高三学年英语九月月考试卷第I卷

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（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

One afternoon, after finishing shopping in a supermarket, my family and I went to the checkout. I suddenly thought we didn’t need any of the junk, and we abandoned all of those, saving $300.

That got me thinking about all our pointless expenses in life. With a promise that we’d stop if it was killing us, I convinced the family to take the leap into frugality(节俭). The rules were that we would buy nothing for 30 days except absolutely essentials.

Our adventure began with a great start. By 9 a.m., my wife, Ruth, had already made cakes from old strawberries and picked flowers I didn’t even know we had in the garden. I cleared the car by hand for the first time for years. I read and returned the neighbor’s newspaper before he woke up. Total spending on the first day: $0.

As days turned into weeks, we became so proficient（熟练的）at living frugally. We started riding our bikes to save gas. My child’s finger painting was recycled as gift wrap for the homemade presents. We started to use an Internet application like Skype for free phone calls and ask neighbors with gardens for extra vegetables and herbs.

In the end, we saved more than $2000 by not spending for a month. When we began, I imagined we would rush out the moment we were done and buy a lot of things in the supermarket, then maybe hit the mall or go to the movies.

1. We can infer from the passage that before that very afternoon, the family _________.

A. had had higher income

B. had had a good habit of saving money

C. had often spent money without thinking much

D. hadn’t realized they would have met financial problems

2. How many things were mentioned about the things the family did to save on the first day of the “30 days”?

A. Two B. Three C. Four D. Five

3. The end of the story tells the readers that the family _________.

A. stopped halfway B. couldn’t stand the life of frugality

C. would make up for missing the junk after the “30 days” D. succeeded in saving in the end

4. This passage is mainly about _________.

A. how a family managed their daily life

B. a family’s no-buying try

C. a family’s way of solving life problems

D. how a new idea came up

B

The 1920s was a decade of wealth, decadence(堕落) and social changes. They were known as the Roaring Twenties, and the best place to experience this exciting time was New York City. But what was it really like?

Prohibition

In 1919, a new law in the US known as Prohibition made it illegal to buy and sell alcohol. But Prohibition didn’t stop people drinking; it just drove the sale of strong alcoholic drink underground. Bootleggers(走私贩) waited off the coast of New York after dark and brought illegal alcohol into the city.

Jazz

Jazz was the music of New York in the 1920s. In fact, the decade is called Jazz Age. The best place to listen to this new form of music was the Cotton Club in Harlem. All the great jazz musicians played at the Cotton Club, including Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and DukeＥllington. Also, in 1942 George Gersgwin composed the jazz---influenced Rhapsody in Blue. The piece has been called “a musical portrait of New York” and was used by Woody Allen in his film Manhattan.

Art Deco

Art Deco was the most popular style of the 1920s, with bright colors and geometric designs; it can be seen in the art, architecture and inside designs of the period. New York is full of Art Deco buildings, but the most famous ones are the Chrysler Building (built between 1928 and 1930) and the Empire State Building (built between 1930 and 1931).

The Great Depression

On 29th October, 1929, the Roaring Twenties came to a dramatic end. On that day (known as “Black Tuesday”), the US stock market crashed, causing the Great Depression. The economic downturn lasted ten years and affected most of the Western world. Unemployment in America reached 25% and the country didn’t recover until after World War II.

5. We know from the passage that in 1919 people ________ alcohol in the US.

A. began to buy and sell B. stopped producing

C. completely stopped trading D. secretly bought and sold

6. The 1920s is called _________.

A. Country Music Time B. Jazz Age C. Folk Music Age D. Pop Age

7. We infer from the passage that the US _________ in the year 1930.

A. was in a bad economic state B. was in good economic condition

C. developed at a rapid speed D. had many dramatic plays

C

It was a cold night in Washington, D.C., and I was heading back to the hotel when a man approached me. He asked me for some money so he could get something to eat. I’d read the sign: “Don’t give money to beggars.” So I shook my head and kept marching.

I wasn’t prepared for a reply, but he said, “I am really homeless and I am really hungry! You can come with me and watch me eat!” But I kept on marching.

The incident bothered me for the rest of the week. I had money in my pocket and it wouldn’t have killed me to hand over a dollar or two even if he had been lying. On a freezing cold night, I still assumed the worst of the fellow human being.

Flying back to Anchorage, I couldn’t help thinking of him. I tried to seek excuses for my failure to help by assuming government agencies, churches and charities were there to feed him. Besides, you’re not supposed to give money to beggars.

Somewhere over Seattle, I started to write my weekly garden column for the Anchorage Daily News. Out of the blue, I came up with an idea. Bean’s Café, a soup kitchen in Anchorage, feeds hundreds of hungry Alaskans every day. Why not try to get all my readers to plant one row in their gardens devoted to Bean’s Café?

Before long my idea took off. People would fax me or call when they took something in. Those who only grew flowers donated them. Food for the spirit. And relief for my conscience.

As more and more people started working with the “Plant a Row” concept, many companies gave free seeds to customers and displayed the logo, which also arose in national gardening publications. Row markers with the “Plant a Row” logo were distributed to gardeners to set apart their “Row for the Hungry”.

It is unexpected that millions of Americans are threatened by hunger. If every gardener in America--- and we’re seventy million strong---plants one row for the hungry, we can lower the number of neighbors who don’t have enough to eat. Maybe then I will stop feeling guilty about abandoning a hungry man I could have helped.

8. Why did the author turn down the beggar’s request?

A. He was previously reminded not to do so.

B. He was eager to march back to the hotel.

C. He thought that it was beyond his duty.

D. He was short of money at that moment.

9. Which of the following is the closest to the underlined phrase “took off” (Paragraph 6)?

A. We eventually took off at 11o’clock and landed in Seattle safely.

B. To take off pounds, you have to cut down the number of calories.

C. On hearing the news, he took off at once and headed back to the hotel.

D. His business has really taken off owing to his advanced management.

10. What did the author do after the beggar’s incident?

A. He felt guilty but couldn’t help him.

B. He started a project to help the hungry.

C. He ran a blue kitchen to supply the hungry with soup.

D. He still supposed it was unwise to give the hungry with soup.

11. What can be a suitable title for the passage?

A. Plant a Row for the Hungry

B. Lend a Hand to Beggars

C. Never Hesitate to Help Others

D. Plan a Gardening Project

D

When going through major life changes, like changing careers, I would change the people with whom I spent the most time. We’ve all gone through periods when the people in our lives have changed--- graduation, moving to a new city, getting a new job, joining a new club, etc. I don’t think I need to convince you just how much influence other people can have over your identity. If you’ve ever experienced a major switch in your people environment, then you know that you change as well.

Most people don’t make these choices consciously, though. You might consciously decide to spend more time with a certain friend, or you may ask someone out on a date to begin a new relationship. But few people choose their existing friendships deliberately.

There’s no “getting rid of people”. People are always dropping into and out of each other’s lives. Associations grow into friendships, and friendships fade into associations. You don’t get rid of anyone. The truth is that in order to make room for new people and new experiences, you may need to loosen up some of your existing connections.

What about loyalty? Shouldn’t you always be loyal to your friends? Once you have a close friend, even if his influence on you is slightly harmful, shouldn’t you stick by him?

Loyalty to a friend sometimes means having to let go. It means being loyal to his highest and best self as well. If someone is destroying his health by smoking, for example, you aren’t showing loyalty by smoking right along with him. True loyalty sometimes requires that you break damaging connections, get yourself back on solid ground, and then decide what you can really do to help your friend.

It can take a lot of courage to tell someone, “I’m sorry, but I can’t have you in my life anymore.” But even though this might seem like a selfish act at times, it’s often the best thing for the other person, too. If a relationship is holding you back in some way, understand that it’s also hurting the other person. For example, if you work for a violent boss, your acceptance of that situation is considered to be silent approval, encouraging your boss to continue to behave violently.

12. When experiencing major life changes, peo