根据以英语作为母语的人数计算，英语可能是世界上第三大语言，但它是世界上最广泛的第二语言。精品小编准备了高二级英语上学期期中试题，希望你喜欢。

第一节：阅读理解 (共20小题;每小题2分，满分40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。并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。

A

Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “ Mum, I can’t peel potatoes. I have only one hand.”

Mum never looked up from sewing. “ You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “ And don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”

In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.

That night I told Mum about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we’ll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, mum looked carefully at the bars.

“ Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow. Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung I reached.

I’ll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs; I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.

One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mum came into my room. “ Mum,” I said, weeping, “ None of the boys would dance with me.”

For a long time, I didn’t hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you’ll be beating those boys off with a bat.” Her voice was faint and cracking. I peeked out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf. She had never let me see her tears.

1.Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mum’s attitude when she made the child peel potatoes?

A. Cruel          B. Serious             C. Strict             D. Cold

2.  What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 imply?

A. Mum believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it.

B. The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for a child to give up.

C. Mum was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher.

D. What the child had said brought Mum great attraction and curiosity.

3. When the child looked down at the kids, they were standing with their mouths open because ______.

A. they felt sorry for what they had done before.

B. they were afraid the author might fall off and get hurt.

C. they wanted to see what the author would do on the bars.

D. they were astonished to find the author’s progress.

4. The most probable conclusion we can draw after reading the passage is ____.

A. the last incident was sad enough to make Mum weep

B. the child’s experience reminded Mum of that of her own

C. Mum could solve any problem except the one in the last paragraph

D. Mum suffered more in the process of the child’s growth actually

B

Many people in the United States like eggs for breakfast. There are many different ways to cook eggs. One of the most common kinds of eggs for breakfast is scrambled eggs. In addition, this is one of the easiest dishes to cook. Read this recipe(秘法)for scrambled eggs and you will see how easy it is.

Scrambled Eggs

Utensils 　　Ingredients

a frying pan

a spatula(刮勺)

1 tea spoon

a fork or spoon

a small bowl eggs

2 tablespoons of milk or butter

salt

pepper(胡椒)

Steps:

1) Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium(适中的)heat.

2) In a small bowl, mix the eggs and the milk. Use the fork (or the spoon) to mix these well.

3) Pour this mixture into the pan.

4) Stir the eggs from time to time with the spatula. Continue until the eggs are no longer liquid.

5) Add salt and pepper. Add a little or a lot, as you like.

5. For this recipe, you do not need __________.

A. a knife 　     B. a spatula　      C. a bowl　       D. a fork

6. Which of these steps comes first?

A. Stir the eggs with the spatula.              B. Eat the eggs for breakfast.

C. Add salt and pepper.                     D. Mix the eggs and the milk.

7. Which of these words means “to change from solid to liquid”?

A. pour 　      B. melt 　      C. stir 　      D. scramble

C

Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment.

Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses(球场)in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.

There are many environment-friendly sport. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.

Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free.

8.Which of the following is the author most probably in favor of?

A. Cycling around a lake.     B. Motor racing in the desert.

C. Playing basketball in a gym.  D. Swimming in a sports center.

9.What do we know about golf from the passage?

A. It is popular in Portugal and Spain.

B. It causes water shortages around the world.

C. It pollutes the earth with chemicals and wastes.

D. It needs water and electricity to keep its courses green.

10.The author uses power walking as an example mainly because______.

A. it is an outdoor sport     B. it improves our health

C. it uses fewer resources     D. it is recommended by experts

11.The author writes the passage to_______.

A. show us the function of major sports

B. encourage us to go in for green sports

C. discuss the major influence of popular sports

D. introduce different types of environment-friendly sports

D

Two recent studies have found that punishment is not the best way to influence behavior.

One showed that adults are much more cooperative if they work in a system based on rewards. Researchers at Harvard University in the United States and the Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden did the study.

They had about two hundred college students play a version of the game known as the Prisoner’ s Dilemma. The game is based on the tension between the interests of an individual and a group. The students played in groups of four. Each player could win points for the group, so they would all gain equally. But each player could also reward or punish each of the other three players. Harvard researcher David Rand says the most successful behavior proved to be cooperation. The groups that rewarded it the  most earned about twice as much in the game as the groups that rewarded it the least. And the more a group punished itself, the lower its earnings. The study appeared last month in the journal Science.

The other study involved children. It was presented last month in California at a conference on violence and abuse. Researchers used intelligence tests given to two groups. More than eight hundred children were aged two to four the first time they were tested. More than seven hundred children were aged five to nine. The two groups were retested four years later, and the study compared the results with the first test. Both groups contained children whose parents used physical punishment and children whose parents did not.

The study says the IQs of the younger children who were not spanked were five points higher than those who were. In the older group, the difference was almost three points. The more they are spanked, the slower their mental development.

12.According to the first study, we mainly infer that            .

A.the game is called Prisoner’s Dilemma

B.the less a group punished itself, the lower its earnings

C.adults are much more cooperative if rewarded

D.the game is introduced in the journal Science

13.Which of the following is TRUE according to the second study?

A.Children's IQs have much to do with physical punishment.

B.The study is about violence and cooperation of children.

C.The children tested were divided into groups of four.

D.Children's mental development only relies on their IQs.

14.What does the underlined word "spanked" refer to?

A. Punished.           B. Blamed.             C. Tested.       D. Praised.

15.What might be the best title for the text?

A. The Best Way to Correct Misbehavior

B. Punishment Is the Best Way of Education

C. Cooperation Is the Most Successful Behavior

D. Punishment or Reward: Which Works Better on Behavior?