上海市行知中学2020-2021学年高二英语上学期12月月考试题（含
解析）
考试时间：100分钟满分：100分
第I卷（共77分）
I. Listening Comprehension
Section A
Directions: In Section A, you will hear ten short conversations between two speakers. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. The conversations and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a conversation and the question about it, read the four possible answers on your paper, and decide which one is the best answer to the question you have heard.
1. A. At a dancing show. B. At an airport.
C. At home.
D. At a cinema.
2. A. He can’t find the manager. B. His new watch doesn’t work.
C. He doesn’t get the right watch.
D. His deposit was missing.
3. A. The plan of their holiday trips. B. Their feeling of the trip to Washington.
C. The weather of the beach.
D. Their wishes and dreams.
4. A. Save money on the rent. B. Share the rent with someone.
C. Find a part-time job.
D. Apply for a student loan.
5. A. The woman has watered too much.
B. Moving plants is not a good idea.
C. The plants may need more sunshine.
D. The woman should get some professional help.
6. A. She is ill and has to stay at home. B. She hates watching TV at home.
C. She can’t go to work herself.
D. She’s wasting much ti me watching TV.
7. A. Look at the laundry basket. B. Check the business time of the laundry.
C. Go to do her laundry.
D. Find another suitable blouse.
8 A. The man will have a business trip tomorrow.
B. The woman has no idea what the boss is doing.
C. The terrible weather has delayed all the flights.
D. The boss is not supposed to be at the office.
9. A. He is used to going out on cold days. B. He is used to wearing a wool hat.
C. He is used to wearing no hat in winter.
D. He is used to carrying a heavy bag.
10. A. The woman often suffers from bad traffic.
B. The woman is used to getting up late.
C. The woman lives in the downtown area.
D. The woman lives far away from the company.
Section B
Directions: In Section B, you will hear two short passages and one longer conversation, and you will be asked questions on each of them. The passages and conversation will be read twice, but the questions will be spoken only once. When you hear a question, read the four possible answers on your paper and decide which one would be the best answer to the question you have heard.
Questions 11 through 13 are based on the following passage.
11. A. How to stay calm. B. How to order a meal.
C. How to complain politely.
D. How to deal with an argument.
12. A. Customers are less likely to get help. B. Customers will get problems fixed.
C. Managers will be frightened.
D. Managers will smile happily.
13. A. Asking to speak to a manager.
B. Blaming the person you’re talking to.
C. Saying “There has been a misunderstanding”.
D. Giving the person a chance to explain.
Questions 14 through 16 are based on the following passage.
14. A. Sharing your wishes. B. Supplying things with you.
C. Chatting with you.
D. Carrying things for you.
15. A. Its special Wi-F. B. Fingerprint identification system.
C. Its built-in cameras.
D. Its partners.
16. A. Security. B. Convenient. C. Independent. D. Unpractical.
Questions 17 through 20 are based on the following conversation.
17. A. Kids should do chores on weekends.
B. Parents should help kids with chores.
C. Parents feel pride in helping around the house.
D. Chores teach children responsibility.
18. A. Kids’ academic achievements will improve.
B. Kids’ rooms will be clean and tidy.
C. Kids will take care of themselves.
D. Kids will finish schoolwork sooner.
19. A. Kids like doing schoolwork. B. Kids don’t need to do chores.
C. Kids are spoiled.
D. Kids appreciate parents.
20. A. The woman won’t ask her kids to do chores.
B. The woman will encourage her kids to do chores.
C. The man won’t ask his kids to do chores.
D. The man will encourage his kids to study.
II. Grammar and Vocabulary
Section A
Directions: After reading the passages below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
Gorgeous Rare White Grizzly Bear Sighted In Canada With less than 55,000 grizzly bears left in the wild across North America, the sighting of even one is a cause for celebration. Hence you can only imagine ____1____ delighted Cara Clarkson and her family were when they spotted two young grizzlies —___2___ with rarely seen all-white fur— wandering alongside the Trans-Canada Highway near Banff, Canada.
“We knew we were so lucky because white grizzly bears are unheard of,” Cara told St. Albert Today. The Director of Operations at the Rimrock Resort Hotel in Banff, who shared her images and video ___3___ social media, said the sighting was a real treat given that the family was out celebrating two birthdays —her husband
Tyler's on April 26 and her three-year-old son Beau's on April 24.
Mike Gibeau, a carnivore (食肉动物) specialist for Parks Canada, says ___4___ Clarksons and other motorists who have encountered the white bear — now called Nakoda, which means “friend” in the native language — are truly lucky. For, ___5___ there are a few variations of white bears to be found, such as the Kermode bears in British Columbia and the polar bears in the Arctic, white grizzly bears are extremely rare.
Though this is the first time that the world ___6___ (see) the white grizzly, park rangers have known of Nakoda's existence since 2018. Jon Stuart-Smith, a Parks Canada wildlife management specialist says his team first spotted the bear and its sibling traveling with their mother, who they tracked from 2012 to 2017 as part of a Canadian Pacific-Parks Canada research project ___7___ (analyze)the mortality rates of the region's grizzly bears. The park officials never publicized the unique bear ___8___ fear that it would be chased by fans eager to catch a glimpse. “They're just young bears trying to figure out how to make a living on the landscape, and haven't had enough time to know they ___9___ avoid the highway and people. These unusual-looking animals get hunted mercilessly by photographers, and so ____10____ (little) we talk about them, the better.”
【答案】1. how 2. one
3. on
4. the
5. although
6. has seen
7. to analyze
8. because of
9. should 10. the less
【解析】
这是一篇新闻报道。主要说明了卡拉·克拉克森和她家人在加拿大班夫附近的加拿大高速公路上看到两只年轻灰熊，非常高兴。介绍了他们看到这两只熊的起因经过，以及这两只灰熊的情况。
【1题详解】
考查感叹句。句意：因此，你可以想象卡拉·克拉克森和她的家人在加拿大班夫附近的加拿
大高速公路上看到两只年轻灰熊时是多么高兴，其中一只有着罕见的全白皮毛。此处为感叹
句，感叹后文形容词delighted应用how。故填how。【2题详解】考查代词。句意：因此，你可以想象卡拉·克拉克森和她的家人在加拿大班夫附近的加拿大高速公路上看到两只年轻灰熊时是多么高兴，其中一只有着罕见的全白皮毛。此处指两种灰
熊中的一只，但不确定是哪一只，故用代词one，相当“不定冠词+名词”。故填one。
【3题详解】
考查介词。句意：班夫Rimrock度假酒店的运营总监在社交媒体上分享了她的图片和视频，
她说，鉴于他们一家正在外面庆祝两个生日——4月26日是她丈夫Tyler的生日，4月24
日是她三岁的儿子Beau的生日，所以看到这一幕真的很开心。结合句意表示“在社交媒体
上”可知应用介词on。故填on。
【4题详解】
考查冠词。句意：加拿大公园的肉食动物专家迈克·吉博说，克拉克森一家和其他开车的人
遇到了这头白熊——现在被称为Nakoda，在母语中意思是“朋友”——真的很幸运。根据
“the+姓氏复数”表示“一家人”，可知应填定冠词the。故填the。【5题详解】考查状语从句。句意：尽管人们已经发现了一些白熊的变种，如不列颠哥伦比亚省的克莫德熊和北极的北极熊，但白灰熊是极其罕见的。引导让步状语从句，表示“尽管”应用
although。故填although。
【6题详解】
考查动词时态。句意：虽然这是世界上第一次看到白色灰熊，但公园管理员从2018年就知
道了Nakoda的存在。此处为句型“it/this is the first time that+现在完成时”，意为
“是某人/某物第一次做某事”，应用现在完成时，主语world是单数，助动词用has。故
填has seen。
【7题详解】
考查非谓语动词。句意：加拿大公园管理局野生动物管理专家Jon Stuart-Smith说，他团
队首次发现这只熊和它的兄弟姐妹与它们的母亲一起旅行，作为加拿大太平洋——加拿大公
园研究项目的一部分，他们从2012年到2017年追踪了这只熊，以分析该地区灰熊的死亡率。
分析句子结构可知analyze在句中应用非谓语动词形式，且本句中作目的状语，应用不定式。
故填to analyze。
【8题详解】
考查固定短语。句意：公园管理人员从未公开过这只独特的熊，因为担心它会被渴望看一眼的粉丝追逐。表示“因为”，后跟名词fear作宾语，可知应用短语because of。故填because of。
【9题详解】
考查情态动词。句意：它们只是试图弄清楚如何在这片土地上谋生的年轻的熊，还没有足够的时间知道它们应该避开高速公路和人群。后文avoid为动词原形，可知应填情态动词，且表示“应该”应用should。故填should。
【10题详解】
考查固定句型。句意：这些长相不寻常的动物被摄影师无情地猎杀，所以我们越少谈论它们越好。此处为句型“the+比较级，the+比较级”，表示“越……越……”，此处表示“越少”可知应用the less。故填the less。
Section B
Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
Diego Maradona Transcended Sport
For a nation prone to frequent grieving over its missed opportunities, crashing from the world’s 10th wealthiest economy per capita in 1913 to the edge of economic and social ___11___ in the past century, Argentina has produced an astonishing array of instantly recognizable global icons.
And there is Diego Maradona, ___12___ the world’s greatest ever footballer, who transcended the sport to become something much more than a soccer star to millions around the world. Perhaps no image ____13____ his conflicting essence like the one at the 1994 World Cup. After scoring a wonderful goal against Greece, he raced toward the sideline TV camera, arms pulled back, chest stuck out, mouth open, eyes wide as if he were possessed by the devil. And th ere also was the “Hand of God,” a(an)
___14___ goal undetected by the referee. Had it taken place in this age of video review, it would have been laughed off and forgotten. Instead, it stands in a historic moment that could belong only to Maradona.
To the world’s neglected and ___15___, Maradona became a figure of hope, for some almost a god. Such is the power of the Maradona icon that even his death of natural causes on Wednesday, most likely brought on by decades of ___16___ abuse, still feels like a kind of martyrdom (殉难).
Here in Argentina, Maradona is everywhere ___17___, in people’s hearts, in people’s minds. “I love him,” I have heard grown people shouting for over four decades now, continuing years after he retired from the soccer field. “Do you real ize the happiness he brought to us, the poor? You have no idea!” A short video of a crying fan lighting a candle on the street for Maradona went ___18___ in Argentina. To countless fans like this, Maradona ___19___ a signal of rebellion against everything that is unfair in our unequal world. “For the kind of people working their way up from the ___20___, the kind of kids who play ball barefoot in the street, Maradona was the Malcolm X（马尔科姆·艾克斯,美国黑人领袖）of them.”【答案】11. J 12. C
13. H 14. A
15. E 16. I
17. B 18. G
19. K 20. F
【解析】
【分析】这是一篇说明文。主要讲述了迭戈· 马拉多纳在阿根廷对人们的影响。
【详解】1.考查名词。句意：对于一个经常为错过的机会而悲伤的国家，从1913年的世界人均第十富有经济体到上个世纪经济和社会崩溃的边缘，阿根廷已经产生了一系列令人惊讶的，一眼就能认出的全球标志。分析句子可知，结合空白处前的“social”形容词，可知，空白处填名词。collapse“崩溃”为名词，符合句意。故选J。
2.考查副词。句意：还有迭戈· 马拉多纳，公认的世界上最伟大的足球运动员，他超越了足球运动，成为了超越足球明星的东西，遍布全世界数百万人。分析句子可知，空白处要用副词，在句中做状语，admittedly“不可否认地，诚然”，为副词。符合句意。故选D。
3.考查动词。句意：也许没有图像能像1994年世界杯那样，捕捉到他矛盾的本质。分析句子可知，空白处填动词做谓语，时态要用一般过去时。capture“捕捉”为动词，符合句意。故填H。
4.考查形容词。句意：还有“上帝之手” ，一个被裁判发现的狡猾的进球。结合空白处后“goal”目标为名词，可知空白处填形容词作定语。tricky“棘手的，难办的，狡猾的”为形容词。符合句意。故选A。
5.考查形容词。句意：对于世界上被忽视和边缘化的人来说，马拉多纳成为了希望的象征，对某些人来说，他几乎就是神。分析句子可知，空白处要用形容词。marginalized“被边缘化的”，为形容词。符合句意。故选E。
6.考查名词。句意：这就是马拉多纳标志性人物的力量，即使是他在周三自然死亡，很可能是几十年的滥用药物导致的，仍然感觉像是一种殉道。分析句子，结合空白处前介词“of”，可知，空白处要用名词。substance abuse“药物滥用；（对毒品）成瘾”，符合句意。故选I。
7.考查形容词。句意：在阿根廷，马拉多纳无处不在，在人们的心中，在人们的头脑中。根据空前的“is”，可知空白处为形容词做表语，present“存在”，为形容词，be present in sth. 意为“存在”，符合句意。故选B。
8.考查形容词。句意：在阿根廷，一个哭泣的粉丝在街上为马拉多纳点蜡烛的视频在网上疯传。根据空白处前“went”为系动词，可知空白处填形容词作表语。viral“病毒性的”，符合句意。故选G。
9.考查动词。句意：对于无数这样的球迷来说，马拉多纳代表了一种反抗的信号，在我们这个不平等的世界里，反抗一切不公平的事情。分析句子可知，空白处填动词做谓语，时态要用一般过去时。represent“代表”，符合句意。故选K。
10.考查名词。句意：对于那些自下而上的人，那些在街上赤脚打球的孩子，马拉多纳就是他们中的马尔科姆 X（马尔科姆·艾克斯,美国黑人领袖）。分析句子可知，空白处要用名词。bottom“底部”，符合句意，故选F。
III. Reading Comprehension
Section A
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
Promising Vaccine Trials Bring Hope To Coronavirus-Weary World On December 1, 2020, the United Kingdom became the first western country to give emergency ___21___ for a COVID-19 vaccine. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) officials announced they would begin ___22___ 800,000 doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine to 50 British hospitals as early as next week. The initial vaccines will be administered to some of the nation's most ___23___ citizens — nursing home residents, health workers, and the elderly.
The vaccines are made using a synthetic Messenger ribonucleic acid (核糖核酸), or mRNA, that contains ___24___ about the coronavirus’s signature spike protein (突刺蛋白). When injected into the body, it provides the immune system a ___25___ of what the threat looks like and allows it to prepare the antibodies needed to neutralize the virus if a person gets infected. This is different from traditional vaccines, which ___26___ the immune system by injecting weakened viruses that cannot reproduce themselves very effectively.
The ___27___ approach has several advantages. Since it does not use a live virus, there is little danger of the vaccinated person being infected with the coronavirus. mRNA vaccines are also easier and faster to mass-produce.
However, questions about how long the vaccines will provide protection and their ___28___ across various age groups and ethnicities are yet to be answered. Also, at an expected price of between $15 to $25 per dose, the immunizations will be expensive to extend, especially since each person needs two shots to obtain full ___29___.
___30___, Pfizer's BNT162b2 must be stored at a temperature of minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit (-70 degrees Celsius), and once melted, it lasts just five days in regular refrigerators. This means that the countries wishing to use the vaccination will first have to build cold storage ___31___. Moderna's mRNA-1273 will be a slightly easier choice since it can be stored in a regular medical freezer for up to six months. It also remains ___32___ in a standard refrigerator for up to a month after melting.
“Today’s emergency use authorization in the U.K. ___33___ a historic moment in the fight against COVID-19. This authorization is a goal we have been working
toward since we first declared that science will win, and we ___34___ the MHRA for their ability to conduct a careful assessment and take timely action to help protect the people of the U.K.,” Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO of Pfizer, said in a press release.
Pfizer and Moderna are not the only ones competing to find a way to stop the spread of this deadly virus that has brought the world to a halt. With the world's greatest minds working together, there is little doubt that the coronavirus will be eliminated. However, given the extent of its ___35___, it will take some time. Until then, we must all continue to take the precautions recommended by medical experts.
21. A. agreement B. approval C. achievement D. authority
22. A. experimenting B. developing C. donating D. distributing
23. A. severe B. sensitive C. vulnerable D. valuable
24. A. information B. indication C. implication D. instruction
25. A. prediction B. prescription C. preview D. precondition
26. A. inspire B. train C. recover D.
imitate
27. A. disciplined B. conservative C. realistic D. groundbreaking
28. A. endurance B. performance C. appeal D. demand
29. A. access B. relief C. immunity D.
control
30. A. Conversely B. Unfortunately C. Additionally D. Eventually
31. A. services B. solutions C. facilities D.
conditions
32. A. stable B. constant C. available D. intact
33. A. shares B. marks C. creates D.
features
34. A. examine B. applaud C. prove D. assess
35. A. fatality B. involvement C. competence D. reach
【答案】21. B 22. D 23. C 24. A 25. C 26. B 27. D 28. B 29.
C 30. C 31. C 32. A 33. B 34. B 35. D
【解析】
【分析】这是一篇新闻报道。文章报道了2020年12月1日，英国成为第一个紧急批准
COVID-19疫苗的西方国家，给世界带来了对抗新冠病毒的希望。
【详解】1.考查名词词义辨析。句意：2020年12月1日，英国成为第一个紧急批准COVID-19
疫苗的西方国家。A.agreement协议；B.approval批准；C.achievement成就；D.authority
权威。根据下文“The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
officials announced they would begin distributing 800,000 doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine to 50 British hospitals as early as next week.”（药
品和保健产品监管局(MHRA)官员宣布，他们最早将于下周开始向英国50家医院分发辉瑞公
司生产的80万剂冠状病毒疫苗。）可知，此处是讲英国紧急批准COVID-19疫苗。故选B。
2.考查动词辨析。句意：药品和保健产品监管局(MHRA)官员宣布，他们最早将于下周开始向
英国50家医院分发辉瑞公司生产的80万剂冠状病毒疫苗。A.experimenting实验；
B.developing发展；
C.donating捐赠；
D.distributing分发。根据“to 50 British
hospitals”（向英国50家医院）可知，此处是词义指分发疫苗。故选D。
3.考查形容词词义辨析。句意：最初的疫苗将接种给国家一些最脆弱的公民——养老院居民、
卫生工作者和老年人。A.severe严重的；B.sensitive敏感的；C.vulnerable脆弱的；
D.valuable珍贵的。根据“ nursing home residents, health workers, and the elderly”
（养老院居民、卫生工作者和老年人）可知，此处是讲最脆弱的公民。故选C。
4.考查名词词义辨析。句意：这些疫苗是用核糖核酸(mRNA)制成的，其中含有冠状病毒标志
性刺突蛋白的信息。https://www.doczj.com/doc/1414272960.html,rmation信息；B.indication显示；C.implication暗示；
D.instruction指导。根据后文“what the threat looks like”（威胁物看起来是什么样
子）可知，此处是指含有冠状病毒标志性刺突蛋白的信息。故选A。
5.考查名词词义辨析。句意：当注射到体内时，它向免疫系统提供了一个威胁的预览，并且如果一个人受到感染，就能够准备必要的抗体，以中和病毒。A.prediction预测；
B.prescription药方；
C.preview预览；
D.precondition前提。根据前文“The vaccines are made using a synthetic Messenger ribonucleic acid (核糖核酸), or mRNA, that contains information about the coronavirus’s signature spike protein (突刺蛋白). ”可知，此处是指疫苗可以让免疫系统预览威胁物的样子。故选C。
6.考查动词词义辨析。句意：这与传统疫苗不同，传统疫苗通过注射无法有效繁殖的被削弱的病毒来训练免疫系统。A.inspire激励；B.train训练；C.recover恢复；D.imitate模仿。根据后文“injecting weakened viruses that cannot reproduce themselves very effectively”（注射无法有效繁殖的被削弱的病毒）可知，此处是指注入特殊处理过的病毒来训练免疫系统。故选B。
7.考查形容词词义辨析。句意：这种开创性的方法有几个优点。A.disciplined遵守纪律的；
B.conservative保守的；
C.realistic现实的；
D.groundbreaking开创性的。根据前文“This is different from traditional vaccines”（这与传统疫苗不同）可知，这种方法是开创性的。故选D。
8.考查名词词义辨析。句意：然而，关于疫苗能提供多长时间的保护以及它们在不同年龄群体和种族中的表现仍有待回答。A.endurance持久；B.performance表现；C.appeal呼吁；D.demand要求。根据“across various age groups and ethnicities”和“ how long the vaccines will provide protection”（疫苗能提供多长时间的保护）可知，此处是讲疫苗在不同年龄群体和种族中的表现。故选B。
9.考查名词词义辨析。句意：此外，每剂疫苗的预期价格在15美元到25美元之间，扩大免疫接种将是昂贵的，特别是因为每个人需要两次注射才能获得完全免疫。A.access使用；
B.relief 释放；
C.immunity免疫；
D.control控制。根据“the immunizations will be expensive to extend”（免疫接种的扩展将是昂贵的）可知，此处是指每个人需要两次注射才能获得完全免疫。故选C。
10.考查副词词义辨析。句意：此外，辉瑞公司的BNT162b2必须储存在零下94华氏度(零下70摄氏度)的温度下，一旦融化，在普通冰箱中只能保存5天。A.Conversely相反的是；.B.Unfortunately不幸的是； C.Additionally此外；D.Eventually最终。根据前文中的“Also”可知，此处是要罗列第三点扩大免疫接种的困难，Additionally可以表示并
列关系。故选C。
11.考查名词词义辨析。句意：这意味着希望接种疫苗的国家首先必须建造冷藏设施。
A.services服务；
B.solutions措施；
C.facilities设施；
D.conditions条件。根据前文可知，辉瑞公司的BNT162b2必须储存在零下94华氏度(零下70摄氏度)的温度下，所以希望接种疫苗的国家首先必须建造冷藏设施。故选C。
12.考查形容词词义辨析。句意：在融化后，它还能在标准冰箱中保持稳定长达一个月。
A.stable稳定的；
B.constant持续的；
C.available可获得的；
D.intact原封不动的。根据also可知，此处是指在前文的条件下，疫苗在普通冰箱中仍然可以保持一个月的稳定性。故选A。
13.考查动词词义辨析。句意：今天，英国紧急使用授权标志着抗击COVID-19的一个历史性时刻。A.shares分享；B.marks标志；C.creates创造；D.features以……为特色。根据后文“This authorizatio n is a goal we have been working toward since we first declared that science will win”（自从我们第一次宣布科学必胜以来，这种授权就是我们一直努力的目标）可知，此处是指英国紧急使用授权标志着抗击COVID-19的一个历史性时刻。故选B。
14.考查动词词义辨析。句意：自从我们第一次宣布科学必胜以来，这项授权就是我们一直努力的目标。我们赞赏MHRA有能力进行仔细评估并及时采取行动，帮助保护英国人民。A.examine测试；B.applaud赞赏；C.prove证明；D.assess评估。根据后文“for their ability to conduct a careful assessment and take timely action to help protect the people of the U.K”（因为他们进行仔细评估并及时采取行动，帮助保护英国人民的能力）可知，此处是指赞赏MHRA。故选B。
15.考查名词词义辨析。句意：然而，鉴于其影响范围之广，这将需要一些时间。A.fatality 死亡；宿命；B.involvement参与；https://www.doczj.com/doc/1414272960.html,petence本领；D.reach影响，范围。根据前文“Pfizer and Moderna are not the only ones competing to find a way to stop the spread of this deadly virus that has brought the world to a halt. ”（辉瑞和Moderna 并不是唯一两家试图阻止这种致命病毒传播的公司。这种病毒已使世界陷入停顿。）可知，此处是指这种病毒影响范围之广。故选D。
Section B
Directions: Read the following two passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked
A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
(A)
Growing Up in the Library
I grew up in libraries, or at least it feels that way. I was raised in the suburbs of Cleveland, just a few blocks from the brick-faced Bertram Woods branch of the Shaker Heights Public Library system. I went there several times a week with my mother. She and I would walk in together, but as soon as we passed through the door, we each headed towards our favorite sections. The library might have been the first place I was ever given autonomy.
Even when I was maybe four or five years old, I was allowed to head off on my own. Then, after a while, my mother and I would reunite at the checkout counter with our finds. Together we'd wait as the librarian pulled out the date card and stamped it with the checkout machine ― that giant fist thumping the card with a loud chunk-chunk, printing a crooked due date underneath a score of previous crooked due dates that belonged to other people, other times.
Those visits were dreamy, frictionless (没有摩擦的) periods that held the promise of leaving me richer than I’d arrived. It wasn’t like going to a store with my mom, which guaranteed a tug-of-war between what I wanted and what my mother was willing to buy me; in the library, I could have anything I wanted.
After we had finished checking out the books, I loved being in the car and having all the books we’d gotten stacked on my lap, pressing me under their solid, warm weight, their Mylar covers sticking a bit to my thighs. It was such a thrill leaving a pla ce with things you hadn’t paid for; such a thrill expecting the new books we would read. On the ride home, my mother and I talked about the order in which we were going to read our books, a serious conversation in which we planned how to pace ourselves through this charmed period of grace until the books were due.
When I was older, I usually walked to the library by myself, lugging back as many books as I could carry. Occasionally, I did go with my mother, and the trip would be as engaging as it had been when I was small. Even when I was in my last
year of high school and could drive myself to the library, my mother and I still went together every now and then, and the trip unfolded exactly as it had when I was a child, with all the same beats and pauses and comments and daydreaming, the same perfect rhythm we’d followed so many times before. After my mother passed away two years ago, I plunged into a deep shadow of grief for a long time. When I miss my mother these days, I like to picture us in the car together, going for one more magnificent trip to Bertram Woods, during which we talked, laughed ― as if she were still in my company, giving me inexhaustible strength
36. In this passage, the word “autonomy” (paragraph 1) is closest in meaning to “__________.”
A. vitality
B. freedom
C. inspiration
D. entitlement
37. After the author and her mother left the library, __________.
A. they would plan to read their newly-borrowed books with feverish enthusiasm
B. they would have a serious conversation about which book attracted them the most
C. they would be anxious to recommend to each other the books they had borrowed
D. they would agree on buying the books they had just borrowed if they enjoyed them
38. What would the author most likely go on to write about in the paragraphs immediately following the last paragraph of this article?
A. One specific memory of a childhood trip to the library.
B. The fond childhood memories of her mother taking good care of her.
C. How her affection for going to the library has endured into her own motherhood.
D. Why her own child made up their mind to become a librarian after finishing college. 【答案】36. B 37. A 38. C
【解析】
【分析】这是一篇记叙文。文章讲述了作者小时候和母亲一起去图书馆借书的美好回忆，这份回忆一直陪伴着作者，给作者无尽的力量。
【详解】1.词义猜测题。根据第二段第一句“Even when I was maybe four or five years old, I was allowed to head off on my own.”（甚至在我大概四五岁的时候，我就被允许独自出发了。）可知，此处是指图书馆可能是作者第一个获得自主权的地方，由此可知，
划线词的意思是“自由”。故选B。
2.细节理解题。根据倒第二段最后一句“On the ride home, my mother and I talked about the order in which we were going to read our books, a serious conversation in which we planned how to pace ourselves through this charmed period of grace until the books wer e due.”（在回家的路上，母亲和我讨论了读书的顺序，我们在严肃的谈话中计划着如何调整自己的节奏，度过这段美好的时光，直到书到期。）可知，在离开图书馆后，作者和母亲会以狂热的热情计划阅读他们新借来的书。故选A。
3.推理判断题。根据最后一段后两句“After my mother passed away two years ago, I plunged into a deep shadow of grief for a long time. When I miss my mother these days, I like to picture us in the car together, going for one more magnificent trip to Bertram Woods, during which we talked, laughed ― as if she were still in my company, giving me inexhaustible strength”（两年前母亲去世后，我很长一段时间都沉浸在悲痛之中。这些天当我想念我母亲的时候，我喜欢想象我们一起坐在车里，再一次进行去Bertram Woods精彩的旅行，我们有说有笑，就好像她还在我的身边，给了我无穷无尽的力量）可知，接下来作者最可能写她对去图书馆的喜爱如何延续到她自己做母亲的过程中。故选C。
(B)
With the coming of big data age, data science is supposed to be starved for, of which the adaption can point a great change in corporate competitiveness. Companies, both born in the digital era and traditional world are showing off their skills in data science. Therefore, it seems to have been creating a great demand for the experts of this type.
Mr Carlos Guestrin, machine learning professor from University of Washington argues that all software applications will need inbuilt intelligence within five years, making data scientists — people trained to analyze large bodies of information —key workers in this emerging “cognitive” technology economy. The re are already critical applications that depend on machine learning, a subfield of data science, led by recommendation programs, fraud detection systems (欺诈检测系统), forecasting tools and applications for predicting customer behavior.
Many companies that are born digital — particularly internet companies that
have a great number of real-time customer interactions to handle —are all-in when it comes to data science. Pinterest, for instance, maintains more than 100 machine learning models that could be applied to different classes of problems, and it constantly fields requests from managers eager to use this resource to deal with their business problem.
The factors weighing on many traditional companies will be the high cost of mounting a serious machine-learning operation. Netflix is estimated to spend $150m a year on a single application and the total bill is probably four times that once all its uses of the technology are taken into account.
Another problem for many non-technology companies is talent. Of the computer science experts who use Kaggle, only about 1,000 have deep learning skills, compared to 100,000 who can apply other machine learning techniques, says Mr Goldbloom. He adds that even some big companies of this type are often reluctant to expand their pay scales to hire the top talent in this field.
The biggest barrier to adapting to the coming era of “smart” applications, however, is likely to be cultural. Some companies, such as General Electric, have been building their own Silicon Valley presence to attract and develop the digital skills they will need.
Despite the obstacles, some may master this difficult transition. But companies that were built, from the beginning, with data science at their center, are likely to represent serious competition.
39. Which one is an obstacle for many traditional companies to popularize learning operations?
A. Technological problem.
B. Expert crisis.
C. High cost.
D. Customer interactions.
40. What can NOT be inferred from the passage about the machine learning?
A. Machine learning operations are costly in Netflix.
B. Machine learning plays an important role in existent applications.
C. Machine learning experts are not highly paid in some non-technology companies.
D. Machine learning models are not sufficient to solve business problems in
Pinterest.
41. What is the author’s main purpose in writing this article?
A. To point out the problems facing machine learning experts.
B. To call on companies to cultivate more experts in data science.
C. To tell the readers the present situation of data science.
D. To advise non-technology companies to look beyond the advantages they face.
42. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
A. Data science: a forefront force in tech business
B. Corporate competition: an obstacle to the transition
C. Machine learning : a key to smart technology
D. Technique experts: a decisive factor of the coming era
【答案】39. C 40. D 41. C 42. A
【解析】
这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了随着大数据时代的到来，人们对数据科学的需求越来越迫切，而数据科学的适应性将使企业竞争力发生深刻的变化，无论是诞生于数字时代还是传统世界的公司都需要数据科学人才。
【39题详解】
细节理解题。根据第四段中的“The factors weighing on many traditional companies will be the high cost of mounting a serious machine-learning operation.”可知，影响许多传统公司的因素是开展一项严肃的机器学习操作将消耗的高成本，由此可知，高成本是许多传统企业推广学习操作的障碍，故选C。
【40题详解】
推理判断题。根据第三段中的“Pinterest, for instance, maintains more than 100 machine learning models that could be applied to different classes of problems, and it constantly fields requests from managers eager to use this resource to deal with their business problem.”可知，Pinterest维护了100多个机器学习模型，这些模型可以应用于不同的问题类别，它不断地处理那些急于使用此资源来处理其业务问题的经理的请求，所以“机器学习模型不足以解决Pinterest中的业务问题”说法错误，故选D。
【41题详解】
推理判断题。根据第一段“With the coming of big data age, data science is supposed
to be starved for, of which the adaption can point a profound change in corporate competitiveness. Companies, both born in the digital era and traditional world are showing off their skills in data science. Therefore, it seems to have been creating a great demand for the experts of this type.”可知，随着大数据时代的到来，人们对数据科学的需求越来越迫切，而数据科学的适应性将使企业竞争力发生深刻的变化，无论是诞生于数字时代还是传统世界的公司，都在展示他们在数据科学方面的技能，迫切需要这方面的专家。介绍了数据科学的现状。据此可知，写作本文的目的就是告诉读者数据科学的发展状况和现状。故选C。
【42题详解】
主旨大意题。通读全文，特别是根据第一段“With the coming of big data age, data science is supposed to be starved for, of which the adaption can point a profound change in corporate competitiveness. Companies, both born in the digital era and traditional world are showing off their skills in data science. Therefore, it seems to have been creating a great demand for the experts of this type.”可知，随着大数据时代的到来，人们对数据科学的需求越来越迫切，而数据科学的适应性将使企业竞争力发生深刻的变化，无论是诞生于数字时代还是传统世界的公司，都在展示他们在数据科学方面的技能，迫切需要这方面的专家，因此A项（数据科学：科技企业的前沿力量）适合做文章标题。故选A。
Section C
Directions: After reading the passage below, choose the best answers from the six statements according to what you have just read.
Your Incredible Brain
Physicist Emerson Pugh once said that if the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t. Thankfully, the complexity of brain is so great that we are not simple and neither, therefore, is the task of understanding it.
___43___ Our latest attempt to count them suggests there are 75 different types in the neocortex alone, the area responsible for our most advanced thoughts and behaviors.
That isn’t to say our efforts to explore the brain’s myst eries are in vain.
Despite Pugh’s observation, we are always learning more and more about how a 1.5-kilogram lump of tissue that flutters and crackles inside our skull can come up with our most elaborate ― behaviors. ____44____
Breakthroughs in the understanding of how our brain stitch(缝合) together our sense of reality are redefining what it means to be conscious. They are also highlighting the persistent power of the mind, even in the cases in which our bodies hide all signs of awareness.
We don’t appear to be heading towards a world of jars full of brains, bodies thrown away, just yet though. ___45___ Gut thinking is not just a clever turn of phrase: microbes in our intestines (肠道) affect our risk for neurological conditions, and can influence our mood and mental health.
And when it comes to preventing cognitive decline, physical activity is crucial. Still, let’s not reject a sci-fi future entirely ― we know, for instance, that magnetic stimulation can have many uses, from treating depression to supercharging our brain’s processing power, effectively making us smarter.
The human brain has many more revelations in store, and they may require us to rethink old ideas or correct our assumptions. ____46____ After all, between our ears lies the most complex object in the known universe.
A. But that should come as no surprise.
B. Our brain-body connection has never been so strong.
C. Pugh’s claim appears to be widely challenged among scientific circles.
D. Yet each new insight raises more questions, while it also casts age-old problems in a new light.
E. We seem to have a long way to go before we will be able to shed any further light on the structure of the brain.
F. However, it can feel like an amazing achievement to establish even basic facts, such as how many different kinds of brain cells we have.
【答案】43. F 44. D 45. B 46. A
【解析】
【分析】这是一篇说明文。文章讲述了人类不可思议的大脑的复杂性和对其展开的研究。