河北省衡水董子高级中学等校2023-2024学年高三下学期2月开学考英语试卷

Four best photobooks in 2023

Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake

Following 2020's smash hit Entangled Life, mycologist Merlin Sheldrake return s just in time for Christmas with an amazing illustrated edition. At over 240 pages, Sheldrake's passion and knowledge leap off every spread. From the microscopic (微观) to the splendid, the colour images create an entertaining experience.

Anna Atkins: Cyanotypes by Peter Walther

Often copied, seldom improved on, the elegant cyanotypes (氰化钾照片) of Ann a Atkins are timeless. First created in the 1840s, cyanotypes use light-sensitive iron salt solution and exposure to sunlight to create beautiful Prussian blue prints. Peter Walther's book is comprehensive, 660 pages long, and is perfect for Atkins' fans or anyone keen to learn.

The Earth in Our Hands by Thomas Pesquet

Thomas Pesquet's breathtaking collection of photographs taken from the International Space Station(ISS)follows in the footsteps of astronaut Don Pettit's Spaceborne. Pesquet took more than 245,000 images over two missions, with his book including 200 of these. It is the closest most of us will get to being on the ISS — a really immersive read.

Looking at Trees by Sophie Howarth

Sophie Howarth's absorbing book features 26 of the world's leading photographers, including Nicholas J. R. White and Anna Beeke. From a framed Hollywood juniper in California to a surreal (超现实的) image of Halfway Gardens in Gauteng, South Africa, Howarth asks us to value trees at a time of environmental challenge. A book you will return to.

At 102 years old, toy inventor Eddy Goldfarb is still going like freshly wound Yakity-Yak Talking Teeth, one of his more than 800 creations. Goldfarb also dreamed up the Bubble Gun, battery-powered Stomper vehicles and KerPlunk, in which hopeful players hold their breath as they strategically remove sticks without disturbing the marbles above.

"Being active and being creative is my secret, and I think it could apply to a lot of people," the Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductee (新成员) says in an interview before singing the praises of his pair of 3D printers. "That's the most wonderful machine because you start with nothing, and it goes layer by layer and builds something."

The Chicago native still creates in his workshop and is the focus of Eddy's World, a documentary that aired on TV. The 28-minute film is directed by his daughter, Lyn Goldfarb.

Goldfarb knew he was going to be a creator at 5 when his father invited an inventor to dinner. "That's when I learned the meaning of the word," he says, "and I knew from then on that I was going to be an inventor." The designer couldn't afford college and joined the Navy during World War II. He thought of the ideas for his first three toys while serving on the USS Batfish.

Goldfarb feels "very lucky" to still be alive at his age. He owes his longevity (长寿) to being creative and his optimistic personality. "During the war I was on the submarine (潜艇) and saw a lot of action, and I think I realized what's important and what's not," he says. "I found out that most things aren't that important. I can overlook a lot."

What's next for the centenarian (百岁老人)? He'd fancy another milestone birthday. "Oh, I'd like to turn 105," he says. "I'm fortunate that I'm healthy. I don't have any of the aches and pains that I heard about all my life. So life is worth living. At 105, we'll start thinking about what we should do."

Between 20 and 40 per cent of planet Earth is covered in grasslands, across every continent except for Antarctica. Grass is a low-growing, flowering plant with groups of narrow leaves growing from its base. Strong roots typically hold this plant's leaves firmly to the ground.

One of the most common sights along stretches of grass is grass-eating animals. This is because many large animals rely on extensive grasslands to survive, and grass grows well with this regular trimming (修剪). The plants gain their energy from sunlight and require healthy cells to do so. If the leaves aren't cut, the tips die and start to rot. When they are damaged with a clean cut, however, the cells are caused to grow quicker and produce new, healthy tissue. This is also why cutting your garden's grassland regularly can make your grass look thicker and healthier.

Humans rely on grass for food, too. Many grasses, such as w heat or corn, are harvested as a main part of some diets. Meanwhile, grass is used indirectly to produce food in the form of livestock (牲畜). Cattle farmers require grass in their fields to feed cows and sheep before they are turned into meat for human consumption.

One of the most debated questions is how long ago grass evolved. Because grass doesn't preserve well as a fossil, a definitive answer is hard to come by. Until recently, many scientists estimated that grass began to grow on Earth between 50 and 65 million years ago.

However, within the last decade, a piece of 100-million-year-old amber (琥珀) was found that appeared to contain the oldest grass fossil to date. Studies of fossilized dinosaur faces (粪便) also suggest that some dinosaurs lived at the same time that grass grew on the planet, incorporating it into their diets.

Using fatty foods to comfort eat during times of stress can harm the body's recovery from the pressure, research suggests.

Although many people turn to unhealthy foods such as chocolate, crisps or pastries when they are feeling the strain, researchers have found this can reduce blood flow to the brain and cause poorer vascular (血管的) function, which in turn can have a negative effect on mental health and increase the risk of heart disease. The researchers suggest people resist the attraction of convenient treats by eating fruits and vegetables instead.

Prof Jet Veldhuijzen van Zanten said, "We looked at healthy 18- to 30-year-olds for this study, and to see such a clear difference in how their bodies recover from stress when they eat fatty foods is staggering." For people who already have an increased risk of cardiovascular (心血管) disease, the impacts could be even more serious. We all deal with stress all the time, but especially for those of us in high-stress jobs and at risk of cardiovascular disease, these findings should be taken seriously. This research can help us make decisions that reduce risks rather than make them worse.

The study involved a group of young healthy adults who were given two butter bread as breakfast. The participants were then asked to do mental maths, increasing in speed for eight minutes, and alerted when they got an answer wrong. They could also see themselves on a screen.

The researchers found that consuming fatty foods when mentally stressed reduced vascular function by 

1.74%. Previous studies have shown that a 1% reduction in vascular function leads to a 13% increase in cardiovascular disease risk.

"We also know that the elasticity (弹性) of our blood tubes, which is a measure of vascular function, declines following mental stress," said the study's first author, Rosalind Baynham from the University of Birmingham.

How to Plan a Surprise Party

●Pick a party theme. They may come up wearing crazy clothes, see everyone else's, and you will get the chance to use your creativity when it comes to decorations, prizes, and activities. The best part? It can be anything: cartoon-themed, colour-themed or costume-themed.

●Pick a place your guests of honour frequents to avoid suspicion (怀疑). If you tell your party-persons that you're heading to the nicest restaurant in town, they'll know that there's an occasion. However, if you tell them that you're heading to the same restaurant you go to every Thursday night, suspicion will be kept at a minimum.

●Pick a date before the actual occasion. If this surprise party is for a birthday, holding a party on the day might be a little hard to turn into an awesome surprise.  Besides, choose a date when all of their friends are able to go.

●Choose your guests. Here's what to consider:

A small group. This is easier to manage, people can keep their mouths shut, and it creates a more warm environment. However, it's less impressive and more people might be upset that they're not invited.

A large group. This is harder to manage, the word might slip out, it's harder to get a space, but in the end, your party-persons might be surprised by seeing everyone they love in one room.

● There are three types of people in this world: those that don't like surprise parties because they always want to be prepared, those that don't like surprise parties because they think they're being forgotten, and those that love a good surprise party in their honour. Make sure your party-persons fall into the third category!

A. So choose a place that seems "normal".

B. It isn't much better if something emergent happens.

C. To avoid that, plan something before the actual date.

D. Be sure your guests of honour would want a surprise party.

E. You have two options: a small gathering or a big get-together.

F. An easy way to get guests excited about a party is to give it a theme.

G. The hardest part about a surprise party is making sure your guests don't find it out.

On August 2, 2023, Paul, 68, and Dawn Molineux, 66, from the United Kingdom, visited Southport's Hickory's Smokehouse to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary (周年纪念日) in advance. The actual date of their anniversary was August 29 but 1 was something they did not have much of, and they wanted to fully 2 what they had.

The couple, who were high school sweethearts, found out at the beginning of the year that Paul had a 3 illness. With only about 18 months left together, they 4 to enjoy life to the full. So they went to Hickory's to celebrate their 5 and were welcomed 6 and surprised when their table had a "Happy Anniversary"7 . Many staff members spoke to them, but their8 James Davies left them with the most lasting 9 .

Paul wrote on a Facebook food review group for Southport about how Davies went 10 to serve them. Davies was 11 in the couple's marriage and heard about Paul's terminal diagnosis (绝症), but they never12 what he did for them.

After enjoying their meal, some drinks, and a delicious dessert, Paul and Dawn 13 their bill, which totaled £

80. However, they soon realized that the amount was reduced to £0, and a message that came with the receipt 14 : "Happy anniversary! The bill is on us."

Paul admitted he was "lost for words" when Davies explained how touched he was by their story and had 15 their meal! Paul recalled, "My wife was just in tears when she saw the gesture."

A type of glazed pottery(釉陶)with the main colours of yellow, green and white was very popular in the Tang dynasty. It was later called tri-coloured glazed pottery of the Tang dynasty, or Tangsancai.

Tri-coloured glazed pottery was usually used as burial(object). Those human and animal figures have smooth  graceful(优雅的)lines. The soldier figures have strong muscles and carry swords or arrows. The human figures stand quietly, (look)natural and elegant. The animal figures are mainly of horses and camels.

Tri-coloured glazed pottery of the Tang dynasty was mostly produced in Xi'an, Luoyang and Yangzhou, were important cities along the Silk Road. Camels were the major form of transport the ancient trade route during the Tang dynasty. Seeing these glazed pottery artworks, we can imagine the travellers and camels making their hard journey across the desert, depending on one another for (survive).

Tang people were open-minded (accept)different cultures from all over the world. Foreign traders, officials, and artists travelled thousands of miles along the Silk Road to visit the Tang's capital city Chang'an. The evidence of cultural integration can (find)in tri-coloured glazed pottery of the Tang dynasty.

Tri-coloured glazed pottery is the (high)point of Tang pottery and it developed (successful)during the dynasty's early and middle period.

1.写信目的；

2.你的感想。

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 Mary,

Yours,

Li Hua

Like many kids, last summer I learned to ride a bike. Only I am in my 30s. When I was a child, I had no one to teach me. My mum never learned. My parents divorced (离婚) when I was 4, and in an attempt to perform parental responsibility, my father bought a bicycle for my brother and me to share.

My mum later remarried. When my brother and I were laughed at because we were the only kids past 6 years old who still relied on training wheels, my stepdad removed them, but in doing that, I lost interest and trust in the activity. I was so scared—I was quite tall for my age at 7 and I was worried I'd fall off. I thought I was too old to learn too.

Not knowing how to ride didn't bother me initially, until we moved to the suburbs, where bicycles were popular. On trips to the convenience store to buy candy with my friends, I was always the last to arrive, on foot. By then, I was 12 years old.

In my early 30s, I remember feeling envious as I watched children as young as 3 learn to balance on bikes. Among them were my neighbours, whom I would occasionally babysit. Then something changed. The fear within was still there, but something much stronger was taking over.

I decided to join a women's bike-riding workshop. There, I stood in an urban park, determined to overcome my fear. Meeting women from diverse backgrounds, all seeking cycling skills for various reasons, strengthened my determination. The first thing I noticed was how different each person's learning curve (曲线) was. Some were balancing in no time, while others, like me, needed a bit more time. The workshop was a safe space, full of encouragement and support. Each time I fell, there were hands to help me up, and every time I made progress, there were cheers to celebrate it. Several weeks later, I learned to ride.

注意：

1.续写词数应为150左右；

2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

To enjoy the joy of riding, I bought my own bike.

Learning to ride a bike in my 30s taught me that it's never too late to learn something new.