江苏省仪征中学2023级高二下学期英语限时（五）

                                         Score: 100          Time: 40 min

一．阅读理解（27.5分）

A

Plants and exposure to greenery have been found to have multiple mental health benefits, such as lowering stress, decreasing feelings of depression, increasing sociability, restoring focus, improving cognitive performance, improving mood, and increasing self-esteem.

Gardening and care for plants can help to turn people away from negative thoughts or emotions. So with all that, what do these experts recommend as the best plant?

Snake plant. It’s very easy to care for, thrives in spaces with low sunlight, has visual appeal, and cleans the air, and they are drought resistant if you forget to water them.

Spider plants. Spider plants, with plenty of light-green leaves, are another low-maintenance selection. When a spider plant thrives, it will grow new offshoots that can be clipped and potted as a new plant.

Aloe Vera. Drought-resistant and easy to grow. Aloe Vera is low-maintenance, you can just water it monthly, and it helps clean the airspace and is helpful for burns, cuts, and scrapes to help injuries heal faster or soothe pain.

Lavender. It is well-known for its relaxing scent, and it has a calming effect, aids in reducing stress, promotes sleep. This means it’s great both in the garden, or clipped and dried in a bowl inside your space.

Basil. It is a summertime herb that loves the sun. Not only is it delicious in meals, but eating basil has health benefits, too. It has properties which help to relieve stress and anxiety.

Lemon balm. This fragrant green herb is part of the mint family and is simple to cultivate. Known for its calming properties, it has alight lemony scent that can be wonderfully intensified by rubbing the leaves between your fingers. It has been used to improve sleep, reduce stress and anxiety, improve appetite, and help with indigestion.

1. What can we know from the passage?

A. Spider plants will still survive if you forget to water them.

B. Lavender is recognized for its mint scent and calming effects.

C. Snake plants grow well in spaces without enough sunlight.

D. Basil is not edible but has some valuable properties.

2. What do these plants have in common?

A. They need little water. B. They appeal to the eye.

C. They help us calm down. D. They enhance health.

3. How many of the plants mentioned in the passage can help people to handle stress or anxiety?

A. Two B. Three C. Four D. Five

B

When you walk on a sandy beach, it takes more energy than walking down a sidewalk—because the weight of your body pushes into the sand. It turns out that the same thing is true for vehicles driving on roads.

“The weight of the vehicles creates a very shallow indentation (凹陷) in the pavement—and it makes it such that it’s continuously driving up a very shallow hill,” said Jeremy Gregory, a scientist at M.I.T.. He modeled with his teammates how much energy could be saved and greenhouse gases avoided—by simply hardening the nation’s roads and highways.

And they found that hardening 10 percent of the nation’s roads every year could prevent emissions equal to 440 megatons of carbon dioxide over the next 5 decades—that amount is equal to how much CO, you’d spare the planet by keeping a billion barrels of oil in the ground or by growing 7 billion trees for a decade. It reduces 0.5% of projected transportation emissions over that time period.

As for how to harden roads, Gregory says you could combine small amounts of certain fiber with high technology into paving materials. Or you could pave with specially-made concrete, which is harder than ordinary construction materials.

This system could also be a way to shave carbon emissions without some of the usual barriers. “Usually, when it comes to reducing emissions in the transportation department, you’re talking about changing policies related to vehicles and also driver behavior, which involves millions and millions of people—as opposed to changing the way we design and preserve our pavements. That’s just on the order of thousands of people who are working in transportation agencies.” And when it comes to improving our streets and highways-those agencies are where you might say the rubber meets the road.

4. How does the author develop Paragraph 3?

A. By giving examples. B. By making classification.

C. By listing figures. D. By analyzing causes.

5. What does Gregory suggest for hardening roads?

A. Mixing fiber with special concrete. B. Changing regular paving materials.

C. Creating hi-tech computer models. D. Using ordinary building materials.

6. What is an advantage of the road-hardening system?

A. It reduces construction costs. B. It profits transportation agencies.

C. It regulates driver behavior. D. It avoids involving too many people.

7. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A. Walking Down Beaches or Sidewalks? B. Hardening Roads Helps Save Energy.

C. How to Cut Down Carbon Emissions. D. A System of Hardening Roads.

C

Fire ants tunnels got dug efficiently by only a small percentage of the group doing most of the work. Freeloaders, they just sit around while their hard-working colleagues get things done. But might freeloaders actually be necessary for society to function efficiently? The answer could be yes — at least when it comes to fire ants and their efforts to dig nests underground.

Fire ants are highly social organisms. So, Goldman and his colleagues wanted to know how individual ants knew what to do without a central leader issuing orders. To find out, Goldman’s team labeled individual fire ants with paint and then watched them dig their tunnels — only wide enough for two workers. Turns out, just 30 percent of the ants did 70 percent of the labor. “I was surprised that we ended up with so few workers actually doing the work at any one time.”

A quarter of the ants never even entered the tunnel. Others went inside, but left without digging out a single grain of dirt. These behaviors ensured the tunnels did not get clogged with insect traffic, which would make the construction process stop.

And when the scientists removed the five hardest-working ants from the tunnel, others immediately jumped in to compensate (补偿) — with no reduction in the group’s productivity. Seems that it doesn’t matter which ants are working or freeloading at a given time, as long as there is some division of labor to keep the tunnels flowing smoothly. The findings are in the journal Science.

The study could provide suggestions for the robotic. Imagine groups of robots sent to search for survivors from the ruins. Or nanobots (纳米机器人) coursing through our bodies to diagnose illness and deliver targeted medical treatment. Such robots will need to avoid getting jammed up in tight spaces. It might be necessary to program them so some just sit back and watch their colleagues work.

8. How do fire ants get the work done when digging tunnels?

A. They all work under the order of their leaders.

B. Only the strong ants do the majority of the work.

C. They all cooperate together and spare no effort to do the work.

D. Some work efficiently while others just sit around and do nothing.

9. What does the underlined word “clogged” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A. Covered. B. Crowded. C. Destroyed. D. Spotted.

10. When the hardest-working ants were taken away by the scientists_______.

A. the rest of them didn’t know what to do

B. the leaders had to do the work by themselves

C. other ants took their place and continued to do the work

D. other ants were in panic and escaped from the tunnels immediately

11. According to the passage, the research findings can be applied to _______.

A. robot technology B. social communication

C. underground construction D. scientific observations

二．七选五（12.5分）

The appeal of clay (黏土), with its boundless creative potential, has attracted artists, technicians, and hobbyists for centuries.    12    This essay will explore how making pottery (陶器) offers countless benefits for mental health, including stress relief, sensory engagement, acceptance of imperfection, and self-expression.

Engaging with clay is a comforting activity that can reduce stress and anxiety. The focus and concentration required to sculpt clay can quiet the mind and promote relaxation. In addition to its healing benefits, making pottery provides a comforting sensory experience.    13    This process also involves repetitive motions such as throwing, shaping, and coloring, which can provide a sense of control and accomplishment, boosting self-confidence and reducing negative thoughts.

   14    We may spend hours beautifying our pieces, choosing colors that speak to us, and hoping they will look as we imagine after firing. Sometimes they do, especially for the fortunate or skilled. But often, we must learn to accept imperfection. As the experienced potter Meg Biddle puts it, “It’s finding that balance between control and unpredictability that gives me joy.”

Creating with clay is an overall experience that engages our hands, fine motor skills, and imagination. It is an extension of ourselves, allowing us to shape the clay with raw emotions while making detailed decisions.    15   

In conclusion, pottery offers countless benefits for our well-being, including stress relief, creative expression, and the ability to let go. As we transform clay into a beautifully finished piece of art, we also take a step closer to our own transformation. Pottery is not just an art form.    16   

A. Working with clay means taking your time.

B. But pottery is more than just a creative pursuit.

C. It’s also a journey of self-discovery and personal growth.

D. Its touching nature allows the body and mind to unwind.

E. Working with clay also teaches us to accept unpredictability.

F. Through pottery, we have our external and internal desires expressed.

G. The benefits of sculpting clay outweigh the long and tiring process involved.

三．完型填空（15分）

Today’s cinema has improved a great deal in presentation. Gone are the golden days when eager crowds were packed on wooden benches in poor buildings, which seemed to be about to    17    in the next minute. Audience were staring, with great interest, at the funny and amusing movements of silent figures on the screen. It was only through the body movements and facial expressions that the character’s feelings could be    18    to the audience. However, film goers all the same turned a blind eye to the    19    cinema surroundings and seemed crazy about almost all the films. Box office hits were a normal thing and stories about movie stars took full    20    of the newspapers. They were    21    with almost all positive words compared with today’s pitiful stars who are all the time caught in such news as divorces or affairs.

Nowadays, it is quite easy to find a cinema that towers over the hotel luxury. Cinemas are spacious , well-lit places where one can kill time in comfort. Small favors offered by modern cinemas such as the well-printed booklets, which are    22    available, the mouth-watering snacks on sale and even the gifts are all sending the implied message to the audience that the film to watch will provide the equal    23   . Audience, on the other hand, don’t always    24    the story. Before a film is released, the potential spectator is usually exposed to a(n)    25    of advertisements. Film trailers (预告片) are seen everywhere and crew interviews are televised. And in order to attract people to enter cinemas, second to none is    26   . People rely much on friends’ advice in choosing films.

Once the audience have settled on the chair, the cinema is learning from the theatre. The projectionists (电影放映员) are to given the audience time to prepare themselves for the film. Talk first degrades to whisper then    27    altogether. Spotlights are focused on the curtains which are drawn slowly apart, often in the    28    of music, to reveal title of the film. Every detail has been designed so thoughtfully that the viewer will never actually see the    29    screen, which will remind him all too sharply that what he is about to see is nothing but different shadows flashing on the white. However much the cinema tries to    30    theatre, it never fully succeeds. Nothing can    31    the awe and sense of expectation felt by the audience as the curtain is slowly raised.

17. A. disappear B. collapse C. freeze D. rise

18. A. expressed B. responded C. invented D. applied

19. A. special B. poor C. standard D. loose

20. A. coverage B. use C. benefit D. responsibility

21. A. exposed B. reviewed C. overheard D. equipped

22. A. temporarily B. carefully C. readily D. traditionally

23. A. luxury B. expense C. convenience D. information

24. A. prove B. buy C. investigate D. convey

25. A. explosion B. promotion C. shift D. spread

26. A. walls of ears B. seeing is believing C. word of mouth D. grave of teeth

27. A. turns down B. wears down C. pays off D. dies away

28. A. company B. introduction C. benefit D. end

29. A. decorated B. distinct C. blank D. mechanical

30. A. imitate B. guide C. employ D. replace

31. A. refer to B. compare with C. suffer from D. persist in

四．语法填空（15分）

Over 400 pieces or sets of Dehua white porcelain（瓷） are     32    display in the National Museum of China in Beijing from Aug 26 for three months.

According to Chen Chao,    33    artist devoted to porcelain research, Dehua porcelain is extraordinarily pure and white because the kaolin（高岭土） in Dehua county in Fujian has a low percentage of iron, making the porcelain stainless like white jade, and     34    （earn） it the French name “Blanc de Chine”, or “white from China”.

Sitting in Quanzhou city,     35    the ancient Maritime Silk Road started, it has sold like hotcakes at home and abroad since the Song Dynasty. In 2006, it     36    （list）as a national intangible cultural heritage.

Despite the past glories, Dehua craftsmen never stop improving their skills. One impressive skill is “the eggshell（薄胎）technique”, which     37    （date）back to the Ming Dynasty. With the technique    38       （improve） by generations of craftsmen, today's eggshell porcelain can be made as thin as paper and gauze （薄纱）.

Many people wonder how an outstanding artwork could be made from porcelain. “ First, a layer of kaolin is applied to sheets of paper. Then, the paper is heated in a kiln （窑） for several days    39    it turns into ashes.” explained Chen.

However, this is much easier said than done. The failure rate is     40    （extreme）high, so every work consumes the craftsman’s time and energy. “Blanc de Chine is a     41    （combine）of traditional Chinese artistic skills and modern disciplines, ” said Chen.

五．基础知识（15*2=30分）

42. It is through our research into space ________ we have confirmed that the Earth is round and ________ it orbits the Sun.

43. With each space mission ________ (come) greater insight, thus ________ (motivate) us to continue along the same path of adventure. 

44. ________ we are fascinated by the sky is evident in ancient tales from around the world, such as that of Chang’e.

45. The disease is thought ________ (origin) in the tropics.

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