萍乡中学2019-2020学年度第二学期高二年级第八次阶段检测英语试卷满分 100 分考试时间 60 分钟命题人：潘雅丽 2020.4.26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)从A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

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。

并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑．AAwe-inspiring UNESCO world heritage sites everyone needs to visit Iguazu FallsStretching 1.7 miles across Argentina and Brazil, Iguazu Falls are the largest system of waterfalls in the world. The sheer size, thunderous sound, and wonder of these 275 individual waterfalls——including the 269-foot-tall Devil’s Throat —— are truly jaw-dropping. The attractive variety of plants and animals of the surrounding rainforest add to the charm.Grand CanyonWords don’t do even begin to do justice to the glory of the Grand Canyon. Formed by Colorado River activity over the past six million years, it’s one of the longest and deepest gorges(峡谷) (averaging a mile in depth) on earth. Its huge size and layered red rocks make it a must-see-before-you-die attraction. Want to bring your four-legged friend along? The Grand Canyon is also among the best pet-friendly national parks!Los Glaciares National ParkLocated in the southwest of Santa Cruz Province of the Argentine part of Patagonia in a remote area known as the Austral Andes, Los Glaciares National Park is a rocky paradise of granite（花岗岩）peaks, lakes, and numerous glaciers（冰川）that cover half the 600,000-hectare expanse. Traveling this spectacular scenery is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.Great Barrier ReefThe Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland Australia, is the largest living thing on earth. It’s so huge that you can see it from outer space! This 1,429-mile ecosystem is home to a diversity of marine line, including around 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish, and 4,000 varieties of mollusks （软体动物). Not surprisingly, it’s a top attraction for scuba divers.1. What is special about Grand Canyon?A. It is the deepest gorge on earth.B. It is a must-see attraction in Australia.C. It has various plants and animals.D. It allows tourists to take their pets in.2. Where will you see ice and snow scenery all year round?A. Iguazu Falls.B. Los Glaciares National Park.C. Grand Canyon.D. Great Barrier Reef.3. What can tourists do in Great Barrier Reef?A. See it from space.B. Watch layered red rocks.C. Go for an undersea dive.D. Enjoy a large waterfall.BThe giant mass of smoke made its way across the Tasman Sea, created by the violent Australian wildfires and borne on a quick jet of westerly winds. By Sunday afternoon, it had blocked out the sun in Auckland, New Zealand, and colored the light a threatening rust（锈色）.At least 200 fires are burning in southeastern Australia, and the impacts have ballooned to a global scale. Smoke pollutes the air as far away as South America, and images of residents and wildlife fleeing the fire are rocketing across the social media world.New Zealand, which is just over a thousand miles from Australia’s southeast coast, experienced i ts fair share of side effects last week. Bands of incoming smoke caused horrible sunsets and turned snow on its mountains coffee brown.As skies became clouded with smoke, social media was filled with images from residents who captured the phenomenon. Auckland police asked residents to stop calling the emergency line to report the unusual conditions, Radio New Zealand said.Professional tennis player Michael Venus posted a photo of his practice session, the stadium backlit by a dramatic orange fog.The glowing(发光的) skies were a reminder of the disaster that has claimed at least a dozen lives in Australia over the past week and burned an area the size of West Virginia so far this season. Climate change has led to conditions that are particularly ripe for fires. In 2019, Australia experienced its driest and hottest year on record; Saturday was the hottest day ever recorded in Sydney, a scorching 120 degrees, and the capital, Canberra, reached 110.4. What’s the impact of the Australian wildfires smoke on Auckland?A. It kept out the sunlight.B. It lighted the sky.C. It created westerly winds.D. It threatened residents’ life.5. The underlined word “ballooned” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by _______.A. travelledB. decreasedC. shrunkD. expanded6. Why did Auckland police ask residents to stop reporting the unusual?A. They could do nothing to help the residents.B. Photos of the phenomenon filled social media.C. Michael Venus has taken a photo of the smoke.D. Nobody cared about the heavy smoke any more.7. What mainly made it ripe for Australia wildfire?A. Westerly winds.B. Incoming smokeC. Scorching weather.D. Glowing skies.CWhat immediately springs to mind when you hear the term “sixth sense”? S pider Man’s ability to sense coming danger? Something legendary, spiritual and supernatural?The researchers from the University of Tokyo found humans do have the ability of a sixth sense. The news sparked broad reactions on social media. Many said the existence of a sixth sense would explain why they could sometimes feel a successful event would happen. However, some pointed out that people should make it clear what having a sixth sense really means in the field of science.To most people’s understanding, the sixth sense refers to a feeling, thought or information acquired without the use of the five main senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. This type of perception （感知能力）may allow people to foresee the occurrence of possible future events.However, the sixth sense researched by scientists is, in fact, the ability to sense the earth’s magnetic field, also known as magnetoreception（磁场感受）.Many animals, such as fish, birds and some mammals have magnetoreceptive abilities. The animals use it to navigate when migrating or returning home.Over the past decades, scientists have attempted to prove that humans share a similar ability with animals. In the 1990s, scientists found the magnetite（磁铁晶体）showing up in the human brain which might suggest humans have magnetoreception. However, there was still no direct evidence to determine whether humans do sense magnetic fields or not.The study by the University of Tokyo offered convincing experimental evidence that the human brain can not only sens e but also respond to the earth’s magnetic field. In other words, we are subconsciously processing magnetic signals.With all that said, what does this important discovery mean for us? We don’t know yet. It’s still very difficult for humans to consciously use this ability. But the researchers noted that there may be people who could use this ability, who hasn’t been found! Anyway, let’s wait for further study!8. What do scientists think of to be the sixth sense?A. The ability to sense something beyond nature.B. The ability to foresee what may happen in future.C. The ability to sense the earth’s magnetic field.D. The ability to explain supernatural phenomenon.9. What do we know about the discovery of the sixth sense?A. It proves that animals use the sixth sense to navigate.B. Its researchers find there is magnetite in the human brain.C. It focuses on how humans can consciously use the sixth sense.D.It raises reflection on the sixth sense’s meaning in science.10. Why are animals mentioned in the text?A. To prove humans’ similar ability with them.B. To stress the importance of magnetoreception.C. To illustrate the concept of magnetoreception.D. To analyze the ability of their navigating.11. From which is the text probably taken?A. A science magazine.B. A biology textbook.C. A personal journal.D. A health report.DHIT songs are big business, so composers are eager to make out what might increase their chances of success. This, however, is hard. Natalia Komarova, a mathematician at the University of California, Irvine, thinks she has solved the problem. Her computer analysis suggests that the songs currently preferred by consumers are danceable, party-like numbers. Unfortunately, those actually writing songs prefer something else.Dr. Komarova and her colleagues collected information on music released in Britain between 1985 and 2015.They looked in public repositories(储藏库)of music “metadata” that are used by music lovers and are often exploited by academics. They compared what they found in these repositories with chart(排行榜) successes. Metadata are information of a song that can give listeners an idea of what that song is like before they hear it. The repositories presented Dr. Komarova and her team with more than 500000 songs to detect numerous musical features.Overall, chart successes were happier and brighter (though also less relaxed), than the average songs released during the same year. Chart toppers were also more likely than average songs to have been performed by women. All this is important information for executives of music companies.Dr. Komarova used these results to train her computer to try to predict whether a randomly presented song was likely to have been a hit in a given year. The machine correctly predicted success 75% of the time.Something else might music executives pay attention to. Content is not everything. Any fame already attaching to a recording artist or artists had a small effect, too. Adding in information about who was performing a song increased the accuracy of prediction to 85%, suggesting that musical fame is actually attached to talent.12.What is the problem that Natalia Komarova has solved?A. The preference of composers.B. The preference of consumers.C. The preference of those writing songs.D. The development of songs.13. What do we know from “metadata” in Paragraph 2?A. It is often used before listeners hear a song.B. It mainly tells the information of singers.C. It’s merely used by music fans.D. It predicts chart successes.14. Which of the following songs is more likely to be chart toppers?A. Frustrating songs sung by males.B. Bright songs sung by malesC. Delightful songs sung by females.D. Relaxing songs sung by females.15. What is the best title for the text ?A. Musical Fame CountsB. What makes Chart ToppersC. Benefits of Musical TalentsD. Soft Music is catching on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。