2016学年第一学期十二校联考英语试卷I. Listening ComprehensionPart A Short ConversationsDirections: In Part A, you will hear ten short conversations between two speakers. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. The conversations and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a conversation and the question about it, read the four possible answers on your paper, and decide which one is the best answer to the question you have heard.1. A. Lend the man some money.B. Take the man to the bank.C. Ask the man when he’ll be paid.D. Help the man to draw some cash.2. A. She broke her mobile phone.B. She forgot to reply to the man.C. She didn’t get the man’s messages.D. She couldn’t remember the man’s phone number.3. A. He received permission to carry on an extra bag.B. He doesn’t know the woman ahead of him.C. He’s carrying someone else’s suitcase.D. He’d like some help with his luggage.4. A. Go to the city on another day.B. Avoid driving after taking her medicine.C. Pick up her medicine before they leave.D. Wait to take her medicine until after their trip.5. A. The air will be cleaner if they go to a different city.B. It’ll soon be too late to control the pollution.C. Society will not pay attention to the new laws.D. The situation will improve if changes are made.6. A. He didn’t have time to look for his jacket.B. He misunderstood the weather report.C. He didn’t know it would be cold.D. He forgot where his jacket was.7. A. Attend a conference with her.B. Mail her the paper after the deadline.C. Hand in a handwritten draft of the paper.D. Complete the course without handing in the paper.8. A. He saw Mary earlier.B. Someone else saw Mary.C. He can’t help the woman.D. Mary asked for directions to the office.9. A. S he fell asleep before the program ended.B. She especially enjoyed the end of the program.C. She missed the beginning of the program.D. She wishes she had gone to sleep earlier.10. A. He may feel better soon.B. He doesn’t like to take pills.C. He may not be able to wake up.D. He may want to take the pills without food.Section BDirections: In Section B, you will hear several short passages and longer conversations, and you will be asked three questions on each of the passages and the conversations. The passages and the conversations will be read twice, but the questions will be spoken only once. When you hear a question, read the four possible answers on your paper and decide which one would be the best answer to the question you have heard.Questions 11 through 13 are based on the following passage.11. A. They couldn’t fall asleep there.B. There was no empty room available.C. The melting snow blocked their view.D. Their room was taken up by someone else.12. A. Skiing. B. Shopping. C. Bowling. D. Jogging. Questions 14 through 16 are based on the following passage.14. A. The scientific evidence that those who are good at sports make more money.B. The scientific evidence that the length of our fingers isn’t inherited from parents.C. Whether there is connection between numbers-based skills or words-based ones.D. Whether there is link between people’s talents and the length of their fingers.15. A. They are more likely to do well in sports.B. They are more likely to be interested in literature.C. They are less likely to be good at maths.D. They are less likely to make a big fortune.16. A. Cambridge scientists’ study challenged some established theories.B. Cambridge scientists’ study had chosen the improper subjects.C. Cambridge scientists’ findings may not be true to the fact.D. Cambridge scientists’ findings were the same as theirs.Questions 17 through 20 are based on the following conversation.17. A. The man’s terrible experience on the day.B. The woman’s unlucky first day at work.C. The woman’s boss, who is hard to deal with.D. The man’s daughter, who failed in the job interview.18. A. He feeds on vegetables alone.B. He seldom talks to his employees.C. He didn’t go to the meeting that day.D. He has decided to fire the woman.19. A. A cup of coffee. B. A salad.C. A hammer.D. A stone.20. A. Take a break. B. Apologise to her boss.C. Call her friends.D. Leave the company.II. Grammar and VocabularySection ADirections: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 each blank.Lightning BoltUsain Bolt is the world’s fastest man. He first came to the public’s attention at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, where he won three gold medals. During that race, he reached a top speed of 43.9 kmph. So, we ask, how does the man (21)_____ nickname is “Lightning Bolt” run so fast?Usain Bolt was born in Jamaica on 21 August 1986. He was running around at primary school, when a teacher noticed (22)_____ talent for sprinting (短跑). He became one of the best sprinters at his high school even though he didn’t train very hard. At the age of fifteen, Bolt was 196 cm tall and he dominated the 2002 World Junior Championships, becoming the youngest person ever (23)_____ (win) the 200 metres. He turned professional when he left high school, (24)_____ (age) seventeen. During the first couple of years of Bolt’s professional life, he got a few injuries, but his health soon improved and he began to win all the major championships. He went from strength to strength, (25)_____ (amaze) the world with his speed.So, how does he do it? Bolt says that he is naturally fast—just something he was born (26)_____. He’s also got a number of people looking after him and one of the main reasons for his success is Norman Peart, his manager. Peart (27)_____ (look) after Bolt since he was fifteen, working hard to keep him focused.(28)_____ you explain it, Bolt’s performances in Beijing were truly marvellous. What’s more marvellous is (29)_____, since then, he has continued to get even faster. In August 2009, he broke his own record by running the 100 metres in 9.58 seconds. At the (30)_____ (fast) point in this race, he ran at an astonishing 44.9 kmph.Section BDirections: 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.attendedB.beliefC.classicmonlyE.crewF.evidenceG.further H.origins I.purposes J.rebelled K.relativelyColumbus: Myth and RealityEveryone knows the name of Christopher Columbus, and, as with any historical icon, there are as many myths as truths about the man. Take, for example, the disagreement about his 31 . The Spanish say he was from Spain, and the Italians claim he was from Italy. There is, in fact, some 32 that he was born in 1451 in Genoa, which is now part of Italy.Columbus became a sailor at an early age and had made journeys as far as Iceland and Guinea before he made his famous voyage in 1482. Contrary to popular 33 , Columbus d idn’t sail to the Americas in order to find out whether the Earth was round: at the end of the 15th century almost everyone knew it was round. We do know that he sailed in part to fulfill a religious quest: he saw his journeys as a fulfillment of a divine (神圣的) plan for his life.Of course, the other 34 known reason for this voyage was that Columbus was looking for a new route to the Spice Islands (now part of Indonesia), and he believed he could reach them by sailing west rather than east. The discovery of the New World was therefore a(n) 35 case of “serendipity (机缘凑巧)”. In 1492, when he unexpectedly discovered the Americas, he had been traveling for five weeks and had sailed for 3,000 miles. He thought he had arrived in the East Indies.Columbus left on the voyage of discovery from the south of Spain, with a(n) 36 made up mainly of experienced sailors from the area. He made two 37 voyages before the end of the century, taking Europeans across to the new lands. On his third voyage in 1498, he also took women to the New World.This third voyage was not a happy one for Columbus. The settlers 38 against him, and he was unable to send a lot of gold back, so he was arrested and returned to Spain in chains. However, the King and Queen soon apologized, saying there had been a mistake, andColumbus was freed. By this time, 1500, Columbus was not a well man and he die d quietly at the age of 55 in Valladolid, Spain, on May 20, 1506, in his own apartment 39 by family and friends. He was a(n) 40 rich man at the time of his death.III. Reading ComprehensionSection ADirections: 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.Agree to DisagreeIn a world of 6.5 million opinionated people, arguments are sure to happen. Many people see arguments as an inevitable and negative part of life. Inevitable, yes; 41 , maybe not. Arguments can often lead to positive change—if you argue 42 .Arguing “well”“There 43 is such a thing as a ‘healthy argument’,” says Marian Donahue, a human relations professional, San Diego. “In a healthy argument, one’s own goal should be to explain the issues in detail, to communicate the upset behind the issues, and to really seek to move forward toward a 44 ,” she says. “The minimum goal should be to preserve the relationship well enough to keep 45 alive.”What not to doNothing 46 a healthy argument like a personal attack, and personal attacks are a big no-no if you want an argument to end positively. Dina Connolly, a graduate student at Northwestern University, Illinois, says that when professional relationships start amassing (积累) personal baggage, 47 arguments are just around the corner.“The structure or wall of professionalism collapses,” Connolly says, “taking down any filters as well. 48 , after an individual interrupted and then corrected me while making a public speech, I later ended up in an argument where I completely lost my temper and raised my voice. I was embarrassed, and because my relationship with that person was already so deconstructed and unprofessional, I 49 with that person directly andunprofes sionally in an unfiltered attack.”Don’t be 50 the heatDonahue 51 that personal issues must be left at the door—but that doesn’t mean arguments won’t get heated. “Passion and conflict are 52 in an argument as long as you keep to the issue,” she says. “Attacking the other person is not useful. That kind of argument closes down the 53 on both sides to keep talking.”By actively listening, many arguments can be 54 altogether. If you do find yourself in the thick of one, listening with an open mind can bring about a swift 55 to the argument and perhaps a positive resolution.41. A. sure B. argumentative C. negative D. changing42. A. confidently B. correctly C. heatedly D. hesitantly43. A. definitely B. barely C. accidentally D. clearly44. A. tendency B. destination C. purpose D. solution45. A. explanation B. communication C. cooperation D. negotiation46. A. kills B. helps C. keeps D. starts47. A. heated B. healthy C. nasty D. fresh48. A. For instance B. In addition C. As a result D. On the other hand49. A. stayed B. fought C. chatted D. argued50. A. keen on B. bored with C. afraid of D. eager for51. A. agrees B. denies C. orders D. recalls52. A. dependable B. invisible C. acceptable D. accessible53. A. gratitude B. impression C. influence D. willingness54. A. tracked B. avoided C. undertook D. grasped55. A. pace B. end C. movement D. decisionSection BDirections: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by severalquestions 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)Things changed for Ben Southall when the Australian state of Queensland advertised a job for someone to look after Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef. They knew it sounded like the best job in the world, but they were surprised when over 35,000 people applied for the job. Then they had to make a difficult decision—which person to choose from so many candidates? After a lot of testing and interviewing, they announced 34-year-old Ben Southall from England as the winner. Ben now works for the Queensland Tourist Board and his job is to look after the island and to promote tourism there. Because of the unique nature of the job, the Tourist Board wanted a unique person, with a range of skills and qualities. It was a long interview process, involving a variety of tasks to find out about each candidate.Fitness was very important; swimming ability was particularly essential. Ben can swim very well and he also likes running, climbing, diving and mountain biking. It is clear that, physically, he can do almost anything. The ability to communicate was as important as fitness. For the last part of the interview process, the final sixteen andidates did various tests and tasks, including talking to TV and radio reporters. The competition was touch and the candidates needed to show what they could do. The interviewers were interested in how the candidates performed in the tasks, how they handled the press attention and their ability to write about their adventures in a daily log. The candidates did their best to impress the interviewers and they knew they couldn’t make any mistakes at this final stage.Before he went, Ben was confident about his abilities to handle the challenge. He couldn’t do everything they asked him in the interview, as he can’t speak any other languages, but he felt that his other skills and his personality were impressive. He made a huge effort during the interview process and he was able to convince the interviewers that he was the best person for the job. Even so, he says he was amazed when he got the job; he couldn’t believe it! He hopes to do a good job and promote the island successfully:he has to get to know every part of the island and tell the world about it in numerous media interviews. When you read Ben’s blogs from his interview tasks, it is easy to see why they chose him. He is funny and easy-going and he will certainly get the attention of any potential tourist to this beautiful place.56. According to the passage, Ben’s job includes all of the following EXCEPT _____.A. knowing Hamilton Island very wellB. going to Hamilton Island once a dayC. being interviewed in different mediaD. drawing travellers’attention to the island57. During the interview process, the candidates were asked to_____.A. go through a fitness trainingB. take part in various TV showsC. write about their own interviewsD. communicate with the press58. Why was Ben chosen for the job?A. He is easy to get along with.B. He kept his personal blog very well.C. He used to be a swimming champion.D. He can speak several foreign languages.59. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?A. Hamilton Island gets well protectedB. The funniest job in the worldC. Ben gets dream jobD. Tourism in Australia(B)60. The passage is most probably found in _____.A. a magazineB. a newspaperC. a textbookD. a guidebook61. In which section is a reader most likely to find what a person thinks of a historical event?A. Main IdeaB. Why It Ma tters NowC. Terms & NamesD. One American’s Story62. Heads are presented in different colours in order to _____.A. give readers a whole picture of the sectionB. help readers find different kinds of topicsC. attract readers’ attention, especially young readersD. get readers to identify most important points(C)In 1851, Auguste Comte, the French philosopher and father of sociology, coined the new word altruism as part of a drive to create a non-religious religion based on scientific principles. He defined it as “intentional action for the welfare of others that involves at least the possibility of either no benefit or a loss to the actor”. At that time, studies of animal behavior and phrenology (颅相学) led him to locate egotistical (自我本位的) instincts at the back of the brain, altruistic ones at the front.Today, we have a far more sophisticated knowledge of the neurological (神经学的) and biochemical factors that underpin kind behavior. And this science forms the bases of two books aimed at general readers—but also at those who, despite the research, still doubt the existence of altruism.However, the books may end up providing more information for those who are doubtful. Take The Altruistic Brain by neuroscientist Donald Pfaff. On solid scientific ground, he builds a five-step theory of how altruism occurs, which depends on an idea that is unconvincing and may achieve the opposite result. Pfaff argues that to act altruistically you should first visualize the receiver of your good will, then mentally transform their image into your own, “from angle to angle and curve to curve”. Does it really work?At the core of evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson’s Does Altruism Exist? is another contentious(有争议的) idea: altruism has evolved as the result of group selection. But Wilson argues his corner masterfully, providing a clever reply to the belief that natural selection occurs only at the level of the selfish gene: “Selfishness beats altruism within groups. Altruistic groups beat self ish groups,” he says.In other words, we cooperate when doing so gives our team the advantage. That doesn’t sound very selfless either.Wilson acknowledges this, but argues that thoughts and feelings are less important than actions. According to evoluti onary theory, pure altruists do exist, but it doesn’t matter why people choose to help others—their reasons may be difficult even for themselves to understand. What matters is that humans can coordinate their activities in just the right way to achieve com mon goals. Other animals do this too, but we are masters. “Teamwork is the signature adaptation of our species,” he says.Pfaff goes further, insisting that our brain biology “urges us to be kind”. He believes this knowledge alone will inspire individuals to be more altruistic. His desire to create a better world is admirable and some of his ideas are interesting, but Wilson’s analysis is clearer.While it is in our nature to be altruistic, Wilson says, we also have a healthy regard for self-interest and a resistance to being pushed around. Which one comes to the fore depends on the environment in which we find ourselves. Ethics, he says, cannot be taught at individual level, but are “a property of the whole system”.63. Which of the following can be consi dered an altruistic behaviour according to Comte’s definition?A. A person offers to donate his liver to another who needs one.B. A clerk returns the umbrella to his colleague which he has kept for a long time.C. A student volunteers to work in the orphanage to collect data for his research.D. A police officer spots a car parking in the no-parking area, finding a child in the trunk.64. What does Donald Pfaff think people should do in order to behave altruistically?A. Draw a picture of the person they are going to help.B. Transform the receiver into a kind person.C. Visualize what they are going to do in mind first.D. Imagine they themselves are to be helped.65. Which of the following statements is David Sloan most likely to agree with in his book?A. Being kind is not something people are born with.B. People in groups are less likely to be selfish.C. People may well act selflessly because of where they are.D. Most people know clearly why they are ready to help others.66. What can be concluded from the passage?A. Figuring out what makes us behave selflessly is a tricky business.B. Unlike Donald Pfaff’s book, David Sloan’s book aims at professional readers.C. Comte’s definition of altruism proves to b e impractical in modern times.D. Both Donald Pfaff and David Sloan lay emphasis on team work.Section CDirections: Complete the following passage by using the sentences given below. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.I owe it all to my community collegeIn 1974, I graduated from Skyline High School in Oakland, California, an underachieving student with poor SAT scores. I couldn’t afford tuition for college anyway. 67 .For thousands of commuting students like me, Chabot was our Harvard, offering course in physics, stenography, automechanics, certified public accounting, foreign language, journalism and so on. Classmates included veterans(老兵) back from Vietnam, married women returning to school, middle-aged men wanting to improve their employment prospects and paychecks. We could get our general education requirements out of the way at Chabot—credits we could transfer to a university—which made those two years an invaluable head start.Classes I took at Chabot have rippled(起涟漪) through my professional pond. I produced the HBO mini-series John Adams with an outline format I learned from a pipe-smoking historian, James Coovelis, whose l ectures were interesting. Mary Lou Fitzgerald’s “Studies in Shakespeare” taught me how the five-act structures of Richard III, The Tempest, and Othello focused their themes.In Herb Kennedy’s “Drama in Performance,” I read plays like The Hot L Baltimore and Desire Under the Elms, then saw their productions. I got to see the plays he taught, throughstudent rush tickets at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. 68 I got an A. Some hours I stayed in the huge library, where I first read the New York Times, frustrated by its lack of comics.If Chabot’s library still has its collection of vinyl records (黑胶唱片), you will find my name repeatedly on the takeout slip of Jason Robards’s performance of the mono logue of Eugene O’Neill. 69Chabot College is still in Hayward, though Mr. Coovelis, Ms. Fitzgerald, and Mr. Kennedy are no longer there. I drove past the campus a few years ago with one of my kids and summed up my two years there this way: “ 70 ”A. I listened to it 20 times at least.B. That place made me what I am today.C. Community colleges have improved a lot these years.D. Those plays filled my head with expanded dreams.E. Of course, I enjoyed the pleasure of eating French fries between classes.F. So I sent my test results to Chabot, a community college in nearby Hayward, California, which accepted everyone and was free.IV．Summary WritingDirections: Read the following passage. Summarize in no more than 60 words the main idea of the passage and how it is illustrated. Use your own words as far as possible.Learn from mistakesThe best way to learn something is to make mistakes first. Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb, told his colleagues: “Of the 200 light bulbs that didn’t work, every failure told me something I was able to incorporate into the next attempt.” Benjamin Franklin, the US statesman and scientist once said: “I haven’t failed. I have had 10,000 ideas that didn’t work.”Both these people understood that failures and false starts are the condition of success. In fact, a surprising number of everyday objects had their beginnings in a mistake or a misunderstanding. Post-it notes, packets of crisps and even bread are all unexpectedinventions. In 2600 BC, a tired Egyptian slave invented bread when the dough rose during his sleep. And crisps were first cooked by a chef in the USA when a customer complained that his fried potatoes were not thin enough.In 1968 Spencer Silver was trying to develop a strong adhesive when he accidentally invented a very weak glue instead. His colleague, Art Fry, decided to use it six years later, in 1974, to hold his bookmarks in his books and the post-it note was invented.Successful businesspeople have often made big, expensive mistakes in their past. When an employee of IBM made a mistake that cost the company $600,000, Thomos Watson, the chairman, was asked if he would fire the man. “Of course not,” he replied. “I have just spent $600,000 tra ining him. I am not going to let another company benefit from experience.”The important thing to remember is that you need to learn from your mistakes. If you don’t, then there is no sense in making them.V. TranslationDirections: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.1. 熬夜会大大消耗你的体力。