梅州2025学年度第一学期期末教学质量检测四年级英语

1、Only when he reached the tea-house ______it was the same place he’d been in last year.

A. he realized   B. he did realize

C. realized he   D. did he realize

2、—What a surprise! I _____________ you still away on holiday.

—But it __________only a fortnight before our new voluntary project begins.

A.think; is B.thought; will be C.had thought; was D.thought; is

3、The book is a complete introduction ________ all the best Indian films.

A.in B.on C.to D.about

4、In many countries in the world, breakfast is a snack ______ a meal, but the traditional English breakfast is a full meal.

A. less than B. more than

C. other than D. rather than

5、There is a general _____________ among teachers about the need for greater security in schools.

A.commitment B.composition C.calculation D.consensus

6、He went to bed ______. The next morning he woke up only ______ himself lying on the floor.

A．drinking; to find

B．drunk; to find

C．being drunk; finding

D．to drink; finding

7、在平面直角坐标系中，点的坐标为，点在轴上，直线经过点，并与轴交于点，直线与相交于点；

（1）求直线的解析式；

（2）点是线段上一点，过点作交于点，若四边形为平行四边形，求点坐标.

8、His remarks ________ me in my opinion that he was a very considerate boy.

A.concerned B.contacted

C.confirmed D.considered

9、The Smiths bought a new car, which was the________of their neighbours.

A.envy B.admire C.respect D.proud

10、Some false ads are taking the countryside women as their targets, because they are easy to ________.

A．take on

B．take in

C．take down

D．take over

11、________ to sunlight for so much time will do harm to your skin.

A．Exposed

B．Being exposed

C．Having exposed

D．Because being exposed

12、1 wish I could do something _______ the kindness I have received from him.

A.in search of B.in preparation for

C.in spite of D.in return for

13、It’s important for the figures regularly.

A．to be updated

B．to have been updated

C．to update

D．to have updated

14、Next after coffee, Americans are ______ to drink cola drinks, such as Coke or Pepsi, or other soft drinks.

A.possible B.likely C.probable D.truly

15、Scientists are hoping for a ____________ in the search for a cure for cancer.

A. reputation B. breakthrough

C. civilization D. sensation

16、The housing price in Suzhou ________ sharply recently, so new measures are to be taken to control it.

A．has been rising

B．will rise

C．rises

D．had risen

17、The woman ______ I am sending an email is my business partner.

A．to whom

B．whom

C．who

D．whose

18、__________these messages always seem important at the time, most people can’t really remember them the next day.

A.Because B.Unless C.While D.Since

19、Not when and where we should meet, I telephoned our monitor for detailed information.

A. know   B. knew C. known   D. knowing

20、Sandra Oh, actress of “Killing Eve”, has the _______ of being the first Asian woman to pocket a Golden Globe Award.

A．distinction

B．discrimination

C．description

D．determination

21、We _______ have bought so much food now that Suzie won't be with us for dinner

A.may not B.mustn’t C.can’t D.needn’t

22、You misunderstood me yesterday, Lucy. I wasn't _______ you when I blamed

someone for the accident.

A.referring to B.reacting to

C.responding to D.relating to

23、Travelling on the bad mountain roads is a(an)________ experience and I will never risk my life like that.

A. terrifying B. terrified

C. astonishing D. astonished

24、______in her most beautiful skirt, the girl tried to make herself ______ at the party.

A.Dressed; noticed B.Dressing; noticed

C.Dressed; noticing D.Dressing; being noticing

25、Robots can be reprogrammed by a computer to do another one after completing one specific task, and this is ______ automatic machines differ.

A．because

B．what

C．where

D．how

26、One day a heavy storm hit a village. Nothing was destroyed, but a rock fell from a nearby mountain. The rock rolled down from the mountain and stopped in the middle of the main road in the village. It was very big and shaped more or less like a ball. The village decided to move it since it was blocking (阻塞) the street. Several of the strongest men in the village came to try to lift it out of the road. No matter how hard they tried though, they couldn’t move it.

All of this time a young boy was watching the men trying to move the rock. “Excuse me,” he said, “but I think I could move the rock.”

“You?” They shouted. “What are you talking about? All of us have just tried, and even together we can’t move it a bit.” They all laughed at the boy.

The next morning some villagers came into the street. To their great surprise, the rock was gone! More people ran out to see for themselves. It was true the rock wasn’t in the road any more.

The little boy stood in the street, smiling. “ I told you I could move it,” he said. “ I did it last night.” Then he walked over to where the rock had been and uncovered some dirt with a shovel (铁锹). “ You see,” he said, “ I dug a deep hole next to the rock, and the rock rolled down into the hole of itself. Then I covered it with dirt.”

【1】The village decided to move the rock because ________.

A．it was big and heavy.

B．it was completely useless.

C．it was more or less badly shaped.

D．it was in the middle of the road.

【2】When the young boy said he could move the rock, the villagers ________.

A．didn’t understand him.

B．got angry with him.

C．were pleased with him.

D．didn’t believe him.

【3】The young boy worked at night so as to ________

A．find a way to move the rock.

B．work faster and better.

C．give the villagers a surprise.

D．dig a hole for himself.

【4】The boy removed the rock by ________.

A．pulling it out of the road.

B．breaking it with a shovel.

C．burying it in a hole.

D．lifting it out of the road.

27、   If you want to disturb the car industry, you’d better have a few billion dollars: Mom-and-pop carmakers are unlikely to beat the biggest car companies. But in agriculture, small farmers can get the best of the major players. By connecting directly with customers, and by responding quickly to changes in the markets as well as in the ecosystems(生态系统), small farmers can keep one step ahead of the big guys. As the co-founder of the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC, 美国青年农会) and a family farmer myself, I have a front-row seat to the innovations among small farmers that are transforming the industry.

For example, take the Quick Cut Greens Harvester, a tool developed just a couple of years ago by a young farmer, Jonathan Dysinger, in Tennessee, with a small loan from a local Slow Money group. It enables small-scale farmers to harvest 175 pounds of green vegetables per hour—a huge improvement over harvesting just a few dozen pounds by hand—suddenly making it possible for the little guys to compete with large farms of California. Before the tool came out, small farmers couldn’t touch the price per pound offered by California farms. But now, with the combination of a better price point and a generally fresher product, they can stay in business.

The sustainable success of small farmers, though, won’t happen without fundamental changes to the industry. One crucial factor is secure access to land. Competition from investors, developers, and established large farmers makes owning one’s own land unattainable for many new farmers. From 2004 to 2013, agricultural land values doubled, and they continue to rise in many regions.

Another challenge for more than a million of the most qualified farm workers and managers is a non-existent path to citizenship — the greatest barrier to building a farm of their own. With farmers over the age of 65 outnumbering(多于) farmers younger than 35 by six to one, and with two-thirds of the nation’s farmland in need of a new farmer, we must clear the path for talented people willing to grow the nation’s food.

There are solutions that could light a path toward a more sustainable and fair farm economy, but farmers can’t clumsily put them together before us. We at the NYFC need broad support as we urge Congress to increase farmland conservation, as we push for immigration reform, and as we seek policies that will ensure the success of a diverse and ambitious next generation of farmers from all backgrounds. With a new farm bill to be debated in Congress, consumers must take a stand with young farmers.

【1】The author mentions car industry at the beginning of the passage to introduce .

A. the progress made in car industry   B. the importance of investing in car industry

C. a trend of development in agriculture   D. a special feature of agriculture

【2】What does the author want to illustrate with the example in paragraph 2?

A. Small farmers may gain some advantages over big ones.

B. Loans to small local farmers are necessary.

C. Technology is vital for agricultural development.

D. Competition between small and big farms is fierce.

【3】What is the difficulty for those new farmers?

A. To gain more financial aid.   B. To hire good farm managers.

C. To have farms of their own.   D. To win old farmers’ support.

【4】What should farmers do for a more sustainable and fair farm economy?

A. Invest more to improve technology.   B. Expand farmland conservation.

C. Become members of NYFC.   D. Seek support beyond NYFC.

28、Recently there was a major discovery in the scientific research—the mapping of all DNA in a human gene is complete. Several years ago, it seems an impossible task for scientist to accomplish. All this progress in science leads us to believe that the day when human being will be cloned is not far away. Human cloning has always been a topic of argument in terms of morality (道德) or religion.

Taking a look at why cloning might be beneficial, among many cases, it is arguable that parents who are known to be at risk of passing a genetic limitation to a child could make use of cloning. Moreover, cloning would enable women who can't get pregnant to have children of their own.

Cloning humans would also mean that organs could be cloned, so it would be a source of perfect transfer organs. This surely would be greatly beneficial to millions of unfortunate people around the world who are expected to lose their lives due to organ problems. It is also arguable that a ban on cloning may be unlawful and would rob people of the right to reproduce and limit the freedom of scientists.

However, arguments against cloning are also on a perfectly practical side. Primarily, I believe that cloning would step in the normal "cycle" of life. There would be a large number of same genes, which reduce the chances of evolution, since it may be difficult for living creatures to naturally adapt to the ever-changing environment, which will result in ultimate disappearance. Furthermore, cloning would make the uniqueness that each one of us possesses disappear. Thus, leading to creation of genetically engineered groups of people for specific purposes and, chances are that those individuals would be regarded as "objects" rather than people in the society.

Scientists couldn't surely guarantee that the first cloned humans will be normal. Thus this could result in introduction of additional limitations in the human "gene-pool".

Regarding such arguable topics in "black or white" approach seems very innocent. We should try to look at all "shades" of it. I believe that cloning is only legal if its purpose is for cloning organs; not humans. Then we could regard this as for "saving life" instead of "creating life". It is believed that cloning humans is morally and socially unacceptable.

【1】What's the author's opinion on cloning?

A．Cloning should be entirely banned.

B．Cloning should be used in creating life.

C．Cloning will take away the right to reproduce.

D．Cloning is acceptable if it is used for cloning organs.

【2】Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

A．

B．

C．

D．

【3】Where is the text probably from?

A．A story book.

B．A magazine.

C．A science fiction.

D．A novel.

29、   About one in ten video game players shows signs of addictive behavior that could have negative effects on their family, friends and school work, according to a new study conducted in New York.

Researchers at Iowa State University(ISU) and the National Institute on Media and the Family found that some gamers show at least six symptoms of gambling addiction such as lying to family and friends about how much they play games, using the games to escape their problems and becoming restless when they stop playing.

They may also skip homework to play video games or spend too much time playing games and do poorly in school. “While the medical community currently does not recognize video game addiction as mental disorder, hopefully this study will be one of many that allow us to have an educated conversation on the positive and negative effects of video games,” said Dr Douglas Gentile, an assistant professor of psychology at ISU.

Dr David Walsh, the president of the National Institute on Media and the Family which tries to reduce the harm of media on the health and development of children and families, said the findings are a wake-up call.“This study gives everyone a better idea of the problem,” he explained.

The researchers, who studied 1,178 American children and teenagers, aged 8 to 18, found some displayed at least 6 of 11 symptoms of pathological (病态的) gambling as stated by the American Psychiatric Association. Addicted gamers played video games 24 hours a week, twice as much as casual gamers. Some addicted gamers even steal to support their habit, according to the findings that will be published in the journal Psychological Science.

While video games can be fun and entertaining, some kids are getting trouble. “I continue to hear from families who are concerned about their kids’ gaming habits. Not only do we need to focus on identifying the problem, but we need to find ways to help families prevent and treat gaming addiction.

【1】The author mainly tells us about________.

A.video game addiction in children

B.positive effects of addictions

C.families’ concern about their children’s addiction to video games

D.treatment for video game addiction

【2】When addicted video gamers can’t play games, they will feel_______.

A.disappointed B.sleepy

C.annoyed D.exhausted

【3】According to the passage, addicted video gamers behave in the following ways EXCEPT _______.

A.they play games to escape their problems B.they lie about how long they spend gaming

C.they perform badly in their studies D.they often stay away from school

【4】After having studied video game addiction, scientists hope that _______.

A.parents will prevent their kids from playing games

B.the media will arouse people’s awareness of the problem

C.parents will stop buying video games for their children

D.they will find ways to help families deal with this problem

30、   Being brave enough, girls are free to explore in their learning and life. That exploration leads to the ___________of their talents, passions and drawbacks. On Saturday night we saw one of our students act so bravely that it took my ________ away.

One of the lead characters of our show, Blue Stockings, was played by a science teacher, Ben Walker._________ , Ben broke his nose very badly playing football on Saturday and consequently couldn’t ________. Ella Jones, a Year I student and part of the cast, who ________ to rest on Saturday, was ________ to play Ben’s role.

Think about this. She had three hours’ ________, playing a role of a man she had never played before, in front of a/an ________ audience, and if she couldn’t ________, she would reduce the impact of the whole play. Not the end of the world, but it would be disappointing for all _________

Ella could have run, but she ________ to the challenge. She said, “I was astonished; However, I ________ the show must go on and I wanted to ________. I wasn’t scared ________ I arrived at the theatre and realized how much there was to ________. It wasn’t just about lines, but it was the stagecraft(舞台表演技巧). I was ________ about the other actors because I know how ________ it is to perform a role with someone who isn’t as invested, especially if it is an emotional scene.”

Asked how the show ________, Ella said, “It was amazing, and the audience seemed to love the male character I played for the first time.” She added, “Being scared doesn’t mean you can’t be ________. Anyway, I ________.”

【1】A.growth B.change C.discovery D.control

【2】A.pain B.faith C.breath D.feel

【3】A.Secretly B.Hopefully C.Unsurprisingly D.Unfortunately

【4】A.coach B.perform C.survive D.retire

【5】A.refused. B.decided C.happened D.promised

【6】A.asked B.forced C.trained D.reminded

【7】A.wait B.presentation C.training D.judgment

【8】A.cheering B.paying C.standing D.astonishing

【9】A.take it away B.look it up C.make it out D.carry it off

【10】A.watching B.regarding C.concerned D.referred

【11】A.faced B.met C.arose D.rose

【12】A.suspected B.questioned C.figured D.proposed

【13】A.win B.help C.desire D.quit

【14】A.until B.unless C.so that D.the moment

【15】A.put away B.hand in C.work out D.take over

【16】A.doubtful B.confident C.curious D.worried

【17】A.easy B.tough C.embarrassing D.interesting

【18】A.sounded B.improved C.started D.went

【19】A.brave B.proud C.calm D.shy

【20】A.got it B.saw it C.made it D.did it

31、   I was at the post office early that morning, hoping to be in and out in a short while. Yet, I______ myself standing in a queue that went all the way into the hallway. I had never seen so many people there on a weekday. It seemed someone might have made an announcement, welcoming customers to carry as many ______ as they could and bring them in when I needed to have my own package ______. The queue moved very slowly. My patience ran out and I got______. The longer it took, the angrier I became. When I got to the counter finally, I finished my______quickly and briefly, and then walked past the queue that was now extending past the front door.

“Excuse me,” I said, trying not to be too pushy. Several people had to move ______ to make room for me to get to the ______.

I stepped out, complaining about the ______ conditions. Thinking I was going to be late for my dentist appointment, I headed into the parking lot.

A woman was coming across the lot in my ______. She was walking with determination, and each step sounded very heavy. I ______ that she looked as if she could breathe fire. It stopped me in my tracks. I ______ myself and it wasn't pretty. Had I looked like that? Her body language said that she was having a ______ day. My anger melted away. I wished I could wrap her in a hug but I was a______. So I did what I could in a minute______ she hurried past me－I smiled. In a second everything changed. She was astonished, then somewhat ______.Then her face softened and her shoulders______. I saw her take a deep breath. Her pace slowed and she smiled back at me as we passed each other. I continued to smile all the way to my ______. Wow, it's amazing what a simple smile can do.

From then on, I became aware of people's ______ and my own, the way we show our feelings. Now I use that ______ every day to let it ______ me that when facing the world, I can try a smile.

【1】A. found B. helped C. troubled D. enjoyed

【2】A. possessions B. packages C. chances D. dollars

【3】A. lifted B. cashed C. weighed D. carried

【4】A. pleased B. disappointed C. delighted D. annoyed

【5】A. business B. choice C. situation D. attitude

【6】A. away B. about C. along D. aside

【7】A. counter B. cashier C. exit D. entrance

【8】A. weather B. service C. work D. purchase

【9】A. satisfaction B. decision C. direction D. imagination

【10】A. announced B. discovered C. proved D. noticed

【11】A. trusted B. recognized C. hid D. persuaded

【12】A. rough B. bright C. big D. nice

【13】A. gentleman B. stranger C. customer D. passenger

【14】A. until B. though C. before D. since

【15】A. attracted B. frightened C. excited D. confused

【16】A. trembled B. raised C. relaxed D. tightened

【17】A. car B. office C. home D. doctor

【18】A. appearances B. reactions C. conversations D. expressions

【19】A. treatment B. awareness C. conclusion D. achievement

【20】A. remind B. show C. give D. tell

32、   I was 18 years old, fit, strong and ambitious. One day, I fell down for no _________reason. I saw many different specialists and was finally diagnosed with limb girdle muscular dystrophy (MD).

It was a very difficult time. I had no idea what life was going to_________at me and I was scared. By my late 30s it was_________and I had transitioned (转变) from a walking stick to a wheelchair. I wanted to be master of my own_________, so I had to recognize my_________and play to my weaknesses. What I wanted to make_________was a trip to the north pole.

People with MD feel the cold. So why did I want to go to one of the most extreme, cold and _________places on Earth? I’d read about Chris Cope, who wanted to go to the north pole to raise money for MD, and it had_________my adventurous spirit: I wanted to raise awareness about the__________, but I also wanted to find out what I was capable of. I’m very_________.

In the two years it had taken to organize the expedition, my muscles had worsened but we _________regardless. The unpleasant life coaching and cold training helped me to_________how my body would behave in extreme cold, which made me aware of what to_________.

I had an amazing team around me, _________ the four different flights we took to get to the inner Arctic ice shelf were nevertheless discouraging. While we were on the ice the runway_________ and we had to wait for it to refreeze. _________we reached the north pole, I was bitterly cold, exhausted and a complete_________. I was on the ice for the best part of three long days, then_________ the final 350m. The expedition raised £50,000 for_________.

MD is slowly destroying my life but I have chosen to fill it with_________and I live life to the full.

【1】A. apparent B. adequate C. sound D. major

【2】A. yell B. throw C. target D. direct

【3】A. modest B. initial C. advanced D. minor

【4】A. disease B. business C. fortune D. fate

【5】A. privileges B. strengths C. achievements D. commitments

【6】A. differ B. work C. happen D. count

【7】A. autonomous B. mysterious C. fantastic D. inaccessible

【8】A. referred to B. belonged to C. applied to D. appealed to

【9】A. significance B. conservation C. condition D. ambition

【10】A. competitive B. delicate C. ridiculous D. trustworthy

【11】A. pulled out B. took off C. pressed on D. hung about

【12】A. clarify B. illustrate C. stress D. assess

【13】A. value B. expect C. require D. forgive

【14】A. though B. but C. so D. as

【15】A. floated B. split C. disappeared D. twisted

【16】A. Because B. Unless C. Once D. Before

【17】A. pride B. failure C. mess D. envy

【18】A. ran B. climbed C. walked D. rolled

【19】A. treatment B. ecology C. charity D. training

【20】A. responsibilities B. imaginations C. recreations D. experiences

33、While high school does not generally encourage students to explore new aspects of life, college sets the stage for that exploration.I myself went through this _____ process and found something that has changed my _____ at college for the better：I discovered ASL－American Sign Language (美式手语)．

I never felt an urge to _____ any sign language before.My entire family is hearing, and so are all my friends.The _____ languages were enough in all my interactions (交往)．Little did I know that I would discover my _____ for ASL.

The _____ began during my first week at college.I watched as the ASL Club _____ their translation of a song.Both the hand movements and the very _____ of communicating without speaking _____ me.What I saw was completely unlike anything I had experienced in the ______．This newness just left me ______ more.

After that, feeling the need to ______ further, I decided to drop in on one of ASL club's meetings.I only learned how to ______ the alphabet that day.Yet instead of being discouraged by my ______ progress, I was excited.I then made it a point to ______ those meetings and learn all I could.

The following term, I ______ an ASL class.The professor was deaf and any talking was ______．I soon realized that the silence was not unpleasant.______， if there had been any talking, it would have ______ us to learn less.Now, I appreciate the silence and the ______ way of communication it opens.

【1】

A．searching

B．planning

C．natural

D．formal

【2】

A．progress

B．experience N

C．major

D．opinion

【3】

A．choose

B．read

C．learn

D．create

【4】

A．official

B．foreign

C．body

D．spoken

【5】

A．love

B．concern

C．goal

D．request

【6】

A．meeting

B．trip

C．story

D．task

【7】

A．recorded

B．performed

C．recited

D．discussed

【8】

A．idea

B．amount

C．dream

D．reason

【9】

A．disturbed

B．supported

C．embarrassed

D．attracted

【10】

A．end

B．past

C．course

D．distance

【11】

A．showing

B．acting

C．saying

D．wanting

【12】

A．exercise

B．explore

C．express

D．explain

【13】

A．print

B．write

C．sign

D．count

【14】

A．slow

B．steady

C．normal

D．obvious

【15】

A．chair

B．sponsor

C．attend

D．organize

【16】

A．missed

B．passed

C．gave up

D．registered for

【17】

A．prohibited

B．welcomed

C．ignored

D．repeated

【18】

A．Lastly

B．Thus

C．Instead

D．However

【19】

A．required

B．caused

C．allowed

D．expected

【20】

A．easy

B．popular

C．quick

D．new

34、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 tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City has tested positive for the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, becoming the first known case of human-animal 【1】, the zoo's chief veterinarian said on Sunday.

Nadia, the 4-year-old Malayan tiger that tested positive, was 【2】 for the COVID-19 disease after 【3】 a dry cough along with three other tigers and three lions, the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the zoo, said in a statement.

All of the cats are expected to recover, it said. But officials believe this is a unique case because Nadia became sick after 【4】 to an asymptomatic zoo employee, Paul Calle, chief veterinarian at the Bronx Zoo, told Reuters.

Calle said they did not know which employee infected the tiger. "This is the first time that we have discovered that a person infects the animal and the animal gets sick," Calle said, adding that they planned to share the findings with other zoos and institutions. " I guess 【5】 we will all have a better understanding as a result.

While the other tigers and lions were also 【6】 symptoms, the zoo decided to test only Nadia because she was the sickest and  had started to lose her appetite already, and they did not want to 【7】 all the cats to anesthesia(麻醉), Calle said.

Nadia 【8】 X-rays, an ultrasound(超声波) and blood tests to try to figure out what was making her sick . They decided to test for COVID-19 【9】 the surge in cases in New York City, the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States.The first tiger at the zoo, which has been shut since mid-March, began showing 【10】 of illness on March 27, according to the US Department of Agriculture National Veterinary Services Laboratories.

35、阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空，在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

A

I have the【1】(great)job in the world. I travel to unusual places and work alongside people from all over the world. Sometimes using【2】(science)equipment and sometimes meeting local people and tourists, I am never【3】(bore).Although my job is occasionally dangerous, I don’t mind because danger excites me and makes me feel alive. However, the most important thing about my job is that I help protect ordinary people【4】 one of the most powerful forces on earth—the volcano.

B

Water is a precious resource. Every person needs it【5】 (survive),and we use it for cooking, drinking, growing our food and washing. However，it is scarce(缺乏的).Just 1% of water on Earth can【6】 (use)by humans. What’s more，treating water to make it clean and safe and pumping it to our homes uses up lots of energy. So, what can you do to help save water? One easy way is by【7】(turn)off the tap when you brush your teeth.

C

Robbie Phillips has become the first British person to complete one of the toughest challenges in rock climbing. 【8】(know)as the Alpine Trilogy(阿尔卑斯三部曲),the challenge consists of three climbs on mountains in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, 【9】Phillips completed in four years. Until now, only four other people【10】(conquer)all three of the extremely difficult climbs.

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.

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.

37、Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

Knowledge is free on the Internet at a small but 【1】 number of colleges and universities. About 160 schools around the world now put free course materials on the web to the 【2】. Recent additions in the United States 【3】 projects at Yale, Johns Hopkins and the University of California, Berkeley.

Berkeley said it would offer videos of lectures on YouTube. Free videos from other schools are 【4】 at the Apple iTunes store.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) became an early 【5】 with its Open Course Ware project, first 【6】 in 2001. Free lecture notes, exams and other resources are published at ocw.mit.edu. Many exams even include the answers. Today, Open Course Ware offers materials from 1,800 undergraduate and graduate courses. These 【7】 from Physics to Political Science. Visitors can learn the same things as MIT students learn. But as the site points out, Open Course Ware is not an MIT education. Visitors receive no credit toward a degree. Some materials from a course may not be available, and the site does not provide 【8】 with teachers. Still, MIT says that the site has had forty million visits by thirty-one million visitors from almost every country. Sixty percent of the visitors are from outside the United States and Canada. Students and educators use the site, including students at MIT. But the largest number of visitors, about half, are self-learners.

Some professors have become well-known around the world as a result of 【9】 online. Walter Lewin, a physics professor at MIT, is 【10】 popular. Fans enjoy his entertaining lectures. MIT Open Course Ware now includes materials for high school. The aim is to improve education in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering.

38、假定你是王轩，在不久前的英国之行中得到了Green夫妇的帮助。请你给他们写一封邮件，内容主要包括：

1.简述他们对你的帮助；

2.表达感激之情；

3.邀请他们来中国。

注意：1.词数100左右（开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数）；

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Green,

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours truly,

Wang Xuan

39、假设你是红星中学高二学生李华。你的英国笔友Jim发邮件询问你这学期居家学习的状况。请给Jim回一封邮件，内容包括：1.你居家期间的主要学习活动；2.你对居家学习的感受。

注意：1.词数不少于50；2.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。提示词：居家期间the quarantine period

Dear Jim,

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

40、汉族成年礼延续数千年，历史悠久。至满清入关后，满清统治者一纸令下，终结了绵延了几千年的成人礼，然而现在正在逐渐恢复且越来越流行。假定你是高三学生李华，学校将于下周五晚上七点在阶梯教室举办成人礼活动。请你代表学生会写一封邮件给外教Tom，邀请其参加本届成人礼活动并简要介绍活动时间地点及流程等。

注意:

1.词数100左右;

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯;

3.开头与结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

参考词汇:成人礼 the coming-of-age ceremony

Dear Tom,

I’m Li Hua, one of your students. On behalf of the students’ union,

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

41、你校上周举办了以“Learn to Be Grateful”为主题的英语演讲比赛。请你为学校英语角写一篇短文介绍该活动，内容包括：

1．活动的时间和地点；

2．活动的过程；

3．个人感受。

注意：

1．写作词数应为80左右；

2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

In order to encourage the students to have a grateful heart,

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________