[英语]甘肃省天水一中2014-2015学年高一上学期期末考试

天水一中2014-2015学年第一学期高一期末考试试卷

英 语

第I卷（选择题）

第一部分 阅读部分(共2节，满分30分)

第一节 阅读理解(共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

When building houses, people used to think about not only the climate of the areas but also the building materials and the fashions for their houses. However, since electricity became more and more expensive, people began to pay much more attention to the energy they could get for their houses and the new ways they could find to protect their houses from both cold and heat. Houses of an old yet new type have been widely built. In some parts of the world, people share their houses with their livestock (家畜). During cold weather, they gather their cows, goats, or other animals and keep them on the first floor of their houses. The reasons are that the animals can be protected from the cold and that they can help to heat the houses as well. The body heat given off by the animals rises to the second floor of the houses, where people live. By sharing their houses with their livestock, people gain a source of heat.

People who live in or near cities do not usually keep livestock. However, home builders use the fact that heat rises. This natural law can be used in building houses in these areas. Instead of keeping livestock on the first floor, builders fill it with large rocks. As they are open to the sun’s rays during cold weather, these rocks take in heat. They also give off the heat, and, of course, the warm air rises into the living areas of the houses. So these houses are energy saving.

House building becomes a great challenge to building designers and energy engineers. They try to meet this challenge by learning from old traditions and by using modern technology. And someday in the future, people will be able to live in more energy saving houses. 1．What did people begin to consider as electricity was no longer cheap?

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A．The climate of their areas B．The energy for their houses C．The fashions for their houses D．The building materials for their houses

2．People in some areas gain a source of heat by _________. A．Keeping their livestock downstairs B．Protecting their livestock from the cold C．Sharing their houses only with their cows D．Living on the second floor with their livestock

3．The underlined words “natural law” in the third paragraph refer to the fact that ________. A．Heat raises the temperature in the houses B．Heat goes in the upward direction C．Heat goes up if temperature is raised D．Heat increases the temperature of rocks 4．From the passage, we can conclude that __________.

A．People will no longer consider building materials in the future B．Energy saving buildings will become more popular in the future C．Almost all people will move into the houses heated by large rocks

D．Energy engineers will devote themselves only to modern technology.

B

The arts, especially music, should be part of every school’s lessons at every grade level. Students would be much smarter if they had some musical experience. They could improve their classroom skills, like paying attention and following directions. People develop all these skills when they learn music. Making music also lets children use their imagination. It provides students with a chance to try out their own ideas.

Music not only makes children better students, but also gives them something positive to do. In a music program, children can be part of a band instead of joining a gang (团伙). Parents can enjoy listening to their children’s music instead of seeing them glued to a computer or TV screen. In a school band, students get to be part of a team. They can get along well with old friends and

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make new friends through music.

Music builds self-confidence, too. It gives children a sense of achievement and success. Making music is something for them to be proud of, and it lets kids practice performing in front of an audience. Music gives children an opportunity for self-expression, and that helps develop their self-confidence.

Once again, music is important because it can make children better students, give them something positive to do, and build their character. That is why music should be offered in every single grade in every school.

5．What does the underlined phrase “glued to” in the second paragraph mean? A．unwilling to turn on C．unwilling to leave

B．always looking D．always playing

6．The third paragraph mainly tells us that music could _______________. A．give children self-expression and self-confidence B．bring to children achievement and success C．give children something to be proud of D．develop children’s self-confidence 7．What’s the best title of this passage？ A．Music is a must as a course at school B．Music builds children’s self-confidence C．Music makes students much smarter D．Learning music and making music

C

Reading to oneself is a modern activity which was almost unknown to the learned in the early days of the history, while during the fifteenth century the term “reading” undoubtedly meant reading aloud. Only during the nineteenth century did silent reading become popular.

One should be careful, however, of supposing that silent reading came about simply because reading aloud is distraction（分散注意力）to others. Examination of reasons connected with the historical development of silent reading shows that it became the usual mode of reading for most adult reading tasks mainly because the tasks themselves changed in character.

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The last century saw a gradual increase in literacy（读写能力）and thus in the number of readers. As readers increased, so the number of listeners dropped, and thus there was some reduction in the need to read aloud. As reading for the benefit of listeners grew less common, so came the popularity of reading as a private activity in such public places as libraries, trains and offices, where reading aloud would disturb other readers in a way.

Towards the end of the century there was still heated argument over whether books should be used for information or treated respectfully, and over whether the reading of material such as newspapers was in some way mentally weakening. Indeed this argument remains with us still in education. However, whatever its advantages are, the old shared literacy culture had gone and was replaced by the printed mass media on the one hand and by books and magazines for a specialized readership on the other.

By the end of the century students were being advised to have some new ideas of books and to use skills in reading them which were not proper, if not impossible, for the oral reader. The social, cultural, and technological developments in the century had greatly changed what the term “reading” referred to.

8. The development of silent reading during the nineteenth century showed_______. A. a change in the position of literate people B. a change in the nature of reading C. an increase in the number of books D. an increase in the average age of readers 9. Educationalists are still arguing about__________. A. the importance of silent reading

B. the amount of information provided by books and newspapers C. the effects of reading on health

D. the value of different types of reading material 10. What is the writer of this passage attempting to do? A. To explain how present day reading habits developed. B. To change people’s way to read.

C. To show how reading methods have improved. D. To encourage the growth of reading.

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