临沂市高三教学质量检测英语2015.10第二部分阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）ＡOne day I saw Harold, my neighbor, putting some metal sheets around the base of his tree where he kept his bird feeder(喂鸟器). I didn’t understand why until another neighbor explained to me that Harold was trying to keep the squirrels（松鼠）from eating the bird food. By putting the metal sheets around the base, Harold thought the squirrels wouldn’t be able to climb up the tree. The next morning, the food was gone. The following week Harold figured he’d put th e bird feeder on a string and hang it from the tip of one of the branches. I believe his thinking as that the squirrel couldn’t go out to the edge of the branch because the branch wouldn’t support the weight thereby（因此）not allowing the squirrel to get to the feeder. Next day, you got it, the food was gone, too.I felt sorry for Harold. Although Harold was stronger and smarter than the squirrel, he lacked the one quality that would guarantee him victory--focus. You see Harold thinks about ways of preventing the squirrel from gett ing the food on occasion, when he has time. The squirrel, on the other hand has its mind on getting that food 24 hours a day. The squirrels’ survival depends on it. Survival brings about, not just focus but an intense focus on solving a problem by removing an obstacle.Success is not about who is stronger. Success is not about who has a better GPA(平均分数). Success is about who is more focused and committed to achieving their objectives. You, the reader, can compete with any person no matter who they may be. The only thing you have to do is commit yourself to focusing on the very subject that interests you.21.Harold was worried because the squirrel ________.A. ate his bird foodB. hurt many of his birdsC. could climb the tree quicklyD. reached the end of the branches22.What made the squirrel succeed according to the passage?A. Its cleverness.B. Its fixed attention.C. Its strength.D. Its very survival.23.What does the writer advise you to do if you want to succeed?A. To be brave enough to compete with others.B. To try to keep your body healthy.C. To work much harder than other s.D. To put your heart into what interests you.BHalloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31, before All Saints Day. The word “Halloween” is a shortening of All Hallows Evening, also known as Halloween or All Hallows’ Eve.Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visitin g “ghost houses” and cutting jack-o-lanterns.Halloween has its origins in the ancient festival known as Samhain (pronounced “sah-win”). The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped(重叠) and the dead would come back to life and cause destruction such as sickness or damaged crops.The festival frequently include bonfire. It is believed that the fires attract the harmful insects to the area which attract bats to the area to eat them. These are additional features of the history of Halloween.Masks and cos tumes were worn in an attempt to imitate the evil spirits.Trick-or-treating, is an activity for children on or around Halloween in which they go on from house to house in costumes, asking for treats such as candies with the question, “Trick or treat?” Trick-or-treating is one of the main traditions of Halloween. It has become socially expected that if one lives in a neighborhood with children one should buy treat in preparation for trick-or-treaters.The history of Halloween has evolved. The activity is popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada. Bad trick-or-treating has started to happen among children in many parts of Europe. In continental Europe, where the commerce-driven importation of Halloween is seen with more illegal “tricks” and police warnings have further raised doubt about this game and Halloween in general.24.What does Halloween refer to?A. All Saints Day.B. All Hallows’ Eve.C. Easter.D. Thanksgiving.25.Why did the dead come back to life in Gaelic culture? Because___________.A. the dead missed their relatives and familiesB. they felt bored and wanted to travel in the living worldC. the lines between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped on that dayD. the living people were once cruel to those who died26.We can infer from the fourth paragraph that ________.A. the bonfires were the origin of HalloweenB. people make a fire to keep warmC. the bonfires can burn all the harmful insectsD. people believe that the bonfires work a lot27.What is the best title of the passage?A. The influence of Halloween.B. The meaning of Halloween.C. The main activities of Halloween.D. Halloween---a festival connected with the dead.CHere three teenagers are telling us their spring break stories.In my April holidays, I was lucky enough to take part in a school trip to Vietnam. On the first part of our adventure we went on a chal lenging four-day trek(长途旅行) across many mountains. Luckily, there were many of my classmates and teachers around. We relied on each other for support and encouragement when things got really tough. Even though the trek was hard, I’ll never forget how beautiful the landscape was.During our trek, we got to visit a local tribe. The best part was when we played with the young kids. We showed them how to use toys like a soccer ball. They loved being with us and always had such big smiles on their faces. We left them many gifts like coloring books and sporting goods. They were so thankful and happy. I think we really made their day.By Annalee Del V ecchio, 18,University of Sydney, AustraliaDuring Spring Break, I went to Florida with my host family.“I want to get a tan (晒成古铜色) there!”my host sister said excitedly.It was really warm down there. My host sisters and my host brothers spent most of the daytime lying on the beach, enjoying the sun and reading a book. I didn’t want a tan at all, so I wore a lon g sleeved shirt to hang out with them on the beach. That was kind of weird (怪异的). My host sisterKelly has sensitive (敏感的) skin. Her skin got burned after just a few hours in the sun. She felt sad!We went to a dance club one night. I didn’t really dance a lot, but my sisters were so energetic that they danced until midnight.By Li Tongtong, 16, LexingtonChristianAcademy in Massachusetts, USAmerican high school goers call it Spring Break, and judging by American films, these holidays are filled with constant partying. However in the UK we sometimes call it Study Week.Sadly, that is exactly what I will be filling my two weeks off doing. I am currently in my sixth year at school with only a couple of months to go till I sit my Advanced Higher Art, Higher Psychology and Higher Business exams. I will be heading to the school library as much as possible, as well as locking myself in my room for a good few hours of the day.But I will of course find time to enjoy my holidays as well. In fact, many of my friends are turning eighteen during the break and will be having parties to celebrate. They tend to be held in either church halls or nightclubs. In the UK, the legal age for drinking alcohol is eighteen years old, so I am sure there will be plenty of beer, wine or even vodka (a firm favorite of mine) being drunk at the party.By Miriam Clark, 17, TurnbullHigh School, Glasgow,UK28. What did Annalee Del Vecchio feel most interesting during his trip?A. The journey to Vietnam.B. Climbing mountains.C. Playing with the kids of a local tribe.D. The beautiful landscape.29. According to the text, those who like to enjoy the sunbath in spring break can go to ______.A. AustraliaB. FloridaC. VietnamD. the UK30. Miriam Clark will spend most of her spring break in ______.A. taking examsB. studyingC. dancingD. having parties31. From the text, we can learn that vodka is the name of a(n) ______.A. alcoholB. soft drinkC. foodD. partyDYou can’t always predict a heavy rain or remember your umbrella. But designer Mikhail Belvacv doesn’t think that forgetting to check the weather forecast before heading out should result in you getting wet. That’s why he created lampbrella, a lamp post with its own rain sensing umbrella.The designer says he came up with the idea after watching people get wet on streets in Russia. “Once, I was driving on a central Saint Petersburg street a nd saw the street lamps lighting up people trying to hide from the rain. I thought it would be appropriate to have a canopy(伞蓬) built into a street lamp.” he said. The lampbrella is a standard-looking street lamp fitted with an umbrella canopy. It has a built-in electric motor which can open or close the umbrella on demand. Sensors(传感器) then ensure that the umbrella offers pedestrians shelter whenever it starts raining.In addition to the rain sensor, there’s also a 360° motion sensor on the biberglass street lamp which detects whether anyone’s using the lampbrella. After three minutes of not bein g used the canopy is closed.According to the designer, the lampbrella would move at a relatively low speed, so as not to cause harm to the pedestrians. Besides, it would be grounded to protect from possible lighting strike. Each lampbrella would offer enough shelter for several people. Being installed at 2 meters off the ground, it would only be a danger for the tallest of pedestrians.While there are no plans to take lampbrella into production, Belyacv says he recently introduced his creation one Moscow Department, and insists this creation could be installed on my street where a lot of people walk but there are no canopies to provide shelter.32. For what purpose did Belyacv create the lampbrella?A. To predict a heavy rain.B. To check the weather forecast.C. To protect people from the rain.D. To remind people to take an umbrella.33. What do we know from Belyacv’s words in Paragraph 2?A. His creation was inspired by an experience.B. It rains a lot in the city of Saint Petersburg.C. Street lamps are protected by canopies.D. He enjoyed taking walks in the rain.34. What does paragraph 5 mainly tell us about the lampbrella?A. Its moving speed.B. Its appearance.C. Its installation.D. Its safety.35. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?A. The designer will open a company to promote his product.B. The lampbrella could be put into immediate production.[来源:]C. The designer is confident that his creation is practical.D. The lampbrella would be put on show in Moscow.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。