河北省石家庄市2023-2024学年2中高三下学期开学考试英语试题

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Camp Kinneret

Located in the rolling hills of Agoura, California, Camp Kinneret provides children aged 4-14 with a classic, outdoor day camp experience. Working at camp is an opportunity to be part of an intentional, growth-oriented community as a role model and leader of your campers. Most staff will ride the bus to camp each day with their campers from various Conejo and San Fernando Valley cities. Summer camp jobs include:

• Day Camp Staff assigned to a specific group for the duration of the summer participating in all activities throughout the day. 

• Swim Instructors working in a team of 4-6 to ensure the safety of campers of all ages and abilities at the pool. 

• Activity Instructors leading campers at activity areas that include horse riding, animal care, nature ecology, wilderness play, farming & gardening, performing arts and more!

• Resident Camp Staff spending each week guiding kids through a variety of on-site and off-site adventure-based activities including backpacking, mountain biking, climbing and more!

Camp Kinneret allows you to gain a summer's worth of leadership development that you won't find elsewhere! Salaries are based on position and previous experience. The range for a first-year staff member is $5, 100-$7, 000 for a 10-week summer. Applicants must be college-aged or older, have summer housing available in the Greater Los Angeles Area and be able to make a commitment from Jun. 6th to Aug. 6th, 2022 (Mon. -Fri. , 8:30 am-4:30 pm).

If you are passionate about personal growth and development (for yourself and for others), fill out the online application and select a group interview to attend virtually or in person.

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Los Angeles residents Joe Blackstone and Jamie Mohn have long recognized the lasting impact storytelling can have on a child's life. Shortly after getting married, the couple began volunteering to read books to elementary school kids. Then, when they became parents themselves, they created the J3 Foundation to help organizations devoted to children's growth. But after learning two-thirds of fourth graders who cannot read effectively end up on welfare, Blackstone and Mohn decided to take a more hands-on approach: in 2018, they launched J3's Cozy Reading Club.

Each session of the two-hour, after-school program is free and includes outdoor activities and a healthy snack. Then, it's time for some comfortable reading. After teachers read a book aloud and the group talks about the storyline freely, the kids find a spot to sit while grabbing a book of their choice to look through. In the end, they get to choose two books to borrow and take home.

In its first year, J3's Cozy Reading Club served 15 students in one L. A．-area classroom. As of 2022, it had expanded to 17 schools across four different districts, impacting a total of at least 400 students, the vast majority of whom live in underserved communities. With impressive statistics backing it up 90% of the students have significantly improved their reading scores, and 95% say they've started reading for fun since taking part in the program——its founders have much to celebrate.

"Having more than 5,000 culturally relevant books available to them is so exciting. I love it when our students can see themselves and their classmates' lives reflected in the books they are reading. The hope of changing one kid at a time makes all the work worthwhile," Blackstone said.

Currently, J3 is in the process of raising $864,000, so the Cozy Reading Club can expand to an additional 24 Los Angeles schools and double its book collection to 10,

000. This is worthwhile. The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) reported that 68% of U. S. fourth graders weren't skilled at reading in 2022, up from 66% in

2019.

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While they can't pick out precise numbers, animals can comprehend that more is, well, more. From birds to bees and wolves to frogs, animals use numbers to hunt, find a mate, return to their home, and more. Researchers believe that this ability, known as numerical competence, plays an important role in how animals make these decisions. Andreas Nieder, a biologist at the University of Tübingen, explores the current literature on how different animals comprehend numbers.

Honeybees, for instance, can remember the number of landmarks they pass when searching for food in order to find their way back home. This ability can also be seen in animals choosing a larger amount of food over a smaller amount or in animals forming hunting groups. Wolves are more likely to hunt successfully if they have the right number of wolves in their pack for their prey (猎物) with prey like elk (驼鹿), only around six to eight wolves are needed, while hunting wild pigs requires a pack of nine to thirteen. Their prey also uses this concept to protect themselves—elk tend to live in small groups, which rarely have encounters with wolves, or gather in large groups to reduce the chance of any individual becoming prey. "They are assessing the number of individuals in their groups for their everyday life situations," Nieder says.

Furthermore, numerical competence also plays a role in attracting a mate. For example, male frogs sing "advertisement" calls to attract females. The females, listening to their complicated calls, choose the males that sing the most "chucks" in their calls.

Now researchers do have some sense of the rules that govern numerical competence in animals. For example, they count approximately (大概) rather than specifically and two numbers need to be more different for them to tell them apart as those numbers get bigger. However, Nieder argues that more research needs to be done. "I hope I can encourage behavioral ecologists to specifically explore numerical competence in the wild, and, in doing so, also open new research fields," he says.

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The only science fiction that ever really caught my attention when I was growing up, besides Star Trek and Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, was the novel Contact by Carl Sagan. When I was 15, I saw the 1997 film version of this. Later, as a 17-year-old adapting to my first semester (学期) at university, I read the book. Contact eventually became the gateway for me to try more popular science books.

One thing that interested me was the bitter fights the researchers got into with one another about their different ways of measuring the expansion rate of spacetime. On second thoughts, maybe this was a lesson I was supposed to draw from Contact, but, at the time, I didn't regard such politics as a scientist problem. Instead, what caught my attention was the portrayal of Eleanor "Ellie" Arroway, a scientist who searched for alien intelligence. In the film version, Ellie is seen listening to space using a pair of headphones connected to the Very Large Array (VLA)—a real facility in New Mexico.

Astronomers don't really do this for the purposes of actual research because there is rarely any point. This is the kind of detail that is unimportant for the film of Contact, but how it portrays radio astronomy is one of the inaccuracies I occasionally hear scientists complain about. I was lucky enough to observe the behaviour of some water molecules (分子) in the Orion nebula (猎户座星云) using the VLA for my thirdyear lab course. We didn't listen to the data. Instead, we processed it so that we could look at it.

That was probably the only time I ever excelled in the lab, and I was so excited to be a real­life Ellie Arroway. Later, I was forced to think more about the human aspects of my working experience. I witnessed unnecessarily heated arguments between scientists, complete with shouting and chalkboard punching (用拳猛击). But, thankfully, Contact had not only introduced me to the idea of radio astronomy as a possible career path, it had also given me a road map for remaining calm in the confused conflict of astronomical wonder and human politics.

 任务型阅读

Do you think you need to shout at yourself to force yourself to finish your homework? If so, think again. Research shows that practicing self-compassion (自我关怀) improves our mental and physical well-being and supports long-term success.

Self-compassion is the practice of being kind and supportive to ourselves. The opposite is being self-critical and mean to ourselves when we make a mistake.  These negative responses are related to depression, stress and reduced quality of life.

A 2017 study found people who practice self-compassion tend to handle stress better. Their bodies have less of a stress response when, for example, they meet with difficulties at work or school. Let's say they do poorly on a geometry test. Self-compassion helps them use the experience to make changes going forward, like seeking out a math tutor.

We can start with mindfulness. First of all, practice observing our thoughts — are they understanding or critical? Don't judge ourselves too severely then. Rather than getting caught up in how we could have done better, forgive ourselves and think about what to change while remaining respectful, and loving to ourselves. We can read a novel, play a musical instrument or kick around a soccer ball with friends.

With practice, we can learn to treat ourselves with kindness and unconditional love — not tough love.

A．So how do we develop self-compassion?

B．It may be more effective to be kind to yourself.

C．It includes letting go of your strict self-criticism.

D．Mindfulness is the key to practicing self-compassion.

E．But this approach does not make us feel or perform better.

F．They have more confidence to look for areas where they can improve.

G．Also, show ourselves kindness in ways that nourish (滋养) our spirit and body.

完形填空

Andrew Powell was pulling envelopes from the large mailbox outside his contemporary house when he noticed something 1 : A tiny doll couple were sitting on a love seat inside the mailbox. A small note was attached. 

"We've decided to live here," the 2 read. It was signed from Mary and Shelley. Andrew initially figured that somebody must have left them there 3 . So he asked the neighbors whether anybody had left 4 in his mailbox, and everyone said no. Soon, Andrew and his wife discovered that the small couple had 5 a tea table, a pretty carpet and a pillow.

Over the next few months, additional items mysteriously 6 : a bed, a painting and a wood-burning stove, to name a few. For Christmas 2022, a decorated tree was left with tiny presents. But the gifts were taken back right after Christmas 7  Andrew could open the boxes to see if anything was inside. 

More than a year later, Mary and Shelley are still living rent-free in the mailbox, to the delight of the neighbors who now 8 Andrew's updates on the village's website to check the 9 . Andrew first posted about the tiny dolls on Aug. 21, 2022, hoping his fellow villagers might help solve the 10 .

"It's just somebody out there who is having some fun, giving us all a little community 11 . But whoever is doing this is obviously very 12 and clever," says Andrew's next-door neighbor.

Andrew says he now doesn't want to know who is 13 for the mail-box affair because he's hoping it will continue. "Also, people in the neighborhood are 14 it and some ask if I've thought about installing an outdoor 15 , but personally, I like the mystery of it."

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。

Wandering sounds, irregular rhythms and a carrier of gentle emotions. This is the musical language of guqin, a plucked seven string instrument created in ancient China.

The earliest piece of guqin in China, (unearth) in Hubei province in 2016, dates back to the Zhou Dynasty. The body of a guqin is made of lacquered wood and the strings of twisted silk. its seemingly simple appearance, making a guqin is extremely demanding.  outstanding piece can take anywhere from two to several decades to craft. It is a crystallization of art and time.

The guqin was favored by the literati in ancient China. The most renowned guqin (music) was Yu Boya in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.  he played his guqin in the mountains, a woodcutter named Zhong Ziqi heard the music and understood exactly  Yu wanted to express.

This deep understanding formed a strong bond between them, they became close friends. This is the famous tale behind the guqin masterpiece, Flowing Water, High Mountains. The piece (pass) down through generations and is considered one of the most famous and important (compose) in Chinese guqin music. This graceful dialogue, (flow) from brushed fingertips and travelling for thousands of years, is continuing to this day.

假定你是李华，上周你的英国朋友 Allen 来你校进行了学习交流，现已回国。他给你发来邮件说他对英语课堂上老师用英汉双语授课的方法提出异议。请你给他回一封邮件，内容包括：

1.对这一异议作出解释；

2.提出你自己的看法。

注意： 

1. 写作词数应为80左右； 

2. 邮件的开头语和结束语已给出，不计入总词数； 

3. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Dear Allen, 

In your e-mail, you expressed disagreement about our teachers speaking both English and Chinese in English classes.

Yours sincerely, 

Li Hua

阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

When I was in middle school, my family moved to Seattle, where my parents started their new business — a small grocery store downstairs my house. As a girl of shy and reserved nature, I had to take a fresh start to fit into the sophisticated city life.

One sunny day, my school announced an exciting event, a talent show for the local food bank. Students were encouraged to showcase their unique talents in front of the public in the city hall on National Day. A buzz of excitement fed the school as everyone began preparing for the big day. Deep down, I felt a spark of curiosity and a desire to participate. However, my self-doubt held me back, "I don't have any special skills to share."

Days turned into weeks, and the talent show drew closer. I couldn't shake the upsetting feeling until one day, Emma, one of the most popular girls in my class, came to me while I was helping in the grocery store after class. "How about singing together in the talent show?" She grinned, "I heard you singing a tune, along the way back home. I can't help following you here." Gosh, I couldn't believe my ears. Emma, with personality and popularity, acknowledged my little talent. Since Emma had the world's prettiest voice, I felt like being favoured by fortune.

"You two? The talent show for the food bank?" My mum bent towards us and her face lit up. "A big occasion." Then a light bulb seemed to go in her head. "Why not practise right now upstairs? I bet you'll be a perfect match." Winking at us, she seemed to know we were thinking alike.

Emma and I embarked on rehearsing almost every single day after school. We brainstormed, exchanged ideas and rehearsed the scene. As the days rolled by, I was feeling pretty good about our act. But the day before the performance, Emma called that she had an acute stomachache and was not in any shape to perform.

注意：

1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Paragraph 1: 

I was completely knocked out by the news.

Paragraph 2: 

Finally came the big moment.