发布时间 : 星期三 文章英语-扬州市2015-2016学年高二上学期期末考试英语试卷更新完毕开始阅读
第三部分 阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳答案，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Google is to start building its own self-driving cars, rather than modifying vehicles built by other producers. The car will have a stop-go button but no controls, steering wheel or pedals.
Pictures of the Google vehicle show it looks like a city car with a ―friendly‖ face, designed to make it seem non-threatening and help people accept self-driving technology. Co-founder Sergey Brin revealed the plans at a conference in California.
―We‘re really excited about this vehicle—it‘s something that will allow us to really push the capabilities of self-driving technology, and understand the limitations,‖ said Chris Urmson, director of the company‘s self-driving project.
He added that the cars had the ability to ―improve people‘s lives by transforming mobility‖ . But some researchers working in this field are investigating potential downsides to driverless car technology.
They believe they could make traffic and urban extension worse, as people accept longer commutes（往返路程）as they do not have to drive themselves.
It looks almost cartoon-like, it has no traditional bonnet at the front, and the wheels are pushed to the corners.
It will seat two people, driving force will be electric, and at the start it will be limited to 25mph (40km/h) to help ensure safety.
The most significant thing about the design is that it does not have any controls, apart from a stop/go button. For early testing, extra controls will be fitted so one of Google‘s test drivers can take over if there is a problem.
The controls will simply plug in, and Mr. Urmson believes that over time, as confidence in the technology grows, they will be removed entirely. The front end of the vehicle is designed to be safer for pedestrians, with a soft foam-like material where a traditional bumper would be, and a more flexible windscreen, which may help reduce injuries.
The vehicle will use a combination of laser and radar sensors along with camera data to drive autonomously.
It will depend on Google‘s road maps, built specifically for the programme, and tested on the company‘s current fleet of vehicles.
51. What do we know about the Google self-driving cars?
A. There is no difference in appearance between them and an ordinary car. B. They are taken as a symbol of the success of self-driving technology. C. The front of the car leaves people the impression that it is quite safe. D. The wheels are installed in a way people can hardly notice them. 52. How does the car drive automatically? A. With a computer installed inside.
B. With a Google Map designed specially for it. C. With the instruction sent from the central tower.
D. With the information it collects through several means. 53. What‘s the best title for the passage? A. Self-driving cars are more convenient. B. Self-driving cars need to be improved.
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C. Self-driving cars are on the way D. Self-driving cars are safer.
B
Syrian immigrants have been making their home in Allentown, Pa., for more than a century. They began settling there in the late 1800s, first to work as peddlers（小贩）and later to work in factories.
Today the town is home to one of the largest Syrian populations in the U.S. It‘s also a destination for newer arrivals — refugees fleeing the ongoing crisis in Syria. But Allentown residents don‘t agree on whether the town should welcome more of them.
______________________
The first stop for many Syrians arriving in Allentown is a neighborhood of flat-fronted row homes called the 6th Ward, which is home to Syrian restaurants and grocery stores.
That‘s where Radwan Jarrouj landed in 1962. He‘s active in local Syrian groups, and he tried to persuade Allentown to accept the refugees. However, he says he remembers Sept. 11 and empathizes with politicians who have grown anxious over welcoming more refugees.
―Proceed with caution,‖ Jarrouj suggests.
Most of the old Syrian families in Allentown are from the Christian minority and support Syrian President Bashar Assad, while some of the people arriving now have fled the violence under his power.
An Emphasis On Screening
The checking process for refugees takes an average of two years and involves investigating applicants‘ stories and cross-checking whether any physical evidence ties them to terrorist groups.
But after the Paris attacks, some local politicians, including Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, say it needs to get even tougher. Todd Long, another Pennsylvanian, says he doesn‘t know much about the background checks, but he doesn‘t see any upside to accepting Syrian refugees. ―If we were to find out tomorrow that 1,000 people are coming into the Lehigh Valley next week, people are going to think, ?Well, what if one of them was an ISIS terrorist who got through the cracks?‘ ‖ he says.
Since 2012, Allentown has resettled 138 Syrian refugees. And while there has been a national push to slow the pace of arrivals, Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf both say they trust the checking process and will welcome more refugees.
54. What is mainly discussed in the text?
A. The reason why Syrians immigrate to Allentown. B. The history of Syrians immigrating to Allentown.
C. Different opinions about whether the town should welcome more Syrian refugees. D. The fact that Syrian refugees are not welcomed in Allentown.
55. The best suitable subtitle for the blank in this passage might be ______. A. The first stop for Syrians B. Proceed With Caution C. Welcome more Syrians refugees D. Syrian families in Allentown 56. What does the underlined word “empathize with” most probably mean? A. to agree with another person B. to support another person‘s action C. to oppose another person‘s opinion D. to understand another person‘s feelings 57. Which of the following opinion is from Todd Long?
A. It‘s difficult for more Syrian refugees to get into Allentown.
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B. 1,000 Syrian refugees are coming into the Lehigh Valley next week. C. Any Syrian refugee might be an ISIS terrorist. D. He is unwilling to accept Syrian refugees.
C
Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of Singapore and one of postwar Asia‘s most respectable and controversial politicians, passed away at 91 early in the morning on March 23, the Singaporean government announced.
Lee, a Cambridge-educated lawyer, led Singapore from 1959 to 1990 and remained a member of parliament after leaving the office of prime minister. He resigned as ―Minister Mentor‖ in 2011.
―To many Singaporeans, and indeed others too, Lee Kuan Yew was Singapore,‖ Lee Kuan Yew‘s son, Lee Hsien Loong said in a televised address to the nation‘s 5.4 million people. President Xi Jinping praised Lee as an ―old friend of the Chinese people‖ and said he was widely respected by the international community as a strategist and a statesman.
Lee oversaw Singapore‘s independence from Britain and separation from Malaysia. A New York Times article says that Lee saw himself in a never-ending struggle to overcome the nation‘s lack of natural resources, a potentially hostile international environment and a unstable ethnic mix of Chinese, Malays and Indians.
Lee strengthened Singapore‘s status as the most business-friendly location in the region by eliminating corruption and building a politically neutral jurisdiction（中立的司法机构）based on the British legal system. A BBC printed notice says: ―His greatest achievement was to promote the concept of good governance in Southeast Asia.‖ That helped propel Singapore from a poor port city to an Asian financial powerhouse, says a Financial Times article.
Lee was famous for his ―Singapore model‖, sometimes criticized by the West as soft authoritarianism（独裁主义）, including centralized power, clean government and economic liberalism
Lee was a master of ―Asian values‖, a concept in which the government adopts a paternal role and the good of society took priority over the rights of the individual. His strict rule was reflected in the clean, modern and wealthy city that Singapore is today. With low taxes, good schools, low crime and investment-friendly laws, Singapore became a popular place for international businesses.
A New York Times article says Singapore reflected Lee: efficient, sensible, incorrupt, inventive, forward-looking and realistic.
On the international stage, Lee‘s sharp intellect meant his advice was sought by US presidents from Lyndon B Johnson to Barack Obama, and by European leaders such as Helmut Schmidt, the former West German chancellor with whom he remained close, according to the Financial Times.
He was one of the first to spot the potential of China under Deng Xiaoping, whose pro-market reforms unleashed the economic juggernaut that is now the world‘s largest economy on purchasing parity terms, says the Financial Times.
58. Which factors does the author think contribute to Lee Kuan Yew‘s managing to turn Singapore into a most developed country? a. his never-ending struggle b. strict rules c. good governance d. high taxes e. his sharp intellect f. others‘ aid A. a, b, e, f B. a, b, c, e C. b, d, e, f D. b, c, d,
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f
59. According to the article, Lee can be described as ________.
A. aggressive, strict, efficient, innovative B. calm, modest, decisive, outgoing C. calm, cruel, efficient, intelligent D. determined, far-sighted, innovative, outstanding
60. As mentioned in the passage, which of the following statement is true?
A. Lee Kuan Yew was regarded as postwar Asia‘s most respectable and controversial politician.
B. Lee Kuan Yew‘s ―Singapore model‖ was thought highly of by the west.
C. Lee Kuan Yew often sought advice from US presidents from Lyndon B Johnson to Barack Obama.
D. Lee Kuan Yew would be alive in the heart of most Singaporeans‘ heart in that to many Singaporeans, Lee Kuan Yew was Singapore. 61. The author mainly presents the article by ______. A. making contrasts B. giving examples C. referring to remarks D. presenting statistics
D
After twice being declared Ebola-free, Liberia is reporting new cases of the disease.
The first case that was confirmed, according to the World Health Organization, was a 10-year-old boy in the capital, Monrovia. He fell ill on Nov. 14, was hospitalized a few days later and confirmed as having Ebola Thursday.
It‘s still unclear how the boy became infected, says WHO‘s special representative on Ebola, Bruce Aylward. ―The child has no known history of contact with a survivor or being at a funeral or travel or the other factors we normally look for in the initial investigation to explain a new case.‖ Aylward says. He also said that his office believes this case is linked to what he calls ―persistence（暂留）of the virus‖ in the semen of male Ebola survivors. The virus has been shown to remain present in some survivors‘ semen for nine months or more. But he stresses that the transmission route, particularly in the case of this boy, may not be sexual. ―It could be dirty bedclothes, but the mode of transmission is not clear.‖
The Ministry of Health is now confirming two additional cases.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which began in December 2013, killed more than 11,000 people. The first case in Liberia was confirmed on March 30, 2014. More than 17,000 others survived. The concern is that they continue to be sources of the deadly virus. Doctors have found Ebola staying in the eyes and spinal fluid of some survivors.
―There are questions about whether the virus can persist in the blood or the urine or other places,‖ Aylward says. ―But the only place that we have evidence that it persists at any appreciable level is in the semen.‖ Over the past year as the number of Ebola cases dropped dramatically, there have been at least seven cases of what WHO calls ―re-emergence‖ of the virus linked to semen.
Aylward says that with so many Ebola survivors right now in West Africa, ―You‘ve got to treat it (additional cases) as being unavoidable in terms of your preparedness.‖ He adds that this new case shows that Liberia is now well-prepared to identify, isolate and treat cases if and when they do appear.
Liberia had previously been declared Ebola-free on May 9, but four cases surfaced after that date. A second Ebola-free declaration was made on Sept. 3.
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