山东省潍坊市2019-2020学年高二上学期英语期中考试试卷

    Bonfire night(篝火之夜)is fast approaching in London. The following are the best spots to watch fireworks shows.

    Saturday Morden Park

    This fireworks show is perfect to take the tittle ones along to. The show will include new fire and light acts and will be set to accompanying music. When all of the magic is over, attendees can enjoy the entertainment or pick up a refreshment at the on-site bar.

    Tickets:￡9 in advance ￡10 at the gates.

    Tickets can be bought here.

    Clissold Park

    This 20-minute show is more demure(娴静的)than other show spots due to the animals which live in the park, however, still promises a beautiful show. The show will also be accompanied(伴奏)by music.

    Tickets: Adults ￡8.75, children ￡3.75. Prices reduced by ￡l for people living in Hackney Borough

    Tickets can be bought here.

    Croydon Road Recreation Ground

    This family-focused event has been running since 1946 and offers two chances to catch the excitement of the fireworks. A smaller show at 6:00pm promises reduced noise, perfect for little children, meanwhile, the main event promises a bang at 7:45pm.

    Tickets: Children under 11 free, over 11￡5, adults￡10

    Tickets can be bought on the gate.

    Alexandra Palace

    The biggest fireworks event in London, having run for 150 years, Alexandra Palace is set to excite audiences again this year with a splendid show. The grounds will also include a German-Beer festival and delicious food.

    Tickets: Adults ￡12.50, kids 11-15 ￡10, and kids under ￡2.50

    Tickets can be bought here.

    Finding a suitable name for a baby is a big deal in China. When picking out a Chinese name, parents usually select two or three characters that have a carefully thought out meaning, but when deciding on an English name, many of them struggle. That's where Jessup and her company, Special Name, come in. In the last few years, Jessup has helped name 677,900 Chinese babies, and earned over $400,000 in the process, more than enough to pay her college fees.

    Jessup came up with the idea for Special Name in 2015, after accompanying her father on a business trip to China. One of her dad's business partners, a Mrs. Wang, asked her to help choose an English name for her daughter. Jessup felt honored and quickly realized the importance of choosing a proper name in Chinese culture. The woman wanted people to be surprised by the things her daughter could achieve, so Jessup suggested the name "Eliza" after the character Eliza Doolittle from the play Pygmalion. Mrs. Wang seemed delighted with Jessup's choice. "If Mrs. Wang needed this service, maybe other parents would as well," Jessup thought.

    After returning to UK, Jessup borrowed ￡1,500 from her parents and paid a web designer to build a website, She then spent her free time filling up a database(数据库)with around 4,000 English names, associating them with five major personality characteristics, like honesty and optimism.

    In the beginning, Jessup offered the service for free to promote the website, but later, she started charging fees. The business is almost completely self-sufficient, requiring only a small team in China that manages technical operations. She updates the database each month, allowing her to focus full-time on studies.

    A new officer with the Huntington Park Police patrols (巡逻) local parks 24 hours a day seven days a week. He doesn't need rest, coffee breaks, a salary or medical insurance, and that is because it is a Robocop.

    The main function of the Robocop is to scan and film the surroundings. Besides cameras with night vision that report 360 degrees, it also has a distress button which is located here, so if somebody is to need assistance or they want to contact the communication center, they can do it by way of that distress button. There are people that are monitoring on the other end.

    This newest police employee is self-charging. It's easy to program it and make changes to the software if necessary. Its maintenance (维护) costs are roughly 75 thousand dollars a year. It travels the entire park. It is a programmed path, but the police are able to change the path and adapt it.

    The Robocop can record the license plates (车牌) of passing cars and check them against an online database of stolen cars. It can also help locate a lost iPhone because it is able to determine a smartphone's MAC address. The police can see from the robot if something wrong happens and then come and figure it out.

    The Robocop can't replace its human handlers. The whole goal is to give police more time to do things machines can't do. The police have been having some concerns about safety of the parks and want an extra set of eyes that will help patrol a 24/7.Robocop's creators believe this model known as K5 is best used for providing security at public places like hospitals, parking lots, parks and airports. So far, it seems to be working out just fine.

    With a focus now on the environmental influence over the fashion industry, some bloggers who cut their teeth sharing details of endless clothes and products are changing their direction-enter the "no-buy" movement. The idea is simple: instead of buying new clothes or beauty products, you make a promise to use the things you already own. Some people sign up to a "no-buy year". Others decide not to buy for a few weeks or months or choose "low-buy" with a strict spending cap.

    This life style has caught the attention of many people who struggle to keep up with the latest fashion. Modern people's desire for material things is often not caused by poverty (贫穷) , but by anxiety, which is further enlarged by the rise of social media.

     "Social media puts pressure on people to spend money," says Katherine Ormerod, author of Why Social Media is Ruining Your Life. Many online influencers are given the items they use and wear for free, but Ormerod is determined not to wear any new products she is given. "Really I just want to convince people they don't have to spend a lot of money on fashion to look stylish and there's no such thing as 'last season' anymore," she says. "True style has never been about that anyway."

    However, self-satisfied expressions of minimalist (极简主义的) living have earned plenty of doubts. "Minimalism is a good quality only when it's a choice, and it's telling that its fan base is from the well-off middle class. To people who don't have enough in the first place, celebrations of 'less is more' can sound more like a luxury (奢侈) than a considerable loss." Stephanie Land wrote in The New York Times.

    Education has always been a hot topic. How to educate children can be a sweet but painstaking task for parents, many of whom try to offer their children the best environment. Competition between parents over children's education may start from the kind of animated (动画) series children watch. By watching the former, children can learn English at the same time. However, this does not mean those watching foreign shows perform better than those watching Chinese ones. They can help children learn traditional Chinese culture and history. Take Journey to the West for example.

    By watching this show, children can learn more about the history of the Tang Dynasty and the development of Buddhist culture in China. Foreign shows can open a window for children to gain a better understanding of the outside world. So, children ought to be encouraged to watch both as long as the content of the show is beneficial.

    This can also be applied to other things beyond animated series. However, some parents fail to do this. Their incorrect view can more or less leave an influence on their children. Innocent (天真的) children, influenced by their parents, slowly hold the view that watching foreign shows is better than watching Chinese shows.

A. Chinese shows have their own advantages.

B. Foreign animated series are always the first choice for parents.

C. Children often follow their parents' advice when choosing animated series.

D. For example, children can be encouraged to read folk tales at home and abroad.

E. Once the view is formed in children's minds, parents' education proves a failure.

F. This show is based on one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature.

G. For some parents, watching foreign animated shows is better than watching Chinese ones.

    As a child I once read an article about the Pacific Crest Trail (太平洋屋脊步道) in National Geographic. It was a 1 of two men who walked 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada with huge packs. It caught my eye, as I, too, 2 adventures in the wilderness. I've always remembered that story, but never believed I would actually 3 it. It was too far out of my comfort zone.

    But then, at the age of 42, I hiked the 88 Temples Trail through Japan. There, I experienced how 4 it could be to hike alone. What 5 me most were the fantastic mountains, grand temples and generous local people. And 6, I managed to complete the trail in six weeks without any severe injuries. For the first time, I 7 that I could achieve my dream of travelling around America one day.

    When I shared my plan with friends and colleagues, the news was welcomed with 8 reactions. From some I got enthusiastic 9. But from others there were frowns and question marks. Half a year away from my family was a 10 for me. Yet it wouldn't defeat me. After all, six months is 11 a short period in a lifetime. After having worked hard for 20 years in shiny office buildings, I felt the need for more 12 in my life. I hoped to 13 and look within, as well as explore the unfamiliar things. I understood that I needed them both. 14 John Muir once put it, "Keep close to 15… and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean."

    Teaching as a volunteer teacher is quite experience for Zhang Tian. He became a volunteer teacher in a village school in Guizhou Province,(inspire) by the idea of living independently away from home.

    However, not everything lived up to Zhang Tian's hopes. The school, with only three classrooms, was much(small) than he had expected. Living in the village was also tougher than he had thought. It took him a long time to adjust the life there. The thought of (leave)once flashed through his mind, but he quickly gave it up and found ways to deal with the challenges.

    (make)school life more colorful for his students  Zhang Tian introduced more subjects to the school. Tough as it is, he has enjoyed working with the children. makes him most satisfied is that his students are able to read, speak and write in English and they can learn the language(confident).

    Besides teaching, Zhang Tian also contacted charity organizations for help and (teach)the villagers how to sell local products online. The (contribute) he has made to the village is so great that the villagers treat him as one of them.