2018届高三英语无锡市高三上学期期中考试英语试卷(2)

Events with Kristina Rihanoff and Ian Waite.

Join Strictly Come Dancing stars Kristina Rihanoff and Ian Waite, who will deliver a wonderful private dance performance set against the background of Palais Liechtenstein. You will also have the opportunity to raise your own questions during the Q&A period with the dancers.

Sail aboard the Scenic Amber

Launched in 2016, the luxurious (奢华的) Scenic Amber features six cabin (客舱) classes, including the best balcony suites with superb mini bar, a suite bathroom with L’Occitane Toiletries, individual climate control and an all-weather greenhouse. You will also enjoy facilities including a pool, spa, fitness centre and fine dining in the Crystal Dining Room.

Discover Vienna and Budapest

Discover Budapest’s historic highlights including Heroes’ Square and Buda Castle, visit the city’s warm baths and explore the secret Hospital in The Rock. In Vienna, delight in the excellence of Sch?nbrunn Palace, enjoy a private classical music concert at Palais Liechtenstein and visit the world-famous Spanish Riding School.

A choice of cultural experiences

Throughout the tour you will enjoy a wide variety of cultural experiences that will bring each country and destination to life. Explore Melk Abbey, discover Cesky Krumlov, the ancient jewel of the Czech Republic, or take a guided tour of Salzburg, setting for the Sound of Music. You will also have the chance to explore Regensburg’s historic Old Town on the last day.

Price from ￡2,395per person for 8 days

Dates July 25 – Aug. 1 and Oct. 25 – Nov. 1, 2018 Interested? Please call at 01372 593756.

56. While staying with Kristina Rihanoff and Ian Waite, you’re to ________. A. share your suggestions on this special tour B. witness their great success at Palais Liechtenstein C. experience the culture of splendid natural scenery D. keep silent during a private Q&A period 57. If you order this trip in September, you’ll ________.

A. live in the luxurious balcony suites with superb mini bar at only ￡2,395 B. enjoy a big dinner in the Crystal Dining Room C. learn to ride in the world-famous Spanish Riding School D. You will explore Regensburg’s historic Old Town on Oct. 25

B

A new app is trying to make it simpler to help you react to photos and videos that your friends post online — it’s using AI to capture (捕捉) your facial expressions and automatically translate them into a range of emoji faces.

Polygram, which is free and available only for the iPhone for now, is a social app that lets you share things like photos, videos, and messages.

Unlike on Facebook, though, where you have a small range of pre-set reactions to choose from beyond clicking a little thumbs-up icon, Polygram uses a neural (神经的) network that runs locally on the phone to figure out if you’re smiling, bored, embarrassed, surprised, and more.

Marcin Kmiec, one of Polygram’s founders, says the app’s AI works by capturing your face with the front-facing camera on the phone and analyzing the images as quickly as possible, rather than just looking at

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specific points on the face like your eyes and nose. This is done directly on the phone, using the iPhone’s picture processing unit, he says.

When you look at a post in the app, you see a small yellow emoji on the bottom of the display, its expression changing along with your real one.

There’s a slight delay – 20 milliseconds, which is just hard to notice – between what you’re expressing on your face and what shows up in the app. The app records your response(s) in a little log of emoji on the side of the screen, along with those of others who’ve already looked at the same post.

The app is meant to appeal to those who really care about how they’re understood on social media. Users can see a record of the emoji reactions to each photo or video they post to the app, as well as details about who looked at the post, how long they looked at it, and where they’re located.

Eventually, the founders say, they may release software tools that let other developers come up with their own applications for the technology.

58. As a new social app, which characteristic of Polygram is True? A. It is cheap and available only for the iPhone for now.

B. It eventually transfers emoji faces to facial expressions automatically. C. It specializes in a neural network that runs originally on your phone. D. It needs to choose from many reactions that have been set previously. 59. Those who _________ will be obviously attracted by this new App. A. are new technology fans

C

The recession (经济衰退) of 2008 – 2009 was remarkable in rich countries and the following recovery is weak. The labor market has also broken the rules, as new research from the OECD shows in its annual Employment Outlook.

Young people always suffer in recessions. Employers stop hiring them; and they often get rid of new young people because they are easier to fire. But in the previous recessions of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, older workers were also kicked out. This time is different. During the financial crisis in 2008, and since, they have done better than other age groups.

The researchers focus on changes in “non-employment” as a share of the total population of three age groups between the final quarters of 2007 and 2012. This measure has the advantage of including not just unemployment, where people are looking for work, but also inactivity, where people are not seeking jobs. While the average non-employment rate in the OECD has risen by four percentage points among young people and by one-and-a-half points among 25 to 54-year-olds, it has fallen by two points among the 55-64 age group. Why have older employees done so well? In some southern European countries they benefit from job protection not afforded to younger workers, but that did not really help them in the past recessions. “What has changed,” says Stefano Scarpetta, head of the OECD, “is that firms now bear the full costs of getting rid of older staff.” The past early-retirement schemes (方案) provided by governments (in the mistaken belief that these would help young people) made it cheaper to push grey-haired workers out of the door. These have largely been stopped. Job losses among older workers have also been more than offset (抵消) by falls in inactivity, reflecting

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B. are addicted to new iPhones

D. are concerned about self-evaluation B. To introduce to us a new and popular app. D. To inform us of the popularity of a new app.

C. have great passion for emojis 60. What’s the purpose of the passage?

A. To promote and sell a new software.

C. To reveal the significance of new technology.

pressures that were already obvious before the crisis. Older workers now have a sharper motivation to stay in employment because of the impact of the crisis on wealth. Besides, older workers are healthier than they used to be and work is less physically demanding. They are also more attractive to employers than previous generations. Today’s 55 to 64-year-olds are the advance group of the post-war generations who benefited from better education than their previous ones.

Many will argue that older workers have done better at the expense of the young. That view is absurd. First, it is a fallacy that a job gained for one person is a job lost for another; there is no fixed “lump of labor (劳动合成)”. And second, as the report shows, young and old people are in general not replacers in the workplace. They do different types of work in different types of occupation; younger people are more attracted by IT firms, for example, while older folks tend to be employed in more traditional industries. There are plenty of things that should be done to help the young jobless, but getting older workers out of the workplace is not one of them. 61. The original purpose of the past early-retirement schemes provided by governments is to ________. A. cut the high cost of the elderly

B. make room for young people

D. guarantee the retirement life of the elderly

C. establish good social welfare system

62. Why do older workers have a lower non-employment rate than the young people? A. Their health condition is better than that of the young people. B. They have better education background than the young people.

C. The present retirement scheme ensures them more benefits than the previous one. D. Their education background caters to employers more than that of the young people.

63. Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “fallacy” in the last paragraph? A. Wrong belief .

B. Common assumption.

D

China suffers choking smog, mass destruction of habitats and food poisoned with heavy metals. But ask an environmentalist what is the country’s biggest problem, and the answer is always the same. “Water is the worst,” says Wang Tao, of the Carnegie Tsinghua Centre in Beijing, “because of its shortage, and because of its pollution.” “Without water,” agrees Pan Jiahua, of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, “people cannot survive in a desert.” Wang Shucheng, a former water minister, once said, “To fight for every drop of water or die. That is the challenge facing China.” He was not exaggerating (夸大).

China uses 600 billion cubic meters of water a year. The national average hides an even more alarming regional difference. Four fifths of China’s water is in the south, particularly the Yangtze river basin. Half the people and two thirds of the farmland are in the north, including the Yellow River basin. Beijing has the sort of water shortage usually associated with Saudi Arabia: just 100 cubic meters per person a year.

China is using up water at an unsustainable (无法可持续的) rate. As if that were not bad enough, ___________________________. The Yellow River is often called the cradle of Chinese civilization. However, a third of the water is unfit even for agriculture. Four thousand petrochemical factories are built on its banks.

The water available for use is thus so bad. Song Lanhe, chief engineer for urban water quality monitoring at the housing ministry, says only half the water sources in cities are safe to drink. More than half the groundwater in the north China plain cannot be used for industry, while seven tenths is unfit for human contact, even for washing.

The best answer would be to improve the efficiency (效率) with which water is used. Only about 40% of

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C. Simple truth. D. Beautiful dream.

64. What could be the best title of the passage? A. Unfair in employment? C. Young people suffer?

B. Job discrimination? D. Glad to be grey?

water used in industry is recycled, half as much as in Europe. The rest is dumped in rivers and lakes. Wang Zhansheng of Tsinghua University argues that China is neglecting its urban water infrastructure (基础设施), leading to more waste. Water prices in most cities are only about a tenth of the level in big European cities, yet the government is unwilling to raise them, for fear of a popular criticism. The result is that China’s “water productivity” is low.

Rather than making wise reforms in pricing and water protection, China is focusing on increasing supplies. The best known such project is the Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze. But this year an even vaster project – the South North Water Diversion Project (南水北调工程) – is due to start. It will link the Yangtze with the Yellow River, taking water from the wet south to the dry north. When finished, it is intended to deliver 45 billion cubic meters of water a year and to cost a total of 486 billion yuan ($79.4 billion).

The environmental damage could be huge. The Yangtze is already seriously polluted. The project so far has reduced the quantity of underwater life in the Yangtze by over two thirds. And that was before it even opened. Ma Jun, China’s best known environmental activist, says the government’s preference for giant engineering projects only makes matters worse, “causing us to hit the limits of our water resources”. The water crisis is driving China to desperate but eventually unhelpful measures. 65. From the first two paragraphs we know that ________. A. water is badly polluted in most of the area of China B. the water in China is unfit for people to survive in a desert C. Wang Shucheng was sad about China’s future

D. people in North China are facing a more serious water shortage 66. Which of the following may help complete the missing sentence in Para. 3? A. China is polluting what little water it has left.

B. The biggest damage of the water shortage could be political.

C. 300 dead bodies were found floating in the Yellow River near Lanzhou.

D. The Chinese government have reacted to water problems by huge but harmful projects. 67. How does Song Lanhe convince us that the water available for use is so bad? A. By listing data.

B. By giving examples. D. By delivering warnings.

C. By making comparisons.

68. China can raise “water productivity” by ________. A. offering diverse water supplies and conservation

B. strengthening construction of water infrastructure and recycling C. raising water prices in big cities as European countries

D. building up more giant water projects and cooperating with neighbors 69. According to the author, the South North Water Diversion Project is ________. A. a vast and significant project

B. a huge and promising project D. a costly but effective project

C. a giant but unsuccessful project

70. By saying “The water crisis is driving China to desperate but eventually unhelpful measures” in the last paragraph, the author implies ________.

A. there is no good way for China to solve the problem of water crisis B. more giant projects like the Three Gorges should be built

C. it is urgent for China to deal with the crisis of water shortage and pollution

D. China should put forward other efficient ways instead of those giant engineering projects

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第 II 卷（两部分, 共35分）

第四部分 任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

请认真阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填上一个最恰当的词。

Small Talk May Make Us Happier

Small talk. Chitchat. These are the short conversations we have at parties, while we are waiting in line at the store, at family events or at work. Sometimes we make small talk with people we already know but not well. Often we have to make small talk with complete strangers. Many people find these small conversations about random topics difficult. Some people say they hate it. Others say small talk is a waste of time. They may even call it inactive chitchat or inactive chatter, meaning it doesn’t do anything. They consider small talk unimportant.

However, small talk is important.

These exchanges can open doors that may lead to larger, more meaningful conversations. When you first meet someone or talk to someone you don’t know well, it would be awkward to begin a conversation. However, small talk does help. Small talk also gives you the chance to decide if you want to get to know that person better – or not. Chitchat can also increase your feeling of understanding toward people you know but not well. Chatting with a colleague about their child may help you to understand more of their life outside the office. This could help build healthy work relationships. Small talk could even help our larger communities – our relationships with neighbors and colleagues.

However, some people are not good at small talk. Making small talk doesn’t have to be either awkward or boring. Here are some tips to improve your small-talking ability.

Have some conversation starters ready.

If you have seen a really good movie or have read a really good book, you can talk about that. You can talk about something that you recently learned. When you are sharing the same experience with someone, it’s easy to start a conversation. You simply notice and comment on what’s going on around you. For example, if you are at a party and a song comes on that you like or that reminds you of something, you can talk about that.

Ask open-ended questions.

These types of questions require more thought and more than a simple one-word answer. If you ask questions that need more details to answer, the conversation will go on longer. For example, if you are at a summer pool party, don’t ask a person if they like summer. Instead, ask them what they like or dislike about summer. So, instead of getting a one-word answer, you might have the chance to share in a memory.

Become a student.

Nobody knows everything. So, as someone is answering one of your open-ended questions, they bring up something about which you know nothing. So, tell them! This lets the other person become the teacher. They feel good about sharing their knowledge and you get to learn something. It’s a win-win situation.

Don’t ask “So, what do you do?”

Some people do not like their jobs. Or maybe they don’t want to talk about it. So, instead of asking, “What do you do for a living?” you may ask something like, “So, what have you been doing these days?” or “So, what have you been up to?” One general question can lead to an opportunity to share something you have in common. So, ask questions. Ask people about their families, their ambitions or even their fears. However, balance these questions with comments about yourself. Asking too many questions may make people feel they are in an interview rather than in a conversation.

Like anything else, getting good at making small talk takes practice. If you make small talk in your native

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