黑龙江省牡丹江市重点中学2023届高三上学期期末考试英语试题

Asia is the birthplace of the world's three ancient civilizations: ancient China, ancient India and Babylon. Each gave the world different architectural styles and global landmarks, such as the Great Wall of China. Taj Mahal of India. With the conclusion of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilization, let's take a look at the architecture of Asian civilizations.

The Great Wall of China is an ancient defense project with the longest construction time and the largest workload put into a landmark, stretching out to a total length of more than 5,000 kilometers. Only when you have been to the Great Wall and witnessed its majesty can you truly say you have visited China.

The Angkor Wat in Cambodia is one of the largest religious monuments in the world, built on a site measuring 162. 6 hectares. It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman Ⅱ in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura(present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum(陵墓).

The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by Mughalemperor Shah to house the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage"

Al-Khazneh, also known as the Treasury, is one of the most delicate temples in the ancient Arab Nabataean Kingdom city of Petra, Jordan. The 45-meter-high and 30-meter-wide building is a magnificent building with a pronounced Greek style. It is said to have been a place where pirates hid their treasure.

I've been in an 18-year love-hate relationship with a black walnut tree.

It's a unique tree. In late September or early October, falling fruits as hard as baseballs threaten the skulls (头骨) of you, your children, your neighbors and those that reside next door to them. Umbrellas in the yard are a must while dining in early August, and as for me, I wear my bike helmet while working in the garden.

The black walnut also releases a chemical substance through its roots as a competitive strategy. It's poisonous to several common plants. There have been many new plant varieties that I brought home with hopes that maybe the black walnut would accept them, but they failed to flourish.

What does work are native plants that naturally grow in the area. Native plants are important to have around since they provide beneficial pollinators (传粉者) like birds, bees and butterflies with seeds and contribute to a healthy and biodiverse environment. Native plants for this area are generally easy to grow, so they experience less stress.

Have I thought of getting rid of this giant pain in my tiny backyard? Yes, however, getting rid of this tree standing at 50 feet with an 87-inch trunk is next to impossible. It's also protected under the law. Rightfully so. Trees are important to the urban forest and for all of those that inhabit it.

Sometimes I think about my life without the black walnut. I can't imagine a spring without the birds who arrive every year and loudly sing their songs before dawn. I'd miss falling asleep on lazy weekend afternoons as I look up into its leaves.

Every spring, I wonder what the season holds: What are the chances of being knocked unconscious while barbecuing? Like any good relationship, I'll never be pleased. I'm stuck with this tree, so I'll listen to its needs and give it the space it requires. In return, my walnut offers a habitat for wildlife and a reminder.

Jason, a straight-A student from the University of Pennsylvania, uses the term "pseudo-working" to describe how many of us study. The pseudo-worker looks and feels like someone who is working hard － he or she spends a long time in the library and is not afraid to push on late into the night － but, because of a lack of focus and concentration, he or she doesn't actually achieve much.

This phenomenon can be seen in most colleges. For example, at Dartmouth there was a section of the main library that was open twenty-four hours a day and the students I used to see in there late at night crowded in groups, drinking coffee, were definitely pseudo-working. The roommate who looks through her chemistry notes on the couch while watching TV is pseudo-working. The guy who brings three meals, a blanket and six-pack of Red Bull to the study zone in preparation for an all-day paper-writing marathon is also pseudo-working.

By placing themselves in distracting environments and insisting on working long hours, these students are damaging their brain's ability to think clearly and efficiently to achieve the task at hand. In the end they get half the results with twice the effort.

The bigger problem here is that most students don't even realize that they're pseudo-working. To them pseudo-working is work － it's how they've always done it, and it's how all of their friends do it. It never crosses their mind that there might be a better way. Straight-A students, on the other hand, know all about pseudo-working. They fear it, and for good reason. It not only wastes time, but it's also mentally tiring.

In fact, the most important skill in becoming a better student is the ability to get work done quickly and with a smallest amount of wasted effort. Some cognitive science research concludes that about 50 minutes is the optimal learning period to maximize the material integrated per time unit. So how do these students achieve this goal? To understand their way to success, consider the following simple formula (公式): work achieved = time spent × intensity of focus.

Pseudo-working features a very low intensity of focus. Therefore, to achieve something by pseudo-working, you need to spend a lot of time. The straight-A approach, on the other hand, increases intensity in order to use less time.

"Practice makes perfect" is a very popular expression. However, can we take this saying literally? Many scientific studies have sought to either prove or disprove this idea. So does enough practice literally lead to perfection, or at least to a level of expertise?

One popular theory is that if a person practises for at least 10,000 hours, they will reach "perfection"—or, in other words, become an expert in their field. This theory was made famous by Malcolm Gladwell in his 2008 best-selling book, Outliers: The Story of Success. He claimed 10,000 hours of practice to be "the magic number of greatness". He gave the examples of the music group The Beatles and Microsoft co-creator Bill Gates. Although they all seemed to have lots of natural talent, they also clearly put in over 10,000 hours of practice before they became successful.

However, Gladwell's book has been said by many to be too simplistic and generalising. Gladwell's work was largely based on research done by Anders Ericsson, who argued that Gladwell misinterpreted his research. Firstly, Ericsson stated that 10,000 hours was an average figure. Some people, for example, needed far fewer than 10,000 hours, and others many more. More importantly, Ericsson said that just practising a lot was not enough; the type and quality of practice was also essential. He went on to explain the importance of "deliberate practice", which is when a person practises a specific part of a skill in depth rather than practising a skill as a whole. Deliberate practice is said to be much more effective, although more tiring.

Despite the theories mentioned above, many other studies argue that practice alone is far from enough. In fact, a more recent study from Princeton University stated that practice only accounted for up to 26% of reaching an expert level. So what are the other factors that contribute to people becoming experts ?

Many people say that natural talent has a large influence on becoming an expert. Another natural factor is physical superiority, which is especially evident in sports. For instance, many baseball players in America have amazing vision that allows them to see the ball much sooner than others do. So no matter how much a "normal" person practises, it is very hard for them to be as good as someone who has natural talent or physical superiority and who also practises.

And how about other factors that go into creating an expert? Many say IQ, personality, attitude, and starting age are decisive factors, too. It is also important to note that becoming an expert doesn't equal instant success. Success also relies on social factors, environmental factors, and even just being in the right place at the right time!

In conclusion, practice may not make perfect, but deliberate practice has been shown to lead to significant improvement. Based on Ericsson's research, here are some tips on how to practise effectively: be motivated; make specific and realistic goals; work outside your comfort zone; be consistent and persistent; ask for others' opinions; and, of course, get plenty of rest! For those wanting to become an expert in something, remember that being motivated is key—enjoy what you do and follow your passions.

Cloud storage is a flexible and convenient way to store data with complete peace of mind.

This means you can store all your digital things remotely, without taking up space on your computer. There are two options available: public cloud storage allows you to share hosting space with other users; private cloud storage is the ideal choice for companies who want to have their data stored in their own environment.

Once you have registered and set up your account, you simply save your files via the internet using your username and password. This ensures your data remains secure and inaccessible to anyone else. Should you choose, you can put certain permissions in place, which makes it easy to share your data with your colleagues or your family.

When you sign up to cloud storage, you can choose the amount of space you needYou can store anything digital: all your files, videos and pictures. Whether you want to use this storage solution to store your family photographs or you want to use it to store your work documentation, you will find it quite convenient.

Is it better than your computer or an external drive? The answer is a definite yes. Computers crash all the time. This is the most common cause of lost work and memories.Here you    also have the added risk of misplacing it or having it stolen. There are so many advantages to cloud computing, from the ability to access your data from wherever, whenever, to not needing expensive external storage devices.

A. Cloud storage is very simple to use.

B. You will find cloud storage very cheap.

C. External hard drives can still break, or fail.

D. It enables you to store your data on hosted servers.

E. Cloud storage providers offer multiple layers of data security.

F. The only disadvantage, however, is that you need internet to access files.

G. You can start with a small amount and increase the storage size later on.

My 14-year-old son, John, and I spotted the coat at the same time at a second-hand clothing store. It had a black velvet (丝绒) collar, delightful tailoring, a Fifth Avenue label and a(an)1price of merely $28. We looked at each other, saying nothing, but John's eyes2. Dark, woolen topcoats were popular just then with teenagers, but could cost several hundred dollars now. John put the coat on and3it. He turned from side to side,4himself in the mirror with a serious, studied5that soon changed into a smile. It's a perfect6.

John wore the coat to school the next day and came home wearing a big smile. "How did the kids like your coat?" I asked. "They love it." He said, carefully7it on the chair and smoothing it flat. Over the next few weeks, the8came over John. Quiet, reasoned discussion9argument. He became more thoughtful and eager to10. "Good dinner, Mum," he would say every evening. One day when I11that he start on homework before dinner, John said, "You are right, and I guess I will."

When I asked one of his teachers12caused the changes, she said with laughter, "It must be his coat!"

John and I both know we should never13a person's clothes for the real person within them. But it is meaningful to14a standard of excellence for the world to see, to practice a standard of excellence in thought, speech and behavior, and to15what is on the inside with what is on the outside.

Israeli singer-songwriter Gilad Segev has devoted himselfan ambitious project to present different views of China through music, because of his love for the country. In June 2020, he launched Project 34, throughhe will release a song for each of the 34 provincial-level regions in China every month. (combine) Chinese music and global folk music, he(post) 17 videos so far on social media platforms, gaining millions of views.

"My(inspire) for the project was the great beauty I discovered in China's culture, landscapes, and more(important), the hearts of Chinese people. " says Segev. He calls (he) a "passer-by" — a traveling artist who tells stories from his encounters with people from various cultures through music.

Over the past decade, the award-winning musician has travelled to most of the 34 provincial-level regions, and plans to go torest when travel is not restricted by the COVID- 19 pandemic.

For each music video, he cooperates actively with a Chinese singer or musician, to include characteristics from their own home region. He and his team have listened to various types of Chinese music(figure) out what suitable elements can be used in his works. "I believe   when all of our voices(hear) together, true harmony can happen," Segev says.

1）自我介绍;

2）想做兼职导游的原因;

3）应聘兼职导游的自身优势。

注意：

1）写作词数应为80左右;

2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Dear Mr. Smith,

……

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

A Son's Love

Our church congregation in Toronto has a way of assisting those who have financial difficulties without making the recipient feel shame or guilt. Money is dropped into an offering box with only the name of the recipient on the envelope. The envelopes are then distributed to those members without them knowing the name of the giver.

There came a time when my husband and I were among those in need. We did not talk about our financial difficulty with anyone. The only reason our children knew was because we had to cut back on many things. Still, we hoped they were not aware of the extent of our need, nor of how much their father and I were suffering because of it. We did not want to burden them with a problem they could do nothing to solve.

Our situation wasn't improving, and my husband and I knew that we would have to look for outside help. Just as we reached the point of despair, our church gave us a gift envelope that had been left in the offering box. We were overjoyed to receive a very substantial amount of money, enough to bring us through that desperate time. We couldn't help but wonder who had given such a generous gift. We were extremely relieved and enormously grateful.

A year later, our seventeen-year-old son was applying for a student loan so he could attend university. It was then we discovered that his savings account was almost empty. His father and I were very disturbed by this. We had trusted him to put part of his wages from his part-time job into the bank towards his education. From the time he was nine years old he had been a paper carrier for The Toronto Star, and he had worked very hard for his small earnings.

注意：

1）续写词数应为 150 左右；

2）请按如下格式作答。

Anxious, I asked him repeatedly to tell me where the money had gone.

……

Finally, in tears, and with great reluctance, my son told us the truth.