湖北省巴东第一中学2021届高三下学期英语新高第二次模拟试卷

1）球队活动；

2）报名方式及截止日期。

注意：

1）词数100左右；

2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Speed-reading is a crucial skill in the Internet age. We skim over articles, e-mails and tweets to try to 1 key words and the essential meaning of a certain text. 2 with information from our electronic devices, it would be impossible to cope if we read word by word, line by line.

But a new trend calls on people to 3 and enjoy reading slowly, using the linear (线性的) pattern, left-to-right sequence.

A recent story from The Wall Street Journal reported on a book club in Wellington, New Zealand, where members meet in a cafe and turn off their smartphones. They 4 comfortable chairs and read in silence for an hour.

Unlike traditional book clubs, the 5 of the Slow Reading Club isn't exchanging ideas about a certain book, but to get away from electronic devices and read in a quiet, 6 environment. According to the Journal, the Wellington Book Club is just one example of a movement 7 by book lovers who miss the old-fashioned way of reading before the Internet and smartphones.

Slow readers, such as The Atlantic's Maura Kelly, say a regular reading habit sharpens the mind, improves concentration, 8 stress levels and deepens the ability to empathize (有同感).

Some of these benefits have been backed up by science. 9, a study of 300 elderly people published by the journal Neurology last year showed that regular engagement in 10 activities like reading slowed the rate of memory loss later in life.

Another study published last year in Science showed that reading novels helps people understand others' mental states and beliefs, a crucial skill in building 11.

Slow reading means a(n) 12 to an uninterrupted, linear pattern, in a quiet environment free of 13. Aim for 30 minutes a day, advises Kelly from The Atlantic. "You can squeeze in that half hour pretty easily if only during your free moments — whenever you find yourself 14 firing up your laptop to check your favorite site, or scanning Twitter for something to pass the time — you pick up a meaningful work of literature," Kelly said. "15 your e-reader, if you like. Kindles make books like War and Peace less heavy, and also ensure you'll never lose your place in the book."

Buckingham Palace Tour

Watching the traditional changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace is a must when in London, and on this 4.5-hour you'll get to experience this event, as well as other typical British traditions. The package combines three major attractions: the changing of the guard, a tour of the State Apartments and traditional afternoon tea. The guided tour passes through St. James Park before stopping to watch the guard ceremony with soldiers dressed in traditional uniforms, followed by entry into Buckingham Palace for an audio tour. After, travelers will head to a luxury hotel for traditional afternoon tea, scones and sandwiches.

Thames River Sightseeing Cruise

Afternoon tea is a British tradition, and to make this casual, elegant experience even more relaxing, you can combine it with a sightseeing cruise of London's Thames River, the main waterway that flows through the heart of the city. Board a window-lined vessel for an hour-and-a-half voyage from Tower Pier to Westminster that includes traditional tea service with pastries, scones and sandwiches. The boat will float past iconic sites like the Tower of London, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye, as well as Shakespeare's famous Globe Theatre. On the return, feel free to wander the outside deck for photos and listen to informative commentary from the staff.

London Royal Parks Bike Tour

London has some spectacular parks that are located among the city's most famous attractions and a guided bike tour is a fun and relaxing way to cover a lot of ground quickly and experience these lovely public spaces. The four-hour, morning or afternoon bike tour begins in Central London where bicycles and helmets are issued, followed by a leisurely ride through Westminster to the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben with narration from the tour guide followed by busy Trafalgar Square. Next, the ride heads to all four Royal Parks: Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Green Park and St James's Park. Before returning to the start, riders can visit the Princess Diana Memorial at Kensington Palace.

Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Oxford Day Trip

If you're interested in exploring some of the world-famous attractions outside of London, consider booking the Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Oxford Day Trip. The full-day tour departs from London in an air-conditioned bus, spans about nine hours and includes three of England's architectural gems. The first stop is the Queen's official residence: Windsor Castle for audio tours and a chance to see the changing of the guard followed be free time to explore the streets of Windsor. Next up is a visit to the mysterious UNESCO site of Stonehenge, followed by a walking tour of the city of Oxford. Along the way, the guide points out historical landmarks and other attractions and provides an in-depth commentary. Food and beverages are not included, but you can pick something up in Windsor.

I'm interested in coding and technology, but there's a huge gender gap in the computing field, meaning girls are in the minority. I wanted to change that. I started the Catwalk Coding Camp where girls learn how to code(编程) light-up accessories (配饰) and show them at a fashion show. I thought the main result would be that some would be interested enough to learn more, but it turned out that the girls were hungry for role models in the field.

I'd never seen myself as a role model, but suddenly there were younger girls looking up to me. It made me want to be better. This "role model psychology" doesn't just change what I do out in the world; it changes what I do for myself. I'm halfway through my first year as a computer science major. To be honest, it's not always easy!

I struggled, and there was a moment when I considered changing my major. Difficult as it is, I survive and move on. Look around the lecture hall and only one third of the students are girls. Then when we break up into sections led by more advanced students, only 2 to 3 sections are run by women.

It keeps me going to know that so many girls look up to me. They have decided that if another girl can go into computer science, they can as well. I want to do well so I can become a section leader in years to come, hoping to close the gender gap in the field.

Imagine a world where you move around in front of a personal computer in your own sound space. You listen to your favorite songs, play loud computer games or watch a movie — all without other people hearing the sound and without headphones.

That is the possibility presented by "sound beaming", a new technology from Noveto Systems, an Israeli company. On Friday, the company introduced a desktop device that sends sound directly to a listener without the need for headphones or a special receiver.

Noveto Systems gave The Associated Press (AP) a chance to test its SoundBeamer 1.0 before its introduction. The AP's Louise Dixon writes that listening to the device is like something from a science fiction movie.The sound seems so close that it feels like it is inside your ears while also in front, above and behind them.

Noveto expects the device will have many uses. Office workers could listen to music or conference calls without others hearing. People could play a game, a movie or music without waking up others in the same room. Because the device does not use headphones, it is possible to hear other sounds in the room clearly.

The device uses a 3-D sensing module that finds and follows the ear position of the listener. It sends ultrasonic waves (超声波) to create sound pockets by the user's ears. The 3-D method creates sound on all sides of the listener, therefore the listeners feel completely transported into the scene.

By changing a setting, the sound can follow a listener around when he moves his head. It is also possible to move out of the sound beam's path and hear nothing at all.

While the idea of sound beaming is not new, Noveto was the first to launch the technology.

According to the chief executive officer Christophe Ramstein, a "smaller" version of the device will be ready for release to consumers next year.

After the age of sixteen, as has been discovered, the number of our brain cells begins to decrease at a speed of several million a year. They simply die off. In certain types of activity, the human brain is at its highest point in the early twenties, when it has collected enough information to be able to use the vast number of cells freely in the most effective way. Pure mathematics is one of the fields in which this happens, and we know that Albert Einstein made all his world-shaking discoveries between the age of about 20 and 25, and spent the rest of his life tidying them up and arranging them.

But in certain other types of activity (of which being an author is perhaps one), experience is more important than sharpness of brain, and there one usually finds that a person reaches his or her climax much later in life.

Besides sharpness of brain and experience, here is another thing that is very important, and that is wisdom. One can have a very quick, inventive brain and plenty of experience, but if one uses these foolishly, one harms both oneself and others. Wisdom does not always come with age — there are plenty of foolish middle-aged people about — but the average person tends to learn wisdom as he gets older, usually by making painful or embarrassing mistakes. Learning to be wise is basically learning what is not possible and what is possible but so difficult that it is not worth all the trouble one has to go through to get there. Mostly, it is learning about human nature; how real people behave and react, as against how one would like them to behave and react. One can read and hear lot of idealistic stuff about how to make the world a better place, which would be found if it was based on an accurate observation of human nature, but which is basically a waste of time because it is not.

The man who could see the future

The ability to predict the future is a rare talent. American author Isaac Asimov (1920—1992), one of the great science fiction writers of his age, had such a talent.  Now that we're here, let's see what he got right.

 Asimov thought computers would cause a revolution comparable to the induatrial revolution of the 19th century. Specifically, he said that "mobile computerized objects" would be an important part of everyday life. Here, he clearly predicted our world of smartphones, tables and other devices. He also had a great deal to say about space exploration.

How did Asimov develop his special sense of future developments? He read the newspapers and magazines sold in his parents' candy store. His scientific interest gained sharper focus at Columbia University in New York. Asimov went to study chemistry, but became bored with pure laboratory science. Instead, he thought hard about the social implications(作用) of science. He wanted to communicate his ideas to the public.

Asimov had his finger on the pulse(脉搏)of both scientific and social change. He had a clear vision of what was coming around the corner for humanity in his works like the Galactic Empire series(《银河帝国系列》). "His predictions are absolutely fascinating," Calum Chase, an English writer, told BBC News. "He was a genius."

A. As a smart boy, Asimov taught himself to read at the age of five.

B. Space exploration really can make our life more convenient and comfortable.

C. Back in 1983, he was asked to predict what the world would look like in 2019.

D. On the role that computing would play in the future, he was amazingly accurate.

E. Asimov has developed a great interest in computer programming since childhood.

F. As an author, his books would feature the theme of social change caused by technology.

G. The International Space Station proves his prediction that we would not simply visit space but seek to stay there.

Cassie lived a lonely life. She would wander through the forest, eating(fall) fruits while other birds flew among the trees.

"Why cannot you fly?" they would ask. "Your weak little (wing) cannot even lift you off the ground!" they would tease her. "You're  shame to birds," they would offend her.

Cassie was feeling increasingly frustrated and (use), so she made up her mind to leave the forest for good. Just as she walked free from trees, she heard a deep voice (call) from behind Cassie turned around.  was a large tree that signaled to her to come back into the forest. "We need you badly here," said the tree. "We rely on you (eat) our fruits and spread our seeds. The other birds may think you are worthless, but you are actually (much) useful bird in the forest. Please don't go, you are irreplaceable." Cassie beamed for the first time in many weeks and (return) to the forest. The fruits had never tasted so good.

It's easy to compare your skills to the abilities of others and feel inadequate. It's easy to listen to the negative voices of others and believe them. But bear mind that you are essential, you are remarkable, and you are irreplaceable!

When I saw her tonight she smiled and recognized me. I smiled back at her. She was looking more relaxed even though she was still busy doing her job. I have noticed her several times this last few months and she always looks so much happier now. Tonight when I talked with her I noticed her name tag. Her name is Pamela.

Pamela works at the express checkouts in a busy supermarket. She deals with problems when the self-service checkout experiences a problem (no price on product, machine problems, etc.). She monitors these checkouts and usually has hardly dealt with one complaint before another is created.

When I first talked to Pamela, I had called her to the checkout I was using. There wasn't any problem with the checkout though. My problem or should I say concern was about Pamela. She looked tired and was under a lot of stress as she quickly moved from one checkout to the next. It's a bit of a fire-fighting job.

I told Pamela that she needed to slow down. I told her she wasn't getting paid enough to be working as hard as she was working. I told her that we, the customers, could wait and it was very bad for her health to be putting herself under such pressure. I told her that our expectations were not as hard as the ones she set for herself. Pamela told me she would slow down. I could tell she was touched that not only did I notice her stress but I chose to talk to her about it and was concerned for her health. I gently told her things had to change. I told her I would be looking out for her in future to see if she had taken my advice on board. She smiled and said, "I promise that I will next time."

注意：

1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

2）应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；

3）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；

4）续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Paragraph 1：

When I saw her she was still doing her job but there was such a difference.

Paragraph 2：

I am proud of myself.