发布时间 : 星期日 文章江苏省苏州市2017届高三上学期期初调研英语试题更新完毕开始阅读
into his costume in the car and went up the castle steps. Little Brother entered the ballroom, head held high.
Upon arrival, he immediately realized his mistake.
This was indeed a costume party—his new friends had not misled him there—but he had missed one detail in translation: This was a themed costume party. The theme was “a medieval court.” And Little Brother was dressed as a lobster (龙虾).
All around him, the wealthy and beautiful were dressed in fancy clothes, wearing sparkling jewels. Little Brother, on the other hand, was wearing a red coat, red tights, red ballet slippers, and giant red claws. Also, his face was painted red. And he was the only American in the room, too.
He stood at the top of the steps for one long, frightful moment. Running away in shame seemed like the easiest response. But he didn’t run. Somehow, he found his determination. He’d come this far, after all. He’d worked really hard to make this costume，and he was proud of it. He took a deep breath and walked onto the dance floor.
As he moved into the crowd, a silence fell. The dancing stopped. The other guests gathered around Little Brother. Finally someone asked him what on earth he was.
Little Brother bowed deeply and announced, “I am the court lobster.” Then: laughter.
Not ridicule—just joy. They loved him. They loved his sweetness, his weirdness (怪诞), his giant red claws, and his skinny legs in his bright tights. He made the party. Little Brother even ended up dancing with the queen of Belgium.
This is how you must do it, people.
At some point or another, I have created something in my life that did make me feel like I was the guy who just walked into a fancy ball wearing a homemade lobster costume. But you must stubbornly walk into that room, and you must hold your head high. Never apologize for it, never explain it away, and never be ashamed of it. You did your best with what you knew, and you worked with what you had, in the time you were given. You were invited, you showed up, and you simply cannot do more than that.
They might throw you out—then again, they might not. The ballroom is often more welcoming and supportive than you could ever imagine. You might end up dancing with royalty.
Or you might just end up having to dance alone in the corner with your big, ugly
red claws waving in the empty air.
That’s fine too. Sometimes it’s like that. What you absolutely must not do is walk out. Otherwise you will miss the party, and that would be a pity because—please believe me—we did not come all this great distance, and make all this great effort, only to miss the party at the last moment.
60. According to Paragraph 3, Little Brother as a young painter was _______. A. enthusiastic but mean B. optimistic but stubborn C. open-minded and generous D. determined and easy-going
61. It can be inferred from Paragraph 4 that _______.
A. Little Brother was quite confident about his own costume B. Little Brother cared little about the details of the costume C. it cost Little Brother a lot of money to prepare the costume D. people were not allowed to drive in a lobster costume
62. Why did Little Brother finally choose not to leave the ballroom? A. He thought it was a great shame to run away.
B. It was too tiring for him to drive another 3 hours back. C. He decided not to waste the effort he had made for the party. D. Nobody at the party could recognize him with his face painted red. 63. What is the turning point of the story?
A. Little Brother stood at the top of the steps for a moment. B. As Little Brother showed up in the crowd, a silence fell. C. Someone at the party asked Little Brother what he was.
D. Little Brother bowed and replied that he was the court lobster. 64. What is the message the writer wants to convey in the passage? A. We can do everything at our pleasure at a party. B. Dancing with a royal member is the symbol of success. C. We shouldn’t be so afraid of being foolish and ridiculous. D. A homemade costume is most welcome at a fancy dress ball. 65. What would be the best title for the passage? A. A Costume Made by Hand
B. A Lobster Walking into a Party C. A Masquerade Ball Held by Nobles D. A Young Artist Realizing His Dream
第II卷 (非选择题，共40分)
第四部分：词汇检测 (共5小题；每小题1分，满分5分)
请认真阅读下列各小题，并根据上下文语境和所给首字母的提示，写出下列各句空格中的单词，注意保持语义和形式的一致。请将答案的完整形式写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。 ．．．．．．．66. —When given praise, the Chinese will be shy while the Americans will willingly accept it.
—The cultures of the East and West really v ▲ from each other a lot. 67. —He gave himself a new name to hide his i ▲ when he went to carry out the secret task.
—No wonder they couldn’t find in which hotel he stayed. 68. —What makes the promotion of his new product so successful? —T ▲ career women as his primary customers.
69. —Why was he not chosen to join in the project and work with the other students? —As you know, he prefers i ▲ work because he hardly believes in others. 70. —Your elder brother is very patient with the sick babies.
—That’s true. As a doctor, he cannot a ▲ any mistakes, which will be dangerous for the patients.
第五部分：任务型阅读 (共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分)
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卷上相应题号的横线上。
Empty
nest
syndrome (
空
巢
综
合
征
)
is
a
feeling
of sadness and loneliness parents may feel when their children leave home for the first time, such as to live on their own or to attend a college or university. It is not a clinical condition. However, it can affect the immune (免疫的) system and result in certain psychological barriers, if left untreated.
All parents are sensitive to empty nest syndrome, although some factors can
create a tendency to it. Such factors include an unstable or unsatisfactory marriage, or difficulty accepting change in general. Adults who are also dealing with other stressful life events such as the death of a spouse (配偶) or retirement are also more likely to experience the syndrome.
Symptoms of empty nest syndrome can include depression, a sense of loss of purpose, worry, stress, and anxiety over the child’s welfare. Many empty nest parents prefer staying indoors, and end up becoming people of few words. Parents who experience empty nest syndrome often question whether or not they have prepared adequately for their child to live independently. Others even have feelings of guilt over lost opportunities to be more involved in their children’s lives before they left home.
Empty nest parents often face new challenges, such as establishing a new kind of relationship with their children, having to find other ways to occupy their free time, reconnecting with each other, and a lack of sympathy from people who believe that parents should be happy when their children leave home.
One of the easiest ways for parents to cure empty nest syndrome is to keep in contact with their children. Technological developments such as cell phones, text messaging, and the Internet all allow for increased communication between parents and their children.
Parents going through empty nest syndrome can ease their stress by pursuing their own hobbies and interests in their increased spare time. Discussing their grief with each other, friends, families, or professionals may help them. Experts have advised that overwhelmed (不知所措的) parents keep a journal, or go back to work if they were full-time parents.
However, prevention is always better than cure. If one child has moved out and you still have others living at home with you, plan in advance for the day when your nest will be empty of all children. Small changes made over time will mean less of a shock when your last child moves out. You may find, with thought and careful planning, that the occasion of your last child leaving home will offer a little happiness, too, as you can then carry out your plans for an independent life with