发布时间 : 星期四 文章上海市十二校高三英语12月联考试题更新完毕开始阅读
Section B
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. A. attended B. belief G. further C. classic D. commonly E. crew F. evidence H. origins I. purposes J. rebelled K. relatively
Columbus: Myth and Reality
Everyone knows the name of Christopher Columbus, and, as with any historical icon, there
are as many myths as truths about the man. Take, for example, the disagreement about his 31 . The Spanish say he was from Spain, and the Italians claim he was from Italy. There is, in fact, some 32 that he was born in 1451 in Genoa, which is now part of Italy.
Columbus became a sailor at an early age and had made journeys as far as Iceland and
Guinea before he made his famous voyage in 1482. Contrary to popular 33 , Columbus didn’t sail to the Americas in order to find out whether the Earth was round: at the end of the 15 century almost everyone knew it was round. We do know that he sailed in part to fulfill a religious quest: he saw his journeys as a fulfillment of a divine (神圣的) plan for his life.
Of course, the other 34 known reason for this voyage was that Columbus was looking
th
for a new route to the Spice Islands (now part of Indonesia), and he believed he could reach them by sailing west rather than east. The discovery of the New World was therefore a(n) 35 case of “serendipity (机缘凑巧)”. In 1492, when he unexpectedly discovered the Americas, he had been traveling for five weeks and had sailed for 3,000 miles. He thought he had arrived in the East Indies.
Columbus left on the voyage of discovery from the south of Spain, with a(n) 36 made
up mainly of experienced sailors from the area. He made two 37 voyages before the end of the century, taking Europeans across to the new lands. On his third voyage in 1498, he also took women to the New World.
This third voyage was not a happy one for Columbus. The settlers 38 against him,
and he was unable to send a lot of gold back, so he was arrested and returned to Spain in chains. However, the King and Queen soon apologized, saying there had been a mistake, and
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Columbus was freed. By this time, 1500, Columbus was not a well man and he died quietly at the age of 55 in Valladolid, Spain, on May 20, 1506, in his own apartment 39 by family and friends. He was a(n) 40 rich man at the time of his death.
III. Reading Comprehension Section A
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
Agree to Disagree
In a world of 6.5 million opinionated people, arguments are sure to happen. Many people
see arguments as an inevitable and negative part of life. Inevitable, yes; 41 , maybe not. Arguments can often lead to positive change—if you argue 42 .
Arguing “well”
“There 43 is such a thing as a ‘healthy argument’,” says Marian Donahue, a human
relations professional, San Diego. “In a healthy argument, one’s own goal should be to explain the issues in detail, to communicate the upset behind the issues, and to really seek to move forward toward a 44 ,” she says. “The minimum goal should be to preserve the relationship well enough to keep 45 alive.”
What not to do
Nothing 46 a healthy argument like a personal attack, and personal attacks are a
big no-no if you want an argument to end positively. Dina Connolly, a graduate student at Northwestern University, Illinois, says that when professional relationships start
amassing (积累) personal baggage, 47 arguments are just around the corner.
“The structure or wall of professionalism collapses,” Connolly says, “taking down
any filters as well. 48 , after an individual interrupted and then corrected me while making a public speech, I later ended up in an argument where I completely lost my temper and raised my voice. I was embarrassed, and because my relationship with that person was already so deconstructed and unprofessional, I 49 with that person directly and
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unprofessionally in an unfiltered attack.”
Don’t be 50 the heat
Donahue 51 that personal issues must be left at the door—but that doesn’t mean
arguments won’t get heated. “Passion and conflict are 52 in an argument as long as you keep to the issue,” she says. “Attacking the other person is not useful. That kind of argument closes down the 53 on both sides to keep talking.”
By actively listening, many arguments can be 54 altogether. If you do find yourself
in the thick of one, listening with an open mind can bring about a swift 55 to the argument and perhaps a positive resolution.
41. A. sure
B. argumentative
B. correctly B. barely
C. negative
D. changing
D. hesitantly D. clearly
42. A. confidently 43. A. definitely 44. A. tendency
C. heatedly
C. accidentally
B. destination C. purpose
D. solution
D. negotiation
D. starts
45. A. explanation 46. A. kills
B. communication B. helps
C. cooperation C. keeps
47. A. heated B. healthy C. nasty
D. fresh
D. On the other
48. A. For instance hand
49. A. stayed 50. A. keen on 51. A. agrees
B. In addition C. As a result
B. fought
C. chatted
D. argued D. eager for
D. recalls D. accessible D. willingness
B. bored with
B. denies B. invisible
C. afraid of
C. orders
52. A. dependable 53. A. gratitude 54. A. tracked 55. A. pace
Section B
C. acceptable C. influence
B. impression B. avoided
C. undertook
D. grasped
B. end C. movement D. decision
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several
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questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
(A)
Things changed for Ben Southall when the Australian state of Queensland advertised a
job for someone to look after Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef. They knew it sounded like the best job in the world, but they were surprised when over 35,000 people applied for the job. Then they had to make a difficult decision—which person to choose from so many candidates? After a lot of testing and interviewing, they announced 34-year-old Ben Southall from England as the winner. Ben now works for the Queensland Tourist Board and his job is to look after the island and to promote tourism there. Because of the unique nature of the job, the Tourist Board wanted a unique person, with a range of skills and qualities. It was a long interview process, involving a variety of tasks to find out about each candidate.
Fitness was very important; swimming ability was particularly essential. Ben can swim
very well and he also likes running, climbing, diving and mountain biking. It is clear that, physically, he can do almost anything. The ability to communicate was as important as fitness. For the last part of the interview process, the final sixteen andidates did various tests and tasks, including talking to TV and radio reporters. The competition was touch and the candidates needed to show what they could do. The interviewers were interested in how the candidates performed in the tasks, how they handled the press attention and their ability to write about their adventures in a daily log. The candidates did their best to impress the interviewers and they knew they couldn’t make any mistakes at this final stage.
Before he went, Ben was confident about his abilities to handle the challenge. He
couldn’t do everything they asked him in the interview, as he can’t speak any other languages, but he felt that his other skills and his personality were impressive. He made a huge effort during the interview process and he was able to convince the interviewers that he was the best person for the job. Even so, he says he was amazed when he got the job; he couldn’t believe it! He hopes to do a good job and promote the island successfully:
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