高二月考英语试题

第一部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分40分） 第一节（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，选出最佳选项。

A

With little rain, ancient Egyptians relied mostly on the Nile River to water their crops, so they could only grow certain kinds of food. They mainly grew wheat and barley (大麦).

The Egyptians made the wheat into bread, soup and porridge, and they also added hops (啤酒花) to make the barley into beer. In fact, some people think that the Egyptians would not have begun growing grain if they hadn’t liked beer so much. Many Egyptian models of beer jars have been found, which the Egyptians put into graves of dead people so that they would have beer in the next world.

The Egyptians also ate meat. They went to a butcher shop and bought meat there, just as people do today. But because it rarely rains in Egypt, they could have the meat outside in the yard of the store instead of inside. Click on the left and you will see a model of a butcher shop, which was also found in somebody’s grave. Can you see the different cuts of meat all laid out? There is a whole leg of mutton at the very bottom. However, Egyptians thought pigs carried infectious disease. They ate beef, mutton, duck and goose.

For dessert, the Egyptians had a great interest in dates. Here is a picture of some real Egyptian dates which were put into people’s graves for them to eat in the next world, and which were kept in the dry climate for three thousand years until archaeologists dug them up.

Archaeologists have also found seeds which show that the Egyptians grew watermelon and other kinds of melon.

1. In some people’s opinions, the ancient Egyptians started to grow grain because _______. A. they were short of food B. they could sell the grain for money C. they wanted to produce beer with the grain D. they wanted to trade the grain for beer

2. Concerning the ancient Egyptians, all of the following are true EXCEPT that _______. A. they mainly used the irrigation water from the Nile River to water the crops B. they liked putting models of beer jars into the graves of their dead relatives C. they had to go inside the butcher shops to buy meat as people do today D. they believed there was a new life in another world after their death 3. In ancient Egypt, we would NOT find _______ on the dinner table. A. bread

B. watermelon C. mutton

D. pork

4. Where is this passage most probably taken from? A. Newspaper. C. Website.

B. History book. D. Travel guide.

B

At times Marty made it sound too easy. On a visit to his home I heard him say, “People need to decide to be happy.”

I pressed him. “What do you mean by that?” His face took on an skeptical look. “You have to ask me?” At that moment I felt a little foolish. Complex human problems, at least to me, often prevent people from being happy. To Marty it was a matter of common sense. I wondered, what was I missing? That night Marty told me a story that was very personal for him. I knew Marty and Mickey had four children. I didn’t know there had been a fifth. She was their second child. She died shortly after birth.

“The funeral director was a super guy,” Marty said. “He knew we didn’t have any money, but he told us he would take care of our little girl. He went out and built a wood casket (小盒) for her.”

Marty’s voice started to break. “He only charged us five dollars. It’s stuff like that. You can look for the good in people and you’ll find the good. You can look for the bad in people and you’ll find the bad.”

I didn’t know what it was like to grow up poor. Marty’s life was filled with minimum-wage jobs, borrowing on insurance policies, and working overtime to make a little more money.

In my lifetime I had seen people in similar circumstances grow angry. Bitterness took hold

of their lives and choked them.

“I never had much money, and I don’t think I ever will.” Marty said. “People think they need to have a lot of things to make them happy. They ought to look around and see what’s really important.” When Marty looked around, he saw the most beautiful girl in the world as his wife, four children who loved him, a home he took pride in, and a job that made him feel alive. He was happy because, in his mind, he had it all.

5. The underlined word “skeptical” in the text can be replaced by “_____”. A. embarrassed B. curious

C. disappointed D. doubtful

6. Marty shared one of his personal stories to _____. A. tell the author he experienced something sad B. prove the funeral director was a good person C. tell the author to find the goodness in life D. help those who gave him a hand once 7. What does the author learn from Marty? A. Everyone needs to live a hard life. B. Everyone can choose to be happy. C. Never let others affect your mood. D. Complex problems can become simple. 8. What would be the best title for the text? A. The source of happiness C. The importance of family

B. The pleasure of life D. The meaning of kindness

C

We probably all know people, either at work or in our personal lives, who are really good listeners. No matter what kind of situation we’re in, they always seem to know just what to say and how to say it so that we’re not offended or upset. We probably also know people who are masters at managing their emotions. They don’t get angry in stressful situations. Instead, they have the ability to calmly look at a problem and find a solution. They take criticism well, and they know when to use it to improve their performance.

People like this have a high degree of emotional intelligence, or EI. They know themselves very well, and they’re also able to sense the emotional needs of others.

As more and more people accept that emotional intelligence is just as important to professional success as technical ability, companies are increasingly using EI when they hire and promote someone. For example, one large cosmetics company recently revised their hiring process for salespeople to choose candidates based on emotional intelligence. The result? Salespeople hired with the new system have sold, on average, $91,000 more than salespeople selected under the old system.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize your emotions, understand what they are telling you, and realize how your emotions affect people around you. Emotional intelligence also involves your perception of others: when you understand how they feel, this allows you to manage relationships more effectively.

People with high emotional intelligence are usually successful in most things they do. Why? Because they’re the ones that others want on their team. When people with high EI send an email, it gets answered. When they need help, they get it. Because they make others feel good, they go through life much more easily than people who are easily angered or upset.

The good news is that emotional intelligence can be taught and developed. Many books and tests are available to help you determine your current EI, and identify where you may need to do some work.

9. According to the passage, we’re all probably impressed by people who _____. A. are ready to help others B. are very successful in their lives C. have high emotional intelligence D. know how to control their temper

10. By mentioning the cosmetics company, the author tries to _____. A. stress the importance of emotional intelligence B. speak highly of its new salespeople C. show its effective hiring system D. explain what improvements it has made

11. The underlined word “they” in the fourth paragraph refers to “_____”. A. your emotions

B. people around you

C. effective relationships D. your opinions of others