2020-2021学年广州市第一中学高中部高三英语下学期期中考试试卷及答案解析

及答案解析

第一部分 阅读（共两节，满分40分）

第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30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

A

Lost cities that have been found

The White City

In 2015, a team of explorers to Honduras in search of\"the Lost City of the Monke God\"led to the discovery of the White City. They found the ruins in the Mosquitia region of the Central American country which is known for poisonous snakes, vicious jaguars and deadly insects. It is believed that local people hid here when the Spanish conquerors(征服者) occupied their homeland in the16th century. Canopus and Heracleion

Modern researchers were teased by the ancient writings about the Egyptian cities Canopus and Heracleion- where Queen Cleopatra often visited. But the cities weren’t found until 1992, when a search in Alexandria waters found that the two cities had been flooded for centuries. Artifacts(史前器物) showedthat the cities once highly developed as a trade network, which helped researchers piece together more about the last queen of Egypt. Machu Picchu

A Yale professor discovered \"the Lost City in the Clouds\"in 1911. A combination of palaces, plazas, temples and homes, Machu Picchu displays the Inca Empire at the height of its rule. The city, which was abandoned in the 16th century for unknown reasons,was hidden by the local people from the Spanish conquerors for centuries keeping it so well preserved. Troy

The ancient city of Troy in homer's The Iliad was considered a fictional setting for his characters to run wild. But in 1871, explorations in northwestern Turkey exposed nine ancient cities layered (层叠) on top of each other, the earliest dating back to about5,000 years before. It was later determined that the sixth or seventh layer contained the lost city of Troy and that it was actually destroyed by an earthquake, not a wooden horse. 1.Why did people hide in the White City in the 16th century? A.To survive the war B.To search for a lost city.

C.To protect their country. D.To avoid dangerous animals

2.Which of the following was related to a royal family member? A.The White City B.Canopus and Heracleion C.Machu Picchu D.Troy

3.What can we learn about Troy? A.It was built by Homer. B.It consisted of nine cities C.It had a history of 5,000 years D.It was ruined by a natural disaster.

B

The AI research arm of Alibaba created a machine learning model that received a higher score on the Stanford Question Answering Dataset than humans. The database consists of more than 100,000 questions to test reading comprehension.

In early January this year the Alibaba AI software machine scored 82.44 on the test while humans scored 82.304. Besides, computers and AI have already defeated humans, for example in games such as chess. However, it seemed that language skills were superior in humans as machines find languages hard to master.

A large number of call center employees, often in developing countries, may be out of work soon if the AI robots are cheaper and as effective as human labor. Soon when you phone a company for information the conversation will go like this: “ We are sorry but all our robots are busy right now. We value your call. Please stay on the line until a robot is free to serve you. There are just 12 callers ahead of you.” A robot will serve you some popular tunes while you wait.

Si Luo, who is a chief scientist of natural language processing at Alibaba’s AI research group noted that questions such as “What causes rain?” can now be answered with a high degree of accuracy by robots. Si Luo said, “ We believe the foundational technology can be gradually applied to a lot of applications such as customer service, museum tutorials, and online responses to inquiries from patients, freeing human efforts in a new way.”

Si Luo’s team is working closely with Ali Xiaomi, a mobile customer service chatbot. Ali Xiaomi can be customized to be used on Alibaba’s platforms such as Taobao and Tmall. The new AI robots could answer

consumers’ questions as they did the Stanford questions. The robots would look for the answers from prepared information. However, there are limits to what the system will be able to do. If questions do not have clear-cut answers, or the questions asked are too unclear or ungrammatical, the robot may not be able to deal with them. 4. What can we learn about the Alibaba AI software machine?

A. It has been tested in some areas. B. It has become popular since January. C. It has offered a special learning style. D. It has made people interested in reading. 5. What does the example in paragraph 3 show about the AI robots? A. They should have better language skills. B. They may replace humans in some fields. C. They need to be customized to serve customers. D. They will be widely used in developing countries. 6. How does Si Luo feel about the foundational technology?

A. Doubtful. B. Worried. C. Curious. D. Confident. 7. What can we infer from the lastparagraph about Ali Xiaomi?

A. It needs to improve in some ways. B. It is connected with another system. C. It is a platform to show good service. D. It can answer any questions accordingly.

C

Because of COVID-19, in many places, large gatherings of people aren’t allowed. In some areas, the rules are more strict, and people aren't allowed to leave their homes unless going out is ly necessary.

These steps are very important for slowing the disease down. By doing this, governments can make sure doctors and hospitals are better able to deal with all the sick people, and that fewer people suffer in all. Usually, it's called “flattening the curve”.

But if no one can go out, that means businesses which depend on visitors struggle. Many singers, bands, and other musicians would normally be giving concerts now. Instead, they have to find new ways to share their music and connect with their audiences. The Metropolitan Opera in New York has canceled(取消) its season, but it is showing a special live stream of a different opera each day on its website. Other opera companies have made similar moves. Several theater companies are either offering recorded versions of their plays online or posting videos of their actors performing.

Nick Green wrote a musical play that was canceled because of the virus. He set up a website with links that allow people to enjoy the work of artists around the world who have had their projects canceled. He called his

project the Social Distancing Festival. He sad it was a time when he should be doing something new, rather than feeling disappointed.

Even TV shows have to find new ways to film their shows. Some late night TV shows have continued, but without audiences. Others are showing reruns.

While their shows are on pause, some TV stars like Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Fallon have been filming short videos at home. Mr. O’ Brien plans to bring his show back on the air soon by filming with his own phone and talking with guests over the Internet.

8. What does the underlined phrase in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A. Keeping patients staying at home anytime. B. Speed up the spread of disease. C. Stopping people from often gathering up. D. Slowing down the spread of the disease. 9. What are opera companies’ new ways?

A. Stopping sharing music with audience. B. Providing live stream services. C. Trying to attract live audiences. D. Sharing their operas with each other 10. What did the cancellation of Nick Green's play bring him?

A. Disappointment. B. Annoyance . C. Creativity. D. Anxiety. 11. What is the text mainly about?

A. People staying at home . B. The absence of audiences. C. The efforts of Nick Green . D. Entertainment going online .

D

Think ofJapanin the spring and the image that comes to mind is likely the country’s famous cherry blossoms, also known as “Sakura” — white and pink flowers, blooming across cities and mountains.

The flowers, which experience a “peak bloom” that only lasts a few days, have been loved inJapanfor more than a thousand years. Crowds celebrate with viewing parties,flockingto the most popular locations to take photos and have picnics underneath the branches.

But this year, cherry blossom season has come and gone in the blink of an eye, in one of the earliest blooms on record. Scientists warn it’s a symptom of the larger climate crisis threatening ecosystems everywhere.

Yasuyuki Aono, a researcher atOsakaPrefectureUniversity, has gathered records fromKyotoback to 812 AD from historical documents and diaries. In the central city ofKyoto, cherry blossoms peaked on March 26, the earliest in more than 1,200 years, Aono said. And in the capitalTokyo, cherry blossoms reached full bloom on March 22, the second-earliest date on record.

The peak bloom dates shift every year, depending on numerous factors including weather and rainfall, but have shown a general trend of moving earlier and earlier. InKyoto, the peak date stayed around mid-April for centuries, but began moving into early April during the 1800s. The date has only dipped into late March a handful of times in recorded history.

“Sakura blooms are very temperature sensitive,” said Aono. “Flowering and full bloom could be earlier or later depending on the temperature alone,” he said. “The temperature was low in the 1820s, but it has risen by about 3.5 degrees Celsius to this day.”

This year’s seasons in particular influenced the blossom dates, he added. The winter was very cold, but the spring came fast and unusually warm. 12. What is the best title of the passage? A. Cherry blossom celebrations. B. Warning of a climate crisis. C. A strong love for cherry blossom. D. Cherry blossom season coming earlier.

13. What does the underlined word “flocking” mean?

A. Blocking. B. Flooding. C. Running. D. Following. 14. What can we infer from paragraph 5? A. The peak blossom dates fall on a fixed date. B. The cherry blossom rarely peaks in March.

C. The peak bloom dates mainly depend on weather and rainfall. D. Cherry blossom peaks around mid-April inTokyo. 15. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage? A. To inform people the date of cherry blossom. B. To show a study on cherry blossom dates.

C. To present a Japanese tradition of cherry blossom celebration.

D. To make people aware of the influence of climate change on cherry blossom. 第二节（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10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。选项中有两项为多余选项

Should exams be abolished or not?

“Exam” is a word that most students are fearful of. It is a big part of school that all students have to go

through.____16____ However, there are people who think that exams have more disadvantages for students and should be abolished.

____17____ They say that exams are the only way for teachers to see the student’s level, it builds a high sense of responsibility, and it gives him pressure that will be useful for him later in his life. Another reason is when the student knows that his hard work has paid off, he will feel a sense of satisfaction inside and he will be so proud of himself.____18____

Others think that exams should be abolished. Because exams are stressful and they do not show real results of the student’s hard work.____19____ It is unfair to him.

There are always going to be people who are with or against taking exams. It is a controversial issue in all countries.____20____ I say doing projects during the year, giving grades for participation after every lesson, and having weekly assessment are the best solutions to this debate. A. There are advantages to exams. B. There are people who hate exams.

C. Some people say that exams should not be abolished. D. However, I believe in regular testing throughout the year. E. I think schools shouldn’t let students take so many exams.

F. So, they think of exams as a self test to see where students are and how well they do. G. Another reason is that the student should not be judged on his performance on one day. 第二部分 语言运用（共两节，满分45分）

第一节（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项

I live in a rural community in the United States. A rural area is different from a city because there are___21___people. My home is deep in a valley___22___by mountains that are rocky and covered in trees.___23___many farms are located in rural areas because they require large plots of land to grow food or___24___farm animals, in my community the mountains and___25___soil make it difficult to farm. This is one___26___why few people live in my area.

What’s it like to live in the mountains? Since we have a lot of___27___, we get to have horses and chickens. My family___28___eggs from the chickens for breakfast. We also lose electricity a lot because the trees fall on power lines whenever there’s a___29___In my community, people keep battery- powered flashlights and oil lamps stored in case the lights___30___. Some people also use a generator-- a machine that generates electricity from gasoline—whenever there are___31___

Going to school in a rural area means having fewer classmates and___32___longer distances. To get to my high school, I must drive forty miles to the___33___city. This means I must get up much earlier than my___34___classmates in order to be on time. The roads in my community aren’t paved with asphalt(沥青) either, so during storms they___35___become too muddy or snowy to pass. In cities a snowplow(扫雪机)___36___quickly, but areas where fewer people live aren’t the priority(优先), so days can pass before a snowplow___37___theroad. Sometimes I must miss school because storms make it____38____to drive.

I am not sure____39____if I want to live in the country or in the city when I grow up. I like being in nature, hearing the creek and the birds, and having a big yard. I also like being in the city, though, where I can go howling or skating, or see my friends. It can get____40____in the country, although I do love being around our animals. 21. A. few B. many C. fewer D. more

22. A. surrounded B. hidden C. shadowed D. enriched 23. A. When B. While C. Because D. If 24. A. feed B. grow C. train D. house 25. A. rich B. muddy C. rock D. snowy 26. A. explanation B. cause C. excuse D. reason 27. A. space B. room C. place D. land 28. A. lays B. harvests C. buys D. picks 29. A. storm B. thunder C. lighting D. shower 30. A. put out B. wear out C. run out D. go out 31. A. dangers B. risks C. emergencies D. incidents 32. A. walking B. running C. driving D. traveling 33. A. nearby B. distant C. nearest D. farthest 34. A. rural B. city C. old D. new 35. A. can B. may C. must D. should

36. A. comes by B. comes about C. comes to D. comes out 37. A. cleans B. digs C. clears D. covers

38. A. likely B. necessary C. improper D. impossible 39. A. still B. yet C. even D. as 40. A. quiet B. lonely C. alone D. busy 第二节（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）

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

What is the most popular communication tool today?____41.____your answer is QQ or MSN, I must say you are a bit old-fashioned. Today, a new form of communication “WeChat”, which____42.____(own) a Chinese name Weixin, is becoming the most influential text and useful tool all over the world.

What advantages do WeChat have? First, WeChat is____43.____ly cheap way of communication; that is____44.____(say), it uses network traffic instead of telephone fare. Next, we can know what is going on at any time. And we can have____45.____(easy) access (通道) to information available than other messaging tools.

What roles does it play____46.____our daily life? According to the latest report, the registered (登记的) users on WeChat platform has topped 200 million and expanded its business to overseas market. Can you imagine that a mobile phone “app” is so____47.____(attract) that it reaches 200 million users within 8 months? WeChat itself has become the most popular mobile chat application in the world. A large number of people have become ‘WeChat alcoholic’, which means they keep staring at the mobile phone all the time and can’t live without____48.____.

However, while enjoying its great____49.____(convenient), people should not ignore the danger of_____50._____(cheat), for information on WeChat is publicly known. 第四部分 写作（共两节，满分40分） 第一节短文改错（满分10分）

51.假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。 删除：把多余的词用斜线（\\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。 注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Would you like to donate a unusual gift? The gift you give is not something which your loved one keeps. It is a contribution in the lives of people who really needs it. Choose really useful gift for some of the world's poorest and bring hope for a better future to a community in the need. This gift will train a whole village in new agriculture methods and provide seeds and simple agricultural equipments. Just 20％more produce will mean the difference between sick and health, between families go hungry and families providing for themselves. 第二节书面表达（满分25分）

52.假定你是李华。为弘扬传统文化，你校特举办“翰墨书香”书法大赛，邀请外教Peter作英语书法组的

评委。请写一封邀请函。要点如下：

1.书法比赛的目的； 2.书法比赛的时间及地点。 注意：1.词数100左右。

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。 参考词汇：翰墨书香brush and ink

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

参

1. A 2. B 3. D

4. A 5. B 6. D 7. A

8. D 9. B 10. C 11. D

12. D 13. B 14. B 15. D

16. A 17. C 18. F 19. G 20. D

21. C 22. A 23. B 24. D 25. C 26. D 27. A 28. B 29. A 30. D 31. C 32. D 33. C 34. B 35. A 36. A 37. C 38. D 39. B 40. B

41. If 42. owns 43. a 44. to say 45. easier 46. in 47. attractive

48. it 49. convenience 50. being cheated

51.(1).a→an (2).which→that (3).in→to/towards (4).needs→need (5).really前添加a (6).去掉the

(7).agriculture→agricultural (8).equipments→equipment (9).sick→sickness (10).go→going

52.略