardo DiCaprio is—a very talented American actor and film producer. But then you probably don't know who Cori Bargmann is. Bargmann is a scientist who is uncovering the causes of Alzheimer's and autism, which have been unknown for years.

What I think is wrong is that DiCaprio's net worth is $260 million dollars, while Bargmann's is less than $l million dollars. DiCaprio is definitely talented and has worked hard to give us good films, but Bargmann is working for something that can save thousands of humans who are suffering. And just because our society prefers to idolize the entertainment industry instead of science, she gets paid much less than she deserves.

But if it would benefit the world to invest all of our time and attention toward scientists, why don't we make scientists our new "celebrities"?

First of all, we like being entertained. We love pretty faces and easy-to-digest information. It's easier to care about simple stuff rather than scientific, complicated things. Another reason is that most scientists don't like being in the spotlight. They' re mostly reserved and like to have privacy. They' re busy people, which explains why they haven't attracted the media the same way that performers have. Also, people have free will and the right to be interested in whatever they want to be.

However, studies have shown that young people are more interested in a scientific career as a result of COVID-19. The pandemic has also made known some scientists who have suddenly started appearing on TV and guiding us on how to get protected from this deadly virus. Maybe that is the start of the development of a different point of view which will be in favor of science for future generations.

七选五

How to Choose a Good Book

I'm a slow reader. In general, I can only finish two books in a month.Instead, I used to spend the time necessary to get the most out of the book without getting lost in details. But now I emphasize (重视) quality over quantity. How can we do that? How can we choose a good book to read?

Be curious. I believe that having the right attitude is the starting point. What is the right attitude to have? When it comes to self-education, the right attitude is curiosity. Because unlike formal education where external (外部的) factors push you to learn, with self-education you need to motivate yourself.

Find potential books. To find a good book to read, you should collect potential books to read. In my case, I usually put them on my Amazon wish list. How do you find these potential books? Well, my first source is bestseller lists.I can then decide whether or not the book is a good one for me. If it is, then I'll add it to my list of potential books to read.

With a list of potential books to read, how do you choose which one to read? In my case, I ask myself a question. Which book would make the most difference in my current situation? This question might seem simple, but if you use it, it can make a big difference in your personal growth.

A. Choose the books that excite me most.

B. Choose the best book for your current situation.

C. Curiosity is like fuel in your self-education journey.

D. This is fine for me because my target is on quality.

E. Reading books is a great way to educate yourself.

F I also follow some websites that often recommend good books.

G. Here are three simple steps on how to choose a good book to read.

完形填空(共15分)

Last summer, I was suffering from too much stress, I'd just graduated from a challenging doctoral program and was 1 from the years of research, study and writing. I took a vacation to celebrate, but the academic intensity had become a 2 . Sitting on the beautiful lawn of the hotel on Mackinac Island, I just felt like I should be studying or working as usual.

3 seeing natural beauty would have relaxed me, but I couldn't 4 . I couldn't help looking at my cell phone repeatedly in case I missed something important. " Enough," I murmured. I needed to 5 , but why couldn't I?

A dragonfly buzzed around me. With each 6 , this creature's wings changed color — blue one moment, green the next. Dragonflies usually fascinated me with their quick movements that 7 me of acrobats (杂技演员) in the wind, but I wasn't in the 8 that day. What I needed then was 9 , not movement. As if on cue, the dragonfly came to rest on a blade of grass in front of me.

I watched that dragonfly carefully for many minutes. So did the dragonfly. "It's not a matter of relaxing," it seemed to say. "It's a matter of 10 the now, the here. Life is so short. Be here in the moment and let the 11 take care of itself." Suddenly, I 12 this beautiful creature, who only had months to live, was "instructing" me about the 13 of life and felt much relaxed. The dragonfly seemed 14 that its message had been delivered. It sprang from the grass and flew away. I didn't see it again. But I would never forget what it taught me: Be here and 15 yourself.

语法填空（短文）

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。

For some in China, the aim of travel is to create 15-second videos. It's not about where you've been, but about where you're seen to have been.

Situated on cliffs above a river. Hongyadong is a stilt-house complex in  city of Chongqing. The bars, restaurants and golden neon lights  (be) a popular draw since it was built in 2006. Last year the number of visitors increased  (sharp).

The main reason, it see med, was Hongyadong's sudden popularity on a social-media app. Douyin,  aim is not to produce a well-crafted video or beautiful photograph, but simply (show) that you have also been to the popular places. The beauty of the  (attract) is less important than the fact that people are flocking there to daka.

A subculture has developed of young people who embrace daka as a lifestyle. So-called Daka Zu—— "daka tribes"——can (find) roaming various scenic spots, (check) in at as many hot local ions as possible within a single day.

The daka craze may have  (practice) origins. China's young urban professionals don't have so much free lime. Sometimes. they reed to work overtime. So they have to make the most of their (limit) leisure time. Douyin captures the mood with it's slogan： "Make every second count."

 为促进我校师生的英语学习，我们将举办英语晚会，请你以学生会的名义写一张英语海报，欢迎全校师生参加。内容包括：

1.晚会时间：下星期五晚上7:00-9:00；

2.晚会地点：学校新体育馆；

3.晚会节目：英语故事、英语歌曲、英语诗歌及短剧等。届时还邀请在本校工作的外教Nora 一 家参加晚会，他们将表演精彩的节目。

提示：

1. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

2.词数：100词左右。

Poster

Students' Union

July 5th, 2021

 阅读下而材料，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。

From her lifeguard station at the end of the pool, Jessica noticed clouds forming in the sky. By the time she took a break at 2:30, the wind was picking up and the sky was darkening. The pool manager announced over the loudspeaker that the pool was closing immediately, due to a weather warning. He asked everyone to head to the safety of home before the storm hit. 

All of the swimmers had left by 3: 30 except for Jessica's neighbor, eight-year-old Zack Hill. Zack's mother had dropped him off at the pool while she went to work. She had planned to pick him up later, but the storm was coming fast. Jessica decided that she would drop Zack off on her way home. She taped a note for Mrs. Hill on the door of the pool office and headed out.

The minute Jessica and Zack left the parking lot it was clear that this was no ordinary storm. The wind was very strong, the storm clouds were dark, and the sky had turned a terrible green. The rain hit just as Jessica turned onto her street, Jessica said, "Jack, I'm going to take you to my house. We need to get inside right away, and your house is farther away than mine."

She pressed the garage-door opener, but nothing happened. The electricity was out. The front door was only a few feet away, but the wind was so strong that Jessica and Zack had to fight their way out of the car and into the house. Jessica held Zack's hand firmly. The door was heavy with the pressure of the wind. Finally, it opened, but it was blown out of Jessica's hand and it hit the side of the house. The window broke into pieces，Jessica picked up Zack and threw the two of them inside; her only thought was to get to a safe place.

注意：

1.续写词数应为150词左右；

2.请按如下格式作答。

Remembering everything she could learn from her emergency training, Jessica took Zack to the basement. 

After a final crash, the sound of the storm grew distant.