上海市致远高中2020-2021学年高二上学期英语期中试卷

After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Can Indoor Plants Really Purify the Air?

Plants are very important to human life. Through photosynthesis(光合作用), they transform carbon dioxide into fresh oxygen. They  (assume) to remove toxins from the air we breathe -- but is this true?

One famous NASA experiment published in 1989 has found indoor plants can clean the air by removing pollutants  cause cancer. Later research has found soil micro - organisms in the potted plant also  (play) a part in cleaning indoor air.

Based on this research, some scientists say house plants are effective natural air purifiers, and the bigger and leafier the plant, the better. The amount of leaf surface area influences the rate of air purification.  , however, say the evidence that plants can effectively accomplish this feat(功绩)is far from conclusive.

“There are no definitive studies to show that  (have) indoor plants can significantly increase the air quality in your home," According to Luz Claudio, a professor of environmental medicine and public health. "There's no question  plants are capable of removing volatile(易挥发的)chemical toxins from the air under laboratory conditions," says Claudio. But in your home or office space, the notion that putting a few plants together can purify your air doesn't have much hard science  (back) it up.

Most research efforts to date, including the NASA study, placed indoor plants in small,  (seal) environments to assess how much air-purifying power they have. “But those studies aren't really applicable to what happens in house. In many cases, the air in your home completely turns over -- that is, exchanges places with outdoor air -- once every hour. In most instances, air exchange with the outside has a  (great) effect on indoor air quality than plants." says Stanley Kays, a professor of horticulture(园艺学).

Disappointed  many people may be by what Kays said, the professor also made it clear that he believes house plants are beneficial. Studies have shown plants can knock out stress and make people feel happier. More research shows spending time around nature has a positive effect on a person's mood and energy levels.

Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

Smart Homes Around the Corner

Internet-connected lights, locks and laundry machines are close to becoming everyday household items, thanks in part to voice-activated speakers such as Amazon's Echo and Google Home.

The market has witnessed increasing sales of lights that turn off when you say "good night," smart locks that let in your friends before you get home, and other smart-home gadgets (小配件). Smart speakers and their digital assistants also have been growing in . From your couch, you can ask these smart assistants to play your favorite music, check the weather, order pizza orflights.

While the devices are still relatively expensive—you can get six light bulbs for the price of a single smart one—is likely to pick up further as prices fall in the future.

Moreover, the more people use such speakers, it turns out, the more things they want them to do. In some cases, that leads to other smart gadgets for the home. People who own an Echo aremore likely to install other smart gadgets, said David Limp, Amazon's senior vice president of devices and services. "They don't start by rewiring the whole home. They start with a switch." That switch, known as a smart plug, can make any appliance remote-controllable by cutting orits power—just ask an assistant to turn it off or on.

U.S. sales of smart speakers have more than tripled (增至三倍) to nearly 25 million in 2017, as shown by a CTA (Commodity Trading Advisors) . They're expected to grow further this year, to about 36 million, as Apple's HomePod joins the competition.

Smart-home products such as lights and security cameras are lagging behind, but they have been catching up. "We're still in the early stages," said Jeff Patton, a smart-home executive at General Electric. "While the gadgets aren't yet " he said, "average people are much more aware of them".

Alex Hawkinson, CEO of Samsung's Smart Things smart-home business, said that about half of his new customers are coming because of smart speakers "a lot of excitement." Once people get their first smart product, such as a smart plug, they are likely to buy more, market researchers say. They also tell friends and neighbors about them, and might buy some as gifts.

For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

High-end taxi services are widely used in big cities across China. Their being well received has been fueled by the success of taxi-hailing apps like Didi and Kuaidi. But at present, there are no laws to 1  the safety and legal rights of 2 who use these services, since high-end taxis 3 operate without a government license.

This has also cast 4 on whether the services offered by international taxi apps like Uber and other local rivals are "legal" according to current laws in China. A motion raised by Deputy Zhang Yubiao at this year's National People's Congress aims to address this 5 loop-hole." High-end taxis are one category of taxis, and the only difference is the lack of government 6. We should have an open attitude towards the new service and 7 its innovation. Since it has the market demand, we should consider 8 it."

Unlike traditional taxis, high-end taxis can only be 9 using smart-phone apps. They 10 a high-end richer market that pays higher rates for more customized services. NPC Deputy and transportation expert Cheng Dehong says high-end taxis should not be 11 as illegal black cabs run by individuals. "In the past, we only saw the negative side of the high-end taxi service, since we always highlighted the safety concerns, tax evasion issues and other 12 activities. But given the huge demand for high-end taxies, we should look at its 13 side. We can  14 many of the problems with new regulations and 15 commuters a safer, more convenient taxi service."

Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have read.

What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is a simple question, you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in bio-­technology (生物技术). With the help of new medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and war. Today's leading killers, such as heart disease, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memories.

In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells (细胞) are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs (器官). The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on－in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.

It is exciting to imagine that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.

Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have read.

File Created                                                       Page 1 of 1 DELAYED BAGGAGE REPORT PRINTED AT ALBANY N.Y. AIRPORT ON JULY                       10 2012 11:15 A.M. Dear Valued Customer, We regret that your baggage was not available to claim after your recent flight. Everything possible will be done to locate your property and return it to you promptly. For information regarding your delayed baggage, contact the United Airlines Baggage Resolution Center at its 24 hour, seven day a week number: 1-800-335-BAGS (2247) (US – Toll Free) 281-821-3536 (Local Houston Number) Or visit site: //www united.com/for/bagtracing As soon as you file your Delayed Baggage Report, United Airlines will begin to trace for your baggage system wide. Our Baggage Resolution staff will make every effort to call you once a day to keep you updated on our progress. So that we can quickly access your records, please refer to the File Reference Number on this receipt when corresponding or calling. Keep this receipt with your claim check and E-Ticket receipt until your baggage is returned to you. In most circumstances, United Airlines will deliver your baggage when it is located. Delivery times vary depending on location. If your baggage has not been returned to you within the initial five-day tracing period, please download a claim form at //www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/baggage/ delayed.aspx and return it to us with the required documentation included. //csmcbagapp.nam.coair.com/bmswtweb/Does/FileCreatedPrintPC.aspx?ref_num=144… DELAYED BAGGAGE REPORT         REFERENCE: ALBUA25876 Name:   JOHN JACKSON              Contact Number: 802-247-9999 Delivery Address: 66 MOONBROOK DR BRANDON   Email: minminvt@yahoo.com VERMONT USA 05745 Bag Tag     Description 0037387643  Soft-Side Upright suitcase 0037387657  Non-Zippered, hard side horizontal suitcase

Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have read.

Genetic testing offers people insight into the types of diseases they are most likely to develop — but a new study suggests most people do not alter their lifestyles based on this information. These tests — known as genome sequencing — analyze a person's DNA, telling patients about their known risk for diseases like cancer or diabetes. But being told you're at a higher risk for lung cancer doesn't seem to motivate anyone to quit smoking or alcohol, this study suggests. Because of this, the scholars argue that genetic testing should be banned as a tool for improving people's health.

Today's finding came from pulling data from 18 other studies that followed people after they received the results of genetic tests. Receiving information about genetic risks didn't inspire people to eat differently, exercise more, or stop smoking, "Expectations have been high that giving people information about their genetic risk will empower them to change their behavior, but we have found no evidence that this is the case," study author Theresa Marteau, director of behavior and health research said in a press release.

Genetic testing, which the National Institutes of Health says costs anywhere from $100 to $2,000, has become much more accessible as commercial testing companies such as 23andMe and Sure Genomics have sprung up. These companies are not allowed to share disease risk estimates with consumers thanks to the Food and Drug Administration. However, today's study didn't specify whether the genetic testing were purely from academic sequencing, or if any of these companies had had a role in supplying the data.

Genetic testing doesn't get people to change their behavior for the better, but it doesn't have any known negative effects either. Knowing the results of these tests didn't change people's depression or anxiety levels. And there's no indication that testing inspires people to pick up risky or dangerous health habits either, the study found.

Actually a genetic predisposition to a certain disease is common among people.  Some people are born weak in heart. Some are innately vulnerable in digestive system. But these most common risk factors usually don't raise a person's chances of getting the disease by a significant amount. It's possible that some of the patients in the study had substantially high disease risks based on their DNA profile, but those patients tend to be rather rare. "It's still likely that communicating this type of information is very valuable to some people, but it's just that there aren't that many of those people," Zikmund-Fisher from the University of Michigan said. "The idea that providing genetic risk information is going to be transformative to everyone seems unlikely."

Read the passage carefully. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.

Is Multitasking Always Good?

Not only do smart-phones provide unrestricted access to information, they provide perfect opportunities to multitask. Any activity can be accompanied by music, selfies or social media updates. Of course, some people pick poor times to tweet or text, and lawmakers have steeped in. In Honolulu, it's illegal to text or even look at your phone while crossing the street, and in the Netherlands they've banned texting while biking.

You need to self-regulate. Understanding how the brain multitasks and why we find multitasking so appealing will help you realize the danger or pulling out your phone.

Multitasking feels like doing two things at the same time, so it seems the danger lies in asking one mental process to do two unrelated things -- for texting drivers, watching the screen and the road.

Twenty states have instituted bans on driving using a hand - held phone while still allowing hands - free calls. Yet hands - free or hand - held makes no difference. The real problem is the switch of attention between the conversation and road, and that affects performance.

Please sense this, and when on the phone they drive slower and increase their following distance, but they are far too confident that these measures reduce risks. This overconfidence extends to other activities. A 2015 survey showed that a majority of students who use social media, text or watch TV while studying think that they can still comprehend the material they're studying.

People multitask merely because they see no harm in it; they see benefits.  Most people will still choose to multitask. But they should, at the very least, be fully aware of how that choice affects them and the potential consequences for themselves and others. They need to pay attention to how much -- or how little -- they are paying attention.

A. But legislation (法律) won't ban all situations in which multitasking is unwise.

B. They multitask for efficiency, to fight boredom or to keep up with social media.

C. Forty - eight states have banned texting while driving.

D. However, texting while biking seems so undemanding as to be harmless.

E. They damage driving equivalently as far as external dangers go.

F. Instead of multitasking, they take more rest breaks and get a social media fix during a break.

Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

The Psychology of Spending

Dr. Thomas Gilovich, psychology professor at Cornell University, has studied the psychology of spending for over 20 years. According to Dr. Gilovich," We buy things to make us happy, and we succeed, but only for a while. New things are exciting to us at first, but then we adapt to them." In other words，once the freshness of our newest purchase wears off, we begin looking for something else to buy to make us happy.

Dr. Gilovich found that our satisfaction with possessions fades over time. Yet our happiness over things we've experienced increases. For that reason, he has concluded that we are spending our money on the wrong things. A study out of San Francisco State University agrees. The research showed that those people who spent money on experiences instead of possessions were happier. They also thought their money was better invested.

To begin with, activities like a trip, adventure, hobby, etc. tend to bring the participants together and unite them over a shared interest. According to Gilovich, "We consume experiences directly with other people." As a result, these experiences typically create a positive link and good feelings toward the other person or people.

Besides, your experience shows others who you are and what you are. For example, you might be someone who loves taking cooking classes. More than likely, you'll become known by friends and family as a great cook. They won't know you as someone who owns the latest kitchen equipment.

Lastly, planned experiences arc frequently something we look forward to. Then when the moment arrives, if we enjoy the time involved in the activity, we're left with fond memories. These memories will often last a lifetime. Even our worst trips, on many occasions, arc later remembered with laughter.

科学家们下定决心要不惜一切代价完成这项艰巨的任务。(determine)

如今，购物中心成了最时尚的购物场所，它提供各式各样的商品和娱乐。(variety)