2015陕西五校一模英语试题及答案(4)

Forks were introduced to Britain in 1608 and 25 years later, the first table fork reached America. Yet while most of the essentials (基本要素) are the same on both sides of the Atlantic, there are a few clear differences between what’s normal in the US and what holds true in the UK. For example, in the US, when food needs cutting with a knife, people generally cut a bite, then lay aside the knife and switch the fork to their right hand. Then they pick up one bite at a time. By contrast, Britons keep the fork in the left hand and don’t lay the knife down.
Though globalization has developed a new, simpler international standard of table manners, some people still stick with the American cut-and-switch method.The Los Angeles Times noted, “They are hanging on to a form of behavior that favors manners above efficiency.”


54. What does the story mainly talk about?
A. The importance of proper table manners .
B. The development of table manners in Western countries.
C. Some unwritten rules of table manners in the US and UK.
D. Differences between American and British table manners.
55. The underlined phrase “caught on” in the passage probably means ______.
A. worked in practice              B. became popular
C. drew attention                  D. had a positive effect
56. Which of the following events influenced people’s table manners most according to the article?
A. The introduction of forks.
B. The tax deduction policy.
C. The rise of the Renaissance.
D. Petrus Alfonsi’s efforts in promoting table manners.
57. What can we conclude from the article?
A.British and American table manners are completely different from each other.
B.American people pay more attention to their table manners than British people do.
C.With globalization, the American cut-and-switch method has been abandoned in the US.
D.British people’s way of using a knife and fork may be more efficient than American people’s.


D
Everyone has done experiments in high school laboratories, but have you ever thought about designing a satellite to explore space?
On Nov. 19, a team of students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in the US awed peers and even scientists by successfully launching a satellite.
The first satellite designed and built by high school students was sent up into space along with a record-setting. 28 other small ones on a rocket were sent from a NASA center in Virginia, CNN reported. It took the students seven years to build.
The students call their tiny satellite TJ3Sat, which is named after their school. It is just 10x10x12 centimeters and weighs only 0.89 kilograms, according to Orbital Sciences, a company which developed the rocket and supported the students’ project. It can be controlled with a smartphone.
Like most satellites, TJ3Sat can send and receive data. The small spacecraft is equipped with a voice synthesizer (合成器), which can switch text to voice and transmit those sounds back to Earth over radio waves, said Orbital officials. In this case, anyone can give it a try via the project’s website (school website) by submitting (提交) a text. The texts that get approved will be sent to the satellite, changed to voice and then broadcast back to Earth via radio waves.
“I can say ‘Go Colonials’ on our ground station and when it is on the other side of the world, in India, someone can hear ‘Go Colonials’over the radio,” the team explains on the website.
The satellite will stay in space for at least three months.
School principal Evan Glazer told The Washington Post that the project started in 2006 as an activity in the spare time. Later it became a research project for a select group of seniors.
At a time when American students are busy with SATs, the launch of the satellite shows what diligent teenagers can achieve when allowed to pursue their own curiosities, Glazer said.
“It used to be that kids growing up wanted to be an astronaut,” Andrew Petro, program executive (主管) for small spacecraft technology at NASA, said in a statement. “I think we might be seeing kids saying what they want to do is build a spacecraft. The idea here is that they really can do that.”


58. The underlined word “awed” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ___.
A. influenced     B. amazed      C. delighted       D. inspired
59. Which of the following statements about TJ3Sat is TRUE according to the article?
A.It took a group of students about a decade to build the satellite.
B.Besides TJ3Sat, 28 other small satellites were built by the students.
C.TJ3Sat can receive text messages that the students send into space, which     it can change to voice messages and broadcast back to Earth.
D.TJ3Sat is expected to stay in orbit for the next year, sending out messages  together with information about its position in space.
60. According to the article, the launch of the satellite _______.
A.is evidence of the advance of spacecraft technology
B.proves that hard-working teenagers can achieve a lot
C.shows the importance of extracurricular activities at school
D.has inspired many people to take an interest in space travel
第二节（共5小题，每小题2分，满分10分）
根据短文内容，从下框A～F选项中选出能概括每段主题的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。选项中有一项为多余项。
A. How inner beliefs can help
B. Why are habits so important 
C. How to develop positive habits 
D. Improve your life 
E. You can do it 
F. Action plan 
The single most important factor that contributes to success is what you do every single day. It is as simple as that. Your habits will determine whether you are successful or not. If you have strong and healthy positive habits, it does not matter whether or not you fail today because you are guaranteed to succeed in the long run.