双鸭山市第一中学2013—2014学年度高二下学期期末考试

英语试卷

第I卷（选择题）

第一部分 阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）

第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中（A、B、C和D），选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

?Global Positioning Systems（GPS） are playing an important part in our daily life. They are now a part of everyday driving in many countries. These satellite-based systems provide turn-by-turn directions to help people get to where they want to go. But, they can also cause a lot of problems, send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost. Many times, the driver is to blame. Sometimes a GPS error is responsible. Most often, says Barry Brown, it is a combination of the two.

We spoke to Mr. Brown by Skype （网络电话软件）. He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States. There he borrowed a GPS-equipped car to use during his stay. BARRY BROWN: “And they just?plugged?in an address and then set off to their destination. And, then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in. So again, the GPS is kind of 'garbage in garbage out'.”

Mr Brown says this is a common human error. But, he says, what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings, or failures, of GPS equipment. BARRY BROWN: “One problem with a lot of the GPS units is that they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn. Because they just give you the next turn, sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the?overview?that you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”

Barry Brown formerly served as a professor with the University of California, San Diego. While there, he worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh. The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people’s cars. They wrote a paper based on their research. It is called “The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS.”

It lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers. These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand. They also include timing issues(时机问题) related to when GPS commands are given.

Barry Brown says, “To make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers, passengers and GPS systems work together.”

1. In paragraph 2, Mr. Brown mentioned his friend in the conversation to _______.

A. build up his own reputation??

B. describe an example of human error



C. prove the GPS system is only garbage?

D. laugh at his stupid friend



2. Which of the following statements would Barry Brown most likely agree with?

A. GPS units are to blame for most GPS service failures.

B. We should introduce higher standards for the driving license.

C. Drivers, GPS systems and passengers should unite to improve GPS systems.

D. Cameras are urgently needed to help improve GPS systems.

3. What is Mr. Brown’s attitude towards GPS?

A. Objective.

B. Prejudiced.?

C. Unconcerned.

D. Critical.



4. Which of the following statements can best describe the main idea of the passage?

A. GPS equipment in driving to be deserted or improved

B. Driving confusions can be caused by small screens.

C. Driving without GPS should be much more convenient.

D. Driving with GPS can be difficult.

B

Should people who study science and business pay less for college than people who focus on art and history? That may soon be the case at Florida’s state universities.

In tough economic times, Florida governor Rick Scott wants to lead college students toward careers that will pay off after graduation. There are more jobs available in Florida in the fields of business, engineering, healthcare, science and technology. So why not encourage students to focus on these “high-demand” subjects by charging less tuition (学费) for them?

“We assume students go to college because they want to pursue jobs,” Dale Brill said. He is the head of a group of business people, educators and lawmakers who made the recommendation to the governor to keep tuition low for job-friendly areas of academic study. “We all share the goal of students getting jobs and being productive citizens. Some majors are more valuable than others.”

Supporters of the plan have their reasons. More students will choose these “high-demand” majors and get jobs after graduation. The state will gain an educated workforce that is qualified to fill open jobs. Universities that can show that their graduates are getting jobs will qualify for more funding from the state.

But critics of the plan say it’s unfair to load humanities majors—those who study literature, philosophy, history and art—with debt while keeping tuition low for so-called “high-demand” majors in business and science. In fact, university professors wrote a letter to Governor Scott arguing that if students majoring in history and other humanities subjects are forced to pay higher tuition, they may simply choose to attend universities in other states.

Still others argue that the plan sets students up for failure. Students should choose majors based on their interests, skills and talents, rather than on what jobs are available at any given time. Those who choose majors because they are interested in a particular field of study will be more successful and satisfied in their careers.

5. Why does Florida governor Rick Scott want to charge science and business students less?

A. Because these fields usually attract very few students.

B. Because science and business are too difficult to learn.

C. Because he wants more students to choose these fields.

D. Because he thinks they have a poor family background.

6. It is implied in Paragraph 4 that _______.

A. there are not enough open jobs for graduates in the state of Florida

B. universities won’t benefit from admitting more students to science areas

C. encouraging students to choose “high-demand” majors is beneficial

D. universities will try to enroll more students in order to receive more funding

7. According to Paragraph 5, why are some critics against the plan ?

A. The plan will make tuition higher for students in other fields.

B. The plan will force art students to transfer to science and business.

C. The plan will set a bad example to other universities in other states.

D. The plan is unfair to literature, philosophy, history and art students.

8. What does the last paragraph tell us?

A. Most students choose a major because it can lead to good jobs.

B.Many students regret choosing a major they thought they loved.

C. Students who choose a major because of jobs usually fail in the end.

D. Jobs shouldn’t be the only reason for students to choose a major.

C

High heels, coffee cups and dogs have been regarded as three of the most dangerous things to have in a car. The seemingly harmless items have been responsible for more than 13 million crashes and near misses on Britain’s roads.

While men were responsible for the greater number of accidents reported, women played their part by driving in high heels. Putting fashion over function meant 44 percent of female motorists had been prevented from using the pedals correctly by their high heels—with those aged 25 to 34 accounting for most of the incidents reported.

Those keen for a caffeine kick while driving can also create an accident if they leave empty coffee cups lying around their vehicle. Twenty percent of those surveyed admitted they had crashed their car or had a near miss after a deserted coffee cup or empty drink bottle rolled under their brake pedal(刹车踏板).

However, it is not just wearing and eating that cause a threat from inside the car, man’s best friend could also cause a catastrophe if not safely secured. One in eight motorists claimed to have had a scrape(刮檫)or near miss on the road due to their dog’s wandering freely, climbing into the front seat or trying to escape through the windows.

The accidents meant drivers took their eyes off the road for more than three seconds each time, according to the poll of 2,000 British motorists. The survey has found drivers will pick up an average bill of?￡261.47 for the damage caused by every crash. Londoners were the most at risk of an accident closely followed by motorists in the West Midland and Wales.

Janet Connor, a managing director, said many accidents could be avoided if people cleaned their cars regularly, as one in ten drivers involved in crashes admitted to driving inside a mountain of?debris. She said, “The possible dangers and distractions outside the car are well known but as the evidence suggests, those within the car are often forgotten.”

9. Those who like drinking coffee often have accidents because_________.

A.?the deserted coffee cups may make the brake fail

B.?the coffee may make them feel faint

C.?the coffee may make the car smell terrible

D.?the deserted coffee cups may look the same as brake pedals

10. Why shouldn’t drivers put their dogs in the car while driving?

A.?Dogs may walk around or even try to escape.

B.?Dogs may bark loudly when they see the traffic lights.

C.?Dogs may make the inside of the car dirty.

D.?Dogs may break the window to get fresh air.

11. The underlined word “debris” in the last paragraph probably means “_________”.

A. useful materials?

B.?waste materials??



C. important materials

D. colorful materials



12. We can mainly learn from the passage that ________.

A.?only 10% of the drivers remember to keep their car clean

B.?dangers within the car should be given more attention to

C.?people often neglect the dangers outside the car

D.?accidents can be avoided if cars are cleaned regularly

D

There has been an outpouring of love for a 23-year-old disabled woman whose dog was killed in front of her while a groomer (美容师) tried to trim (修剪) its claws.

Calls and e-mails came from as far away as the Upper Peninsula and Arizona as well as Oakland and Macomb counties, o