长郡中学2023-2024学年高二下学期期中考试英语时量：120分钟满分：150分第一部分听力（共两节，满分30分）略第二部分阅读（共两节，满分50分）第一节（共15小题；每小题2.5分，满分37.5分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
AFrom December 1st, 2023 to November 30th, 2024, visitors can stay in China for up to 15 days without a visa. Below are several easy steps for planning a first China tour.Decide How Many Days to StayWe suggest you take at least a week for your first trip to see the highlights in the top three cities: Beijing (3–4 days), Xi’an (2 days), and Shanghai (1–2 days).To discover more of China, like charming Guilin and lovely Chengdu pandas, you would need a few more days.Consider When to Travel to ChinaThings to do in Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai are seldom affected by the seasons.Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) are generally the most comfortable and recommended times for a China tour. They are neither too hot nor too cold, but fall is generally drier and warmer than spring.A more ideal travel time for you could be March and early April or September when there are smaller crowds, favorable prices, and still good weather.China is a good summer holiday destination too.Consider Your BudgetThe biggest cost could be international airfares. The cost of airfares from the US or Europe to China varies a lot depending on when you fly and which airline you use, from around US$1,200 to US$3,000 for an economy round trip.The biggest price difference between the off and peak seasons is in the price of hotels and airfares. Prices in peak seasons can go up by 50 to 100%.For a private tour, the average cost per day is about US$220–350 per person, including flights/trains within China, 4- or 5-star hotels, lunches, attractions, guides, and private transport.We Believe Private and Tailor-Made Tours Are BestWith our private tours, you would have much more personal choice in how your tour goes. You could have more hand-picked and interactive experiences, like visiting a local family with your own local guide.With private guiding and transport, we would make full use of your time. You could focus on the sightseeing you want to do, skipping what’s not of interest and the long queues in the most crowded attractions.21. If you have a tour in China in winter, which places are suitable for you?A. Beijing and Guilin.B. Xi’an and Chengdu.C. Shanghai and Chengdu.D. Beijing and Xi’an.22. What can we know from the text?A. A visa is needed for a 12-day tour.B. The highest expense is the accommodation fee.C. Travelling in March can save tourists money.D. Prices in peak seasons usually go up by 150%.23. Which of the following is NOT the reason why a tailor-made tour is recommended?A. You have more choices about your route.B. Your time will be maximized.C. You are likely to interact with locals in person.D. You will spend less on the tour.BThree years into my postdoc(博士后), I started to wonder whether I needed a new career plan. After applying for more than two dozen teaching jobs, I hadn’t landed a single interview.I had once considered going to art school but had put that idea to the side when I decided to pursue chemistry as an undergraduate. In the years that followed, I kept up my interest in art by taking painting classes at night. My family was bursting with mathematicians, computer programmers, and engineers, so it felt natural to have my daily life center around science.But in the spring after my failed job search, that started to change after a friend excitedly showed me proofs of a review article. She was astonished by what the journal’s scientific illustrator had done with her fundamental sketches(速写). “That would be such a fun job.” I thought.I decided to test out a new career direction by volunteering to create similar illustrations for my institute’s newsletters. I spent my nights and weekends reading scientific papers and thinking about how to illustrate the results. It was a fun task. I felt I was perhaps on the right path. But could I make a full-time career?Searching online, I tracked down people who had that kind of job. I found many had training through scientific illustration master’s degree programs. After living on graduate student and postdoctoral salaries for years, I didn’t have enough money saved up for the programs, so I decided to get a certificate in digital design.I now work as a visual designer at a biomedical research institute where I spend my days working with research to communicate their work visually. I love the fact that I get to combine my scientific and artistic sides.24. Why did the author attend classes at night?A. To please her family.B. To pass her undergraduate tests.C. To pursue her hobby.D. To complete optional courses in art.25. What effect did the proofs have on the author?A. They shook her belief in science.B. They tested out what she learned in class.C. They gave her inspiration for her scientific paper.D. They motivated her to find a new career direction.26. What prevented the author seeking a scientific illustration master’s degree?A. Her busy schedule.B. Her financial difficulties.C. Her new interest in digital design.D. Her lack of confidence.27. How does the author feel about her current job?A. Pressured.B. Desperate.C. Curious.D. Satisfied.CAdministrators of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Gansu province, are striving to harmonize tourists’ exploration of the site with the need to safeguard murals and artifacts, through innovative measures such as digital presentations.Sandstorms, rainfall and tourist visits constitute the most severe threats to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, said Wang Xiaowei, director of the Dunhuang Grottoes Monitoring Center at the Dunhuang Academy.Since the Mogao Caves opened to the public in 1979, the number of visitors has been growing at an average annual rate of around 20 percent, reaching 2.15 million in 2019 before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thisyear, the site is expected to receive a record 3 million visitors.“If you enter the caves during the peak tourism months of July, August and September, you’ll find it hard to breathe,” Wang said. The carbon dioxide and moisture exhaled by visitors accumulate inside the caves and cause damage to the murals, Wang said.To preserve the caves, the duration of visits is limited and sometimes stopped during rain or dust storms. To try and ensure visitors aren’t disappointed when restrictions are in place, the center provides a digital exhibition, he said.Currently, the center is being expanded to cater for an additional 3,000 visitors on top of the existing capacity of 6,000.The Dunhuang Academy began digitally recording and storing images of murals and painted sculptures over 30 years ago. The digitization project has successfully covered over 200 caves, with a dedicated team of 110 experts currently undertaking the work.The Mogao Caves are immovable, and transporting them is impossible, according to Su Bomin, head of the Dunhuang Academy. And he added, “However, with digitization, we can perfectly replicate Dunhuang art and showcase it worldwide, introducing Eastern culture to the world.”In 2016, the Digital Dunhuang repository went live, sharing high-definition images and panoramic tours of the most exquisite 30 caves globally. Currently, visitors from 78 countries have accessed the repository, totaling over 16.8 million visits.Su said Dunhuang can provide diverse cultural exchanges through its cultural relics. “By digitizing these relics, we enable people worldwide to understand Dunhuang’s culture, thereby gaining a deeper appreciation for China’s historical commitment to diverse cultural exchanges — that is, an ethos of inclusivity, mutual learning and a shared future,” he said.28. Which of the following is NOT the reason for providing a digital exhibition?A. The factors related to COVID-19 put the caves in grave danger.B. The increasing number of tourists visiting Dunhuang might harm the caves.C. The authority is aimed to balance tourism and relics conservation.D. The duration of visits is limited and sometimes stopped during rain or dust storms.29. What does the underlined word “replicate” probably mean?A. Copy.B. Safeguard.C. Access.D. Transport.30. What does Su Bomin think of digitization?A. It records and stores images of murals and painted sculptures.B. It shares high definition and panoramic tours of the most exquisite caves.C. It allows for an international exchange of cultures through the relics.D. It enables people to appreciate the lasting beauty of the murals.31. What can be the best title for the text?A. The Significance of the Mural PaintingsB. The Restoration in Mogao CavesC. The Innovation on Mogao Caves’ PreservationD. The Dunhuang Spirit in Chinese CultureDThe road to Mars is long and fraught with peril. One challenge is getting humans to the red planet; another is ensuring that once they’ve arrived, they’ll be able to manage life there.To prepare astronauts for an extended stay on Mars, NASA’s latest simulated mission, CHAPEA — Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog — will isolate four people inside a mock-Mars base in Texas for 378 days — roughly the time a manned mission to Mars would spend on the surface.Once inside they will adopt a pre-planned schedule taking part in simulated activities and science work, eating like astronauts, and dealing with maintenance and equipment failures, while undergoing strenuous psychological and physiological testing.The first simulation will begin in June, and will be followed by two more, each with a different crew in identical conditions, with the last simulation starting in 2026.“We’ve built a high-accuracy Mars surface mission scenario,” says Scott M. Smith, co-investigator for CHAPEA. The participants will experience a 22-minute delay in external communications, as astronauts would on Mars. Ambient noise will be played through speakers around the base, ensuring no outside sounds can be heard by participants.Aiming for accuracy has resulted in a habitat that could be feasibly built on Mars, Smith adds. The base, called “Mars Dune Alpha”, is a custom design by Bjarke Ingels Group and 3D-printing company ICON, and resides inside a hangar at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Printed in a month from ICON’s concrete formula dubbed “Lavacrete”, on Mars, the idea is to build using Martian soil.“NASA has evaluated a tremendous number of options for off-world habitat construction — repurposed rockets and landers, inflatables, assembled buildings, etc.,” explains ICON CEO Jason Ballard. “They’ve come to believe what we believe: that when you evaluate it from a financial, safety and flexibility standpoint, robotic construction using local materials is far and away the best option.”32. What’s the purpose of NASA’s latest simulated mission?A. To get astronauts to Mars.B. To isolate four people inside a base in Mars.C. To help astronauts to do experiments in Mars.D. To prepare astronauts for managing life in Mars.33. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?A. The last simulation will end in 2026.B. Each stimulation has a different crew in the same conditions.C. The participants can hear outside sounds.D. The participants will do things different from those that astronauts do.34. What’s Smith’s attitude to the simulated mission?A. Indifferent.B. Pessimistic.C. Optimistic.D. Skeptical.35. What is the most commonly used technique in the text?A. Making comparison.B. Giving examples.C. Analyzing causes and effects.D. Listing figures.第二节（共5小题；每小题2.5分，满分12.5分）阅读下面短文，从短文后的选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
