资源简介

2025-2026学年高二下期中英语试卷
一、阅读理解
A
Ancient Art Exhibitions of Museum of Fine Arts Houston
Arts of Africa
“African” describes arts of Africa from 500 BC to the present. The Museum’s African art collection features masks (面具), statues, headdresses, cloths, and objects from a variety of regions, cultures, and countries. The most famous one is a metal head of a king from the Court of Benin. Many artworks were created to strengthen the position and power of the rulers, or to symbolize position. Others honor ancestors.
Arts of the Pacific Islands and Australia
The arts include those from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and other South Pacific Islands that make up a region once called “Oceania”. The ocean has shaped these peoples and their art. Many works were made from wood and plants, and decorated with paint, feathers, and shells. Valuable objects were also carved from stone.
Glassell Collection of Ancient America
Gold played an important role in ancient Central and South America. Ancient Americans valued gold for its spiritual power. Gold was considered to be part of the sun and had its energy. This collection is without equal in the world.
Glassell Collection of Africa
From ancient times, gold was a symbol of wealth and power, and gold artworks were highly prized. On Africa’s west coast, gold was rich. Chiefs used gold works to prove power and respect, and to promote political unity. The Glassell Collection of African Gold is considered the finest of its kind in the world, and it is the largest collection of African gold in an American museum.
1. Which stands out in Arts of Africa’s collection
A．An ancient mask.
B．A metal head.
C．A unique stone object.
D．A beautiful headdress.
2. What’s a character of the works from Arts of the Pacific Islands and Australia
A．They were influenced by the ocean.
B．They were owned by ancient rulers.
C．They shaped Oceanian people’s life.
D．They were specially decorated for different purposes.
3. What do the works of Glassell Collection of Ancient America and Glassell Collection of Africa have in common
A．They include donations of different collectors.
B．They stand for the highest level of art.
C．They feature fine artworks containing gold.
D．They show respect for the ancestors.
B
At first sight, Easthope doesn’t seem much like a Cassandra (希腊神话人物). She smiles a lot. Her manner is kind and motherly; pushed to name her profession, you might guess at nurse or teacher. But look closer.
Easthope is an emergency planner whose job is to support the survivors of major disasters, in which capacity she acted following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the fire at Grenfell Tower. For two decades, the public knew nothing about this vital work, which went on behind the scenes, though she was hugely admired in what we might call professional disaster circles: a voice of calm and a fountain of wisdom. But in 2023, she published a best-selling book about her career, When the Dust Settles, and that changed. People became very interested in what she did.
“At literary festivals, most authors get questions about their writing process,” Easthope says. “But I wouldn’t get those. What people wanted from me was to know how I lived with the knowledge that I have. Wasn’t I afraid How did I handle it I would tell them that I didn’t live afraid, and I would give them basic advice. But this wasn’t enough.” In the end, she felt she had no choice but to write a second book, one in which she would try to cover all that she has learned for the benefit of each individual.
While her publisher describes Come What May as a road map for resilience (韧性), the word is one Easthope dislikes. Ready, she suggests, is a better one. Easthope also reminds people that small things, like losing hair during illness or consuming too much food after someone dies, still matter. She encourages people to remember, not to forget, what happened during disasters, because such events leave a long-lasting effect.
4. What might a Cassandra be like according to paragraph 1
A．Friendly and energetic.
B．Competent and cautious.
C．Cheerful and easy-going.
D．Serious and unapproachable.
5. What led to increased public awareness of Easthope’s work in 2023
A．The publication of a best seller.
B．Her involvement in 2004 tsunami relief.
C．The growth of professional disaster circles.
D．Her sudden rise to fame through media.
6. Why are readers’ questions cited in paragraph 3
A．To reveal Easthope’s personal fears.
B．To explain Easthope’s writing process.
C．To showcase Easthope’s writing motivation.
D．To present public doubts about Easthope’s work.
7. What does Easthope agree on handling disasters
A．Forgetting aids recovery.
B．Resilience matters most.
C．Positive thinking takes the lead.
D．Minor sufferings deserve attention.
C
Insomnia (失眠症), a condition affecting 10% of the global population and up to 33% of older adults, has long been connected to an overactive mind at night, but its key contributor remained unclear until a pioneering study by the University of South Australia (UniSA) was completed. Published under the title Cognitive-affective disengagement: 24-hour rhythm (节律) in insomniacs versus healthy good sleepers, the study is the first to uncover the core link between this condition and the disturbance of the biological clock.
The researchers set up a unique experiment involving 32 senior adults, 16 with insomnia and 16 healthy sleepers. The participants were monitored 24 hours under tightly controlled, low-light laboratory settings, and asked to stay awake, avoiding outside stimuli that might upset the brain’s natural rhythm. They filled out checklists every hour, rating the quality, tone, and controllability of thoughts.
The results were striking: Both groups had clear circadian (昼夜) rhythms in mental activity, with afternoon highs and early-morning declines, as expected. However, the unexpected part lay in their differences. Lead researcher Kurt Lushington said, “Unlike healthy sleepers who naturally switch from a daytime problem-solving pattern to one of nighttime mental disengagement, insomniacs fail to follow this rhythm, their mental highs delayed by over six hours. Instead of winding down in the evening, their mental activity was sustained at a high level — more in line with daytime wakefulness — well into the night.”
This finding reshapes insomnia understanding, indicating it’s not just rooted in nighttime restlessness but in the brain failing to receive “power down” signals. It’s a disturbance in the brain’s clock, where the natural rhythm of engagement and disengagement is thrown off balance.
The findings open up novel ways to treat insomnia, challenging existing behavioral approaches that only address nighttime thoughts and produce limited results. Co-researcher Jill Dorrian noted, “Timed light exposure and regular daily routines can bring back normal day-and-night thinking patterns and reset the brain’s clock. Plus, mindfulness exercises combined with body clock-based methods may make treatments more effective. This means future care should center on both mental state and disturbed body rhythms to create individualized plans.”
8. What did UniSA’s study identify as the root cause of insomnia
A．Permanent work pressure.
B．Lighting surroundings.
C．Nighttime restless thinking.
D．The body clock disorder.
9. What’s the characteristic of the experiment
A．Unequal-sized subject groups.
B．Hourly self-report forms.
C．Exposure to outside disturbances.
D．Constant-temperature conditions.
10. How does the mental activity of insomniacs differ from that of healthy sleepers at night
A．It’s far less active.
B．It lacks a timely downshift.
C．It drops more sharply.
D．It reaches highs much earlier.
11. What does the last paragraph focus on
A．Limitations of current insomnia treatments.
B．Roles of mindfulness exercises in treatment.
C．Possible research-based interventions for insomnia.
D．Links between the body clock and individualized care.
D
Tree-planting, intended to help draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, has become a synonym (同义词) for climate action. In our constant focus on trees, we’ve developed a fixed understanding: Trees absorb carbon dioxide, end of story. The reality is that trees don’t grow well alone. They exist within complex communities, helped along by each other as well as the animals they coexist with. The woodland isn’t nature’s only carbon sink: Grasslands and oceans also help reduce the carbon level and rely on a healthy amount of biodiversity.
That’s what the paper, published in Nature, wants to get across. Co-author Oswald J.Schmaltz, a professor of ecology at Yale University, said trees might not be able to do their carbon-uptake job efficiently without the right animals in their ecosystem. That’s because animals animate the carbon cycle through their behavior and roles in the ecosystem. He added that the very presence of wild animals could cause feedback effects that change the ecosystem’s capacity to absorb, release, or transport carbon.
In Serengeti, for instance, the sharp decline in wildebeest (角马) populations during the mid-20th century allowed grass to grow wildly, eventually promoting wildfires that consumed 80 percent of the ecosystem annually and led to a net release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. When disease management and bans on illegal hunting helped animal populations recover,a greater share of the carbon stored in plants was consumed by wildebeest and released as waste, keeping it in the system and restoring the grassland as a carbon sink.
Researchers rarely consider wildlife conservation as a strategy to increase an ecosystem’s carbon storage capacity, said Schmitz. “They think that animals either aren’t important enough or that you can’t take up carbon and conserve animals at the same time,” he said. “Our message Is that you can and should. It can be a win-win for both biodiversity conservation and carbon uptake.” We need a full picture with both trees and animals-to explore nature’s full potential.
12. What can we learn from the first paragraph
A．Actions are needed to reduce carbon dioxide.
B．Trees are a quick solution to the climate crisis.
C．Grasslands and oceans help maintain biodiversity.
D．People are not thinking through trees properly.
13. What does the underlined word “animate” In paragraph 2 mean
A．Restart.
B．Fuel.
C．Disturb.
D．Break.
14. What does the author want to say by mentioning wildebeest
A．Animals can change the ecosystem’s capacity to store carbon.
B．The conservation of animals is still a serious issue.
C．Human impacts bring about the reduction in wildlife populations.
D．The increase in animal species causes a decrease in carbon uptake.
15. Which of the following is the best title for the text
A．Climate Change: Harmful to Carbon Cycle.
B．Grasslands matter: The Overlooked Carbon Sink.
C．Climate Solutions: Plant More Trees for a Greener Earth.
D．Nature in Concert: Animals and Trees Together Capture Carbon.
七选五
In today’s world where artificial intelligence (AI) can copy our words, automate our decisions and even simulate emotions, understanding what sets us apart isn’t just philosophical. 16 ____________ Knowing what makes us unquestionably different from intelligent machines helps us protect and even expand our most valuable strengths— our creativity, emotional intelligence, life experiences and sense of purpose, so that we don’t just coexist with AI, but rise above it, shaping the future instead of being shaped by it. Here are three irreplaceable human attributes (属性).
We have real-life experiences while AI has data. Experience is one of the most powerful things that shape us from the moment on which we’re born. 17 ____________ While AI, on the other hand, can analyze massive data, it doesn’t learn from pain, joy, failure, or success the way humans do. Experience isn’t just about information— it’s about personal growth.
18 ____________ We create stories to make sense of the world, find purpose in struggle and connect our past to our future. However, AI doesn’t wonder about “the why” behind what it does. Instead, it just processes requests and generates responses, without caring about the outcome beyond the goals that it’s pre-programmed to achieve.
We have free will while AI has codes (代码). Humans can choose generosity over self- interest, forgiveness over hatred, and innovation over conformity. But AI only follows rules. No matter how advanced, it’s always bound by its programming. 19 ____________
AI may be extraordinarily useful and helpful, but it will likely never provide what makes us human—empathy (共情), true love, meaningful purpose and life experiences. 20 ____________ In this way, we can ensure that technology will serve humanity—not the other way around.
A．It’s gaining popularity.
B．Besides, it is deeply practical.
C．We are considerate while AI is creative.
D．We seek meaning while AI follows instructions.
E．It doesn’t have desires, beliefs or independent thoughts.
F．Every failure, success and challenge can influence our future decisions.
G．So value our and others’ emotional depth, life experiences and creative potential.
二、完形填空
Christy was helping Mum sort through boxes they’d found in their new home. “Look, ” she held up an old photo, “It says Mabel beside Dream Lake, summer 1910. ” It looked so 21 ______. Christy asked if she could 22 ______ it. Mum agreed, adding that Mabel was once the owner of the house, but she didn’t know about the 23 ______.
Now Christy had a puzzle to 24 ______. Where was Dream Lake The next morning, Christy went to the local 25 ______, where she looked through 26 ______ of the town. They showed streets, businesses, but no lakes. Back home, while she was staring out her bedroom window, a 27 ______ feeling hit her. Christy quickly 28 ______ Mabel’s photo and ran outside. In its 29 ______, a steeple (尖塔) rose above a border of short trees. It looked much like the one now visible above the line of trees of her backyard. “Mum!” shouted Christy. “It’s the same steeple. This picture was taken in our 30 ______!”
Mum hurried outside to look. “Yeah, the trees have 31 ______ grown, but it’s the same steeple. But where’s the lake ” They finally turned to the historical society. But no one there had ever heard of such a lake. And all the 32 ______ proved useless.
“I don’t 33 ______ it, ”said Christy in confusion.
That night, 34 ______ came down and cooled the air. Early the next morning, Christy woke up and looked out of her window. “Dream Lake!” yelled Christy. “We 35 ______ the puzzle, Mum!”
21. A．colourful B．historical C．permanent D．real
22. A．share B．hang C．copy D．keep
23. A．lady B．time C．lake D．photo
24. A．care for B．worry about C．work out D．take up
25. A．gallery B．park C．theatre D．library
26. A．maps B．posters C．films D．journals
27. A．positive B．familiar C．horrible D．strange
28. A．hid B．threw C．tore D．grabbed
29. A．composition B．background C．reflection D．shade
30. A．backyard B．house C．neighbourhood D．town
31. A．merely B．slowly C．hardly D．truly
32. A．searches B．aids C．scenes D．guesses
33. A．make B．like C．get D．believe
34. A．snow B．rain C．wind D．fog
35. A．solved B．found C．completed D．proved
三、短文语法填空
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
The first Lighting Xi’an Festival, 36 ____________ combined traditional culture with modern design, was launched at Xi’an city square. It was titled Geometry of Light, as a joint effort between the management of Xi’an city square and the art platform WAVELENGTH.
The festival, featuring works of international light artists, demonstrated their 37 ____________ (represent) works with site-specific creations tailored to Xi’an’s rich cultural context. It 38 ____________ (recognize) that this festival has opened a new chapter in the city’s cultural landscape.
During its opening, two core topics were discussed 39 ____________ response to current urban development trends: the shared success of business and cities and the integrated innovation of art and business. Event organizers talked about their 40 ____________ (insight) into several key areas: the designing philosophy, the personalized digital art, 41 ____________ the potential interaction between technology and art. One organizer recalled, “I still remember that my colleagues and I were collaborating to brainstorm the core concept this time last year, and now it is presented to 42 ____________ public. And I feel that this journey is definitely 43 ____________ (reward).”
The goal of this festival is 44 ____________ (continue) building and strengthening the cultural brand, thus further 45 ____________ (integrate) artistic beauty with public spaces to significantly boost urban cultural vitality and ultimately foster the mutual growth of culture and commerce.
四、书信写作
46. 假定你是李华，外教Mr. Pullen计划使用AI工具为学生提供全天候的英语口语练习支持。然而，你认为这种做法可能存在问题。请你给外教写一封邮件，内容包括：
1. 说明问题；
2. 提出建议。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Mr. Pullen,
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Best regards,
Li Hua
五、读后续写
47. 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
注意：
(1)续写词数应为150个左右;
(2)请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
Jack looked out of the car window when he and his mom passed their old neighborhood. His fingers tapped nervously on his backpack as his mom told him the moving company had found some lost boxes from their recent move, and she could get them that afternoon.
A feeling of hope rose in Jack’ s heart. He asked quietly if Big Dog might be in the boxes. Grandpa had bought the treasured toy dog for him at the fair three years before. Though now eight years old, Jack still needed his old friend back on the shelf above his bed, which had been empty since they moved.
His mom said she wasn’t sure. Her voice trembled as she added that the photo albums were confirmed lost by the company — all those precious pictures of festive occasions, birthday celebrations, and family gatherings were gone. Jack recognized that voice, the one that she used when trying to be strong. He knew what the albums meant to her. She promised to check the boxes carefully before picking him up, giving his shoulder a comforting pat (轻拍)。
All day at school, Jack found it hard to sit still, his eyes constantly darting (瞟) to the clock. During math class, he missed Big Dog’s lovely eyes. At lunch, he recalled Grandma’s warm hug and bright smile from those lost photos. On the playground, his mind wandered back to the joy of their whole family together-laughing and running along the beach under a clear blue sky.
As the art class bell finally rang, Mr. Light announced, “Today you are free to draw anything you wish.” Jack stared at the blank paper, memories rushing back. The sad face of his mom popped up and then an idea came to him — maybe he could find a new way to save those memories.
He knew what he could draw.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
After school, Jack rushed to his mom, with the drawing in his hand.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
参考答案
阅读理解
1.B 2.A 3.C
4.D 5.A 6.C 7.D
8.D 9.B 10.B 11.C
12.D 13.B 14.A 15.D
七选五
16.B 17.F 18.D 19.E 20.G
完形填空
21.B 22.D 23.C 24.C 25.D 26.A 27.B 28.D 29.B 30.A 31.B 32.A 33.A 34.D 35.A
短文语法填空
36.which 37.representative 38.is recognized 39.in 40.insights
41.and 42.the 43.rewarding 44.to continue 45.integrating
书信写作范文
Dear Mr. Pullen,
I’m writing to share my opinions on your plan to use AI for all-day oral practice.
AI cannot correct our pronunciation accurately or communicate with us with true feelings. Besides, long-time AI practice will reduce our chances to talk with real people.
I suggest you arrange fixed after-class oral classes and combine AI training with face-to-face conversations.
Best regards,
Li Hua
读后续写范文
He knew what he could draw. He picked up his crayons and started to sketch every warm memory he treasured. He drew Grandpa buying Big Dog for him, Grandma’s gentle smile, and the whole family playing on the beach. He also painted his mom holding the lost photo albums with a sad look. He filled the paper with bright warm colors, hoping the drawing could make his mom feel better and keep all lost memories alive. When the bell rang, he carefully rolled up his painting.
After school, Jack rushed to his mom, with the drawing in his hand. He handed the picture to her and told her the drawing stored all their precious family moments. His mom stared at the painting, moved to tears. At that moment, she took out Big Dog from the recovered box. Jack held his toy tightly. They realized photos and toys could be lost, but love and memories inside their hearts would never disappear.

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