广东省广州市高二下学期期末教学质量检测（七区联考）英语卷

We have known for a long time that flowers of different plants open and close at different times of day. This is so    1    that there seems to be no need to ask the reason for it. Yet no one    2    understands why flowers open and close like this at particular times. The process is not as    3    as we might think, as recent experiments have shown. In one study, flowers were kept in constant    4   . We might expect that the flowers, without any information about the time of day, did not open as they    5    do. As a matter of fact, they    6    to open at their usual time. This suggests that they have some mysterious(神秘的) way of knowing the    7   . Their sense of time does not    8    information from the outside world; it is, so to speak, inside them, a kind of “inner clock”.
This    9    may not seem to be very important. However, it was later found that not just plants but also    10   , including man, have this “inner clock” which    11    the working of their bodies and influences their activities. Men, then, are also influenced by this mysterious    12   . Whether we wish it or not, it affects such things in our life as our need for sleep, our need for food.
In the past, this did not really    13    because people lived in natural condition. In the    14    world, things are different; now there are spacemen, airplane pilots and, in ordinary life, a lot of people who have to work at night. It would be very   15  , then, to know more about the “inner clock”. Such things as flowers might help us understand more about ourselves.

A．familiar B．strange C．similar D．special

A．partly B．personally C．really D．willingly

A．complex B．simple C．mature D．meaningful

A．quietness B．darkness C．loneliness D．sadness

A．finally B．completely D．normally

A．refused B．decided C．continued D．failed

A．time B．secret C．process D．study

A．deal with B．add to C．give away D．depend on

A．discovery B．activity C．invention D．method

A．beasts B．animals C．strangers D．humans

A．controls B．studies C．measures D．destroys

A．world B．flower C．power D．experiment

A．happen B．exist C．matter D．work

A．ancient B．modern C．wonderful D．peaceful

A．hard B．expensive C．convenient D．important

What do you look for when you go shopping for clothes? Do you choose something     (fashion) or comfortable? Do you like to look different? Or do you wear the same clothes     your friends? Do you go for this year’s colours? Is it the logo — the company symbol — that
  (catch) your attention? Or maybe film stars are wearing these clothes?     helps you choose the clothes you like?
Everyone spends money on clothes, and everyone has their personal look. The best-known clothing companies sell their “designer” clothes all over the world.     number of these big name companies is in fact very small, and the clothes they make are more expensive than the clothes made by some other companies less famous.    , many people still prefer them to   ordinary but comfortable clothes. Why?
Many young people today care about the way they look. They often buy “designer” clothes     they think they look cool. Then the less famous companies make clothes     look the same. But they don’t sell as well because they don’t have the logo.
People also think “designer” clothes are better made. For example, many people think the right    (run) shoes will make you run faster or play better. Of course, this is not     true. It’s the training — not the trainers or the equipments — that improves your speed or your score.

“Everybody in this city wants a car, and I’m no exception. A car brings with it the freedom to travel”, said a friend of mine while reading a car magazine. I might not agree with him, but no doubt he was speaking for a rapidly growing number of middle-class Chinese. While it is true that all the waiting, walking, being part of a crowd, and sweating, are somewhat unpleasant, there are many problems which can arise when our lives rely too much on this invention.
First of all, in terms of polluting the environment, driving a car is the worst act an average person can commit. Beijing now finds itself at the top of the list of the most polluted capital cities in the world with Mexico City in the second place. Research also shows that by 2010 around 90% of total pollutants in Shanghai have come from cars. These pollutions are extremely dangerous to our health. They can damage the lungs, cause cancer, and damage the brain.
Apart from environmental problems, relying too much on cars also creates social problems such as traffic jams, road accidents, and noise pollution. The jeeps that proudly drive through the Hutongs in Beijing as if they are in a race often annoy me, and to make it worse, these drivers seldom respect cyclists.
Of course, we cannot forget the convenience that cars bring us when we need to travel far, but I often find it faster to cycle from one place to another within the city of Beijing, especially with the growing traffic jams.
Since people travel further and more frequently than before, cars will certainly be important in the future. At the same time, however, let us work hard to make sure that this invention brings us a more convenient lifestyle rather than trouble and disease. Let us make good use of cars.
What is this passage mainly about?

The underlined word commit in Paragraph 2 has the close meaning as ____ .

What do we know about the author?

In Paragraph 3, what does the author mean by saying “The jeeps… often annoy me”?

What is the author’s idea in Paragraphs 4 and 5 ?

During the twentieth century, cars, electric lights, space travel and amazing advances in medicine changed people’s lives. So what might this new century bring? There are hundreds of predictions flying around — let’s have a light-hearted look at some of them.
In a recent UK survey, teenagers were asked to make predictions about the year 2020. One of the most common predictions was that school uniforms won’t be around. They also predicted that both girls and boys will wear make-up more often, and more than 75% of men will wear skirts regularly. My dad is 65 next Saturday — I think I’ll buy him a skirt as a birthday present and tell him he’ll soon be in fashion!
Other predictions involve changing roles of men and women. By 2017, some people say that single men of working age will form more than 10% of all families. It is also predicted that washing powder advertisements will include more men because more of them will do housework. I’ll tell that to my husband when he gets home and see how keen he is to wash the dishes!
Many predictions are about crime and safety problems. Some people think that crime will improve and the world will become a more peaceful place. Others believe that crime is going to worsen and that people will stay at home becoming completely dependent on the Internet for shopping and work. It is also predicted that you will need an electronic card to get into parks as parents demand safe play areas for their children. This is old news for me --- our local government is going to introduce one this summer.
Technology is predicted to play an even more important role in our lives in the future. Some parents might have cameras at home so they can keep an eye on their children while they are out. Quick, kids, turn off the TV and do your homework!
Here’s another prediction. Researchers have concluded that cultural activity may add years to your life. The cinema, theatre and concerts may give us a longer life because they encourage strong feelings. Well, we’re watching Bridget Jones’ Diary this Friday night. Will that help us live longer?
Let’s finish up with my favourite prediction. In the future, elderly people are going to make up a larger proportion of the world’s population than ever before. In Britain, an estimated 100,000 people now in their thirties may live to be 100. And that includes me! I’ll have a big, big party, I promise!
The writer’s father ________ .

Why might more men do housework in the future?

According to the passage, people might ________ , if crime worsens.

Which of the following is NOT true？

From the passage, we may infer that the writer is probably ____ .

One of the most famous buildings in the United States is Carnegie Hall, the home of classical and popular music concerts in New York. Carnegie Hall is known not just for its beauty and history, but also for its amazing sound. It has been said that the hall itself is an instrument. It takes the music and makes it larger than life.
Carnegie Hall is named after Andrew Carnegie, who paid for its construction. He was a wealthy man who also gave a lot of money to schools and public libraries. Construction on Carnegie Hall began in 1890 and the official opening night was on May 5, 1891.
The hall was owned by the Carnegie family until 1924 when it was sold to Robert E. Simon. The building became very old and in 1960, the new owner made plans to destroy it and build an office block. Isaac Stem led a group of people who fought to save Carnegie Hall and finally, the city of New York bought it for $5 million. It was then fixed up between 1983 and 1995.
In 1986, people realized that Carnegie Hall had never kept proper records of its history. Advertisements and stories in newspapers about how Carnegie Hall needed help to recover its history led people to send in old concert programmes and information from all over the world. Over 12,000 concert programmes were received and with these it was possible to make a proper record of Carnegie Hall’s concert history.
Carnegie Hall is actually made up of several different halls, but the Main Hall, now called the Isaac Stern Hall, is the most famous. Most of the greatest performers of classical music since the time the hall was built have performed in the Main Hall, and its reception areas are decorated with signed photographs of these musicians. The hall itself can hold an audience of 2,804 in five levels of seating. Visitors to the top level have to climb up 105 steps to get there!
Because the best and most famous musicians of all time have played at Carnegie Hall, it is the dream of most musicians who want to be great to play there. This has led to a very old joke which is now part of Carnegie Hall’s history. Question: “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” Answer: “Practise, practise, practise.”
What do music lovers expect in Carnegie Hall?

What is the correct order of the following events?
a. Robert E. Simon bought it in 1924.
b. Carnegie Hall got its name.
c. Carnegie Hall recovered its history.
d. New York City paid $5,000,000 for it. 
e. Construction on Carnegie Hall began in 1890.

How long did it take Carnegie Hall to be fixed up?

How did Carnegie Hall recover its concert history?

Why do you think the Main Hall is now called the Isaac Stern Hall?

Against the supposition（假设）that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia warm the climate, scientists have discovered that cooling may occur in areas where burnt trees allow more snow to mirror more sunlight into space.
This finding suggests that taking steps to prevent northern forest to limit the release of greenhouse gases may warm the climate in northern regions. Usually large fires destroyed forests in these areas over the past decade. Scientists predict that with climate warming, fires may occur more frequently over next several centuries as a result of a longer fire season. Sunlight taken in by the earth tends to cause warming, while heat mirrored back into space tends to cause cooling.
This is the first study to analyze all aspects of how northern fires influence climate. Earlier studies by other scientists have suggested that fire in northern regions speed up climate warming because greenhouse gases from burning trees and plants are released into the atmosphere and thus trap heat.
Scientists found that right after the fire, large amounts of greenhouse gases entered the atmosphere and caused warming. Ozone（臭氧）levels increased, and ash from the fire fell on far-off sea ice, darkening the surface and causing more radiation from the sun to be taken in. The following spring, however, the land within the area of the fire was brighter than before the fire, because fewer trees covered the ground. Snow on the ground mirrored more sunlight back into space, leading to cooling.
“We need to find out all possible ways to reduce the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.” Scientists tracked the change in amount of radiation entering and leaving the climate system as a result of the fire, and found a measurement closely related to the global air temperature. Typically, fire in northern regions occurs in the same area every 80 to 150 years. Scientists, however, found that when fire occurs more frequently, more radiation is lost from the earth and cooling results. Specifically, they determined when fire returns 20 years earlier than predicated, 0.5 watts per square meter of area burned are soaked up by the earth from greenhouse gases, but 0.9 watts per square meter will be sent back into space. The net effect is cooling. Watts are used to measure the rate at which energy is gained or lost from the earth.
According to the new findings, taking steps to prevent northern forest fires may _______.
   

The following are all the immediate effects after a forest fire EXCEPT _________.

Earlier studies about northern forest fires _________.

The underlined part “soaked up” in the last paragraph most probably means ________.

From the passage we can draw a conclusion that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia may __________.

阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。以下是一些电子产品的介绍：
A. Microsoft Office: This computer software package provides you with everything for your business or study needs. Whether you need to write a report, do your business accounts, design a web page or stay in touch through email, Office can do it all and much more. Cost $740
B. Motorola L7i mobile phone: Web enabled phone that allows you to surf the net anywhere at anytime, with 2 mega pixel camera built in for photo and video. 1 GB memory to store large music and movie files. Cost $530
C. Lenovo laptop computer X61: This ultra-portable notebook is ideal for mobile users such as travellers and businessmen because it is lightweight (only 1 kilo) and offers extremely long battery life (up to 8 hours before recharging is necessary). Cost $1,200
D.  Supersonic MP4 Player: Multimedia player is just what you need to stay entertained wherever you go. Use the 1.5-inch screen as a video player or to play games. With 15GB of storage you can also store and listen to thousands of your favourite songs with just tile click of a button. Cost $140
E. Nintendo Game Boy: This portable video game system allows you to have fun wherever you are. With thousands of different games available to play on this system you are sure to never get bored. Cost $240
F. Sony Thinline Digital TV: This TV provides the crystal clear picture you expect from Sony and is only 2 cm thick. Has 120GB built in memory allowing you to record and store hundreds of hours of your favourite programmes with just the touch of a button. Cost: $3,500
下面是关于一些商店的简介，请匹配商店与它所销售的产品：
One-Stop Computer Centre: We are specialists in Dell and Samsung computers, offering a full range of desktops and notebooks for these two brands. We also stock a huge selection of computer softwares including all Microsoft, Sun Microsystems and Adobe applications.
Joe's Discount Electronics: Joe guarantees to provide you with the cheapest electronic products anywhere in the city. We may not have famous name brands but if you are looking for a reliable TV, mobile phone, MP4 player at unbeatable prices then Joe's is the place for you.
The Digital Warehouse: We're the city's leading electronic games store, offering the latest systems from Microsoft (Xbox), Sony (Play Station 3) and Nintendo (Wii, Game Boy). We also offer a huge selection of games for each system, and if we don't have we will order it for you.
HiFi House: If you're looking for a new music system or the latest in television technology then we are for you. Get honest and reliable advice from our sales team on the right products for you. We only sell quality brands so your satisfaction is guaranteed.
The Mobile King: Are you always on the move? Do you need to take your work with you wherever you go? Is your back sore from carrying around your old heavy laptop computer? Then come to us to get the lightest and most powerful laptop computers from brand names such as Toshiba, Sony and Lenovo.

一项调查显示，随着科技的发展，网上购物越来越广泛使用。请根据以下表格内容介绍网上购物的优点和缺点，并给出你的建议。开头已给出，不计入总句数内。
【写作内容】

[写作要求]
1．       只能使用5个句子表达全部内容。
According to a survey, online shopping is more and more widely used with the development of science and technology.                                                           
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
There is a growing debate about the most effective way for students to study.  Traditionally studying alone was thought to be the best way to ensure good exam results. When studying alone， you can focus your mind better than when you are with others. You also have the freedom to choose what topic to study and when, as you don't need file agreement of others. Students that prefer to study alone often say that when they study with their classmates they waste a lot of time because the discussion is often about non-study topics such as television or holidays.
In the last few years, however, more and more students have started studying in groups. There are several reasons many students prefer this method. First, they find that studying in groups is more fun as they can share the experience with others rather than staying in their rooms. In groups, they can discuss the subject together and when something is not understood they can ask each other questions. They can use the knowledge of their classmates to help improve their own knowledge.  Finally by discussing the topic they are able to both understand and remember it better.
[写作内容]    
(1) 以约30个词概括短文的要点；
(2) 然后以约120个词就“独自学习好还是与他人合作学习好”的主题发表看法，并包括如下要点：
① 你喜欢独自学习还是与他人合作学习；
② 根据你个人的学习经历，简述你的理由；
③ 你的老师对你的学习方式的看法和建议；
④ 你认为怎样的学习方式才能取得最佳的学习效果。
[写作要求]  
1. 标题: The Best Way to Learn
2. 可以使用实例或其他论述方法支持你的论点，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得        直接引用原文中的句子；
3. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
[评分标准] 概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语篇连贯。