河南省驻马店市新蔡县第一高级中学2024-2025学年高二下学期5月月考英语试题

新蔡县第一高级中学2024-2025学年高二下学期5月份月考

英语试题

一、听力（略）

二、阅读理解（每小题2.5分 共计50分）

A

Best books chosen by Pagan Kennedy

Pagan Kennedy is an all-round individual widely known for her work as an author, journalist, and speaker. Below are the books she recommends offering hope and companionship in dark times.

Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman (2021). In 1961 a wall went up around East Berlin in the middle of the night, preventing almost everyone from fleeing. That step into fascism (法西斯主义) inspired a group of students to engineer an escape route, digging a tunnel that snaked from a basement in East Berlin to freedom. Merriman has reconstructed a lost history that unfolds like a heist movie (盗匪电影).

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin (1956). Baldwin tends to be remembered as an essayist and author of The Fire Next Time. But if you’re exploring his work, consider starting with this novel, a page-turner about people trying to live their truth in the 1950s.

Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe (2021). I was sucked into this book because I couldn’t look away from its characters’ evil. In a lightning war of brilliant reporting, Keefe reveals how the most sinful members of the Sackler family built a Big Pharma empire and pushed opiates (鸦片) into doctors’ offices and eventually the streets.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985). Years ago, Atwood asked herself a question, “If you wanted to seize power in the United States and set up a dictatorship, how would you go about it?” The 2017 TV adaptation of this novel was excellent, but you should really hold the story in your hand and read it. After all, it portrays a terrible society in which women have lost the right to even touch a book.

1. What is special about Tunnel 29 according to the text?

A. It was created by James Baldwin. B. It is based on a true-life story of escape.

C. It was written to oppose fascism directly. D. It has been adapted into a popular movie.

2. What attracted Pagan Kennedy to Empire of Pain?

A. The evil figures within the narrative.

B. The author’s brilliant writing style.

C. The book’s focus on scientific innovation.

D. The exposure of the Sackler family’s business model,

3. Why does Pagan Kennedy suggest reading The Handmaid’s Tale?

A. Because its TV adaptation is not as good as the book.

B. Because it describes a unique power-seizing process in the US.

C. Because it helps people understand the current social situation better.

D. Because it shows a terrifying society where women’s rights are severely restricted.

B

From Santa Barbara to Scotland, strangers are becoming friends by going on bike rides together. They get paired up by Cycling Without Age, an organization that helps seniors go for bike rides, even if they can’t pedal themselves.

Hugh Lyon and David Lawrence, who are roughly 20 years apart in age, have been riding together for years. The 56-year-old Lawrence serves as a “pilot”, driving the trishaw — a bike with a passenger scat in the front that Cycling Without Age uses for their rides. They go for rides about once a week often discussing the history of their town.

“Despite my departed parents it gives me a connection with people from an older generation.” said Lawrence. “And I enjoy spending time with them and hearing their stories.”

The pair have formed a friendship outside of cycling. Lawrence said he called Lyon often and went to the gym with him to help him with exercises he couldn’t do on his own.

Ole Kassow, who founded Cycling Without Age, said that’s the power of the program. “The truly powerful thing about these bike rides is that they tie people and stories together to create new relationships.” he told CBS News. “My friendships and the ability to form new relationships at any age are what define a good life, and often also a long and happy life.”

John Boettner started the Santa Barbara chapter. He has one rule for passengers. “They say, ‘What does it cost if I’m going to go for a ride?’ I say. ‘Here’s what it costs: You have to wave. If you don’t wave, I’m going to kick you out,’” he joked. He said he liked when they hit red lights, because it gave them a chance to connect with people on the road. “Driving the trishaw is the best advertisement for Cycling Without Age”, Boettner said. “When you take a 101-year-old woman for a bike ride and she holds your hand tight and says thank you and gives you a kiss on the cheek, it doesn’t get any better than that.”

4. What does the term “pilot” refer to in the text?

A. A driver of a trishaw. B. A group leader.

C. A test version of a project. D. A professional airplane operator.

5. What is the main benefit of the bike rides for the younger riders?

A. They learn more about world history.

B. They get paid for their time.

C. They form connections with the elderly.

D. They improve their cycling skills.

6. Who first started Cycling Without Age?

A. Hugh Lyon. B. David Lawrence. C. John Boettner. D. Ole Kassow.

7. Why does John Boettner require passengers to wave during the bike rides?

A. To keep them awake. B. To make them exercise.

C. To promote the program. D. To signal to other drivers.

C

The Chinese animated (动画的) movie Ne Zha 2 has become the highest-earning animated movie of all time globally since Feb.18. This shows how big and successful China’s movie industry can be, according to China Daily.

Masses of amazing visuals and exciting experience are key reasons for Ne Zha 2’s success. The movie has a huge challenge for any single studio. Instead of one company, 138 Chinese animation studios and over 4,000 professionals worked together to create the movie, including well-known giants and smaller studios, Beijing Daily reported.

Red Whale Studios from Suzhou worked on a quarter of the production of NeZha 2, making it the biggest company involved in making the movie. The beautiful scenes in the movie, like fish swimming in the waves, were created by 160 people who worked day and night for 26 months, according to the official WeChat account of the Suzhou government.

Director Yang Yu, better known as Jiaozi, explained that while international teams were initially considered for special effects, the results didn’t meet the standards. “Even top studios from international teams may use less experienced employees,” he told CCTV. Instead, he decided to let domestic teams refine the effects, ensuring the project was in expert hands.

One standout example is the work with Fantawild Animation, a film company based in Shenzhen. They were responsible for creating the attractive waterfall in the forest fight scene. Waterfalls are massive in size and have complex and ever-changing flow patterns. To make the waterfall look realistic, the team used advanced physics