现代英语所使用的拼写字母，也是完全借用了26个拉丁字母。以下是2015年高一英语上学期期中考试试卷，请同学们认真练习。

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(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项

A

You may think that an underground town of 3,500 people is something out of a science-fiction film. You may not believe that such a town has shops car parks, hotels, restaurants, cafes and much more. Well, Coober Pedy in Australia is just such a place.

Miners and their families choose to live like this, hoping to get rich looking for the precious stones that Australia is famous for --- opals(蛋白石). Living underground is the only way to be away from the sandstorms and the high temperatures above ground. Deep down in the town far below the desert surface, the temperature is between 19℃ and 20℃ and life is cool.

Mary Deane and her husband Jim are among the lucky ones. They live in a home, built with money from the opals Jim has found. “Whenever people hear we live underground, they always imagine a dusty cave,” says Mary, “but they are amazed at my clean kitchen, our furniture and electrical appliances in here.”

However, not everything is perfect in Coober Pedy. Mary has a tiny garden that she is very proud of, but the grass is not real. Plant life is rare. Water is five times more expensive underground than it is overground. Recycling is a way of life, so Jim usually washes his car with bath water and they have a special system to reuse the water from the dishwasher and washing machine.

Even so, most families enjoy life in Coober Pedy. The children can make as much noise as they want and there are no complaints from the neighbors because the thick walls stop sounds from traveling. Adults enjoy the peace and quiet away from the world above.

21. People in Coober Pedy live underground______.

A. because of their secret identities          B. because it is warmer underground

C. so that they can save some money        D. due to the terrible natural environment.

22. Which word can best describe Mary’s life underground according to Paragraph 3?

A. Comfortable.    B. Exciting.    C. Healthy.    D. Lonely.

23. Which is the biggest problem people in Coober Pedy have to face?

A. High living expenses.                 B. The awfully dusty environment.

C. Shortage of water and greenery.          D. The extremely high temperatures

24. Children enjoy the life in Coober Pedy mainly because they _____.

A. enjoy traveling around with their parents

B. can get many expensive toys from their parents

C. enjoy the peace and quiet while doing their homework

D. can enjoy themselves without disturbing their neighbors

B

Volunteer Day schedule:

7:30 a.m.: Meet at the Community Center for breakfast.

8-8:3 0 a.m.: Visit with people from the many participating organizations. Choose which activity you’d like to help with for the day.

8:30-9 a.m.: Board the bus for your chosen activity, and ride with other volunteers to your activity site.

9-12:00 a.m.: Work as a volunteer.

12:00 a.m.-1 p.m.: Share lunch with your volunteer group. Don’t forget to bring food for lunch from home!

1-3:30 p.m.: Continue your volunteer work.

3:30 p.m.: Board the bus that will take you back to the Community Center, where you will be able to talk with other volunteers and share your experiences.

See below for a list of volunteer opportunities for Volunteer Day so you can begin thinking about which activity you might want to join.

Happy Homes: it provides home repairs for needy people in the form of painting. It also provides painters to create beautiful paintings inside schools of community centers.

Elder Care: Elder Care sends volunteers into nursing homes to spend time with them, play board games with them, and talk with them.

City Parks Association: you can help plant flowers and bushes in city parks or pick up trash around the river banks. These activities are very active, so remember to be prepared with plenty of drinking water!

Love and Learning: it provides volunteers to help children with learning disabilities. Read books out loud to groups of children aged four to six, or read one-on-one with struggling readers aged seven to eight.

25. According to the schedule, how long will a volunteer work a day?

A. 3 hours        B. 5.5 hours       C. 7.5 hours.      D. 8 hours.

26. To join Happy Homes, one should _____.

A. be very good at art.                 B. enjoying talking with people.

C. be able to play board games.          D. like working with young children.

27. For volunteers who enjoy being outside in nature, they can join _____.

A. Elder Care                  B. Happy Homes

C. Love and Learning             D. City parks Association

C

Florida is celebrating a big anniversary this year. Five hundred years ago, on April 2, 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce arrived on the east coast of what is now Florida. Native Americans had been living there for centuries, but Ponce was the first European to set foot in what would become the  United States.

According to legend, Ponce may have landed in Florida by mistake. He is said to have been looking for an island called Bimini and its Fountain(喷泉) of Youth. The magical fountain could supposedly make old people young again. Instead, Ponce landed on Florida and claimed it for Spain. He named it La Florida, or “flowery place”.

Ponce explored more of Florida’s coasts over the next few m onths. He later returned to Spain but went back to Florida in 1521 to attempt to se t up a colony. However, native Americans attacked him and his friends, and Ponce was killed. It wasn’t until 1565 that Spain set up a successful colony at St. Augustine  on Florida’s east coast. It is the oldest European settlement in the U.S.

Florida didn’t belong to the U.S. until Spain lost control. It was admitted to the U.S. as the 27th state in 1845.

Today, Florida has one of the fastest-growing populations of any state. More than 19 million people call it home .

It’s also popular with tourists. Last year, 89 million people visited the Sunshine State. These days, most visitors come in search of fun in the sun on its sandy beaches and its theme parks, such as Disney World and Sea World.

28. Five hundred years ago,_____.

A. the United States was founded

B. the first European came to Florida

C. Florida was discovered by human beings

D. Spanish explorer Juan Ponce was born

29. What can we learn about Ponce from Paragraph 2?

A. He hated F lorida

B. He discovered Florida by accident

C. He finally found Fountain of Youth

D. He could make old people young again.

30. Ponce was killed_____.

A. by his friends                  B. on his way to Florida

C. during his second stay in Florida   D. after he set up a colony

31. Which of the following is TRUE about Florida?

A. Tourists are losing interest in it.

B. Its beaches are not well protected.

C. There are 89 million people in Florida at present.

D. Its population has been increasing in recent years.