江西省萍乡市湘东中学2019-2020学年高二下学期英语线上期中能力测试卷

    It's already challenging enough for environmentalists to keep beaches clear of washed up trash(垃圾) and plastic debris(残骸), but the most difficult problem lies in cleaning up all of the millions of tiny microplastics that are impossible to pick up and separate from the sand.

    Fortunately, a group of engineering students succeeded in developing a massive new vacuum cleaner that can collect microplastics without removing any of the sand from the beach. The 12 Canadian students from the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec built their Hoola One plastic vacuum cleaner as a class project.

    "We did some research and we realized there was no machine around the world to do this kind of job," Hoola One co-founder Sam Duval told Hawaii Public Radio. "So we told each other, 'We will invent it,' and we did it."

    As a means of testing their machine's efficiency, they recently used it on the sands of Hawaii's Kamilo Beach, which is also notorious for being one of the dirtiest beaches in the world. Though their first prototype(原型)experienced a number of technical issues, the students managed to fix the problems and tidy up the beach.

    Using a handheld tube, the machine sucks(吸入)up plastic and sand and dumps them all into a massive tank of water. Since rocks and sand are heavier than plastic, they sink to the bottom of the tank so they can be dumped back onto the beach. The plastic, on the other hand, floats to the top of the tank.

    According to Hawaii Public Radio, the team left the Hoola One vacuum on the island as a donation to the state department- They are now researching the ecological effects of the vacuum on the beach while they search for funding and sponsorships(赞助)to produce more Hoola One vacuums.

Places to avoid travelling

    India

    The main distinction in wealth and class may explain some of the risk of crimes in this country. But according to John Gobbels, vice president and chief operating officer for Medjet(an international emergency service), it's medical safety that actually makes India so dangerous. He explains that the U.S. State Department gives the country Level 2 travel advisory status. (Level 1 means you should exercise normal precautions(预防措施); Level 4 is "do not go".)

    Hawaii

    Considering this destination is a very hot spot for honeymooners, it might be surprising to see the Big Island of Hawaii as a dangerous place to visit. The eruption of a volcano has put Kilauea in a state of emergency, with poisonous gas, lava flows, and earthquakes all a risk. You'll likely see special airline deals cancelled, so think twice before making this flight.

    Acapulco

    This beach resort town on Mexico's Pacific coast isn't exactly the white-sand party destination it once was. With a Level 4 travel advisory, Gobbels explains, it's in the same category as places like Iran, Syria, and North Korea. It's regarded as the murder capital of the country.

    Cairo, Egypt

    According to a recent report from the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Cairo is considered the most insecure city for women in the world. Even though the political tensions are easing in this area, according to Gobbels, sexual violence and cultural expectations make it extremely problematic, for both locals and visitors.

    My wife Laura and I were on the beach, with three of our children, taking pictures of shore birds near our home in Alaska when we spotted a bear. The bear was thin and small, moving aimlessly.

    Just a few minutes later, I heard my daughter shouting, "Dad! The bear is right behind us!" An aggressive bear will usually rush forward to frighten away its enemy but would suddenly stop at the last minute. This one was silent and its ears pinned back—the sign of an animal that is going in for the kill. And it was a cold April day. The bear behaved abnormally, probably because of hunger.

    I held my camera tripod(三脚架) in both hands to form a barrier as the bear rushed into me. Its huge head was level with my chest and shoulders, and the tripod stuck across its mouth. It bit down and I found myself supporting its weight. I knew I would not be able to hold it for long.

    Even so, this was a fight I had to win: I was all that stood between the bear and my family, who would stand little chance of running faster than a brown bear.

    The bear hit at the camera, cutting it off the tripod. I raised my left arm to protect my face; the beast held tightly on the tripod and pressed it into my side. My arm could not move, and I sensed that my bones were going to break.

    Drawing back my free hand, I struck the bear as hard as I could for five to six times. The bear opened its mouth and I grasped its fur, trying to push it away. I was actually wrestling(扭打) with the bear at this point. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the fight ended. The bear moved back toward the forest, before returning for another attack. The first time I felt panic. Apparently satisfied that we caused no further threat, the bear moved off, destroying a fence as it went. My arm was injured, but the outcome for us could hardly have been better. I'm proud that my family remained clear-headed when panic could have led to a very different outcome.

    Perhaps there is no sport in the world more connected to sneakers than basketball. Many NBA players wear them to send important messages and showcase their personalities on court.

    And now, thanks to a new policy, the NBA will strengthen its status as the most stylish sports league in the world. When the 2018-2019 NBA season kicked off in October, the NBA lifted its color restrictions on players' sneakers. It is the first time in the league's 72-year history that it has allowed shoes to be of any color a player likes, as long as no reflective(反光的) material is included.

    In the past, the NBA required "uniformity(一致性) of uniform", meaning each players' shoes had to match those worn by the rest of the team. Their sneakers had to be at least 51 percent black or white, with an element of team color.

    This landmark rule change is part of the NBA's collective effort to support players "statements" on and off the court. "More and more people realize that limitation of the color of players' shoes actually constrains(限制) their personal expression and storytelling," CNN News noted.

    Sometimes a shoe was worn in a memorable game, or the design of a shoe has meaning for the player.

    Before Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, nicknamed "the Black Mamba", retired, it was said that he wore a new pair of sneakers to each game and stored his used sneakers.

    Bryant brought the low-top style of sneaker with a Mamba print to the forefront in 2008 to symbolize the spirit of perseverance and bravery. In 2013, Bryant added nine red stitches(缝针) to the back of his shoe to represent the nine stitches from his Achilles tendon surgery. "It has become an attitude. That is my Mamba personality," Bryant told Sports Illustrated magazine.

    Kyrie Irving of the Boston, Celtics wears probably the most famous signature sneakers. Inspired by his mother, who died when he was four, he has a rose on one side of his shoe to represent her. All of his sneakers are also inscribed(刻) with the words, "JBY(Just Be You)". "Just Be You is the motto I live by every single day, because I'm happy to be an individual. It's a beautiful thing," Irving told UK media site GiveMeSport.

    There is no end to the stories about sneakers in basketball. It's certain that they will remain a platform for players who want to use them to express their ideas and personalities.

Five Ways to End Procrastination

    Never put off till tomorrow what may be done today. Waiting until later is one of life's guilty secrets, but procrastination(拖延症) is linked to poorer health, work and relationship outcomes. Here are five ways to try to remedy(纠正) procrastination.

    A five-minute start

    Five minutes is nothing—it's just three hundred seconds. It's the length of a song or a TV commercial. Pick up a project you've been putting off and spare just 300 seconds of your time to do it.  After a while, the momentum(动力) of beginning the task will push you forward.

    Set goals and rewards

    During the day, set goals and rewards. Each time you achieve a goal, you earn the reward: a short break, a funny YouTube video or something else.  Make sure you select a time to review your progress and adjust your targets accordingly.

    Be good to yourself—me today versus me tomorrow

    Sometimes, when you find yourself buried in work, you are upset with yourself for not having started earlier. Imagine a conversation, between―you today and―you tomorrow.

    I was there—witnessing accountability(责任制)

     Consider going on a diet: Is there more pressure if you don't tell a soul, or if you announce it to all your friends, with strict rules to follow if you are invited to dinner? It seems an obvious way of making you feel guilty, but it can also be highly effective.

    Set creative punishments—negative consequences

    Make the consequences of inaction so unbearable that you have no choice but to get busy now. You could write a note to someone that you don't like. Give the note to a friend with strict instructions to mail the note if you do not achieve your goal. The more you dislike the other party, the stronger the motivation to get the task done.

    Procrastination is a silent killer of dreams.  By understanding and fixing your procrastination, you'll discover you jump-start many areas of your life.

A. Everyone suffers from it.

B. Once the five minutes is up, stop and reassess.

C. Everyone likes to have a dream of procrastination.

D. Going public with a goal increases your support and accountability.

E. What is the future of my life with the intention of putting off my tasks?

F. If―you tomorrow could chat with―you today, what would he say?

G. It's important that the goals are realistic and the rewards are in proportion(按比例).

    I was 14 years old. I was angry and rebellious, with 1 regard for anything my parents had to say, 2 if it had nothing to do with me. Like so many 3, I struggled to escape from anything that didn't 4 my picture of the world. A "brilliant without need of guidance" kid, I rejected any obvious 5 of love. In fact, I got angry at the 6 of the word "love".

    One 7, after an extremely difficult day, I 8 into my room, shut the door loudly and fell down onto my bed heavily. As I lay down in the privacy of my 9, my hands placed under my pillow. There was an envelope. I pulled it out and on the envelope it said, "To 10 when you're alone."

    11 I was alone, no one would know whether I read it or not. So I opened it. It said, "Mike, I know life is 12 right now, I know you are frustrated and I know we don't do everything right. I also know that I love you 13 and nothing you do or say will ever change that. I am here for you if you ever need to talk. If you don't, that's also 14. Just know that no matter where you go or whatever you do in your life, I will always love you and be 15 that you are my son. I'm here for you and I love you—that will never 16 love you, Mom."

    Every night as I went to bed, I would put my hands under my 17 and I remember the 18 I felt every time I got a letter. During my teen years, the letters were the calm assurance that I still could be loved 19 my anger and rudeness. Just before I fell 20 I became grateful that my mom knew what I, an angry teenager, needed.

    Li Qiang couldn't believe that he was taking  this prize that he won last year. The company "Future Tours" transported him (safe) into the future in a time capsule. Confused by the new (surround), he was hit by a lack of fresh air. His head ached. The air seemed thin, as though its combination of gases had little oxygen (leave). Wang Ping advised him to put on a mask and (hurry) guided him through to a small room for  rest. He lost sight of Wang Ping when they reached  looked like a large market because of too many carriages (fly) by in all directions. Afterwards, he (show) into a strange-looking house. Exhausted, he (slide) into bed and fell fast asleep there.

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；

2）只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

    My mother asked me go to the store to buy some bread and milk. She gave her five dollars. When I got to a store, I found that the bread and milk cost almost six dollars. I knew that I needed one more dollars. I didn't wanted to walk all the way home without the bread and milk. I looked such lost that the shopkeeper asked me what were wrong. I explained my problem to him. "Don't worry," the shopkeeper said, smile. "You can have both things for five dollars today." I walked home happy. I told my mother that of my adventure.

提示：1）如果父母生日，当面向他们说"我爱你们"；

2）经常帮助家人做家务；

3）经常拥抱父母；

4）你自己的看法。

注意：1）词数100左右；

2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Ways to express love to my family