1、甘肃省靖远县第二中学2023-2024学年高二上学期12月期末英语试题学校:_姓名：_班级：_考号：_一、阅读选择There are so many breathtaking castles in Europe. Heres one possibility for such a list with our picks for the most beautiful castles in the world.Mont Saint Michel, FranceA rocky tidal island in Normandy, located about 1 km off the coast. The
2、 islands highest point is 92 meters above sea level. The population of this UNESCO World Heritage Site is only a few dozens, but it is visited by more than 3 million people each year. The strong tides in the area change quickly, and connect and disconnect the island from the mainland on a daily basi
3、s.Neuschwanstein Castle, GermanyGerman for “New Swanstone Castle”, this castle is a 19th-century palace on a rugged hill in Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig of Bavaria as a retreat and was opened to the paying public immediately after his death in 1886. More than 1.3 million p
4、eople visit the castle annually.Hohensalzburg Caste, AustriaOne of the oldest and most preserved castes of Europe, Hohensalzburg (German for “High Salzburg Fortress”) was built in the 11th century and expanded in the 14th century. It is located on a hill in Salzburg. With a length of 250 meters and
5、a width of 150 meters, it is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.Alceazar of Segovia, SpainSpanish for “Segovia Castle”, is a stone castle located in the old city of Segovia. The Alcazar was originally built in the 12th century as a fortress (堡垒) but has served as a royal palace, a state p
6、rison and a military academy since then. The castle is one of the inspirations for Walt Disneys Cinderella Castle.1What is Mont Saint Michel special about?AIt has a large population.BIt is the largest castle in Europe.CIt was built for military purposes.DIt provides chances to appreciate tides.2What
7、 do Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohensalzburg Castle have in common?AThey are located on a hill.BThey are about 1,000 years old.CThey are available at no charge.DThey once served as a royal palace.3Which castle once inspired the designing of Cinderella Castle according to the text?AMont Saint Michel.B
8、Alcazar of Segovia.CHohensalzburg Castle.DNeuschwanstein Castle.At 9 am on Wednesdays, Gaby Rountree waves goodbye to Mila as she is picked up to go to day care in Mexico City. “It has made her so independent, so friendly and so lovely with others,” Ms Rountree says joyfully. She shuts the front doo
9、r and turns to homeschooling her two children. Mila is not a child, but the family dog.Schools and nurseries have been shut in Mexico for a year owing to the pandemic. But the doggy day care is booming. Doggy carers offer claw-trims (修剪) and let beloved pets play outdoors. “Many clients now have a h
10、ome office and are worried about their dogs becoming too attached to them,” explains Montserrat, an owner of a dog day-care center, as she strokes a tiny dog on her lap. The facility, in the rich neighbourhood, also has a camp where dogs can spend a relaxing weekend in the countryside.Mexicos rising
11、 passion for dogs has coincided (同时发生) with falling human fertility (生育能力). In the mid-1980s, a Mexican woman could expect to have four children; now, only two. In the long run, as people have grown richer and the returns to education have risen, families have shrunk. For some, a dog is a lovable su
12、bstitute. The most devoted owners buy clothes and throw birthday parties for their dogs. Many restaurants welcome dogs and provide drinking water. Some restaurants even offer a full doggy menu. Parks have “doggy areas”. Pet beauty salons provide not only baths and trims but other methods of relaxati
13、on.Mexicos spoilt pets are probably enjoying the pandemic more than the locked-down kids. By one estimate, nearly two-thirds of the children have missed a year of school because of coronavirus. For mothers such as Ms Rountree doggy day care offers some relief from Covid-influenced hard boring work.
14、But she will not stop worrying until her children, too, are let off the chain and back into the classroom.4What can be inferred from the first paragraph?AMs Rountree is a well-received online teacher.BMila enjoys staying with other children at the care center.CMs Rountrees children are well taken ca
15、re of at the care center.DThe doggy day care center is highly thought of by Ms Rountree.5What may be the direct reason for the doggy day cares popularity in Mexico?ADogs like to play at the day care.BMany citizens have to work at home.CThe facilities there are accessible for free.DSchools and nurser
16、ies are all closed down.6What is the main idea of paragraph 3?AHow Mexico becomes richer.BWhy Mexicans love to raise dogs.CHow Mexicans care for their dogs.DWhy Mexico has a decreasing population.7Whats the present situation of the kids in Mexico?AThey are under treatment at home.BThey are second to
17、 the dogs at home.CThey have to attend to their dogs at home.DMost of them have been away from school for a year.When Ford uncovered the F-150 Lightning last week an all-electric version of the best-selling vehicle in the United States it was a big moment in the short history of electric cars. The 5
18、30 horsepower, 6,500-pound trucks sticker price of just under $40,000 drew comparisons to Fords Model T, the vehicle credited with making cars accessible to the middle class. In the first 48 hours after the battery-powered vehicle presentation, Ford received close to 45,000 pre-orders for it, equal
19、to nearly 20 percent of all electric vehicles (EV) manufactured in the US in 2020.The F-150 Lightning, along with the hundreds of other EV models top automakers are rolling out in the next few years, indicates that the EV revolution is finally going mainstream. But as this industry, which is key to
20、fighting against climate change, matures, a new challenge is coming out: how to acquire all of the minerals needed to make EV batteries.The materials such as lithium (锂) and copper inside those batteries were all, at one point, mined from the earth. Today, much of that mining is concentrated in plac
21、es like Russia, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. With the number of EVs on the roads expected to rise, demand for battery minerals is to increase greatly. Some industry watchdogs warn that the clean transit boom could fuel a dirty mining boom.While only a small number of EV batteries
22、 have aged off the streets already, millions of tons of batteries are expected to be withdrawn over the coming decades. But better recycling methods and government policies to support them are needed to ensure that batteries dont wind up in landfills instead. Even if recycling only meets a quarter t
23、o a third of our battery mineral demand over the coming decades, Riofrancos, a political scientist at Providence College in Rhode Island who studies resource extraction and green technology, says its an important area to focus on because it helps us “rethink our relationship with technology”.8What i
24、s the total number of EVs produced in the US in 2020?AAbout 900,000.BAbout 225,000.CAbout 45,000.DAbout 6,500.9What can we learn about the launch of the F-150 Lightning into market?AIt helps solve the problem of fuel shortage.BIt suggests car companies won a new challenge.CIt signals the EV revoluti
25、on will be a main trend.DIt means government will stop policy support soon.10What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?AThe benefits of concentrated mining.BThe process of mining battery materials.CThe reason for international cooperation.DThe problems of mining battery materials.11What does the autho
26、r intend to do in the last paragraph?AAssess the demand for battery materials.BRethink the launch of electric vehicles.CProvide a new way to recycle EV batteries.DRaise peoples awareness of recycling EV batteries.Over 7,000 species around the world are considered endangered. That number doesnt even
27、include the plants, animals, and other lifeforms that are listed by some scientists as vulnerable, critically endangered, or extinct in the wild.The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) maintains the most-comprehensive list of endangered species around the world. The Red List of Thr
28、eatened Species, as its called, judges each species on five different standards for an in-depth scientific approach. According to the IUCN, an endangered species is one that meets any one of the following criteria (标准): a 50%-70% population decrease over 10 years, a total geographic area less than 5
29、,000 square kilometers, a population size less than 2,500 adults, a restricted population of 250 adults, or a statistical prediction that it will go extinct within the next 20 years.Though the IUCNs Red List covers a wide range of what qualifies as an endangered species, it doesnt quite say how a sp
30、ecies reaches those low points. Prepare to feel guilty: the most common factor when it comes to species decline is human intervention. Loss of habitat, the introduction of a foreign species into the environment, hunting, pollution, disease, and loss of genetic variation (基因变异) are all causes of spec
31、ies decline and most often are a result of human activities. Take the bald eagle for example: the rise in human population and urban development of North America limited the animals habitat; an increase in hunting the eagles for sport lowered their population size; and the use of the pesticide DDT o
32、n farms harmed the animals reproductive capabilities.But even though humans are the number one cause of species decline, classifying species as endangered encourages action to reverse the effects of human intervention. Conservation efforts by the US Fish and Wildlife Service criminalized (使非法) the h
33、unting of bald eagles and the use of the pesticide DDT in the mid- to late 20th century. The effect was positive, as bald eagles have been on the rise and were taken off the endangered species list in 1995.12Which of the following species can be considered endangered?AOne that will go extinct within
34、 the next 50 years.BOne whose population size is less than 5,000 adults.COne whose habitat is less than 2,500 square kilometers.DOne whose population decreases 20% over twenty years.13What does paragraph 3 focus on?AThe causes of species decline.BThe disadvantages of the pesticide.CA list of worldwi
35、de endangered species.DCommon features of endangered species.14Why is the bald eagle mentioned as an example in the last paragraph?ATo show its rareness.BTo blame humans for its decline.CTo stress its importance in nature.DTo show the meaning of ranking it endangered.15In which section of a newspape
36、r may this text appear?AEntertainment.BHealth.CScience.DEducation.Do you want to give your child the best start in life? Helping him/her to become a good, confident reader is one of the most valuable things you can do. These simple little things below take up your little time. 16 Let your kid “catch
37、” you reading. Buy a mystery or fashion magazine the next time youre at the grocery store. Maybe you guess it. 17 Ask your child about what he/she is reading at home. 18 So care about your child and get your child to talk about what his/her class is reading. If time is short, you can even do this on
38、 the way home from school or while youre getting dinner ready.There are words all around. Point them out! 19 Theyre also on menus and the backs of boxes. Point them out to your child. Ask him/her if he/she can read a word youve both just seen, and if he/she doesnt know what it means, make a point of
39、 looking it up in a dictionary when you get home. 20 This trick works for kids of almost any age. For the youngest kids, hearing a bedtime story makes them realize that books have words, and those words tell them many things. Older children can sit next to you and read along. Kids who are reading on
40、 their own might even want to read a story to you.ATurn bedtime into “story time”.BPersuade your child into reading independently.CWords are on subway signs and the sides of buses.DThat just lets your kid see you reading and enjoying it.EBut it can help develop your child into a well-behaved student
41、.FMost kids love to talk when their parents are paying much attention.GHowever, they can make a great difference if your child is struggling to learn to read.二、完形填空In late January, returning home from a day in town, my husband and I were greeted by a couple of Willie Wagtails sitting on a hanging ba
42、sket on our balcony, probably planning to build a nest. Another day away, we came home to find a simple 21 which had started on the hanging basket, right in front of our toilet door. We didnt have the heart to 22 it, so the “building” 23 , with the pair of Willie Wagtails flying in with building mat
43、erials. Finally after a week, a beautiful nest built with 24 materials was completed.The next day an egg 25 in their nest, followed by anther two during the week. We were such disturbance to them, having to use the toilet next to their 26 .Two weeks passed and three baby chicks were hatched (孵出). Th
44、e 27 task began for the parents to find 28 to bring back to their babies. Both Willie Wagtails would fly in and out during the day. It was amazing how 29 the babies were growing.We were constantly 30 if we came near their nest, and often got our hair pulled just as a 31 to keep our distance. Going t
45、o the toilet late one night, I 32 their nest. How lovely it is to see three little 33 and bodies lying neatly side by side, sound asleep, with just their hearts 34 their little bodies rising and falling with each breath. They were so 35 , and I was so lucky to be able to share this special moment.21
46、AfenceBdoorCpictureDconstruction22AdecorateBkeepCmoveDhang23Awore outBfell downCwent aheadDgave out24AvariousBrareCsecond-handDman-made25AbrokeBappearedCcaughtDrolled26AoutlineBroutineCnestDreserve27AmeaninglessBlucklessCdoubtlessDtireless28AwaterBfoodCgrassDclothes29AstrangelyBquicklyCpainfullyDcur
47、iously30AprotectedBconfusedCattractedDscolded31AchanceBsolutionCwarningDgreeting32Alooked forBlooked intoCgot onDtook on33AinsectsBheadsCwingsDtails34AbeatingBhittingCstrikingDsinking35AfullBpopularCcarefulDpeaceful三、语法填空阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。In the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, youll find the lively town San Martin Tilcajete. The town is rooted in its ancient Zapotec culture. The Zapotec people 36 (live) in the area for centuries.Look around, and youll see 37 (amaze) and co
