上外杯上海市高三英语竞赛初赛试卷.docx

    ”上外杯“上海市高三英语竞赛初赛试卷    2016年“上外杯”上海市高中英语竞赛初赛试题考生注意：一、本卷共10页、77小题，满分100分答卷时间90分钟二、本卷所有题目均为选择题，请将所选答案用2B 铅笔点涂在答题卡上I. Grammar （15分） Directions: For each blank in the following passages there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context. (A) Nowhere in Italy ____1____ a crisis more beautifully framed than in Venice. Neither land nor water, the city lifts like a mirage from a lagoon at the head of the Adriatic. For centuries it has threatened to vanish ____2____ the waves of the acqua alta, the relentlessly regular flooding caused by rising tides and sinking foundations. But ____3____ is the least of its problems. Just ask Mayor Massimo Cacciari, professor of philosophy, fluent in German, Latin, Ancient Greek. Ask about the acqua alta and Venice ____4____, and he says, “So go get boots.” Boots are fine for water, but useless against the flood ____5____ causes more concern for Venetians than any lagoon spillover: the flood of tourism. Number of Venetian residents in 2007: 60,000. Number of visitors in 2007: 21 million. 1. A. is B. has C. there is D. is there 2. A. above B. beneath C. over D. in 3. A. that B. it C. this D. here 4. A. sunk B. being sunk C. sinking D. sinks 5. A. what B. that C. it D. / (B) It took humans thousands of years to explore our own planet, and centuries ____6____ (comprehend) our neighboring planets. Nowadays, new worlds ____7____ every week. To date, astronomers have identified more than 370 “exoplanets ”—worlds orbiting stars other than the sun. There is a “hot Saturn ” 260 light-years from Earth that ____8____ its parents so rapidly that a year there lasts less than three days. Circling another star 150 light-years out is a scorched “hot Jupiter,” ____9____ upper atmosphere is being blasted off to form a gigantic comet-like tail. Astronomers have found three planets orbiting a pulsar —the remains of a once mighty star ____10____ into a spinning atomic nucleus the size of a city. Some worlds have evidently fallen into their suns. Others ____11____ out of their systems to become “floaters ” that wander in eternal darkness. Among all these, scientists are eager to find a hint of the familiar: planets resembling Earth. That is, planets orbiting their stars at just the right distance —neither too hot nor too cold —____12____ life as we know it. We have not yet found planets that are quite like our own, presumably ____13____ they ’re inconspicuous. ____14____ a planet as small and slim as oursamid the glare of its star is liketrying to see a firefly in a firworks display. Yet by pushing technology to the limits, astronomers are rapidly approaching the day ____15____ they can findanother Earth. And when they do, they can investigate it for signs of life.6. A. comprehend B. comprehends C. to comprehend D. comprehending7. A. are discovered B. are being discoveredC. will be discoveredD. are to be discovered8. A. orbit B. orbiting C. orbits D. has orbited9. A. where B. whose C. in which D. which10. A. shrink B. shrinks C. shrinking D. shrunk11. A. have thrown B. are throwing C. have been thrown D. are being thrown12. A. support B. supporting C. that support D. to support13. A. when B. if C. because D. as14. A. To see B. See C. Seeing D. having seen15. A. that B. which C. when D. on whichII. Vocabulary （10分）Directions:Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.All competitive ski and snowboarding events now take place largely on man-made snow. Unlike its natural ____16____, the machine-made white stuff can be carefully tweaked to make a more durable and consistent surface: one perfect for record-breaking attempts. Snow-making equipment is viewed as essential in most ski areas to guarantee ____17____ throughout the seasons.The snow “cannons” or “guns” that manufacture snow ____18____ the natural formation of snowflakes. Snow machines typically force pressurized water through a nozzle (喷嘴), breaking into a mist of tiny droplets, and then use compressed air or fans to blast them into the air. As the droplets cool, the molecules line and ____19____ into ice particles. The art to snow-making is adjusting the water and air to ensure that the water drops are small enough and sent far enough so that they will freeze before they hit the ground. If the air temperature is quite high, for example, dripping the water content and upping the air would create smaller particles that are more likely to freeze. Snow-making machines also frequently ____20____ nucleating agents(成核剂) in the water: small quantities of materials such as bacterial protein, on to which the water molecules attach and freeze. By ____21____ freezing, these agents raise the temperature at which snow can be made.Many resorts now use sophisticated computer systems that automatically adjust the air and wate。