24-hour roadside empire, with a 100-seat restaurant, a petrol station, a mini shopping market, a car park for mobile homes and all-night self-help laundry.
Hilton was a pioneer in a 24-hour working trend, ___36___ has now caught on around the world. Today not only restaurants but also banks, supermarkets, mail-order firms, travel agencies and many other businesses are beginning to be open all night. But is this really a good thing?
So far, a lot of research __37____(do) in America on the effect of 24-hour working, and there is growing concern about the long-term dangers of society that doesn’t sleep. Americans are said to be sleeping 20% less than ___38___ did 100 years ago, and 55% claim to suffer at least occasionally from over-tiredness. Several of the ___39___(bad) man-made disasters happened in the last few hours before dawn, when even the most experienced night-worker has difficulty ___40___(stay) awake. Section B
Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A. basic B. C. D. E. F. contribute applicants extraordinary distinguish private G. expose
H. shifted I. challenges J. specialty K. favored Many of us grow up dreaming of becoming an astronaut. Ever wonder what it takes to be one？
Take NASA for example.
In order to catch NASA’s eye, would-be astronauts must not only stand out in required skills and pass physical and psychological exams, but also find unique ways to ___41___ themselves from the harsh competition.
NASA’s requirements for becoming an astronaut have changed over the years. Originally, it ___42___ candidates with a military flight background, with at least 1000 hours spent in command of a jet aircraft. In 1978, however, NASA ___43___ its focus to a more varied group of astronauts: scientists and engineers with at least three years of experience in their respective fields.
During the years of shuttle missions, everyone had a ___44___: some would focus on robotics, others on spacewalks or maintenance. To walk on the space station, astronauts must be able to perform all tasks, which encourage ___45___ to acquire different experiences. Jeanette Epps, an astronaut, studied aerospace engineering, worked at Ford Motor Company and took a job with the CIA before joining NASA, She says astronauts’ varied backgrounds __46____ to their ability to adapt and learn anything quickly.
After ensuring that candidates are U.S citizens and that they satisfy ___47___ education and experience requirements, the selection committee enters a gray area. “We’re not really looking for one thing, just a good mix of things,” said Duane Ross, the manager for astronaut candidate selection and training.
To the committee, candidates who take on ___48___ outside of the workplace demonstrate curiosity and energy. Many astronauts who don’t have a military background do hold a(n)__49____ piloting license. Some are enthusiastic mountain climbers, scuba divers or skiers. Other are musicians, dancers, or play competitive sports. Choosing to __50____ themselves to different, extreme environments counts as another way to stand out from the crowd.
III Reading Comprehension（39分） Section A
Directions: 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.
Specialists say that it is not easy to get used to life in a new culture. “Culture shock” is the term these specialists ____51____ when talking about the feelings that people have in a new environment. There are three stages of culture shock, say the specialists. In the first stage, the newcomers like their new environment. Then, when the fresh experience ____52____, they begin to hate the city, the country, the people, and everything else. In the ____53____ stage, the newcomers begin to adjust to their surroundings and, as a result, ____54____ their life more.
There are some obvious factors in culture shock. The weather may be ____55____. The customs may be different. The public ____56____ systems—the telephone, post office, or transportation—may be difficult to work out. The most simple things seem to be big ___57_____. The language may be difficult.
Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that. But culture shock ____58____ most people. Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who ____59____ had any difficulties in their home countries and were successful in their community. Coming to a new country, these people find they do not have the same ___60_____ positions. They find themselves without a role, ____61____ without an identity. They have to build a new self-image.
Culture shock gives rise to a feeling of disorientation (迷惘). This
feeling may be homesickness. When homesick, people feel like staying ___62_____ all the time. They want to protect themselves for the strange environment, and create an escape inside their room for a sense of ____63____. This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the ____64____ term, but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture. Getting to know the new environment and ____65____ experience—these are the long-term solutions to the problem of culture shock.
51. A. discover 52. A. comes misses
53. A. key
B. second
C. different
D. last
D.
B. spend B. dies
C. know
D. use
D.
C. appears
54. A. satisfy find
55. A. unpleasant reliable
56. A. service relation 57. A. things questions
58. A. exhausts meets
59. A. seldom always
60. A. correct established 61. A. almost
B. realize C. enjoy
B. lovely C. warm D.
B. society C. communication D.
B. ones C. problems D.
B. surprises C. ruins D.
B. ever C. once D.
B. central C. competitive D.
B. nearly C. hardly D. mostly
62. A. outside sleeping 63. A. safety
D. regret
B. inside C. alone D.
B. silence C. loneliness
64. A. long fixed
B. short C. full D.
65. A. gaining providing
Section B
B. offering C. making D.
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read. (A)
“It seems likely that a caged elephant would miss the wilderness it was born into.” A six-year study revealed.
British and Canadian scientists studied 4500 elephants in European zoos and compared them with elephants living in the wild. They found that wild elephants are healthier, live longer and reproduce more than those elephants in zoos.
When it comes to living in a zoo, “many species do well but elephants don’t,” said Georgia Mason, one of the researchers of the study. Many animals live longer in zoos than they do in the wild. This isn’t surprising when you consider that zoo animals are not threatened by predators(掠食者), always have plenty to eat, and have professionals on hand to care for them.
上海市金山中学2024学年高二英语下学期期中试题
