河北省沧州市多校联考2025-2026学年高二上学期12月期中英语试题

The Great American Beer Festival (October)

This 3-day event in Denver is held at the Colorado Convention Center. It attracts around 50,000 people each year. Over 800 American factories (酿酒厂) offer more than 4,000 kinds of beer, including famous ones like Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head. Visitors can eat food from local food trucks, such as handmade pretzels and delicious small hamburgers. You can also attend workshops to learn about the beer-making process or meet skilled brewers.

Oktoberfest (啤酒节) Zinzinnati(September)

This is America's biggest Oktoberfest outside Munich, and it takes place along the river in Cincinnati. It draws more than 800,000 people each year. Over 100 sellers offer German food and beer. There's a big 300-foot tent called Zinzinnati Festhalle that can hold more than 1,000 people, and features over 30 shows. Favorite traditions include the World's Largest Chicken Dance, the Running of the Wieners (a race with small dogs), and a mug-holding competition.

The New Orleans Wine & Food Experience (June)

This popular event in Louisiana is held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Each year, roughly 7,500 people come to it. You can try food and drinks from over 250 wineries and 75 local restaurants. They serve both traditional and innovative New Orleans dishes. Special activities include the Royal Street Stroll, where you taste wine in old shops in the French Quarter, and the Grand Tasting, where chefs show how to cook.

Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival (February)

This 4-day event in Miami Beach has over 400 sellers, offering things like special cheeses and handmade cocktails, and about 25,000 people attend it. It's held at the convention center, local restaurants, and tents on the beach. Famous chefs like Guy Fieri and Bobby Flay show how to cook and host special dinners. Special activities include Burger Bash hosted by Emeril Lagasse and the Grand Tasting Village with over 50 restaurants and 100 kinds of wine and drinks.

In 2017, Rao won the first place in the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. This brought her wide attention. She decided to use her talents to solve real problems. After learning about unsafe drinking water in Flint, Michigan, she created Tethys. This device tests water for dangerous lead and sends results to a phone. Later, she designed Kindly, an app that uses computer smarts to find hurtful online messages early. She also built Epione, a tool to help doctors spot signs of drug addiction.

Rao is also a writer. Her first book, Baby Brother Wonders, came out in 2015 when she was just ten. In 2020, she published A Young Person's Guide to Science and Technology. That same year, TIME Magazine chose her as the first ever Kid of the Year, featuring her on its cover. She also received other important awards including a place on Forbes Magazine's 30 Under 30 list.

Outside of science, Rao enjoys Indian classical dance, singing and playing the piano. She has shared her ideas at TEDx events and appeared in a Marvel television show. Her story teaches us that young people can make a big difference in the world.

Despite these impacts, the problem appears overlooked by the tech industry. "If you examine tech companies' sustainability reports, they mention carbon emissions (碳排放) and water use, but completely ignore harmful air pollutants already damaging public health," explains Shaolei Ren, a study author.

The research team recommends that tech companies report air pollution from their electricity use and generators. They also call for proper compensation for communities suffering the worst health effects from this pollution.

Notably, AI-related air pollution harms certain low-income neighborhoods more severely, partly because they often sit closer to power sources. Furthermore, pollution spreads across state boundaries. "Data centers pay local taxes," Ren notes, "but health impacts reach nationwide. Other affected areas receive no compensation." For example, pollution from Virginia data centers spreads into seven neighboring regions.

As tech companies compete to launch new AI services, dangerous air pollutants — especially tiny particles entering lungs — are expected to rise sharply. By 2030, health damage from AI pollution could match that of all vehicles in California.

"AI's growth hugely increases demand for data centers and energy, making it the fastest-growing energy user across all industries," Ren states. Training just one major AI model creates pollution equal to 10,000 car trips between Los Angeles and New York.

"If your relatives have asthma or heart conditions, this pollution may harm them today. This serious health problem cannot wait," Ren warns.

Researchers analyzed 357 global surveys covering 2.3 million people. Participants ranked themselves on a 10-level "status ladder (地位等级)" comparing their position to society. Results revealed social comparison drives over 70% of money's impact on happiness — far outweighing actual resources. "Money gains power when measured against others," explains lead researcher Dr. Lee.

The researchers also found that the effect of social comparison was stronger in countries, such as Singapore. Resource competition forces constant social evaluation. Yet upward comparisons often backfire. As Mark Twain observed, "Comparison is the death of joy." Having just a little more money than your parents doesn't bring much satisfaction, because nowadays the neighbors are clearly much wealthier.

Critically, economic growth sometimes fails to improve national happiness. Why? The study suggests unequal progress makes many feel left behind despite personal gains. True well-being requires advancing both personally and relatively within society's position ladder. Lawmakers thus must balance wealth creation with fair competition policies.

To solve this problem, fishermen put freezers (冰柜) on their boats. They would freeze the caught fish immediately. , but it failed to maintain the freshness that the Thais treasured. The price of frozen fish began to drop.

Then, the fishermen tried another solution. They put fish tanks (鱼缸) on their boats. They would catch fish and place them in the tanks, packed tightly together. The fish would move around a bit, but soon became tired and bored. .

Finally, the fishermen discovered a clever solution. They added a small shark to the tanks. The shark would eat a few fish, but the remaining ones stayed lively and active throughout the journey. , keeping them always on the move. When the fishermen reached the market, the fish were still fresh and full of life.

The customers at the market were very happy with the energetic and lively fish. . The fishermen's new method not only kept the fish fresh but also brought back the excitement of buying fish that were as lively as if they had just been caught. This clever idea helped the fishermen succeed once again.

A. They could see and feel the difference in quality

B. As a result, these fish did not taste fresh, either

C. Many fishermen started to fish in warmer waters instead

D. The presence of the shark created a challenge for the fish

E. This method helped the fish last longer without going bad

F. The fish in the tanks soon escaped and jumped into the sea

G. This forced fishermen to journey further out to sea to catch fish

Weeks later, it was Adriana's first day back to school — a day she had eagerly looked forward to after weeks of5. To her great surprise, Ricky appeared at the school gate as she6 up with her mom. Several teachers nearby also7 to watch, smiling at the heartwarming scene. This time, he didn't8 any medical supplies. Instead, he held a handful of bright flowers, some small toys as9, and flashed a big, warm smile. A week earlier, Ricky had10 Adriana's mom about her favorite things, just to make her return to school a little more11.

As soon as Adriana saw Ricky, her face12. "Mr. Ricky" she called out13. She let go of her mom's hand and ran toward him, her eyes filled with happiness. She14 her arms around him, and Ricky gently patted (拍) her back, saying, "Welcome back to school, Adriana." In that moment, Adriana could15 how much care Ricky had for her-far more than just the help he'd provided before.

The second China-Australia Dialogue Exhibition, (title) "Postcards from China: An Artistic Odyssey", opened at the China Cultural Centre in Sydney on August 28, attracting around 110 attendees from the cultural, artistic media circles of the two countries.

The opening ceremony featured a (wonder) performance of guzheng solo High Mountains and Flowing Water, one of China's ten great ancient (piece), and Eugène Ysaye's Violin Sonata No.2, Op. 27.

Co-organized the centre, the Australian Watercolor Institute and Guangxi Arts University, the exhibition featured 40 works by 10 Chinese and Australian artists that explore themes of cultural integration and exchange.

Wang Shuyu, cultural counselor of the Chinese Consulate General in Sydney, highlighted the unique power of art in crossing borders and (build) friendship between the two countries. "These creations are not (mere) paintings on paper; they're like postcards carrying stories, dreams and hopes between the two nations," she said.

David van Nunen, president of the Australian Watercolor Institute, (stress) the exhibition's role in showcasing the outcomes of a visit to China by Australian artists, lasted from August last year to July this year. "We are devoted to advancing cross-cultural exchanges and look forward to deeper cooperation with China not only (open) up more spaces for artistic creation, but also to build a closer emotional bond between artists from both sides," he said.

1.写信目的；

2.讲座安排。

注意：1.写作词数应为80个左右；

2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Dear Mr. Smith,

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Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

Sarah, usually energetic before races, sat weakly on the bench. She looked pale. A stomach illness had hit her family, and she was still sick.

Coach Davis stood beside her. "Sarah, can you run the anchor leg (最后一棒) tomorrow? It's the most important job, but you are sick." The anchor leg runner finishes the race, and Sarah was their fastest runner.

Sarah breathed hard. "I... I have to, Coach. The team needs me." But her voice shook, and sweat shone on her forehead.

Nearby, Maya watched, her hands tight. She ran the third leg well but wasn't the fastest. Seeing Sarah so sick worried her. What if Sarah got worse?

In the locker room after practice, Maya sat next to Sarah. "Hey," she said gently, "how are you really feeling?"

Sarah looked down at her shaking hands. "Not great," she admitted. "But I can't let everyone down. The team is counting on me."

Maya took a deep breath. "I know you want to help, but what if running makes you worse? Maybe... maybe someone else should run the anchor leg this time?"

Sarah's eyes were filled with tears, "But who? It has to be someone fast."

"I could try," Maya offered quietly. "I've been practicing hard. And Coach could help me prepare."

Sarah stared at her, "You'd really do that?"

Maya nodded firmly, "Of course! We're teammates. That's what teammates do — we help each other when we need it most."

Coach Davis, who had been listening nearby, walked over. "Sarah, Maya makes a good point. Running while sick could hurt your health and the team's chances. Sometimes the bravest thing is knowing when to step back. Don't worry, the backup will take Maya's place."

Sarah wiped her eyes. It was the hardest decision she'd ever made.

"You're right," she finally said, her voice thick with emotion. "Maya, I trust you. You'll be a great anchor leg." Maya laughed and hugged her friend. "I'll run like you're right beside me!"

注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右；

2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

The big race came the next day.

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Maya smiled, "I wouldn't have done it without your trust."

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