C

In the kitchen of my mother’s houses there has always been a wooden stand(木架)with a small notepad(记事本)and a hole for a pencil.

I’m looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I am recommending to my mother. Over forty years since my earliest memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later, the current paper and pencil look the same as they always did. Surely it can’t be the same pencil? The pad is more modern, but the wooden stand is definitely the original one.

“I’m just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad and pencil after all these years.” I say to her, walking bank into the living-room with a sheet of paper and the pencil. “You still use a pencil. Can’t you afford a pen?”

My mother replies a little sharply. “It works perfectly well. I’ve always kept the stand in the kitchen. I never knew when I might want to note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen in these days.”

Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered in flour, a wooden spoon in one hand, the pencil in the other, her mouth moving silently. My mother smiles and says, “One day I was cooking and watching baby Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand was empty. One of the children must have taken the paper. So I just picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the back. It turned out to be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I was working on.”

This story—which happened before I was born—reminds me how extraordinary my mother was, and is, as a gifted mathematician. I feel embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child-free time to work. Later, when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen and turn over the breadboards. Sure enough, on the back of the smallest one, are some penciled marks I recognize as mathematics. Those symbols have traveled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible(看不到的)exhibits at every meal.

36. Why has the author’s mother always kept the notepad and pencil in the kitchen?

A. To leave messages.               B. To list her everyday tasks.

C. To note down maths problems.      D. To write down a flash of inspiration.

37. What is the author’s original opinion about the wooden stand?

A. It has great value for the family.

B. It needs to be replaced by a better one.

C. It brings her back to her lonely childhood.

D .It should be passed on to the next generation.

38. The author feels embarrassed for _________

A. blaming her mother wrongly.

B. giving her mother a lot of trouble.

C. not making good use of time as her mother did.

D. not making any breakthrough in her field.

39. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A .The mother is successful in her career.

B. The family members like traveling.

C. The author had little time to play when young.

D. The marks on the breadboard have disappeared.

40. In the author’s mind,　her mother is____

A. strange in behavior.             B. keen on her research.

C. fond of collecting old things.     D. careless about her appearance.

D

If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?

According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.?

The study also found the effect is greater, the younger people learn a second language.?

A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.

Scans showed that grey matter density(密度)in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.?

“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.?

It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.?

Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible(灵活的),”he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”

The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.?

41. The main subject talked about in this passage is_____________.?

A. science on learning a second language?

B. man's ability of learning a second language?

C. language can help brain power?

D. language learning and maths study?

42. In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in order to________.

A. say language is also a kind of physical labor?

B. prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a language?

C. to show the importance of using the language when you learn the language?

D. make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well?

43. The underlined word “bilingual” probably means_____________.?

A. a researcher on language learning B. a second language learner?

C. a person who can speak two languages     D. an active language learner ?

44. We may know from the scientific findings that_____________.?

A. the earlier you start to learn a second language the higher the grey matter density is

B. there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn't know a second language?

C. the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people's brain

D. the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time?

45. In the last two paragraphs, the author wants to tell us that_____________.?

A. learning a second language is the same as studying maths

B. Italian is the best choice for you as a second language?

C. you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language

D. early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in study other subjects

第二节 信息匹配(共5小题;每小题2分，满分10分)

阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。

首先请阅读下列餐馆的信息：

A. Pasta House –– new Italian restaurant located in the heart of the city. Simple but delicious inexpensive meals. Also has a good range of vegetable-only meals. It’s always crowded so be ready to order take-away or share a table. Open 11 a.m. to midnight.

B. A Taste of India –– famous for its spicy curries and many southern Indian dishes using chilli. You will usually be able to find a table during the week but if you’re planning to go on the weekend make sure you book a table in advance. Open noon to midnight.

C. Paris Match –– this is the finest French restaurant in the city. Wonderful food you can enjoy in luxurious surrounding. The perfect place to have a romantic meal or impress a business partner, but be prepared for a large bill. Open noon to 2 a.m. Booking essential.

D. Mountain Diner –– not fancy but tasty. Excellent Asian and European dishes. Countryside location surrounded by forest. It’s at least an hour’s drive from the city so you might want to stay at the nearby Mountain Hotel overnight. Open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

E. Owl Café–– open 24 hours a day the café has a large selection of set breakfast, lunch and dinner meals for you to choose from, or you can enjoy one of their many delicious snacks and desserts over a cup of freshly made coffee.

F. Greek Bistro –– a lively restaurant that serves great-value Greek food and has live Greek music played by a local band. Customers are encouraged to take part in the entertainment so be ready for a night of loud fun and laughter. Open 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

以下是五个人的选择要求，请匹配每个人拟选择的地方：

46. Bill –– was late getting up today so hasn’t had time to make breakfast. He wants to pick up something to eat before he goes to work so he has enough energy to last through to lunch time.

47. Julie –– works in the city and wants to get some lunch. She doesn’t want anything too special so long as it is tasty and not too expensive. Julie likes all kinds of food but because she is on a diet she wants to avoid anything containing meat.

48. Sally –– has friends visiting her from out-of-town and wants to take them to dinner. She wants to take them somewhere they can enjoy the atmosphere and have fun. She is a university student so doesn’t have a lot of money and doesn’t like her food too hot.

49. Albert –– is a businessman who will meet an important European client for a business dinner next week. Want to book a table at a quiet restaurant that will impress his guest with both its food and its surroundings.

50. Robert –– is meeting his friend Ben for lunch today (Tuesday) and wants to take him to a nice restaurant. Both Robert and Ben enjoy good quality spicy food. Robert doesn’t like arranging things in advance so he hasn’t booked a table.

Ⅲ　写作(共两节，满分40分)

基础写作(共1小题，满分15分)

【写作内容】   “无车日”(Car-free Day)是一项节能环保的活动，下面请你介绍活动有关情况，并号召更多的城市和居民参与到该活动中来。

活动背景：随着经济的发展，更多家庭拥有私家车，造成严重的交通问题和环境污染。

活动时间：每年9月22日        参与者：全国108个城市

活动目的：提高人们节约能源与保护环境的意识

活动内容：倡议人们选用公共汽车、自行车或步行方式

活动效果：得到全国人民的支持, 取得巨大成功

【写作要求】  只能使用5个句子表达全部所给内容。

【评分标准】  句子结构准确，信息内容完整，篇章结构连贯。

读写任务(共l小题，满分25分)

I have a friend Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch(牧马场) in San Ysidro. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.

The next day he handed it in to the teacher. On the front was a large red F. The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked,  “Why did I receive an F?”

The teacher said, “This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant(四处奔波的) family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you'll have to pay large stud(马群)fees. There's no way you could ever do it.”

He stated, “You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream.”

The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on his ranch for a week. When the teacher was leaving, he said, “Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. Fortunately you had enough belief not to give up on yours.”

【写作内容】    1. 以30词概括上文的主要内容。

2. 以约120词谈谈你对“坚守信念”的看法，内容包括：

(1) 坚守信念对一个人成长的重要性

(2)举例论证“坚守信念能使梦想成真”

(3)你的结论

【写作要求】

1.作文中可以使用亲身经历或虚构的故事,也可以参照阅读材料的内容,但不得直接引用原文中的句子;

2.作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

以上就是精品学习网的编辑为各位考生带来的高三上学期第二次月考英语试卷，希望给各位考生带来帮助。