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题型:阅读理解 题类:常考题 难易度:普通

江苏省苏州市五校2020届高三上学期英语12月月考试卷

阅读理解

    Retired jet engines could help clear the smog that smothered big cities.

    To land at Indira Gandhi Airport is to descend from clear skies to brown ones. New Delhi's air is poisonous. According to the World Health Organization, India's capital has the most polluted atmosphere of all the world's big cities. The government is trying to introduce rules that will curb emissions-allowing private cars to be driven only on alternate days, for example, and enforcing better emissions standards for all vehicles.

    But implementing these ideas, even if that can be done successfully, will change things only slowly. A quick fix would help. And Moshe Alamaro, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, thinks he has one. His idea is to take a jet engine, put it next to one of India's dirty coal-fired power plants, point its exhaust nozzle at the sky and then switch it on. His hope is that the jet's exhaust will disrupt a meteorological phenomenon known as "inversion", in which a layer of warm air settles over cooler air, trapping it, and that the rising stream of exhaust will carry off the tiny particles of matter that smog is composed of. Inversion exacerbates air pollution in Delhi and in many other cities, from Los Angeles to Tehran. A particularly intense example caused the Great Smog of London in 1952, when four days of air pollution contributed to 12,000 deaths.

    Dr Alamaro thinks a jet engine could punch through the inversion layer to create a "virtual chimney" which would carry the trapped pollution above it, so that it could be dispersed in the wider atmosphere. He calculates that all the emissions from a gigawatt coal-fired power plant could be lifted away using a single engine with a nozzle speed of 460 metres a second.

    However, he has not calculated whether a jet engine could disrupt the inversion layer and allow the pollution to escape the city-so he is now going to test that hypothesis. Within eight months, Dr Alamaro plans to put one of his updrafters next to a coal-fired power plant and monitor what happens using a fleet of drones. He is in discussions with Tata Group, a conglomerate with an electricity-generating arm, to run it next to one of the firm's power stations.

(1)、The second paragraph serves as _______.
A、a hook to raise reader's interest in the topic B、an introduction of the seriousness of pollution in India C、an example of slow progress of smog control in India D、a background to make the idea sound worthwhile
(2)、The idea of applying retired jet engines is most probably inspired by the fact that ______.
A、New Delhi is suffering the most serious smog worldwide B、a retired jet engine has a nozzle speed of 460 metres a second C、the inversion layer prevent the pollutants from getting away D、conventional ways to deal with air pollution are too slow
(3)、Which might be the best title of the passage?
A、New Delhi, the capital of Smog B、Air Pollution, a Global Challenge C、Air Pollution in Delhi D、Air Pollution: Blown Away
举一反三
阅读理解

New York City Tour Guide

CENTRAL PARK PHOTO TOUR $79

With Sam L.

    Come to shoot in the Central Park of New York that will allow you to take home digital postcards. This tour is a great introduction to Central Park and combines views of the bridges, lakes and skyline.

    At each stop of the photo tour, I will provide you with explanations around photography(摄影),camera settings etc. You will be able to put these tips to good use immediately.

NEW YORK RUNMNG TOUR $50

With Sebastien B.

    Love running? Love New York? Do you want to see the sites of the city? Contact me and we'll take a special tour. All you'll need to do is to put on your sports shoes and we'll be off. I'll show you my favorite running spots along the Hudson River or north of Central Park and away from all the tourists.

    If you re thinking of training for something, I'll give you the explanations and tips to make the best of your time training!

GREENWICH VILLAGE FOOD TOUR $75

With Manhattan W.

    Discover unbelievable places to eat. This is the real Greenwich Village gastronomic(美食的) experience. Along the way, find out how the village has kept its unique character throughout the years, from the Dutch and English controlled periods to today.

Tour runs every day from 12:30 PM—2:30 PM.

NEW YORK BY NIGHT PHOTO TOUR $115

With Sam L.

    We have already prepared NYC for the most unique points for you. During the -hour walking tour, we share these special comers of NYC.

    The night tour teaches night photography techniques while discovering the “darker” side of the city that never sleeps: the UN headquarters, 42nd street, Grand Central Terminal, the Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall.

根据短文内容,选择最佳答案,并将选定答案的字母标号填在题前括号内。

阅读理解

    The human beings seem to be facing a crisis (危机). After Our best Go players were defeated one by one by the artificial intelligence (AI) AlphaGo, we lost our pride of being at the top of the intelligence chain. And in October,when Saudi Arabia gave citizenship to a robot named Sophia, another privilege of being human was take away.It looks like everything that separates humans and AI is at risk fight now.

    But we keep hoping that instead of “everything ”, there's still something left in us that makes us irreplaceable.

    To Hao Jingfang, winner of the 2016 Hugo Award for Best Novelette, that “something” is our consciousness. “AlphaGo is intelligent in a certain way, but not intelligent enough to ask the important questions – Do I like playing Co? Do I want to play Go today? Why do I have to play Go when you tell me to?” she once said.In other words, computer programs don't have a choice to say “no”. They probably don't even know what a “choice” is – all they ever do is calculate.

    And to He Huaihong,a philosophy (哲学) professor at Peking University,imagination and creativity are also what make us special. A machine couldn't have come up with the theory of gravity just because it was hit by a falling apple,he said.It's human imagination that connects what seem to be completely random and irrelevant concepts,something that a machine—which works by fixed rules only—can't do,at least for now.

    This is why BBC reporter Viktor Mayer-Schonberger suggested that instead of focusing on how computers have overshadowed us on calculating abilities than humans,we should probably “consider our quality at a different end of the spectrum (光谱):creativity,originality (原创性),even plain illogical craziness,instead of hard-nosed (顽固的) logic”,he wrote.

    So maybe in the future,as artificial intelligence becomes even more intelligent,humans and A1 will learn to use each other's talents for good.If AI can handle the boring tasks like calculating and driving for us,we'll have more time to create,think,and be busy with “being human”.

阅读理解

    In the far future, robots live on Earth as humans but the population of humans is smaller than a thousand. This is a story of a repair robot R-62.

    One day, a car came to the repair factory and a human stepped out of the car.

    "Wow, a human! I have never seen a real one," said R-62.

    "Humans are quite clever. They're able to do any action they want to. They're even able to harm other human beings or organize wars, which they have been doing a lot in the history. Also they don't even have to follow orders if they don't want to," said another robot T-59 quietly to R-62.

    "How terrible it is! And almost all robots seem afraid of him and don't look at him directly," said R-62.

    The human then sat down and asked if there had been any problems in the last 10 years and he only got a quick answer, "No, sir."

    Then suddenly, R-62 said loudly, "I have one question for you."

    The human said, "Yes", a bit unhappy for not getting "sir".

    "Why do human create so many robots?" asked R-62.

    Silence followed the question and he then said, "I don't need to answer questions from robots!" He then went into his car and drove away quickly.

    "I really don't understand why humans replaced (取代)themselves with robots," asked R-62.

"Because they thought that robots were more advanced(先进的) than humans. They created us to support themselves," answered T-59.

    "But there are so few humans on Earth. What they should do is take away the robots or at least make them stop doing the work which humans are supposed to do," said R-62.

    "I agree. But we can do nothing about it. And now we have to finish repairing this car," said T-59.

    "All right, let's continue."

阅读理解

    Can dogs and cats get along well in the same home? People who are thinking about getting a dog as a friend for their cat are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found that if the cat is taken back home before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. In two-thirds of the homes cats and dogs have a good relationship.

    However, it wasn't all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression(侵略,好斗) and fighting were found in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body languages are just different. For example, when a cat turns its head away it means aggression, while a dog doing the same means submission(顺从).

    In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers found a surprising behavior. They are learning how to talk each other's language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk "Dog", and dogs can learn how to talk "Cat".

    What's interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to become smarter. They can learn to read each other's body languages, suggesting that the two may have more in common than was expected. Once familiar with each other's body language, cats and dogs can play together, and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa.

    The importance of this research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets — to people who don't get along well, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even countries. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.

阅读理解

    In my class in middle school, there was a girl who was considered the outcast of our class. No one actually knows how this exclusion originated, but we all followed it for no reason at all. One day after lunch, we girls sat on the track field, talking about little things that happened in our little lives. Someone brought her up, and soon the topic transformed to mocking the funny texture of her hair, the awkward way she walked and… I felt extremely uncomfortable but kept silent, because I didn't want to be the one “supporting” the common enemy. After all, it's just a mild ranting session among a trusted group of friends, why should I bring unnecessary tension?

    Suddenly, one of my friends pointed her finger towards somewhere behind me. All of us turned around and saw that exact girl, hand still in the air, with a twisted look on her face. She lowered her hand in slow motion, blinked really hard for a few seconds, then turned around and ran off. For a second I wanted to stand up and chase her down to tell her that no one meant what they said, and that she is an amazing person being who she is. But my legs felt so heavy: I didn't want to make a fool out of myself—why bother taking care of the class clown(小丑)? People would think that I was crazy as well!

    No one spoke a word for a long time; we were all so caught up in our thoughts. I tried opening my mouth but couldn't—no words were coming out. Then one person started talking about the weather, and all of us were more than glad to follow this flow.

    A few weeks later, the teacher told us that a classmate dropped out of school—it was that girl. Her parents told the school that it was the peer pressure that made her want to leave. The teacher wanted to know who the bully was. Again, no one spoke a word. Perhaps it was exactly this cold, hard silence that drove her away. I certainly did not raise my hand—I had never even said anything bad about her; it was my friends who loved to make fun of her awkwardness every day.

    Surely, I didn't bully her physically or with my language, but I kept silent when others did. By failing to stand up for her and offering her support, I was giving tacit(心照不宣的)agreement. This agreement made others think that it was okay to mistreat her, because “no one cares anyways”. Perhaps I did realize I was bullying her—but by convincing myself that I had nothing to do with her leaving, I wouldn't have to bear the burden of heavy shame on my shoulders.

    Real life is not like a Hollywood movie, and the protagonists don't always have the courage to compensate for our mistakes. In that classroom, my feet were glued to the ground once again, thinking of all the possibilities that could embarrass me in front of the whole class. What if she doesn't appreciate my effort and just walk off? What if she misunderstands my actions as sympathy and gets upset? Worst of all, what if my own group mates disapprove of my decision? Am I really willing to risk my friendship just to help out one girl that I've seldom spoken to?

    To be honest, I still don't have answers to these questions. I don't know if the answers to those questions even exist. However, what I do know is that nothing will change if I keep thinking and never take actions. Talking to someone in need of support would mean the world to them, while it takes little to none effort for me. So what if those actions are under appreciated? At least I will be satisfied knowing that I did the right thing.

阅读理解

    A hospital has been forced to ban Pokemon Go players from the site after a monster hub(妖怪枢纽站) was found in the A&E department. Royal Stoke University Hospital discovered that its casualty unit(急诊室) is on the same spot as a Pokemon Go 'gym' ­­ where players can train their newly caught Nintendo creatures.

    The University Hospitals of North Midlands Trust agreed last week that patients can play Pokemon Go on wards because walking around is healthy. But the Trust has been forced to post a warning on its website about public access to A&E. It said if Pokemon Go becomes a major annoyance it would ask Nintendo­­ which decides on the locations of the virtual gyms according to GPS­­to have it removed from the premises(道馆).

    Kevin Parker, associate chief nurse, said, "Members of the public who do not need to be at Royal Stoke should not attempt to enter A&E or any other part of the hospital building to play the game. The A&E department is incredibly busy this summer. We want the public to understand that anybody who visits the hospital solely to play the game will provide an unwanted distraction to the important work of the hospital. I'm also aware of various reports in the media of unsafe areas that the game has been played in."

    "Royal Stoke University Hospital is a safe area where gamers can enjoy Pokemon Go." Michelle Harris, the Trust's manager, said the game could still be played by those already in hospital. "We recognize that the Pokemon Go game encourages walking and exercise, which is something that the Trust is equally keen to promote," she said.

    There are a number of "walking routes" established throughout the Trust that can be used to combine walking and playing the game. "Walking just 30 minutes, five times a week, can help reduce the risk of preventable illnesses such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease."

    There have been several warnings about the game since its UK release. Last week a group of teenagers in Wiltshire were left stranded almost 100ft underground after they got carried away searching for Pokemon Go characters. The four boys, aged 16 and 17, ended up getting lost and had to wait to get a phone signal before they could call for help. Eventually, they contacted Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue team, who took them to safety. Damien Bence, of the fire and rescue team, said: "Pokemon Go is obviously leading people into dangerous situations."

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