2019年新高三年级9月开学摸底考试卷

B. If you’re fond of drinking, then Kuwait is not an ideal destination. C. You’re not advised to travel in Iran due to its high cost.

D. Mongolia is a beautiful country with much experience in hosting tourists. 23.Where does this passage probably come from? A. A news report. B. A lecture speech. C. An advertisement. D. A text book.

B

The world’s insects are hurtling down the path to extinction, threatening a “catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems”, according to the first global scientific review. More than 40% of insect species are declining and a third are endangered, the analysis found. The rate of extinction is eight times faster than that of mammals, birds and reptiles.

“It should be of huge concern to all of us, for insects are at the heart of every food web. They pollinate the large majority of plant species, keep the soil healthy, recycle nutrients, control pests, and much more. Love them or loathe them, we humans cannot survive without insects, ” said Prof Dave Goulson at the University of Sussex in the UK.

The analysis, published in the journal Biological Conservation, says intensive agriculture is the main drive of the decline, particularly the heavy use of pesticides. Urbanization and climate change are also significant factors.

One of the biggest impacts of insect loss is on the many birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish that eat insects. A small number of adaptable species are increasing in number, but not nearly enough to outweigh the big losses.

Matt Shardlow, at the conservation charity Buglife, said, “It is gravely sobering to see this collation of evidence that demonstrates the pitiful state of the world’s insect populations. It is increasingly obvious that the planet’s ecology is breaking and there is a need for an intense and global effort to stop and reverse these dreadful trends.”

24.What does “are hurtling down ” underlined mean?

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A. To climb very slow in a straight direction. B. To move very fast in a particular direction. C. To become lower in value or level quickly. D. To speed up suddenly in a particular direction.

25.According to the passage, ________ doesn’t cause the decline of the insects. A. intensive agriculture B. urbanization C. climate change D. pests control

26.In Paragraph 4, the author wants to stress the decline of insects________. A. by giving the examples B. by making the comparison C. by giving the definition D. by making the explanation 27.What is the main idea of the text?

A. Sharply decreasing insects numbers threaten the damage of nature. B. The impacts will be brought by the insect loss.

C. The effective measures are taken to stop the scary trends. D. The leading factors that cause insects decline.

C

How to Make Friends, According to Science

Friendship is one of life’s most important features, and one too often taken for granted. The human desire for companionship may feel boundless, but research suggests that our social capital is finite — we can only handle a certain number of relationships at one time. Social scientists have used some creative approaches to measure the size of people’s social networks; these have returned estimates ranging from about 250 to about 5,500 people. Looking more specifically at friendship, a study using the exchange of Christmas cards to test closeness put the average person’s friend group at about 121 people. However vast our networks may be, our inner circle tends to be much smaller. The average American trusts only 10 to 20 people. Moreover, that number may be shrinking: From 1998 to 2017, the average number of trusted friends decreased

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from three to two. This is both sad and of important consequence, because people who have strong social relationships tend to live longer than those who don’t.

So what should you do if your social life is lacking? Here the research is instructive. To begin with, don’t refuse to consider the humble acquaintance（交情）. Even interacting with people with whom one has weak social ties has a meaningful influence on well-being. Beyond that, building deeper friendships may be largely a matter of putting in time. A recent study out of the University of Kansas found that it takes about 50 hours of socializing to go from acquaintance to casual friend, an additional 40 hours to become a “real” friend, and a total of 200 hours to become a close friend.

If that sounds like too much effort, renewing inactive social ties can be especially rewarding. Reconnected friends can quickly recapture the trust they previously built, while offering each other a dash of novelty（新奇）drawn from whatever they’ve been up to in the meantime. And if all else fails, you could start randomly to tell secrets to people you don’t know that well. Self-disclosure makes us more likable, and as a bonus, we are more likely to favor those to whom we have revealed our soul.

Longing for closeness and connection is common and everywhere, which suggests that most of us are stumbling（跌跌撞撞）through the world, expecting companionship that could be easily provided by the lonesome stumblers all around us. So set aside this article, turn to someone nearby, and try to make a friend.

28.From Paragraph 2, we can know that . A. a strong social relationship can guarantee a long life B. real friendships are based on the exchange of presents C. people’s inner circle is decreasing despite large social networks D. people’s social networks depend on their desire for companionship 29.What does the author suggest to improve one’s social life? A. Sharing secrets with close friends. B. Choosing likable people as friends. C. Avoiding the humble acquaintance. D. Spending time for deeper friendships.

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30.What is the passage mainly about? A. The tips on how to develop friendship. B. The reasons for seeking companionship. C. The benefits brought by a good social life. D. The relationship between friendship and happiness.

31.The author helps readers better understand his idea mainly by . A. using research results B. making comparisons C. giving some examples D. telling personal stories

D

Last fall, I happened to overhear a student telling the others he had decided not to sign up for an introductory philosophy course. The demands of his major, he said seriously, meant he needed to take “practical” courses, and “enlightenment” would simply have to wait. For now, employability was the most important.

The students’ conversation fits into a larger alarming narrative about the role of the humanities in higher education. In a time of dizzying technological achievement and of rapid scientific innovation, sceptics of the humanities may question the usefulness of studying Aristotle, the Italian Renaissance or Chinese fiction.

Actually, I regret not interrupting that student to argue for taking that introductory philosophy course. I would have started by reminding him that, for much of America’s history, college graduates were not considered truly educated unless they had mastered philosophy, literature, political theory and history. The key role of higher education was to invite students into the conversations about matters like what it means to be alive and the definition of justice. Fostering engagement with these subjects is still an essential part of the university’s function in society.

I would have also mentioned to the student that he was misinformed about the job market. It is true that many employers are looking for graduates with specialized technical skills, but they also look for other capabilities. As the world is transformed by artificial intelligence, machine learning and automation, the unique human qualities of creativity, imagination and moral reasoning will be the ultimate coin of the realm. All these skills are developed in humanities courses. 8 / 24