2016年广州市普通高中毕业班综合测试（二）英语第I卷第二部分阅读理解（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（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

AThe best of adventure and sport in NSWIf you want adventure, then the state of NewSouthWales (NSW) in Australia is the place to go. Nomatterwhat the season, you can choose from a widevariety oflandscapes, climates, activities and experiencesall witheasy access to tour operators and local guides.For snow lovers, there’s no better place than theSnowy Mountains. Skiers and snowboarders can hit theslopes for some downhill thrills in Kosciuszko National. Park. Non-skiing adventure-seekers will enjoy hiking or snowshoeing.If water sports are more your thing, there are plenty of places to go. Surfers you’re your surfboards and head to Byron Bay, Shellharbour, or Newcastle's Merewether Beach. To see spectacular sea life up close, visit Lord Howe Island, a world-famous destination for underwater diving.The oceans, lakes and rivers around NSW offer a lifetime’s worth of exciting fishing and boating challenges. Want more Experience the rush of whitewater rafting in Jindabyne and Penrith, or go barefoot waterskiing in Port Stephens.For adventure in NSW, the sky’s the limit! Book a hot-air-balloon or helicopter ride over the stunning vineyards of the Hunter Valley, go skydiving in Wollongong, or try hang-gliding in Stanwell Park.Get to know the State’s unique and tough landscapes on a caving, canoeing or rock climbing adventure. Four-wheel-driving and off-roading tours are popular in both Country NSW and Outback NSW. Or explore parts of the State on horseback ―you’Il find great horse riding options in Sydney and throughout NSW.21. What is the purpose of this articleA. To advertise a new holiday tour.B. To describe the geography of NSW.C. To promote NSW's tourist attractions.D. To encourage people to move to NSW.22. Where can you go barefoot waterskiingA. Port Stephens.B. The Hunter ValleyC. Stanwell Park.D. Wollongong.23. Who are the intended readersA. Families.B. Local guides.C. Photographers.D. Adventure travellersBThe United States of America was founded in 1776 after the 13 independent American states rose up against the ruling British, defeated them in the American Revolutionary War, and signed the Declaration of Independence, the document which declared the creation of the new country.The men who led the revolution, drafted the Declaration of Independence, and wrote the first American laws are known as " founding fathers". Benjamin Franklin, whose picture is on the US 100-dollar note, was appointed to prepare the Declaration that was eventually signed by the other founding fathers.Franklin was born in 1706 in Boston to a soap maker named Josiah Franklin. His father could not afford full schooling for all his children, but Benjamin loved books and worked in his elder brother's printing business before starting a newspaper called the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1729. He wrote and drew cartoons for the newspaper. In addition, he worked to improve living conditions in the city: introducing street lights, cleaning the roads and building libraries. In the 1740s, Franklin retired from his newspaper and turned to science with great success. He was a very smart man and his work on electricity, including the “kite experiment”which confirmed the nature of lightning, made him famous throughout the world.Franklin earned the title of the “First Ameri can” for his efforts to unite the 13 American states, and to win their independence. This part of the story starts in London. He was sent to the city to persuade the British to treat the American states more fairly. It was here that he began interacting with important political thinkers and activists of the time and developing his own political ideas.Following his return to America in 1761 he became much more active in American politics and in the battle against British rule.After the United States of America was established, Franklin held several important positions such as the first United States Postmaster General, Ambassador to France and President of Pennsylvania. He is also famous today for his wise sayings, including “a penny saved is a penny earned” and “an ounce of prevention is wortha pound of cure”.24. What is the article mainly aboutA. The American Declaration of Independence.B. Franklin's contributions to American society.C. The American War of Independence.D. Benjamin Franklin's early life.25. How did Franklin begin developing his own political thinkingA. By discussing ideas with political activists in Britain.B. By persuading the 13 American states to unite.C. By fighting against British rule in America.D. By writing articles for his own newspaper.26. What can be inferred about Franklin from the articleA. His most important contribution was in science.B. He was th e leader of the “founding fathers”.C. He was successful in many different areas.D. He came from a very wealthy family.27. What is the correct order for the following events from Franklin’s lifea. He started a newspaper business.b. He carried out the kite experience on electricity.c. He worked for his brother in a printing company.d. He was appointed the Ambassador to France.e. He helped write the Declaration of Independence.f. He visited England to discuss independence.A. e, c, a, b, f, dB. c, a, b, f, e, dC. a, c, f, b, d, eD. f, d, a, b, c, eCWhether or not you believe Professor Stephen Hawking's alarming theory that building a “strong” artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to the end of the human race, it’s clear that AI is reaching the point where soon it will affect almost every aspect of how we work with computers. We must get used to computers that talk back.Last year, investment bank Deep Ventures attracted much media attention when it announced that it had appointed an AI computer to its board of directors to help make important business decisions. What actually happened was that the company used a program called VITAL to analyse potential investments (授资) in different businesses. But VITAL doesn't attend board meetings or vote ―it’s just a program. While it's not quite the evil robot we see in science fiction movies, it shows us how far computers and AI have advanced.Soon AI systems will be driving our vehicles, interpreting our facial expressions as we perform complex tasks, translating our voices into different languages and building other machines for us in factories around the world. But they won't look like us or pretend to be human.In the new film Ex Machina, a computer scientist is asked to assess whether a beautiful human-looking robot called Ava has human intelligence. I won't spoil the film for you, but it occurred to me that one of the reasons we believe other human beings are conscious and have intelligence is that we’re told they are all .the time. Indeed, if you stopped believing other people have minds, you would quickly find yourself unable to function in the world.Google’s Eric Schmidt argues that we shouldn't worry about AI, and that we need instead to redesign our education systems so that we learn how to get on with the machines. As powerful computer-based intelligences continue developing, we must let go of the belief that only humans have intelligence and consciousness. Just as wehave accepted the reality that the self-awareness that makes minds possible exists within the animal world, we may soon accept that it can also exist within the machine world.28. According to Professor Stephen Hawking, human beings .A. may be endangered by strong AIB. are still more intelligent than machinesC. will benefit greatly from the advances in AID. will never be able to build a strong AI system29. According to Paragraph 2, VITAL can .A. attend board meetings to voteB. make final decisions for the bankC. attract more investments to the bankD. assess the value of different businesses30. The author predicts that AI machines will soon be able to .A. control people's facial expressionsB. construct other intelligent machinesC. have a human-like physical appearanceD. change people's speeches into different languages31. Which of the following would the author most probably agree withA. It is too late to stop the danger of artificial intelligence. . .B. Humans should learn to live with intelligent machines.C. Intelligent machines will eventually control the world.D. Only humans can have intelligence and consciousness.DMature-age university students are annoying, I know. I understand that when you're 18 or 19, and already know everything, there's no need to do the readings or show up prepared for class. I also understand that there are these old people in class who should be doing other things — maybe retiring, or gardening in the backyard. They are eagerly asking questions (or worse, answering them) and generally loud.I understand because I used to be one of them. I dropped out of high school in Year 11 and after playing guitar in a band for a few years, I spent the next ten years working different jobs. Then a friend, who thought I was wasting my life, suggested I enrol at his university. Although afraid, I eventually took a university preparation course and a year later became a 35-year-old university freshman.Like many mature-age students, after completing my degree, I continued studying and eventually attained my PhD.Now I’m a lecturer at Toronto University in Canada. In fact, I have just finished preparing a group of mature-age students to annoy next year’s young first years. My students come from many different backgrounds. But they all share an enthusiasm for knowledge and learning.I know they are ridiculous and show up to class with folders full of readings, minds overflowing with ideas and concepts they want to discuss. I was the same. But,contrary to the stereotype of the annoying mature-age students occupying the airtimein class, most don't want to control the discussion.They’re likely to be waiting, counting away the seconds silently in the hopethat someone will want to talk about all of these amazing ideas we’re learning about. Only after waiting for younger voices to speak. ( but which often remain silent)do they begin talking.Speaking for myself, I love students who come prepared and ready to discuss stuff. So let's celebrate all of those “annoying”mature-age students.32. According to the article, a mature-age student is a person .A. who behaves like an adult B . studying for a higher degreeC. not yet qualified to enter universityD. who starts universityat an older age33. In the first paragraph, the author .A. shows that he is opposed to mature-age studentsB. describes the problems mature-age students createC. makes fun of the attitude held by many young students.D. explains why many teachers dislike mature-age students34. What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refer toA. Retired people.B. Early high school leavers.C. Mature-age university students.D. University students aged below 20.35. Why do mature-age students often wait before speaking in classA. They are not very familiar with the topic being discussed.B. They want to give the younger 'students more chances to speak.C. They lack the ability to give their opinions.D. They are more interested in hearing others' opinions.第二节（共5小题，每小题2分，满分10分）根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。