上海市曹杨第二中学2025-2026学年度第二学期高二年级期中考试英语试卷

**基本信息** 试卷以科技前沿与文化传承为情境载体，覆盖语法词汇、阅读写作等模块，融合语言能力与思维品质，适配高二期中教学诊断需求。 **题型特征** |题型|题量/分值|知识覆盖|命题特色| |----|-----------|----------|----------| |语法词汇|40题/40分|名词性从句、时态、词汇辨析|结合AI、碳中和等热点，如主语从句考查"Whichever country wins..."| |阅读理解|41题/45分|经济（钻石水悖论）、科技（AI礼仪）、文化（原住民语言保护）|跨学科选材，如麦田怪圈理论对比培养批判性思维| |写作（概要/翻译/应用）|10题/30分|信息整合、汉译英、书信写作|翻译题融入"囤积者""民族遗产"等社会文化话题，应用文要求描述中国特色地方|

上海市曹杨第二中学2025-2026学年高二下学期期中考试 英语试卷 上海市曹杨二中2025学年度第二学期 高二年级期中考试英语试卷 命题人：__________ 审核人：__________、__________ 试卷共16页 4张 考生注意： 1、答卷前，考生务必将姓名、班级、学号等在指定位置填写清楚。 2、本试卷共有81道试题，满分115分，考试时间105分钟。请考生用黑色水笔或钢笔将答案直接写在答题卷上。 I. Grammar and Vocabulary Section A Directions: Beneath each of the following sentences there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one answer that best completes the sentence. 1. ______ country wins the bid to host the 2030 World Expo will attract major international investment and diplomatic attention. A. Whichever B. No matter which C. Whatever D. No matter what 2. It remains unclear ______ impact artificial intelligence will have on the global job market over the next decade, though experts predict significant changes in traditional industries. A. that B. what C. how D. whether 3. ______ China's carbon neutrality goals can be achieved by 2060 depends largely on breakthroughs in renewable energy technology and international cooperation. A. When B. What C. Why D. How 4. The research team has developed a backup AI system ______ the primary algorithm fails to process the massive climate data collected from satellites. A. so that B. in case C. now that D. as long as 5. The engineers constructed the offshore wind farm precisely ______ the environmental impact assessment recommended, minimizing disruption to marine ecosystems. A. because B. so that C. as D. unless 6. Following the successful landing of China's lunar probe on the far side of the moon, scientists remain uncertain ______ the collected samples will reveal evidence of water ice in permanently shadowed craters. A. whether B. that C. what D. when 7. The groundbreaking research report released by the World Health Organization confirms the alarming finding ______ microplastics, detected in human blood samples for the first time, may pose serious long-term health risks to multiple organ systems. A. which B. when C. how D. that 8. The International Space Station ______ be decommissioned by 2030, according to NASA's official roadmap, with plans already in place for its controlled descent into the Pacific Ocean. A. is going to B. is about to C. is to D. will 9. The lead scientist glanced at her watch nervously and whispered to her colleague, “The experimental fusion reactor ______ reach ignition temperature. Everyone needs to evacuate the observation deck immediately.” A. is going to B. is about to C. is to D. will 10. News spread rapidly across social media ______ China's homegrown large passenger aircraft C919 had successfully completed its first commercial international flight, marking a milestone in the country's aviation industry. A. that B. whether C. if D. what Section B Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits. How Schools and Teachers Can Get Better at Cultural Competence Cultural competence is described as “having an awareness of one's own cultural identity and views about difference, and the ability to learn and build on the varying cultural and community norms of students and their families.” The differences (11) ______ make individuals unique are essential elements of a society. When educators fail to acknowledge their own biases and assumptions, the obstacle of a student's developmental process is inevitable. Having good intentions is not sufficient; the actions are (12) ______ will be seen and felt by students. What one individual may view as innocent (13) ______ have harmful effects. Schools need to feel the urgency and race to end exclusionary practices by improving cultural awareness. Identify Areas for Growth — Everyone has a past and upbringing that has shaped the way they view the world. Those experiences (14) ______ are not negative, but when these experiences twist the way a person views others, an adjustment may be required. A few years ago, a teacher entered my office upset about the disposition of a student. As the student stood beside the upset teacher, I began to listen to the teacher explain the incident. What was explained was the reality that the teacher was upset with the student's disrespectful attitude. I asked for more details about the (15) ______ (perceive) disrespectful nature of the attitude. The teacher described colloquialism, tone, and a lack of eye contact. At that moment I dismissed the student and explained that the student was not being disrespectful, but rather what the teacher was experiencing was the method of communication in which the student interacts with his community. Educators must have an inner dialogue to determine what experiences have shaped the teacher's views of students. Districts must create space to have a (16) ______ (broad) discussion and be realistic about how teachers' individual bias affect the rights of students. The space for a macro conversation for the district is necessary and must be accompanied with (17) ______ cultural awareness is reflected in individual buildings. Listen and Observe — What may seem as a simple task is rarely practiced. The beginning of understanding is listening. When one is constantly talking, there is no room (18) ______ listening. As dean of school culture, I oversaw discipline at a predominantly black school. A white foreign student, frequently in trouble, complained but no one listened. Mediation revealed he felt unwelcomed and misunderstood. We failed him by not addressing his needs. Districts and educators fail at cultural awareness because listening (19) ______ (not initiate). Listen to the parents, listen to the students, listen to your peers, listen to your staff. (20) ______ what you hear confirms what you see, act. Far too often districts fail to see because they fail to listen. Section C Directions: Complete the following sentences 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. primitive B. solitary C. blissful D. loaned E. stretched F. heaped G. restorative H. submissive I. monument J. vertical K. scale 21. The negotiations ______ on for three exhausting days, with both parties refusing to compromise on key issues until a breakthrough finally came at twilight on the fourth day, when fatigue and desperation forced them to find common ground. 22. The courtroom sat in tense silence as the defense attorney presented the final piece of evidence — a timestamped security video that irrefutably placed the defendant miles away from the crime scene. In that instant, the ______ tipped decisively in favor of acquittal, and the prosecutor's once-solid case began to crumble like a house of cards. 23. The archaeologist carefully examined the ______ tools unearthed from the cave, marveling at how these crude implements — chipped stones and sharpened bones — had enabled our ancestors to survive in a hostile world thousands of years before the dawn of civilization. 24. The national museum has ______ several priceless Renaissance paintings to the international exhibition, though the decision sparked heated debate among curators who worried about the risks of transporting such fragile masterpieces across continents. 25. After decades of collaborative research, the elderly professor chose to pursue a ______ path in his final years, retreating to a remote cabin where he could meditate on the philosophical implications of his discoveries without the constant interruptions of academic conferences and peer review committees. 26. The newlyweds spent a ______ week on the secluded island, where turquoise waters lapped against pristine beaches and the only sounds were the gentle rustling of palm fronds and the distant calls of tropical birds — a perfect escape from the relentless demands of their urban careers. 27. The regime demanded absolute loyalty from its citizens, expecting them to remain ______ to authority without question, but underground resistance movements began to emerge as people grew weary of surrendering their autonomy and critical thinking. 28. The towering skyscraper stands as a ______ to human ambition and engineering prowess, its gleaming facade reflecting the city's transformation from a humble trading post into a global financial powerhouse over the span of just two generations. 29. The investigative journalist found her desk ______ with anonymous tips and leaked documents after her exposure on corporate corruption went viral, each envelope potentially containing the evidence needed to bring down an entire network of fraudulent executives. 30. The spa's new wellness program promises a truly ______ experience, combining therapeutic hot springs, deep tissue massage, and guided meditation to help exhausted patients recover from burnout and rebuild their depleted energy reserves after months of chronic stress. Section D 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. successfully B. distinct C. established D. evaluated E. consumed F. complications G. navigation H. recreate I. purposely J. comprehend K. reflective The Lighthouse of Alexandria The Lighthouse of Alexandria is often referred to as “The Pharos of Alexandria”. For as long as historical buildings have been (31) ______, the Lighthouse of Alexandria is considered to have been one of the top three tallest structures in the world. It is preceded by the two pyramids identified as “Khufu” and “Khafra”. During the years of 956, 1303, and 1323, the immense structure received damage as a result of earthquakes that occurred in the area. The citizens of the time used a mixture of fire and (32) ______ mirror like material in order to provide the lighting needed by ships to discover the port. Claims indicate that the light was so immense that ships as far out to sea as 35 miles could see the (33) ______ light coming from the mysterious lighthouse. There are also legends that the fire emitted from the port was so protective that ships that contained enemies would be (34) ______ at sea so that they would not reach the shores where the lighthouse stood. In the year of 1183, a traveler by the name of Ibn Jubayr observed the Lighthouse of Alexandria and made the following observation: “Description of it falls short, the eyes fail to (35) ______ it, and words are inadequate, so vast is the spectacle...” In the year of 1994, scuba divers that specialize in archaeology searched the water near where the magnificent structure stood. They were able to (36) ______ discover many different pieces of block and other construction materials. It is a mystery as to why the structure finally collapsed into the Mediterranean Sea. It has been (37) ______ that the fall likely occurred in the year of 1326. There are many theories about the final collapse, but many agree that the earthquakes of the area probably resulted in the (38) ______. There are many other theories that indicate the structure may have been (39) ______ destroyed due to rumors that there were great treasures buried underneath the structure. It is believed that a man identified as the “Caliph at Cairo” was told of a rumor from a neighboring port that extremely valuable treasures were under the building in order to eliminate the port as a (40) ______ system into the area. While this is just a legend, could it have been what led to the fall of the Lighthouse of Alexandria? This remains to be one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the world. II. Reading Comprehension 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. The Diamond-Water Paradox Have you ever purchased something and thought to yourself, “It's crazy how much I'm paying for this!?” This might happen more (41) ______ than you would like, based on the dozens of transactions you may make on a daily basis. Questioning some of your financial transactions may be best answered or explained through something known as the diamond-water paradox. Getting enough water to sustain life typically has a (42) ______ price, while a piece of diamond jewelry has a high price. Why does an economy put a much lower value on something vital to sustaining life compared to something that simply looks (43) ______ and sparkles? This question is the diamond-water paradox, also known as the paradox of value, and it was first (44) ______ by the economist Adam Smith in the 1700s. In his works, Smith points out that practical things that we use every day often have little or no value in exchange. Things like cups, socks, and water are a few examples. (45) ______, things that often have the greatest value in the market have little or no practical use. An example may be an old piece of art or 1920s baseball card. Other than looking at it, there isn't much else we can do with the art or baseball card. So, why are things (46) ______ this way? Understanding why the paradox exists can be (47) ______ by understanding the economic terms known as marginal utility and scarcity. Scarcity can be simply defined as how readily (48) ______ a product, skill, or service is. Is there a lot of it compared to what people are demanding? Marginal utility is the additional satisfaction or gain someone gets from using or purchasing an additional unit of a particular good or service. People are (49) ______ to pay a higher price for goods with greater marginal utility. So, let's go back to water and diamonds. There is plenty of water in most parts of the world (not scarce), which means that, as consumers, we usually have a low (50) ______ for water. In a typical situation, we aren't willing to pay a lot of money for one more drink of water. Diamonds, (51) ______, are scarce. Because they are harder to find and get, our marginal utility (additional satisfaction), for adding a diamond to our collection is much higher than someone offering us one more drink of water. If one is dying of thirst, then this paradox might not (52) ______, and the marginal utility from another drink of water would be much higher than the additional satisfaction of owning a diamond. Let's look at an example. An Example Does paying $300-$400 for an Xbox compared to $50 for a solid pair of shoes make sense? From a practical and (53) ______ standpoint, it certainly doesn't. In order to (54) ______ and enable our most basic form of transportation (walking), we need shoes to protect our feet. They are certainly more important and practical than an Xbox. The price (55) ______ comes back to the satisfaction, or marginal utility, we get from purchasing a pair of shoes compared to an Xbox. If you were in the middle of the jungle and trying to survive, you might pay more for those shoes, but until that happens, most of us will continue to pay more for our electronics! This paradox, indeed, reminds us that value is not determined by practical use alone, but by the interplay of scarcity and marginal utility. Adam Smith 亚当·斯密，英国经济学家，古典经济学之父，著有《国富论》。 Xbox 是由美国微软公司开发并于2001年发售的一款家用电视游戏机。 41. A. unconsciously B. frequently C. occasionally D. rarely 42. A. fixed B. high C. fair D. low 43. A. shiny B. dim C. rough D. smooth 44. A. neglected B. accepted C. presented D. rejected 45. A. Therefore B. Moreover C. In other words D. On the other hand 46. A. measured B. compared C. valued D. displayed 47. A. challenged B. facilitated C. replaced D. questioned 48. A. accessible B. available C. apparent D. convertible 49. A. prepared B. able C. reluctant D. willing 50. A. scarcity B. demand C. marginal utility D. expectation 51. A. however B. otherwise C. accordingly D. besides 52. A. hold B. settle C. matter D. vanish 53. A. emotional B. general C. fundamental D. survival 54. A. get around B. get over C. get together D. get across 55. A. tag B. difference C. cap D. list Section B Directions: Read the following 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) Once upon a time, in a village in La Mancha, there lived a lean, thin-faced old gentleman whose favorite pastime was to read books about knights in armor. He loved to read about their daring exploits, strange adventures, bold rescues of ladies in distress, and intense devotion to their ladies. In fact, he became so caught up in the subject of chivalry that he neglected every other interest and even sold many acres of good farmland so that he might buy all the books he could get on the subject. He would lie awake at night, absorbed in every detail of these fantastic adventures. As time went on, the old gentleman crammed his head so full of these stories and lost so much sleep from reading through the night that he lost his wits completely. He began to believe that all the fantastic and romantic tales he read about enchantments challenges, wounds and battles were true histories. At last he fell into the strangest fancy that any madman has ever had: He resolved to become himself a knight errant, to travel through the world with horse and armor in search of adventures. First, he got out some rust-eaten armor that had belonged to his ancestors, then cleaned and repaired it as best as he could. Although the head-piece of the helmet was intact, unfortunately, the visor that would have protected the face was gone. Not to be discouraged by this deficiency, however, he fashioned another out of some pieces of stiff paper and strips of iron. In his eyes it was without a doubt the most splendid helmet ever fashioned. Next he considered what glorious, high-sounding name he might give his horse, who was to bear him on his quest. For though his horse was but a tired hack, practically skin and bones, to him it appeared as magnificent as Bucephalus, the horse of Alexander the Great. After four days of inventing and rejecting various names, he at last settled on Rocinante, which he thought sounded suitably grand. He then set about to choose a suitable name for himself. After eight days of hard consideration, he decided that he would be known as Don Quixote. Following the example of many knights he admired, he decided to proclaim his native land as well, and so he called himself Don Quixote de La Mancha. Now he needed to find a lady whom he might adore and serve, for a knight without a lady is like a body without a soul. It so happened that in a neighboring village there lived a nice-looking farm girl whom he had once admired from a distance. He decided that she would be the lady of his fancy and that she should be known as Dulcinea del Toboso, a name that to his ears sounded musical and anything but ordinary. Now, with all these preparations made, Don Quixote was eager to sally forth: A whole world awaited, full of injustices to be made right and great deeds to be performed. So, clad in his rusty armor, with his improvised helmet tied to his head, Don Quixote mounted Rocinante and started out through the back of the stable yard. But then he had a terrible thought: He had never yet been dubbed a knight! He took comfort, however, in his memory of the many books of chivalry he had read and determined that, like many of the heroes in those books, which he took for truth, he would simply have himself knighted by the first person that came along. So he rode on under a hot July sun, blissfully happy in his thoughts of how, in years to come, others would read of the brave exploits of Don Quixote de La Mancha and his faithful steed, Rocinante. 56. What is the main focus of the passage? A. The old gentleman's transformation from a reader into a self-imagined knight. B. The harmful effects of excessive reading on one's mental health. C. The process of preparing equipment and choosing names for a knightly quest. D. The contrast between the old gentleman's fantasy and the reality of his situation. 57. According to the passage, why did the old gentleman sell his farmland? A. To finance his journey as a knight errant. B. To purchase more books about chivalry. C. To buy proper armor and weapons for his quest. D. To support his neglected family and estate. 58. What can be inferred about the old gentleman's mental state from the passage? A. He is fully aware of the absurdity of his plan but pursues it for entertainment. B. He has completely lost touch with reality and believes in the world of his books. C. He is deliberately pretending to be mad to escape his mundane life. D. He is temporarily confused but will likely recover once his adventure begins. 59. The phrase “anything but ordinary” in paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to ______. A. completely common B. decidedly different C. quite exceptional D. somewhat typical (B) The sun sets on a field in southern England. When it rises again the following morning, that field has been transformed into an enormous work of art. A large section of the crop has been tamped into a pattern of circles, rings and other shapes. But who created it? Are crop circles the work of alien visitors? Are they a natural phenomenon, created by electrically charged currents of air? Or are they hoaxes? Believers and naysayers each have their own theories, but the truth remains elusive. UFOs and Aliens Possibly the most controversial theory is that crop circles are the work of visitors from other planets — sort of like alien calling cards. People who agree with this theory say that the circles are either the imprint left by landing spacecraft or messages brought from afar for us earthlings. Some eyewitnesses claim to have seen UFO-like lights and strange noises coming from crop circle sites. Winds Probably the most scientific theory says that crop circles are created by small currents of swirling winds. The spinning columns force a burst of air down to the ground, which flattens the crops. But the question remains — how can a few seconds worth of spinning air create such perfectly defined crop circles? Aircraft A few researchers have theorized that small airplanes or helicopters stir up downdrafts that push the crops down into patterns. Recreation attempts so far have not been able to produce the types of downdrafts necessary to make the perfectly round edges seen in most crop circles. Earth Energy Some researchers believe that the earth creates its own energy, which forms the circles. One possible form of earth energy is electromagnetic radiation. In fact, scientists have measured strong magnetic fields inside crop circles, and visitors have sometimes reported feeling a tingling sensation in their body while in or near the circles. Humans The easiest explanation for crop circles is that they are man-made hoaxes, created either for fun or to stump the scientists. Colin Andrews, cereologist and author of the book, Circular Evidence, admits that about 80 percent of crop circles are probably man-made, but says that the other 20 percent are probably the work of some “higher force.” 60. According to the passage, which of the following theories is supported by measurable scientific evidence? A. Crop circles are created by alien spacecraft landings. B. Crop circles are formed by electromagnetic radiation from the earth. C. Crop circles are produced by downdrafts from aircraft. D. Crop circles are entirely the result of human hoaxes. 61. What can be inferred about the wind theory from the passage? A. It is widely accepted by most scientists. B. It has been proven through successful experiments. C. It is considered less scientific than the alien theory. D. It fails to fully explain the precision of crop circles. 62. Which of the following best describes Colin Andrews' attitude toward the origin of crop circles? A. He believes all crop circles are created by humans. B. He is skeptical about any non-human explanations. C. He acknowledges both human and possibly non-human causes. D. He is convinced that aliens are responsible for most crop circles. (C) One of the most unexpected things about having children is how the quest to mold perfect little humans ultimately becomes a project of making yourself a better person. Though hardly revolutionary, this epiphany came to me recently when I was talking to an inanimate object, Amazon's Echo speaker, in front of my 18-month-old Jack. “Echo, turn on the lights. Echo, set my thermostat to 72 degrees. Echo, play ‘Wheels on the Bus',” I commanded the gadget, which understands and responds to an ever growing set of orders (including, no surprise, “Echo, buy more diapers”). Every time I said “Echo,” Jack's eyes shot up to the cylinder-shaped speaker atop the refrigerator, its glowing blue halo indicating it was listening. Then, one day, the inevitable happened: “Uggo!” Jack barked. “Bus!” After I explained to Jack that it's not nice to call someone an uggo, I saw myself through my son's words — and didn't like how I looked. Sure, Echo doesn't care how you talk to it. But to Jack, I must have seemed like a tyrant. And by imitation, he became my little dictator. This dilemma is likely only to grow as voice-based artificial intelligence becomes more commonplace. Already, Apple's iPhones and iPads have Siri; Google-powered devices come with a similar feature, Google Now; and Microsoft has Cortana. Soon we'll be regularly talking to digital Moneypennys at home, work and everywhere else. Like most parents, my wife and I hope Jack grows up to be kind. Like most toddlers he needs some help with this. My exchanges with my technology have clearly been setting a bad example. But how exactly to talk to our technology is far from clear. “The issue of ‘please' is huge. It's one of the foundations of etiquette,” says Lizzie Post, president of the Emily Post Institute and the great-great-granddaughter of America's best-known arbiter of manners. “Kids model the behavior of the parent, and if you want your child to be using the word please often, you need to use it often too.” So now I say “please” as much as I can. I say it to my wife, my son's teddy bear, Siri, Echo, Cortana, even my dog. But not everybody agrees that speaking to computers the way we'd like to be spoken to is the best way forward. Oren Etzioni, CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Seattle, is one. “I don't say ‘please' and ‘thank you' to my toaster,” he argues. “Why should I say it to Echo?” Etzioni believes that the machines we have now, our smartphones and tablets, are effectively appliances. “It seems to me that we reserve politeness as a social lubricant,” he says. “It has a purpose.” And as a father, Etzioni is concerned that his son will overanthropomorphize smart devices. “I'd be worried that he'd get confused in the same way that we don't want our kids to think Superman is real and then jump off something to soar into the sky,” he says. If you've ever been fooled by an online customer-service chatbot or an automated phone system, you'll agree that this technology is evolving quickly. Coming generations will find it even harder to differentiate between bots and people, as they encounter even more artificially intelligent assistants backed by machine learning — computers that teach themselves through repeated interactions with human beings. At Microsoft, for instance, there's a personality team dedicated to helping Cortana get a better grasp of manners and mannerisms. The technology is being infused with cultural cues to make it more likable. For example, Cortana's avatar bows to Japanese users, who prefer formality. “Having a personality designed into the system, knowing some of the nuances of the way humans communicate, how they use different adjectives and how they say ‘thank you' and ‘please' — we think it's an important part of getting that overall speech and dialogue system right,” says Marcus Ash, program manager for Cortana. Meanwhile, Hound, a voice-assistant app available for a broad range of devices, not only processes the magic words (please, thank you, you're welcome, excuse me, sorry), but also softens its responses when users speak them. “When you say ‘hello' to Hound, you might hear one type of response, but when you say ‘hey' or ‘yo,' you will definitely hear a different one,” says Keyvan Mohajer, a co-founder and the CEO of SoundHound. For humans, etiquette is a kind of social algorithm for managing feelings. Computers will get better at understanding this — but that will likely take decades. Which is more than enough time for me to solve this uggo problem. 63. What is the main dilemma the author faces regarding voice-based AI? A. His son Jack cannot pronounce “Echo” correctly and calls it “Uggo”. B. His commanding tone towards AI sets a bad example for his son's behavior. C. Amazon's Echo speaker does not understand his son's voice commands. D. Voice-based AI is becoming too expensive for ordinary families to afford. 64. According to the passage, what do supporters of using polite language with AI believe? A. AI devices will eventually replace human companions in daily life. B. Children learn behavior by observing parents, so modeling politeness is important. C. Saying “please” and “thank you” can improve the performance of AI systems. D. AI technology should be designed to refuse commands without polite words. 65. What concern does Oren Etzioni express about teaching children to be polite to AI? A. Children will become too dependent on AI assistants for daily tasks. B. AI devices will start demanding more polite treatment from users. C. Children might confuse AI with real people and develop unrealistic expectations. D. Parents will spend too much time teaching manners instead of other skills. 66. What does the passage suggest about the future of human-AI interaction? A. AI will soon be able to fully understand and respond to human emotions. B. People will eventually stop using polite language with AI devices. C. It will take considerable time for AI to truly grasp human social etiquette. (D) Land rights for the indigenous are still a problem, but is it time to turn our attention to language? According to the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, ‘suppressing indigenous people's demands to a healthy environment continues to be an issue. However, there is an issue beyond land use that the human rights NGO sees as being in need of discussion, one that in fact requires more talking in general. The loss of indigenous languages around the world is a growing concern. The Rosetta Project, a network of language experts and native speakers working to preserve ‘endangered tongues', has suggested that one language is being lost to the world every three months, a trend set to continue as it calculates that 92 per cent of the world's languages are spoken by fewer than ten people each. UNESCO, meanwhile, has previously suggested that a language is becoming extinct every two weeks, and that ‘approximately 600 languages have disappeared in the last century'. As well as the rate, there is also disagreement in official circles over what actually defines language loss, with no one providing definitive criteria for when one crosses the point of no return. David Crystal, a patron for the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language, has suggested that language extinction be when ‘the last person who speaks it dies'. He states that while ‘there is nothing unusual about a single language dying,' we are witnessing language extinction ‘on a massive scale'. Providing estimates and causation theories are various key stakeholders stressing the importance of language diversity. The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues explains that ‘this threat is acutely felt by indigenous peoples'. This is due to the languages no longer being taught to emerging generations, being almost exclusively a possession of the elders. In Crystal's words, this is an issue; those speaking a language ‘are a living monument to what the community once was', a responsibility he feels the next generation should carry. While not passing a language on to a younger generation does have a major influence on its extinction, the globalization of English has also played a key role. There are currently estimated to be some 360 million English as first-language speakers across almost 100 countries worldwide. Its use in governments, academic journals and trade negotiations has aided this spread. Patricia Ryan, a long-time English teacher in the Middle East who has given many high-profile talks on the effects of English around the world, explains that while it is the ‘undisputed global language', English does not translate every view and every term used by its local counterparts, something Ryan believes is often forgotten. ‘When a language dies, we don't always know what we lose with that language,' she says. Extinction isn't always the end of the road for a language, however. The death, then later rebirth, of spoken Israeli Hebrew shows how, with concerted effort, a once-dead tongue can find a new lease of life. At the beginning of the 19th century, the language only existed in scholarly and religious written work having died out in spoken form around 200 to 400 CE. According to Claude Hagege, a noted French linguist who himself speaks some 50 languages, its revival as a spoken form used in everyday Jewish life occurred only because of the ‘strong will' of the Israeli Jews. It is now estimated that there are nine million Hebrew speakers worldwide. Campaigners such as those at the Rosetta Project are asking whether more languages should hold official status, such as Welsh. In Wales, both English and Welsh were made official languages in 1993 under the Welsh Language Act, the goal being for both tongues to carry the same importance and be widely used across the country — extinction prohibited by legislation. The legal system, road signs and education all now contain English and Welsh versions sitting side by side. A new set of goals under the Welsh government's Cymraeg 2050 strategy include the aim to create one million Welsh speakers by 2050. UNESCO is hoping similar tactics will be just as successful on a much larger scale. 2019 has been designated the International Year of Indigenous Languages. This will involve stressing the importance of linguistic diversity, stating that it ‘matters for development, peace-building and reconciliation'. The action plan for the year suggests the centrality of indigenous peoples in official decision-making, drawing on their anecdotal knowledge. There will also be an emphasis on the development of language-sharing technology. Preparation for the year has, in fact, already begun with the first official event having taken place last month. A three-day international seminar in Asunción, Paraguay was used to present the achievements of previous language policies and to detail how UNESCO was hoping to build on these results. Further, an International Decade on Indigenous Languages (covering 2020 to 2030) was also proposed to continue any targets unmet within the course of 2019. UNESCO stresses that avoiding indigenous language extinction will play ‘a vital role in the sustainable development of the communities that speak them.' 67. What is the primary concern regarding indigenous languages according to the passage? A. Indigenous people are demanding more land rights from their governments. B. Indigenous languages are disappearing at an alarming rate worldwide. C. There is disagreement over how to define language extinction accurately. D. UNESCO lacks sufficient funding to support language preservation projects. 68. According to David Crystal, what distinguishes current language extinction from historical patterns? A. Modern technology has accelerated the process of language death. B. Younger generations are more resistant to learning traditional languages. C. The scale of language extinction today is unprecedented in human history. D. Governments are now more actively involved in language preservation efforts. 69. What can be inferred about the role of English globalization in language extinction? A. English is deliberately designed to replace indigenous languages worldwide. B. English speakers intentionally ignore the cultural values embedded in other languages. C. The dominance of English in key domains inadvertently contributes to language loss. D. English is the only factor responsible for the extinction of indigenous languages. 70. The example of Hebrew revival is used to illustrate that ______. A. Language extinction can be reversed through collective determination and effort. B. All extinct languages can be revived if enough resources are invested. C. Religious languages have a better chance of survival than secular ones. D. Written records are more important than spoken traditions for language preservation. 71. What is the most appropriate title for this passage? A. The Globalization of English: Threat or Opportunity? B. UNESCO's 2019: A Year for Indigenous Languages C. Hebrew Revival: A Model for Language Preservation D. Indigenous Languages: Crisis, Causes, and Conservation Efforts Section C Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need. A. Its source material, too, was far more varied. B. His actions were deemed to be defaming the emperor, and celebrations ensued. C. Sima Qian is important not only as a historian but also as a master of racy, flexible Chinese prose. D. In conclusion, Sima Qian was a hero in China, and his actions are celebrated extensively every year. E. After travelling extensively in his youth, Sima Qian entered court service. F. Sima Qian was punished for “defaming the emperor,” a capital crime. Sima Qian: Chinese Historian and Scientist Sima Qian (145 BCE—86 BCE), astronomer, calendar expert, and the first great Chinese historian. He is most noted for his authorship of the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian), which is considered to be the most important history of China down to the end of the 2nd century. Life Sima Qian was the son of Sima Tan, the grand historian at the Han court during the period 140—110 BCE. The office of grand historian combined responsibility for astronomical observations and for the regulation of the calendar with the duties of keeping a daily record of state events and court ceremonies. ______72______ In 105 he was among those responsible for a complete reform of the Chinese calendar, a reform pushed by Wudi the emperor's inauguration of what was to be a “new beginning” to the Han dynasty. At about the same time, Sima Qian began to undertake the unfulfilled ambition of his father to write a definitive history of the Chinese past, an ambition strengthened by his belief that under Wudi the Han had reached a peak of achievement that deserved to be recorded for the offspring. Before his history was completed, however, Sima Qian deeply offended the emperor by coming to the defense of a disgraced general. ______73______ Wudi later relented, and Sima Qian again rose in the imperial favor, becoming palace secretary (zhongshuling). But he remained bitterly conscious of the shame he had suffered and lived a retiring life, devoting himself to the completion of his great masterpiece. Structure and content of Shiji The Shiji is Sima Qian's great claim to fame. His main achievement was that he reduced to an orderly narrative the complex events of the past, recorded in often contradictory sources deriving from the many independent states, each of which employed its own chronology. He organized these facts not, as in previous histories, simply as a chronologically ordered record but according to a new five-part plan. The Basic Annals (Benji) gave a dated chronological outline centered on events at the court considered to have been the most influential power at the time. The Shiji provided a model for the later dynastic histories but differs from them in many ways. Its time span is far longer: Such attempts to encompass the whole of human history were rare among later Chinese historians. ______74______ It covered not only the court annals of the Qin and the Han dynasties but also various earlier histories, parts of court chronicles of various feudal states, and material from the canonical books and the philosophical writings of all the schools, even historical romances. Neither is his subject matter exclusively court-centered and “political,” as were the later histories; it includes a far wider range of society, including businessmen and merchants, condottieri and bandits, actors and court favorites, good officials and bad. Influence ______75______ He exerted a strong influence on later writers, particularly upon the early writers of narrative prose and fiction. Since Sima Qian's time, his history has been acknowledged as the great historical masterpiece in Chinese, a standard against which all later histories would be measured and a model for large-scale historical composition, not only in China but in all East Asian countries influenced by the Chinese literary tradition. III. Summary Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible. 76. We all know what it feels like when we read a scientific paper. The findings seem solid; the conclusions are presented with confidence. And if you work in social science research, each year you see thousands of new studies published in respected journals. Despite this, researchers have been unable to reproduce a significant portion of these published results when they try to repeat the experiments. A massive seven-year project called SCORE recently examined 3,900 social-science papers and found troubling patterns. If someone publishes a study in a prestigious journal, we generally assume it can be trusted and built upon. We have a sense of the scientific literature as a reliable foundation. As a result, most of us would say that how research credibility works is fairly straightforward: peer-reviewed studies represent solid evidence that advances our understanding. But large-scale replication efforts reveal a different reality. However much a published paper feels like something authoritative, some scientists demand independent verification. Over the past decade, the SCORE team's investigations challenged our assumptions about research reliability. They showed us that reproducibility is limited; many papers lack sufficient detail for others to repeat the analysis accurately. They demonstrated that replication rates are concerning, with only about half of tested studies yielding consistent results when experiments were conducted from scratch. Findings don't always survive independent testing. There isn't a single universal definition of “replicability,” in the sense that computational reproducibility differs from conceptual replication. Several researchers have taken it even further, suggesting that without transparent data sharing and detailed methodology, published conclusions should be treated as preliminary. Our shared understanding of scientific publication—the assumption that a peer-reviewed paper represents verified knowledge—may not apply to every study across all disciplines, but it does reflect the reality that science is an ongoing, self-correcting process. Many of us think of the published literature as a comprehensive archive that we can consult with full confidence. But replication scientists have shown that the research record is not like that at all. Numerous studies contain errors or incomplete information, and sometimes entire fields build on findings that later prove difficult to reproduce, despite others' confidence in the original work. On occasion, even careful peer review fails to catch methodological flaws or missing data. Another mistake we make is to assume that conducting original research is completely separate from verifying it through replication. In fact, the two activities are deeply connected. We rely on similar principles of transparency and rigor to ensure both initial studies and replication attempts meet scientific standards. It is the commitment to open data and reproducible methods that enables us to distinguish robust findings from those that require further investigation. This discipline allows the scientific community to build cumulative knowledge and maintain public trust in research. IV. Translation Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets. 77. 许多强迫症的囤积者对清理屋子持抵触态度，担心这会使日常生活沦为噩梦。(resistant) 78. 这个社区服务俱乐部以组织各种志愿活动为特色，为其成员提供了权衡每个想法利弊的机会。(feature) 79. 从她对传统做法的尊重及其对当地语言的娴熟掌握可判断，这位特邀发言人必定已在这一偏远地区生活多年，每日都在应对各种日常挑战。(judge) 80. 尽管保护工作面临重重困难，为了子孙后代的利益，我们最好保护民族遗产并恢复传统，确保它们免受威胁，这样我们才能为人类打造共同的未来。(Despite, protective) V. Guided Writing Directions: Write an English composition in 120-150 words according to the instructions given below. 81. 假设你是明启中学高二学生李华。你的英国笔友 Chris 对中国的名胜古迹和自然风光等具有鲜明中国特色的元素都很感兴趣，来信询问你印象最深刻的一个地方。请你给他回信，内容须包括： 1）说明这个地方为什么让你印象深刻； 2）简述这个地方的特色（自然景观、历史文化等）； 3）描述你在那里的一次具体经历过程中的真实内心感受。 参考答案 I. Grammar and Vocabulary Section A（1-10） 1. A 2. B 3. D 4. B 5. C 6. A 7. D 8. C 9. B 10. A Section B（11-20） 11. that/which 12. that/which 13. can/may 14. themselves 15. perceived 16. broader 17. how 18. for 19. is not initiated 20. When/If Section C（21-30） 21. E 22. K 23. A 24. D 25. B 26. C 27. H 28. I 29. F 30. G Section D（31-40） 31. C 32. E 33. B 34. G 35. J 36. A 37. K 38. F 39. I 40. H II. Reading Comprehension Section A（41-55） 41. B 42. D 43. A 44. C 45. D 46. C 47. B 48. B 49. D 50. C 51. A 52. A 53. D 54. A 55. B Section B（56-71） 56. A 57. B 58. B 59. C 60. B 61. D 62. C 63. B 64. B 65. C 66. C 67. B 68. C 69. C 70. A 71. D Section C（72-75） 72. E 73. F 74. A 75. C III. Summary（76题，参考要点） The passage discusses the replication crisis in social science research. Large-scale projects like SCORE found many published studies lack reproducibility, with low replication rates due to insufficient detail and transparency. It argues science is self-correcting, requiring open data and rigorous replication to build reliable knowledge. IV. Translation（77-80题，参考译文） 77. Many compulsive hoarders are resistant to cleaning up their houses, fearing that it will turn their daily lives into a nightmare. 78. The community service club features organizing various voluntary activities, offering its members the opportunity to weigh the pros and cons of each idea. 79. Judging from her respect for traditional practices and her proficient command of the local language, the guest speaker must have lived in this remote area for many years, coping with various daily challenges every day. 80. Despite numerous difficulties facing the protective work, for the benefit of future generations, we had better protect national heritage and revive traditions to ensure they are free from threats, so that we can build a shared future for humanity. 81.参考例文： Dear Chris, I’m glad you’re interested in Chinese scenic spots. The place that impresses me most is the Bund in Shanghai. It impresses me because it perfectly mixes old-time buildings and modern skyscrapers across the Huangpu River, showing Shanghai’s history and rapid growth. The Bund has famous foreign-style historic buildings, while the other side has tall modern towers. I once walked along the Bund at sunset. The golden light covered the old buildings, and the river looked peaceful. I felt proud and excited, realizing how Shanghai connects tradition and modernity. It’s truly unforgettable. Yours sincerely, Li Hua 1 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $