湖南省永州市2019-2020学年高二上学期英语期末考试试卷

    Caves (洞穴) have a primary appeal — they hold the secrets to our past and are mysterious in and of themselves.

    Mammoth Cave

    Kentucky, USA

    The longest cave system in the world lies beneath the Green River Valley in Kentucky and while over 400 miles of passageways have been mapped, it has yet to be fully discovered. The complex limestone labyrinth (石灰岩迷宫) was discovered by humans 4,000 years ago.

    Blue Grotto

    Capri, Italy

    Once used as the personal swimming hole for the Roman Emperor Tiberius, this extremely bright sea cave is almost 200 feet long and 82 feet wide. Its unique glow comes from the light entering the small opening to the outside.

    Avshalom Cave Nature Reserve

    Beit Shemesh, Israel

    Also known as the Soreq Cave Nature Reserve Avshalom is considered to be the Rosetta Stone of climate history in the Eastern Mediterranean through the packed stalactites (钟乳石) found in the cave, some of which are over 13 feet long, and are as old as 300,000 years.

    Cave of the Crystals

    Naica, Mexico

    This unique cave system in Mexico contains some of the largest natural crystals (水晶) ever found—the longest of which is 39 feet long and 13 feet thick. However, it is rarely explored due to logistical difficulties: it is extremely hot due to its location above a volcanic vent, and the huge crystals block also block the passage.

    "I had no intention to adopt a cat that day. I just liked being around animals." Miranda says. But when she saw Nala in her metal cage, "We made eye contact and I couldn't resist (抗拒) her big blue eyes." At that point, "Nala was so small. I asked the shelter if I could hold her. Once I had Nala in my arms, Nala looked up at me and licked (舔) my face." And that was when she knew she had to take this kitty home.

    Still, Miranda never imagined Nala would become an Insta-star. "I started Nala's Instagram account in 2012 as a way to share photos with my close friends and family in Thailand," she explained. The possibility of Nala gaining attention beyond that small group of people hadn't occurred to her until it happened.

    Miranda says, "Each time Nala's photo was featured on Instagram's popular page, her account would gain 1,000 new followers." From there, Nala's popularity snowballed. Large nationwide brands messaged Miranda about hiring Nala to do ads. "This took us by surprise because we couldn't believe that a big brand wanted to pay them to take photos with their products next to Nala".

    Nala started life out in a shelter, just waiting to be loved like many other animals that were abandoned. Today that dream has surely come true. Nala has over 4 million followers on Instagram, which earned her the title "Guinness World Records Most Popular Cat on Instagram."

    In addition to managing her Insta fame, Nala is being asked to test various cat food brands. More importantly, "Nala is our chance to share the love to help create a better life for other animals, so they can grow well and bring joy to the world like Nala has."

    Two little girls who are lovely in Britain are bringing thousands of people together to sign a petition (请愿书) demanding that Burger King and McDonald's stop giving away free plastic toys.

    With the help of their mother, nine-year-old Ella and seven-year-old Caitlin started an online petition in order to persuade the fast food giants (巨头) to do away with the wasteful toys that come with Happy Meals and Junior Meals.

    Since starting the petition, the youngsters have got over 350,000 signatures of their 500,000 goal, and the call to action has already received further support from adults and children.

    "We've been learning all about the environment at school and the problem of plastic. It made us very sad to see how plastic harms wildlife and pollutes the ocean, and we want to change this," reads the petition. "That's why we want Burger King and McDonald's to think of the environment and stop giving away plastic toys with their kids meals."

    "We like to go to eat at Burger King and McDonald's, but children only play with the plastic toys for a few minutes before they get thrown away and harm animals and pollute the sea. We want anything they give us to be environmentally friendly so we can protect the planet for ourselves and for future generations," they continued.

    In addition to the girls making a convincing argument, the amount of signatures on the petition almost doubled after reporters with the BBC's War on Plastic followed the young activists to the McDonald's headquarters in order to present the petition.

    Since the little girls' story started being picked up by international news outlets, Burger King and McDonald's have emailed statements to CNBC detailing their plans for making their free toys more environmentally friendly.

    A new device (设备) called Orion is helping those who are blind to see. It does this in a new way by helping them experience the world around them.

    Jason Esterhuizen lost his eyesight after a car accident. He never thought he would be able to see light or movement again. But now with the movement of a switch (开关), his world suddenly grew brighter.

    He says, "I still can't put it into words. I mean from being able to see absolutely nothing, it's completely black, to all of a sudden seeing little flickers (闪烁) of light move around." It is not full or normal sight, but Esterhuizen can move about in the world around him.

    The new technology uses several parts. One is a small device placed in the brain. The other parts are a video camera on sunglasses and a processing device that can be carried in a person's clothes. When the user points the camera, a signal goes to the processor (处理器) and then back to the glasses. The glasses then are in wireless communication with the device in the brain. The information causes a pattern to develop in the part of the brain. The pattern helps users sense or see movement and shapes of light. And it all happens in seconds.

    Esterhuizen is one of just two people in the U.S. testing this technology. He says that "I can tell someone moving across the room, walking past me or walking away from me, or it's a light against the wall. It is just amazing to have some form of functional vision again." He adds that now he can do everyday activities around his home that he once could not. It is easier to walk outside.

    The researchers believe that one day this technology could help people who have lost their vision because of illnesses like diabetes. It may also help those with poor vision or who were born blind.

Four habits of happy people

    While the recent research has shown that about 60 percent of our baseline (基本) level of happiness is probably genetically determined, it means 40 percent is under our control. You can't go back and get new genes. . Here are the good habits of happy people.

    Spend time outside. If you can clock 20 minutes a day outside, studies show you'll not only maintain a better mood, but your mind will be more open and you'll improve your working memory. .

    Exercise regularly. All exercise releases endorphins (脑内肽) in your brain, and if you work out regularly, this mood boosts（增强）even carries over to non-workout days. . Mood stays about the same on days they don't.

    . A study has confirmed that when people actively try to be happy, they raise their baseline moods, making them feel happier than those who do not try. In the study, two sets of participants listened to "happy" music. Those who actively tried to feel happier reported the highest level of positive mood afterwards.

    Care for others. . Volunteer work is good for both mental and physical health. People of all ages who volunteer are happier and experience better physical health and less depression.

A. Exercise is easy to do.

B. Put effort into being happy.

C. People around you impact your mood.

D. Sunshine and fresh air make you feel good too.

E. But you can start a good morning over with a new attitude.

F. People who spend time every month helping others are happier.

G. On exercise days, people's mood is significantly improved after exercising.

    Shreyaa Venkat's desire for helping others started as soon as she could walk. Her parents,1volunteers themselves, brought her along to attend their various voluntary projects. By fifth grade, she'd developed such2for volunteering that she started setting up her own service3NEST4US in her area.

    "There was a homeless man holding a sign saying4. Need Food'," she remembers. "So I5him my lunch and he was extremely6. It was so easy because it only took me thirty7, and it really helped him." Hunger is just one of the many8realities of living. But this small act 9 her to find a way to get food to the people in10.

    It's too easy for people living on the margins (边缘) of society to feel like they are invisible (隐形的) and no one11 them. Venkat knew what they needed was not12food. So she took action and13lots of volunteers to write14of love, encouragement and optimism, which are then15to the donations. Recently a homeless man has kept every note he'd16, saying, "They really help me17up and know people are concerned about me."

    In her 17 years on the earth, Venkat has done more to help the people living on the planet than many adults who are two, three, and four times her18. The non-profit organization she19has helped serve over 12,000 homeless people by20food and other supplies.

    Do you find difficult to build friendships? Are you shy when you meet someone for the first time? If so, then don't worry. Studies show that very few people are ( natural) gifted when it comes to (make) friends. So for those of us who have a problem, here is a quick and simple summary of what the experts have to say.

    First of all, don't forget (smile). Smiling makes everyone appear more (attract). It also helps the other person to relax. First impressions are of great (important), so try to remember the name of the person you have just met and use it in your conversation. Doing this often (send) a signal that you want to get to know the person. Above all, experts say it is important to show a genuine interest the other person. If you ask questions to find out he or she likes, you will find your popularity will increase. A lot of people experience unnecessary anxiety when meeting new people. Try following these valuable (tip) and don't forget that the other person probably wants to make friends just as much as you do!

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。

    Each student are supposed to give a duty report in our English lessons. The report is usually delivered at beginning of the class. It was my turn to give one on last Friday. I spent a lot of time prepare for it in advance. However, as soon as I started to speak, I felt such nervous that I spoke in a low voice and in broken English. I even didn't dare to look at my classmate. After a short while, seeing his teacher's trustworthy smiling face, I gain much encouragement and confidence. Final, I managed to make it. I've learnt that he which dares to have a try will succeed.

1）讲座时间、地点。

2）讲座内容：中西文化差异。

3）告知是否参加讲座。

注意:1）词数100左右；

2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

3）开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数。

Dear Tom,

Yours,

Li Hua