高二上学期英语期中考试试卷一、阅读理解1. 阅读理解Hummingbirds are very small birds. This small bird is quite an acrobat . Only a few birds, such as kingfishers and sunbirds, can hover, which means to stay in one place in the air. But no other bird can match the flying skills of the hummingbird. The hummingbird can hover, fly backward and fly upside down!Hummingbirds got their name because their wings move very quickly when they fly. This causes a humming sound. Their wings move so fast that you can’t see them at all. This takes a lot of energy. These little birds must have food about every 20 minutes to have enough strength to fly. Their favorite food is nectar . Nectar is the sweet water deep inside a flower. Hummingbirds use their long, thin bills to drink from flowers. When a hummingbird drinks nectar, it hovers in front of a flower. It never touches the flower with its wings or feet.Of all the birds in the world, the hummingbird’s colors are among the brightest. Some are bright green with red and white markings. Some are purple. One kind of hummingbird can change its color from reddish-brown to purple to red!The hummingbird’s nest is special, too. It looks like a small cup. The inside of the nest is very soft. This is because one of the things the mother birduses to build the nest is the silk from a spider’s web .(1)What is special about hummingbirds?A . They are the only birds that can hover.B . They have excellent flying skills.C . They can walk on water.D . They can fly very high.(2)Hummingbirds got their name from _____.A . their foodB . their small bodiesC . the sound they makeD . the color of their wings(3)What can we infer from Paragraph 3?A . Hummingbirds’ markings are dark.B . A kind of hummingbird has one color.C . The hummingbird is one of the prettiest birds.D . Some hummingbirds change their colors for protection.(4)According to the text, a hummingbird’s nest is _____.A . difficult to findB . hard and strongC . made by the father birdD . built partly from spider silk2. 阅读理解We just love giving car ds in Britain. If there’s a special occasion coming up, there’s no doubt that we’ll be there, card in hand, to celebrate it. And this isn’t just for birthdays; we also give cards when people are ill or when they have got a new job. And even if you forgot s omebody’s birthday, there are even “sorry it’s late” cards. So you can pretty much find a card for any occasion.Before coming to Italy I had never even considered that our love for card giving might not be shared by other countries. In fact, my workmates told methat hardly anyone sends Christmas cards in Italy and that they actually don’t really give birthday cards either! Unbelievable! In the UK, if a close friend or family member didn’t get me a card I’d feel upset! However, the only place you can buy cards in Italy is in a shop which sells school things. In comparison, we have whole shops that sell them in the UK and we even have different types of card shops.Although cards can take up your time, from choosing the perfect one, to thinking up the pers onal message inside, I think it’s a really nice gesture. And especially with Christmas cards, it adds to that festive feeling. When I sit down to write countless cards to friends and family, I get that little bit happier that it will be Christmas soon! Especially when I see my own Christmas cards, proudly sitting on my desk wishing me a very merry Christmas.Of course, the problem comes when they’re no longer needed, when Christmas is over. It makes me sad just to throw them all away, so I try and hang on to my favorite ones.(1)According to Paragraph 1, in the UK card giving _____.A . is very popularB . is changing people’s livesC . is mainly carried out on birthdaysD . is more common between family members(2)After arriving in Italy, the author found that _____.A . Italians seldom send cardsB . cards are sold in card shopsC . the relationship between people is badD . card giving is losing its attraction slowly (3)Which of the following may the author agree with?A . Self-made cards make Christmas happy.B . Giving cards doesn’t takeup any time.C . Throwing cards away is a bad gesture.D . There is no need to save every card.(4)What’s the author’s attitude towards card giving?A . He supports it.B . He doubts it.C . He disagrees with it.D . He is uninterested in it.3. 阅读理解People are always looking for lost cities and occasionally one is found: Borobudur in Indonesia, for example. But perhaps some of the places people look for never existed —or did they? Here are just a few famous mythical cities.El DoradoEl Dorado is a story that began in 1537, when Spanish explorers found the Muisca people in the mountains of what is now Colombia. They heard the story of a man who covered himself with gold and dived into a lake. Then people began to talk of El Dorado —‘the golden man’. Soon people started to think of El Dorado as a place, too —a city of gold and amazing riches. Nowadays, the name ‘El Dorado’ is still used to mean ‘a place where you can get rich quickly’.AtlantisThere was once an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It was the mythical island of Atlantis. The people of the island were very rich, thanks to the natural resources on their island. For hundreds of years, they lived simple lives. But slowly they began to change. They started to want power. So thegods decided to destroy Atlantis. Suddenly, the island and its people were swallowed by the sea and were never seen again.ShambhalaIn Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala is a mystical country that is hidden somewhere behind the Himalayas. Shambhala is a word from an old language that means ‘place of peace’ or ‘place of happiness’. It is said that there is no war in Shambhala, and in the future, when the world is full of war, a huge army will come out of Shambhala, destroy the wo rld’s bad rulers, and start a new Golden Age. Some people say this will happen in 2424.(1)Nowadays, ‘El Dorado’ means ‘_____’.A . ColombiaB . the golden manC . a place of great wealthD . the city with mountains(2)Atlantis was destroyed by _____.A . the godsB . its peopleC . its powerful enemiesD . its neighboring country(3)What will probably happen in 2424 according to the last paragraph?A . The Himalayas will disappear.B . The world will be full of peace.C . Shambhala will save the world.D . There will be a war in Shambhala.(4)What would be the best title for the text?A . Rich landsB . Mythical citiesC . Famous tourist attractionsD . Newly-found ancient countries4. 阅读理解With Disney parks recently raising their ticket prices to $89 now is theperfect time to start thinking about smaller, regional theme parks. Here are four theme parks where the daily price of adult admission is under $50.Luna Park, Coney Island, NY.How much you spend in enjoying Luna Park really depends on which rides you choose to go on. For anyone as indecisive as I am, stick with the $29 four-hour Unlimited Luna Park Ride Wristband or the $39 Ride and Play package, a four-hour unlimited ride wristband that comes with a $20 game card.Dorney Park, Allentown, PA.Dorney Park is a popular theme park located about an hour outside of Philadelphia. Kids love Planet Snoopy, a fun area with attractions centered around the lovable Snoopy. Adult tickets are available online for $39.99 and kids are $27.99 online or . You can also buy a Starlight Admission , good for visits between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. during the summer months when the park is open late, or from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. when the park closes earlier.Knotts Berry Farm, Buena Park, CA.Home to some of the country’s craziest rides, Knotts Berry Farm also has calmer, more family-friendly rides. Ages 12-61 get in for $39.99 when tickets are bought online, while children ages 3-11 and adults over 62 pay $26.99.Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, CA.Sitting on the warm beaches of Santa Cruz — about 90 minutes south of San Francisco —the Boardwalk is home to big roller coasters, mini-golf, enough food and games to keep people of all ages busy. The best part? Anall-day unlimited rides wristband is only $31.95.(1)All of the four theme parks _____.A . have calm ridesB . are family-friendlyC . require online bookingsD . are cheaper than Disney parks(2)The Ride and Play package at Luna Park costs you _____.A . $20B . $29C . $39D . $59(3)What can we learn about the Starlight Admission at Dorney Park?A . It is aimed for kids.B . It can be used twice.C . It is designed for summer use.D . It’s for visits in the later part of a day.二、任务型阅读5. 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。