连云港2025-2026学年第二学期期末教学质量检测试题(卷)高二英语

1、That they were wrong in these matters _____ now clear to us all.

A.is B.was C.are D.were

2、Jim is absent from the party. That is ________ he was badly injured in the football game.

A.because B.why C.how D.when

3、High interest rates _____ people from borrowing money.

A. discourage B. defeat

C. disturb D. depress

4、Such a film ___________ was shown in the cinema yesterday is not suitable for children.

A.as B.that C.which D./

5、It would be a good idea to use a plastic bottle, ______ cut off, as a container to grow young plants in.

A. of which the top B. the top is C. the top being D. with its top

6、What a woman! I just wonder how she manages to keep smiling after all that she has ______.

A. figured out B. made up

C. taken away D. gone through

7、Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments _____ over 5,000 years ago.

A. dated back to B. dating back to

C. dates from D. to date back to

8、______ in the training, Marbury couldn't play in the basketball season.

A. Injuring B. Injure

C. Injured  D. To injure

9、His eyes locked with mine,and I guess he   the decision right then whether or not to simply tell me the truth.

A.was making B.would make C.made D.had made

10、The restaurant ____ us 1000 yuan for the wine which is worth one tenth in a grocery store.

A. accused B. paid C. charged D. asked

11、The girl _________ out alone at night.

A.dare not go B.dare not to go C.dares not go D.not dare go

12、Tanya, be _______! Our baby is sleeping, and you may wake him up.

A. silent B. still

C. quiet D. noisy

13、The cost of living recently _____ steadily because of epidemic of COVID- 19, leading some people to drop out of the big city race.

A．is climbing

B．is being climbed

C．has been climbing

D．has been climbed

14、The snowstorm sweeping across California delayed my flight, otherwise I _____ in Hawaii sunbathing on the beach now.

A. would be B. could have been C. will be D. might have been

15、I know nothing about him ___ he is an Englishman .

A.except for B.except C.except that D.besides

16、Many young people in the west are expected to leave ________ could be life’s most important decision—marriage—almost entirely up to luck.

A．as   B．that   C．which D．What

17、 I would appreciate ______, to be frank, if the goods could be delivered as soon as possible.

A.you B.this C.it D.myself

18、That is the only place ____ we can visit next month .

A.where B.that C.which D.to which

19、The school dining room ______ as a meeting place for teachers and students.

A.treats B.admits C.uses D.functions

20、Once _______ in the forest, we should remain ________ we are and wait for help.

A．losing; there

B．losing; where

C．lost; there

D．lost; where

21、I’ll never forget the day ___ I spent with them .

A．in which

B．on which

C．when

D．that

22、Penicillin, _______ chemical in mould that was first discovered in 1928, wasn’t purified to be used as a medicine until _______World WarⅡ.

A. a; the B. /; /

C. the; the D. a; /

23、Much to her disgust, his confidence________ on arrogance.

A.edges B.borders

C.splits D.emphasizes

24、He always tries to avoid being_______with his headteacher.

A.left out B.left alone C.left behind D.left over

25、The Defence Minister will _________ the journalists this afternoon.

A.address B.arrange C.appoint D.applaud

26、   I first visited China in 1979, a few months after our countries normalized relations. China was just beginning to remake its economy, and I was in the first Senate Delegation (参议院代表团)to witness it. Traveling through the country last month, I could see how much China had changed in 32 years.

Then , as now there were concerns about what a growing China meant to America and the world. Some here see China's growth as a threat. Some Chinese worry our aim in the Asia-Pacific is to contain China's rise. I don't agree to these views. We are clear about concern like China's growing military abilities. That is why we are working with the Chinese military to understand and shape their thinking. It is why the president has directed the United States to keep a strong position in the area. I am sure that a successful China can make our country more prosperous(繁荣的),not less. We share common challenges and responsibilities. The Chinese leaders I met with know their country must shift from an economy driven by exports, investment and heavy industry to one driven more by consumption and services. As Americans save more and Chinese buy more, this change will speed up, opening opportunities for us. Even as the United States and China cooperate, we also compete. I strongly believe that the United States can and will benefit from this competition.

Maybe more important, the nature of 21st century competition favors the United States. In the 20th century, we measured a nation's wealth mainly by its natural resources, its land mass, its population and its army. In the 21st century, the true wealth of a nation is found in the creative minds of its people and their ability to innovate (创新).As I told students in Chengdu, the United States is born for innovation. Competition is the base of our society. We owe our strength to our political and economic system and to the way we educate our children. We not only tolerate but celebrate free expression and debate. Our universities remain attractive to the world's students and scholars.

Fundamental rights are universal. Liberty unlocks a people's full potential , while its absence causes unrest. Open and free societies are best at promoting long-term growth. We have our own work to do. We need to ensure that any American willing to work can find a good job. We need to keep attracting the world's top talent. I've traveled half a million miles around the world. I always come home feeling the same confidence in our future . Some may warn of America's failure, but I'm not among them. And let me reassure you : based on my time in China, neither are the Chinese.

【1】In the author's eyes, .

A.the growing China has become a threat to America.

B.there's only competition between China and America.

C.Chinese universities have surpassed American ones.

D.a bright future is waiting for both China and America.

【2】After reading the passage, we can infer this passage is a (an)____.

A.speech B.notice C.announcement D.script

【3】The author's opinion of the cooperation between China and America is____.

A.critical B.optimistic C.pessimistic D.indifferent

【4】According to the passage, the author may be a (an) .

A.senior official of America B.businessman of China

C.senior official of China D.actor of America

27、Kings Camps

About Our Camps

Kings Camps is part of the Kings Active Foundation and is devoted to helping young people reach their potential (潜能). We provide sports camps and summer camps at over 40 places across the UK for children aged 4—17. We bring together the very best aspects of sports and holiday clubs to provide friendship, fun and exciting adventures for young people from the UK and around the world.

Why Choose Kings Camps

* Creative, inspiring camps: We have a strong belief that sport has an important role to play in a happy childhood and we’ll provide some places, new and creative ways to inspire. They are not for profit (利润).

* Learn important life skills: Kings Camps equip children with important life skills and understanding that being active is necessary to health and well-being.

* International students are welcome: We welcome children from outside of the UK who will make friends here by communicating with kids from different backgrounds, but we do request that they at least understand English to make sure of their safety and that of others, and of course their enjoyment.

Comments

Ryan has enjoyed every aspect. When we’ve asked about his day, he’ said it was “amazing and fantastic”. All the staff are extremely friendly, enthusiastic and have a true belief in what they are doing.

—Tnacy Lee

Fantastic friendly staff! It’ an action-packed week of multiple sports. My sweetheart made new friends, overcame swimming fears came away more confident tool I cannot recommend it enough!

—Kay Court

【1】What does Kings Camps aim to do?

A．Combine sports and holiday clubs.

B．Get kids to play outdoors.

C．Provide adventurous and challenging camps.

D．Encourage kids to develop their potential.

【2】What’s necessary for international students?

A．Awareness of safety.

B．Love for outdoor sports.

C．Basic English ability.

D．Good communicating skills.

【3】Who probably made the comments?

A．Parents.

B．Teachers.

C．Campers.

D．Staff.

28、Have you ever been on social media and seen your favorite celebrity talking about a product? These promotions might not be totally random, and are actually seen as a vital part of the marketing process. The question is: How do social media influencers ‘influence’ what you buy?

Human desire for status and making friends, combined with our need to belong to a group, makes us receptive to being ‘socially influenced’. Companies often use that desire to have a similar lifestyle to a celebrity we admire to hawk or launch a product. So, what do these promotions actually do?

Firstly, they can be used to build brand awareness. A social media influencer should have a strong understanding of the platform they operate on, and therefore can create engaging content that not only sticks to the brand image, but sparks their followers’ interests in a product they might never have seen before.

Secondly, influencers can improve a company or product’s relationship with their customer base. According to InMoment’s 2018 US Retail CX Trends Report on customer loyalty, 77% of buyers have been brand loyal for more than ten years. This is also true of 60% of millennials. A popular celebrity can target key demographics and talk or blog about a product, which can create an instant and lasting bond with the consumer.

Lastly, influencers can improve customer buying habits with seemingly “unbiased opinions”. We are more likely to respond to ‘peer recommendation’ than traditional ads, meaning the fact we see an influencer as a ‘friend’ can make us less likely to be doubtful about what we are seeing.

So, the next time you see a celebrity talking about a product, you might want to consider that this could be a carefully crafted marketing strategy designed to target your core needs. If you find yourself examining a product you’ve seen on social media, you may well have been influenced.

【1】Why do companies invite celebrities to launch products?

A．Because celebrities can improve the companies' public images.

B．Because celebrities want to make more money.

C．Because consumers like to share similarity with celebrities.

D．Because consumers can make friends with celebrities.

【2】According to the passage, which strategy is often used by influencers?

A．Setting up operation platforms.

B．Sending gifts to customers.

C．Taking advantage of their popularity.

D．Recommending products to their friends.

【3】What does the underlined word unbiased probably mean in the passage?

A．aggressive

B．objective

C．subjective

D．supportive

【4】The passage is mainly about __________.

A．how social media make ads

B．how social media influence our lifestyle

C．how celebrities earn fame

D．how social influencers affect our buying

29、   A cat with an accent sounds like a character in children’s tale, but Swedish scientists are trying to figure out if domestic cats actually do have different “dialects” based on their geographical location. They also want to understand if the owner’s voice might have a role to play in the way cats’ meow（猫）. If they’re successful, the team of scientists from Lund University. hope to put together a “dictionary” of cat sounds.

The project will be carried out over the next five years. SchÖtz explained that she and her team will use phonetic（语音）analysis to compare cat sounds from two parts of Sweden-Stockholm and Lund-with different human dialects, and figure out if the cats from these regions also have different dialects. They will focus on tune, voice, and speaking style in the human speech that is addressed to cats, and also cat sounds that are addressed to humans.

While it all sounds rather fanciful, the main idea behind the project is to improve the human-cat relationship. Since their domestication（驯化）about 10,000 years ago, cats and humans have learned to “talk” through audio（声音的）and visual signals. Even today, wild cats have no need for meowing in adulthood, while domestic ones continue to meow as a way of communicating with humans. And by understanding more about this communication, SchÖtz and her team hope to influence the way cats are treated in animal hospitals, shelters, and care homes.

The team will record voices of about 30 to 50 cats in different situations, for example when they want access to desired locations, when they are content, friendly, happy, hungry, annoyed, or even angry-and try to identify any differences in their phonetic patterns. They want to know if cats prefer pet-directed speech or prefer to be spoken to like human adults.

The project is yet to begin officially, but the researchers have already started testing their equipment and techniques by recording a few cats’ meowings. And they’ve already made a few interesting observations. In one of the recordings, they noticed that when a cat is begging for food its meows rise slowly. But the opposite happens when the cat is unhappy. By the year 2021, SchÖtz and her team hope to have entirely broken the cats’ code by interpreting all their meowings.

【1】Carrying out the research, Swedish Scientists will mainly investigate ______.

A.how cats vary the melody of meows B.how cats communicate with their owners

C.how cats meow with a funny mood D.how cats are treated around the world

【2】The main purpose of the project done by Swedish scientists is to ______.

A.find out where the cats live B.understand the cats’ lifestyle

C.build up the human-cat relationship D.make up a dictionary of cat sounds

【3】According to the passage it can most probably be inferred that ______.

A.the owners’ voice plays a key role in the way cats meow

B.the research could bring about the cats’ welfare changes in shelters, for instance

C.the owners understand entirely the cats’ need through their meows

D.domestic cats live a happier life than wild ones

【4】What attitude does the author hold towards the prospect（前景）of the research？

A.Optimistic. B.Pessimistic.

C.Unconcerned. D.Skeptical.

30、   My eldest son Simon and a group of his good friends were going to a snowfield and go skiing.

However, their car wouldn’t _______, so I offered to _______ them out by taking them there in my car.

A round trip was 900 kilometers and it would take 10 hours to finish it._______I was happy to make the trip, I thought such a _______drive within one day was a tiring one, especially when I wanted to _______ and make preparations for the coming busy week.

That morning as we_______to the snowfield, Simon and I talked about everything under the sun. I found it_______ to have this time with him as we hardly had spent five continuous _______ together.

As I made the_______ trip back home, I had strange sense of __________without them in my car, so I spent the next five hours listening to my favorite CDs and __________ the issues I had in my business and how they should be __________.

By the time I __________ home I had developed a plan for one important issue I had deal with next week.__________, after my long trip home I was refreshed, even though I was physically tired.

This unplanned trip to the snowfield gave me two unexpected __________. The first was that we can__________from spending quality time with our loved ones. The second was that a(n) __________in our environment, even for a short time,can provide us with the opportunity to look at something in a__________way and come out with a resolution.

I look forward to my next__________ event and many more opportunities to spend quality time with those who are important to me and make my life more __________.

【1】A.change B.follow C.pass D.start

【2】A.help B.make C.pick D.let

【3】A.Because B.Before C.Though D.If

【4】A.free B.long C.terrible D.lonely

【5】A.recover B.escape C.relax D.quit

【6】A.Looked B.referred C.walked D.drove

【7】A.natural B.great C.hard D.strange

【8】A.weekends B.weeks C.days D.hours

【9】A.return B.sightseeing C.group D.family

【10】A.achievement B.pride C.regret D.loneliness

【11】A.dealt with B.thought of C.came across D.worked out

【12】A.created B.solved C.assessed D.accepted

【13】A.examined B.hurried C.reached D.cleaned

【14】A.Surprisingly B.Generally C.Probably D.Gradually

【15】A.cases B.relations C.choices D.lessons

【16】A.benefit B.result C.suffer D.keep

【17】A.event B.change C.visit D.attitude

【18】A.abstract B.mysterious C.predictable D.different

【19】A.unexpected B.incredible C.predictable D.specific

【20】A.personal B.familiar C.rewarding D.social

31、   Wheeling her red chair and scissors around the city, Katie gives out—of—luck strangers the gift of visibility.

Last summer, Katie saw a man sitting with a _________ asking for help. She asked, “Hey! I’m giving _________ haircuts. Do you want one?”

The man, named Edward, was in his 60s. “_________,” he said, “I have a funeral to go. I was really _________ to get a haircut.” After Katie was done, Edward looked in a mirror. “I look _________!”

“It’s more than a haircut. I want it to _________ value and respect.” Katie knows that a haircut can _________ a life. As a teen, she _________ a disease that was so severe that her hair thinned seriously. Seeing this, her mother _________ for Katie’s first haircut. “To sit down and have somebody look at me and talk to me like a person and not just an illness helped me feel cared about and less __________.” she says.

Katie wanted to help people __________ the same way. In 2009, she began her Red Chair Project, reaching out to people on the streets. Katie listens to peopled stories of loss, addiction, and __________ to get back on their feet. The attention __________ works.

It all began with a belief in simple acts of __________, such as a free haircut. “The way you show up in the world __________,” says Katie. “You have no idea what people will do with the kindness that you give them.”

【1】A.mask B.chair C.sign D.minor

【2】A.perfect B.regular C.special D.free

【3】A.Naturally B.Luckily C.Actually D.Eventually

【4】A.exploring B.hoping C.begging D.moving

【5】A.good B.brave C.healthy D.satisfied

【6】A.prove B.show C.appreciate D.combine

【7】A.establish B.complete C.change D.reflect

【8】A.suffered from B.got through C.put up with D.adapted to

【9】A.charged B.applied C.sought D.arranged

【10】A.worthwhile B.serious C.alone D.innocent

【11】A.feel B.follow C.accomplish D.select

【12】A.struggle B.escape C.relief D.performance

【13】A.extremely B.apparently C.merely D.hardly

【14】A.joy B.honesty C.pride D.kindness

【15】A.occurs B.continues C.remains D.matters

32、   There was once a wonderful old man who loved everything animals, spiders, insects and all sorts of living things.

One day while walking through the woods, the old man found a cocoon (面). He decided to take the cocoon home to watch its magic process of _______ from a little cocoon to beautiful _______.

A few days later the cocoon stared to move. It moved frantically (狂乱地). A small _______ appeared. He sat and watched it struggle and struggle for several hours to _______ its body through the little hole. But it seemed not to make any progress. Then the old man felt _______ for the little butterfly inside, and rushed to its aid. With a pair of scissors and _______, he cut the little opening big enough in the cocoon for the butterfly to come out. And then the butterfly came out of its cocoon, but it had a _______ body and small, fragile wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, _______ the wings would expand and be able to _______ the body, but nothing happened! It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his ________ and eagerness, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle ________ for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature's way of forcing fluid (液体) from the body of the butterfly into its wings ________ it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes ________ are exactly what we need in our life. If we were allowed to ________ our life without any obstacles and difficulties, it would weaken or even damage us over time both physically and mentally. We would not be as ________ as we could have been. In fact, it is necessary to live with some difficulties. And it is these obstacles and difficulties that make us strong and get prepared for the greater challenges in our life.

【1】A.advancing B.growing C.transforming D.developing

【2】A.dog B.butterfly C.cat D.snake

【3】A.spot B.passage C.opening D.butterfly

【4】A.expand B.push C.shrink D.force

【5】A.sorry B.moved C.excited D.happy

【6】A.cheerfully B.gently C.casually D.randomly

【7】A.powerful B.awkward C.swollen D.flexible

【8】A.in no way B.in no case C.by any chance D.at any moment

【9】A.support B.protect C.control D.lift

【10】A.carefulness B.willingness C.kindness D.sadness

【11】A.arranged B.required C.intended D.prepared

【12】A.if only B.as if C.as though D.so that

【13】A.struggles B.pains C.failures D.sufferings

【14】A.adapt to B.care for C.go through D.reflect on

【15】A.potential B.strong C.patient D.energetic

33、   The Glover kids in Newburgh, New York, want to make a little extra money themselves before school opens. So, earlier this week, they set up a lemonade stand on the side of the road. _______ was good during the rush hour, at which point some police officers pulled up, and _______, Whitney Glover, mother of the young enterprisers, that some _______ person had called to make complaints about kids’ selling lemonade.

Now, in most stories, that’s when the police _______ the stand, telling kids to take a food handling course, and get a _______ from the related department…Then the children go home completely _______ for their enterprise is broken. But not in this _______. The police officers said the kids weren't doing anything wrong _______ creating a bit of a traffic jam, and their motivation should be _______. The kids also promised to make __________ to their schedule to avoid traffic problems. After __________ for a photo with the kids, they left. Whitney posted the picture on social media with explanatory words. The __________ story has created a great deal of local __________ and the lemonade business is now booming.

Dozens of customers have __________ for lemonade. “Every single time you buy a glass, children look amazed by the __________ of time and efforts to coins in their hands,” Whitney said.

【1】A.Progress B.Business C.Budget D.Purpose

【2】A.demanded B.proposed C.warned D.informed

【3】A.bitter B.generous C.anxious D.responsible

【4】A.take over B.leave out C.shut down D.drive away

【5】A.course B.permit C.fund D.record

【6】A.surprised B.frightened C.depressed D.confused

【7】A.context B.case C.reason D.respect

【8】A.other than B.instead of C.as for D.due to

【9】A.managed B.prevented C.celebrated D.reflected

【10】A.contributions B.differences C.objections D.adjustments

【11】A.posing B.accounting C.preparing D.searching

【12】A.refreshing B.moving C.amusing D.convincing

【13】A.apology B.change C.support D.discussion

【14】A.stood out B.stood by C.stopped out D.stopped by

【15】A.transformation B.devotion C.attachment D.supplement

34、阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Smell the flowers before you go to sleep and you may just end up with rosy dreams. Have a whiff of rotten(腐烂的)eggs during the night and your dreams may be【1】(pleasant). So says researcher Dr. Boris Stuck, 【2】invited sleeping volunteers to a rose vs. rotten egg test in the University Hospital Mannheim in Germany. The subjects didn’t dream about roses【3】eggs, but rather he found that what they smelt affected the emotions of【4】(they) dreams.

And if you think【5】(smell) have a say in dreams, wait for what TV tells us. A UK study reveals that people exposed【6】black-and-white film and TV in their youth are to have monochromic(单色的)dreams throughout their life more【7】(probable). Eva Murzyn from the University of Dundee tested two age groups— one half 【8】(age) over 55 and【9】other half under 25.

The result? Under 5% of the dreams of the under-25s were in black and white. 【10】(watch)color TV in childhood seems to be the reason why.

35、Directions: Complete the following sentences by using the proper form of the words or expressions given in the frame. Each one can only be used once.

Why your Password May Not Be As Safe As It Seems?  Does “qaz2ws” strike you as a nice safe password? What about “adgjmptw”? An analysis has found them to be among the passwords that are most 【1】 used, which of course means they are not secure at all.

When ten million passwords were leaked on to the internet，they appeared to 【2】that attempts by internet security experts to make us improve our password strength had been successful, even if, in the specific case of the leaked passwords, they are also completely pointless.

While many of the passwords were still single words, such as “password”，there was also a clear attempt by many to make them harder to【3】. The problem was that people seemed to do so in the same way.

“Users are becoming slightly more 【4】what makes a password strong,” explained WP Engine, an internet company that performed the analysis. “For instance, adding a number or two at the end of a text phrase. That makes it better, right?”

But 【5】no. They found that almost half a million passwords did this and in 20 percent of those all people did was put the number “1” at the end.

Perhaps this is why some companies are now trying to move gradually beyond passwords. Yahoo! is giving users the option to 【6】 their mobile phone with an account, having a single use passwords texted to it each time they want to log on.

Although the serviced is voluntary, Dylan Casey an executive at Yahoo!，said that it was “the first step to【7】passwords”. He said it was a(n)【8】that it was increasingly hard for people to remember all the passwords they had. “I don’t think we, as an industry, have done a good enough job of putting ourselves in the shoes of the people using our products,” he said.

It would certainly be a more sensible strategy than same people’s improving upon “password” by using “password” or，“tran5p053d numb3r5 f0r 133tr3r5”.

“We are, for the most part，predictably【9】when it comes to choosing passwords, despite a decade of warnings from password strength checkers during sign-ups” said WP Engine. “We love taking a(n) 【10】, and so do password crackers.

36、Directions: 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.

Driving an electric car 【1】 to the protection of environment, or so the marketing departments of their makers would have you believe. Yet a report which analyzes car emissions presents a rather different picture. A battery-powered car recharged with 【2】 generated by coal-fired power stations, it found, is likely to be more harmful. It could cause more than three times as many deaths from pollution as a 【3】 petrol-driven vehicle.

The study was carried out by the University of Minnesota. The researchers estimated how levels of fine particulate matter (细颗粒物) and ground-level ozone — two important 【4】 of air pollution — would change when a car is powered by different ways.

It was no surprise that electric cars whose batteries were recharged with power from wind, solar or hydro-electric sources came out to be virtually free from harmful 【5】. They were estimated to cause 231 deaths over the course of a year, compared with 878 for petrol cars. Electric cars recharged with power from natural gas-fired stations were also a lot less harmful than petrol-driven ones, with 439 deaths. But if those same electric cars were recharged 【6】 by coal, they would be responsible for over 3,000 deaths.

Biofuels also caused more health problems than petrol. But diesel, which often  【7】 concern about pollution, is slightly cleaner than petrol. This is because the study assumes for all cars that emission-control technologies will be more widely used, especially particulate filters which have a remarkable effect on cleaning diesel 【8】. Diesel cars are also more 【9】 of fuel than petrol-driven ones.

Overall, the study shows that electric cars are cleaner than those traditional vehicles only if the power used to charge then is also clean. That is hardly a surprise, but the 【10】 of the difference is. How green electric cars really are, then, will depend mainly on where they are driven. In France, which obtains more than half of its power from nuclear station, electric cars look like a good bet. In China and some other developing countries, where a large amount of electricity is produced from coal, they may not be so environment- friendly as they are marketed.

37、Directions: 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.

AI artwork sells for $432,500 — nearly 45 times its high【1】 — as Christie’s becomes the first auction house to offer a work of art created by an algorithm. This portrait, however, is not the product of a human mind. It was created by an【2】 intelligence, an algorithm defined by that algebraic formula with its many parentheses. And when it went under the【3】 in the Prints & Multiples sale at Christie’s on 23-25 October, Portrait of Edmond Belamy sold for an【4】 $432,500, signaling the arrival of AI art on the world auction stage.

From a distance, Portrait of Edmond de Belamy looks almost plausible. Up close, however, the paintwork becomes a grid of mechanical-looking dots, the man’s face a golden blur with black holes for eyes. Look into those eyes. They show no sign of feeling or life. Did a computer make this?

The answer is yes. The first artwork【5】 by AI to be sold at Christie’s, its【6】 price would seem to suggest that in future we will get computers to make art for us. Robot van Gogh will harmlessly cut its ear off and robot Picasso will be a genius.

Is this the future AI art visionaries such as the French collective Obvious, which programmed this “painter” by getting it to compare its own work with 15,000 pre-20th century portraits, have in mind? Or are they just, God forbid, making a fast buck from deceivable art collectors? Because believing the algorithm that knocked this up to be in any meaningful way an “artist” is like thinking your voice-interaction programme is out to get you. Dream on. Computers would need to replicate human consciousness before they could replicate the funny thing humans do called “art”.

Art is a way in which human 【7】 expresses itself, and is equally true of the earliest cave art, Rembrandt’s portraits and Duchamp’s urinal. And that is what is missing from Portrait of Edmond Bellamy. Art is a way humans communicate ideas, perceptions and feelings to each other. It has no 【8】 outside the human passion to communicate. So in what meaningful sense can an AI replica of certain【9】 traits of old master paintings be called art?

For a robot to really make art, it would need an autonomous mind that was emotional as well as【10】. No AI developer has yet claimed to be anywhere near achieving that and if they ever do, their creation will probably have better things to do than paint portraits — like destroy humanity.

Maybe afterwards robots will invent their own kind of art, but it won’t be some poor pastiche of human genius.

It will be beyond anything we organics could imagine.

38、假定你是李华，你的英国朋友Leslie给你发邮件告知她参加汉语水平考试（HSK）未能通过。请你根据下列要点写一封邮件回复她。内容包括：

1. 对考试失利给予安慰；

2. 对汉语学习提出建议。

注意：1. 词数100左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3. 开头语已为你写好，不计入总词数。

Dear Leslie,

I am sorry to hear that you failed to pass the HSK.

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Yours,

Li Hua

39、阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。

Eighty-five percent of the jobs that today's students will do in 2030 don't exist yet,the Institute for the Future has predicted.That might seem like a high number to reach in only 10 years.But think about the non-mainstream careers that did not exist just a handful of years ago: social media manager,app developer and cloud computing engineer,etc.What role should colleges and universities play in preparing students for a workplace that is constantly changing? Educational institutions are trying to answer that question."We hope they will not only be prepared for whatever the job market looks like in 10,20 or 50 years but be the ones shaping it," said Jenn Stringer,professor at the University of Californian,Berkeley.Here are some of the approaches they're taking.

Some experts argue that the four-year learning model needs to be rethought in a big way. They say education can no longer be seen as something that stops when a person graduates from college.If students could take a year or two off school,get a job,and then return to school a few years later,the education system would offer true life-long learning and better adapt to changing technology.

Fewer employers are willing to train people on the job than the employers 50 years ago, largely as part of an effort to cut costs.To fill the job skills gap,some courses are offered as an add-on to a student's main degree.For example,the courses may include data analysis,web design and digital marketing.The goal is to offer students,a degree aside,some advantages when they seek jobs or promotions in the future.

Other institutions are trying to imitate the workplace within the traditional classroom. Several colleges have partnered with private companies,such as the software company Adobe, to integrate their products into the classroom.Professors at schools who partner with the company are encouraged to use the product for assignments.The idea is that students learn how to create a project that can be used in the real world and the"soft skills"such as teamwork and creativity.

40、假定你是李华，你校将举办一场英语演讲比赛，与你一起搭档的主持人因病退出，请你写一封电子邮件邀请你校外教John做你的搭档。内容包括：

1.时间：7月10日上午9点；

2.地点：学校会议室；

3.注意事项：提前到场；穿正装。

注意：1.词数100左右；

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

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41、阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

About ten years ago, my wife and I took a trip to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. I didn't like to carry all my keys in my pocket during a hike, so I took away the key to the car and left the rest in the car. When we came back, I put the key somewhere in the car without reattaching it to the key ring. Then we made a fire, cooked some food, and went to sleep in the back of the SUV.

The next morning, we were cleaning up our campsite when I saw a bird inside my car. I walked over, and it flew away. When we got in the car to go home, I couldn't find the key. We searched and searched even emptying out the car completely, but it was gone.

Then it hit me that the bird must have taken it. After all, those birds are known for stealing shiny things and decorating their nests with them. Keys are shiny. The bird was the thief! It made perfect sense to me. So I decided to find its nest.

But there is a problem: As everyone knows, the Grand Canyon is a little large in area, so I didn't like my chances of actually finding a certain nest belonging to a certain bird in a certain tree in all that space. But what other choice did I have?

My wife was not encouraging me. She said, “Are you crazy? You'll never find it! The Grand Canyon is the biggest hole on Earth!” I didn't answer and walked steadily forward until her laughter died away.

I struggled to keep hope as I searched dozens of trees and tracked every singing bird. It was like searching a needle in the sea. But, oh, how great my victory would be when I held the missing key from the bird's nest.

注意:

1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

2.至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语:

3.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；

4.续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Paragraph l:

After two hours of searching, I finally gave up and returned to the car.

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Paragraph2:

The next day, we stopped at a service centre for lunch.

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