河南省驻马店市2019-2020学年高二下学期期末考试试题 英语 Word版含答案

河南省驻马店市2019-2020学年高二下学期期末考试试题 英语 Word版含答案

www.ks5u.com 驻马店市2019～2020学年度第二学期期终考试 高二英语试题 本试题卷分为第I卷(选择题)和第II卷(非选择题)两部分。考生作答时，将答案答在答题卡上，在本试题卷上答题无效。考试结束后，监考老师只收答题卡。‎ 注意事项：‎ ‎1.答题前，考生务必将自己的姓名、准考证号填写(涂)在答题卡上。考生要认真核对答题卡上粘贴的条形码的“准考证号、姓名”与考生本人准考证号、姓名是否一致。‎ ‎2.第I卷每小题选出答案后，用2B铅笔把答题卡，上对应题目的答案标号涂黑，如需改动，用橡皮擦干净后，再选涂其他答案标号。第II卷用黑色墨水签字笔在答题卡上书写作答，在试题。上作答，答案无效。‎ ‎3.考试结束，监考教师将答题卡收回。‎ 第一部分：听力(共两节，满分30分)‎ 第一节(共5小题；每小题1.5分，满分7.5分)‎ 听下面5段对话，每段对话后有一个小题。从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。‎ ‎1. What will Lucy do at 11:30 tomorrow?‎ A. Go out for lunch. B. See her dentist. C. Visit a friend.‎ ‎2. What is the weather like now?‎ A. It’s sunny. B. It’s rainy. C. It’s cloudy.‎ ‎3. Why does the man talk to Dr. Simpson?‎ A. To make an apology. B. To ask for help. C. To discuss his studies.‎ ‎4. How will the woman get hack from the railway station?‎ A. By train. B. By car. C. By bus.‎ ‎5. What does Jenny decide to do first?‎ A. Look for a job. B. Go on a trip. C. Get an assistant.‎ 第二节(共15小题，每小题1.5分，满分22.5分)‎ 听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。‎ - 15 -‎ 听第6段材料，回答第6、7题。‎ ‎6. What time is it now?‎ A. 1:45. B. 2:10. C. 2:15.‎ ‎7. What will the man do?‎ A. Work on a project. B. See Linda in the library. C. Meet with Professor Smith.‎ 听第7段材料，回答第8至10题。‎ ‎8. What are the speakers talking about?‎ A. Having guests this weekend.‎ B. Going out for sightseeing.‎ C. Moving into a new house.‎ ‎9. What is the relationship between the speakers?‎ A. Neighbors. B. Husband and wife. C. Host and visitor ‎10. What will the man do tomorrow?‎ A. Work in his garden. B. Have a barbecue. C. Do some shopping.‎ 听第8段材料，回答第11至13题。‎ ‎11. Where was the man born?‎ A. In Philadelphia. B. In Springfield. C. In Kansas ‎12. What did the man like doing when he was a child?‎ A. Drawing. B. Traveling. C. Reading.‎ ‎13. What inspires the man most in his work?‎ A. Education. B. Family love. C. Nature 听第9段材料，回答第14至17题。‎ ‎14. Why is Dorothy going to Europe?‎ A. To attend a training program. B. To carry out some research. C. To take a vacation.‎ ‎15. How long will Dorothy stay in Europe?‎ A. A few days. B. Two weeks. C. Three months.‎ ‎16. What does Dorothy think of her apartment?‎ A. It's expensive. B. It’s satisfactory. C. It’s inconvenient.‎ ‎17. What does Bill offer to do for Dorothy?‎ A. Recommend her apartment to Jim.‎ - 15 -‎ B. Find a new apartment for her.‎ C. Take care of her apartment.‎ 听第10段材料，回答第18至20题。‎ ‎18. What are the tourists advised to do when touring London?‎ A. Take their tour schedule. B. Watch out for the traffic. C. Wear comfortable shoes.‎ ‎19. What will the tourists do in fifteen minutes?‎ A. Meet the speaker. B. Go to their rooms. C. Change some money.‎ ‎20. Where probably is the speaker?‎ A. In a park. B. In a hotel. C. In a shopping center.‎ 第二部分：阅读理解(共两节，满分40分)‎ 第一节(共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)‎ 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。‎ A Good News to Relax Yourself Warner Bros. to release 'Dark Knight' in HK Hong Kong film fans are in for a treat as Warner Bros has announced it will release Christopher Nolan's iconic "The Dark Knight" trilogy(三部Illl) into theaters for a limited time.‎ Jessica Alba to star in 'Trigger Warning'‎ Jessica Alba will star in "Trigger Warning" for the streaming service, with the film coming from director Mouly Surya, who filmed the well-received Cannes(戛纳)entry "Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts" that became Indonesia's foreign film Oscar submission.‎ Danny Boyle to direct 'Methuselah'‎ Danny Boyle, who won an Oscar for directing "Slumdog Millionaire," is stepping in to Michael B. Jordan's "Methuselah," working again with his "Slumdog" screenwriter Simon Beaufoy who will rewrite the script.‎ ‎'Little Women,' '1917' likely to hit reopened cinemas ‎"Little Women" and "1917" appear to be among the first titles that will hit Chinese theaters when they reopen in the wake of the COVID-19, new posters show. The two titles were scheduled for release in February, but were stopped when cinemas were shut nationwide.‎ - 15 -‎ Dakota Johnson joins Olivia Wilde's 'Don't Worry, Darling'‎ Dakota Johnson is in negotiations to join the starry ensemble(舞蹈团)of "Don't Worry, Darling," a psychological thriller from director Olivia Wilde.‎ ‎21. Who made the film "Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts"?‎ A. Jessica Alba B. Mouly Surya C. Danny Boyle D. Olivia Wilde ‎22. Which of the following films is a thriller?‎ A. The Dark Knight B. Little Women ‎ C. Don’t Worry, Darling D. Slumdog Millionaire ‎23. What can we learn from the passage?‎ A. All film fans can enjoy "the Dark Knight" for a scheduled time.‎ B. "Little Women" couldn't be on in Chinese theaters as planned.‎ C. Jessica Alba intends to play a role in the film "Methuselah".‎ D. Dakota Johnson is unwilling to work with director Olivia Wilde.‎ B The bird dropped like a rock. Before lowering the gun, I realized what I'd done-I'd killed my first animal. I rushed into the brush, praying, "Oh God, please don't let it be dead." The pigeon lay there with blood out of its beak(嚎), feathers scattered about and its head bent lifelessly to the side. After burying it, I hurried home and went to hide my gun in my room.‎ I was dead silent at dinner. I felt as though every time I lowered my head, Dad was looking at me, but whenever I stole a glance in his direction, he seemed simply to he paying attention to his food. Mom finally uncovered the main dish--chicken. The dead pigeon appeared in my mind so that I almost threw up on the plate. Pushing my chair back and I ran to my room. My head buried in my pillow, I felt Dad rubbing my back. My tears slowly disappeared and I cleared my throat. "I shot a pigeon today," "Oh?" my father replied, his expression unchanging. "And how did it feel?" "It felt…awful," I answered.‎ ‎"I'm sure it did. That's one of the reasons I said you shouldn't shoot birds." I glanced at him, "Are you going to punish me?"‎ ‎"Well, you misused your BB gun, and you disobeyed me. What you need is to always remember how bad it felt to kill that poor bird. Somehow, I think you will." Arid, patting me on the shoulder, he said, "Now let’s go to get dinner."‎ - 15 -‎ Little did I know that my father was right before this. I would remember killing that bird along with a lot of other things for the rest of my life.‎ ‎24. How did the author feel just after realizing having killed the bird?‎ A. Upset and despair. B. Delighted and proud.‎ C. Tired and sad. D. Scared and regretful.‎ ‎25. Why did the author run away when seeing the dish of chicken?‎ A. He had something urgent to do. B. He didn’t like chicken at all.‎ C. He thought of the killed bird. D. He was afraid to face his parents.‎ ‎26. What did the father do after being told the truth?‎ A. To take away the author's gun. B. To criticize the author seriously.‎ C. To require the author to obey him forever. D. To ask the author to remember killing the bird.‎ ‎27. What do we know about the author’s father?‎ A. He was satisfied to see the author hide his gun.‎ B. He didn’t want the author to waste time playing.‎ C. He used his special way to teach the author a lesson.‎ D. He was tolerant of any of the author's mistakes.‎ C Wherever we look, we see advertisements that attract us to buy. In today's society, we are under pressure to constant shop. Of course, most people only buy what they need and what they can afford. However, there are some people called shopaholics, who can't control their desire to spend money buying things. This kind of addictive behavior can lead to money problems, family conflicts, and deep unhappiness.‎ What are the symptoms of a shopaholic? People with this problem often spend hours and hours shopping on the Internet or at the mall. Their closets are full of clothing and jewelry that they have never worn, with the price tags still on them. Their homes may be filled with shopping bags and boxes that they bought but never used. Many shopaholics are aware of their own problems, but when they go to a store, they simply can't resist the urge to buy. Some of them are ashamed of their weakness and try to hide it by storing their purchases in places like the attic(阁楼), where others won't see them.‎ Psychologists think there are several reasons for a shopping addiction. For some people, it is a - 15 -‎ ‎ way of reducing stress. For others, shopping is a way to fight loneliness or depression. For people with less confidence, shopping can be a way that they prove their self-worth. Sometimes the problem develops out of boredom. It replaces other hobbies and interests to help kill the time. Although shopping can temporarily make people feel good, they often feel ashamed and guilty later.‎ When shopping habits get out of control, people need professional help. They can either see a counselor(顾问)or join an organization such as Shopaholics Anonymous. Groups like this try to help people understand the reasons for their addiction and learn how to control the urge to shop. Their goal is to help people find ways to fulfill themselves rather than lead to serious debt and troubled lives.‎ ‎28. What are "shopaholics" like according to the passage?‎ A. They often spend plenty of money in shopping.‎ B. They are proud of spending much money.‎ C. They are addicted to collecting shopping bags.‎ D. They fail to realize their desire to shop constantly.‎ ‎29. Why do some shoppers hide their purchases in the attic?‎ A. They treasure what they have bought.‎ B. They want to give their family a surprise.‎ C. They are afraid of being regarded as thieves.‎ D. They are ashamed of their own constant shopping.‎ ‎30. What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refer to?‎ A. Money. B. Shopping. C. Stress. D. Self-worth.‎ ‎31. What are groups like "Shopaholics Anonymous" intended to do?‎ A. To encourage people to overcome their bad feelings.‎ B. To seek professional help in window shopping.‎ C. To help control some people's desire to purchase.‎ D. To call on more people to get rid of their bad habits.‎ D An ordinary cotton T-shirt can be changed into body armour(盔甲), thanks to scientists from South Carolina, Switzerland and China. They combined the carbon in the cotton with boron to create a tough. lightweight fabric of boron carbide(碳化硼), the same material used to protect tanks.‎ - 15 -‎ Available at Wal-Mart, the new T-shirt would he not only bulletproof, but also resistant to ultraviolet light from the sun and life-threatening radioactive rays.‎ ‎"The present armour is strong, but it's not flexible and it’s very heavy. We tried to solve this problem with a different approach. In our approach, we used cotton T-shirts," said Xiaodong Li, a scientist at the University of South Carolina. The trick for the scientists was combining melting boron with the carbon fibers inside the cotton fibers to form boron carbide. The great research began with a package of plain, white T-shirts purchased at Wal-Mart, which the scientists cut into pieces. They put those white cotton pieces into a black liquid of boron. After an hour, the cotton pieces were taken out from it and baked in an oven at a temperature of more than 1,000 degrees Celsius for an hour. As a result, only carbon and boron was left and then boron carbide came into being.‎ The resulting material is very different from the original ones at the start of the process-it's lighter, stronger, tougher and stiffer than the original cotton, but it can still be bent, unlike normal boron carbide armour.‎ Li said that the physical features of the new material are still being tested, but "from our initial results we can say the test has been very, very promising." "We expect that the material can stop a bullet.”Discovery News quoted Li as saying.‎ Covering cars or aircraft with cotton-based boron carbide, instead of the metal used today, would make these vehicles much lighter and more fuel-saving.‎ ‎32. What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?‎ A. The features of new boron carbide.‎ B. The advantages of new boron carbide.‎ C. The disadvantages of former boron carbide.‎ D. The process of making new boron carbide.‎ ‎33. What can we know from the text?‎ A. Many T-shirts are used to produce new materials.‎ B. The new T-shirts must be popular with children.‎ C. The new boron carbide contains many chemicals.‎ D. The new material has more advantages.‎ ‎34. What’s Li Xiaodong’s attitude towards the new material?‎ A. Confident. B. Negative. C. Neutral. D. Ambiguous.‎ - 15 -‎ ‎35. What might he the best title for the passage?‎ A. Traditional T-shirts are out of date.‎ B. An ordinary T-shirt can become body armour.‎ C. New boron carbide has been widely used.‎ D. Cotton-based boron carbide will easily change our life.‎ 第二节(共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分)‎ 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。‎ Easy ways to have the best day ever Having to set an alarm every day to wake up early is an awful feeling. So what if you could wake up in the morning and be ready to take the day on head first? Well, it takes just several simple steps. Wake up, and be awesome!‎ Get ready the night before.‎ The first approach to becoming a morning person and ensuring you have an amazing day is getting ready the night before. Keep your bags ready to go, filled with a snack for the day and all your belongings. 36 ‎ Try and stay off your phone.‎ We are all guilty of getting up, then going straight on our phones, then two minutes turns into 20 and then it is rush, rush! Avoid going on your phone apart from turning your alarm off. 37 They can be read afterwards.‎ ‎ 38 ‎ When you get to work/school or even if you are home for the day, prepare for some tasks in advance. Put the most important one at the top in red so that you know that you have to get it done firstly.‎ Eat breakfast.‎ There is no denying that the best way to feel and look good for the entire day is by eating your breakfast. Just eat something, a breakfast bar or even a piece of fruit. 39 Your body needs food to keep it going and a hungry stomach puts you in the worse mood.‎ Be positive The last way to have the best day ever is not to think of all the things that went wrong yesterday - 15 -‎ ‎ or all the things you need to get done but haven’t got enough time for. The thought will stress you out even more. 40 ‎ Now you're on the path to having the best day ever.‎ A. Ignore the messages.‎ B. Write a list of things to do.‎ C. Find the best feeling to finish a task.‎ D. Make sure you will not forget anything.‎ E. A positive mind is beneficial for you to solve all the problems.‎ F. So focusing on the good things that could happen will be helpful.‎ G. This will energize your brain and start to make the nervous system work.‎ 第三部分 语言知识运用(共两节，满分45分)‎ 第一节 完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)‎ 阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。‎ Yang Wenqing is the only teacher of this small school, more precisely a teaching center, 41 in Dengyunzhai Village, Luxi County, Hunan Province.‎ The tiny school was 42 built for this remote rural area with a small and scattered(分散的) 43 . The school arranges different 44 from the neighboring areas into one single class. Situated in a mountainous region, the village is the home to many 45 children, as young and middle-aged parents have 46 into cities for jobs.‎ The 53-year-old teacher volunteered to come to Dengyunzhai a decade ago when Luxi County 47 its teaching center to make it 48 for the school-age children nearby to receive education.‎ ‎"I 49 the second-grade students from the first-grade and kindergarten kids," said Yang, adding that she splits her 40-minute class time between different graders. Besides Chinese and math, Yang is also 50 for at least two music and art classes a week. In order to better teach the students, she 51 training programs for music teachers organized by local authorities. " 52 I am the only teacher here, children should learn nothing less," she said.‎ At 4:00 p. m. every school day, Yang walks out of the classroom and 53 the school bell. Hearing the bell, the students 54 orderly to return home. After the students leave, Yang would carefully clean the 55 . She is always the last one to leave the school. "Education can change - 15 -‎ ‎ the 56 of these students. The better foundation I 57 for them, the brighter future they can have through further study," Yang said.‎ Yang's work has 58 . For years, the academic results of her students are among the best in the whole county. She has 59 cultivated(培养)more than 100 children, who later went on to 60 higher education.‎ ‎41. A. interested B. located C. set D. rooted ‎42. A. specially B. poorly C. terribly D. hurriedly ‎43. A. village B. area C. population D. square ‎44. A. graders B. villagers C. students D. teachers ‎45. A. worn-out B. lay-off C. left-over D. left-behind ‎46. A. jumped B. flooded C. flown D. grown ‎47. A. set out B. set off C. set down D. set up ‎48. A. amazing B. fortunate C. possible D. attractive ‎49. A. separated B. differed C. told D. judged ‎50. A. considerate B. available C. responsible D. respectable ‎51. A. held B. made C. combined D. attended ‎52. A. Because B. Whether C. Although D. If ‎53. A. rings B. observes C. presses D. knocks ‎54. A. stand up B. line up C. speak up D. take up ‎55. A. windows B. floors C. blackboards D. classrooms ‎56. A. future B. character C. dream D. expectation ‎57. A. pave B. base C. lay D. settle ‎58. A. turned down B. turned up C. paid for D. paid off ‎59. A. diligently B. Successfully C. frequently D. wisely ‎60. A. explore B. manage C. adore D. seek 第二节 语法填空(共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分)‎ 阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入适当的(不超过三个)单词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空。‎ Recycled Island ‎"Recycled Island" is designed by a Dutch architect Ramon Knoester. 61 the help of the - 15 -‎ ‎ Netherlands Architecture Fund, his firm, WHIM Architecture, is working on this island 62 (make) of garbage.‎ The project tries to solve a lot of the problems that our planet 63 (experience) nowadays. Considering that the oceans take up more than half of the earth, wouldn't it be nice 64 we could settle on them by making our own 65 (island)? It is a research project with the aim 66 (complete) a habitable island made from all the plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean. The habitable area is designed as 67 urban setting.‎ The starting point is to create an island of 10,000 sq. km. This is about the size of Hawaii and its 68 (locate) is the North Pacific Gyre, 69 a large quantity of plastic waste is discovered. This is a beautiful spot northeast of Hawaii. By recycling and constructing 70 (direct) on the spot with the plastic waste, the need for long transport is avoided. Because of the floating character, the island, s position could change.‎ 第四部分 写作(共两节，满分35分)‎ 第一节 短文改错(共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分)‎ 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。‎ 增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。‎ 删除：把多余的词用斜线()划掉。‎ 修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下而写出修改后的词。‎ 注意：‎ ‎1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；‎ ‎2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。‎ Dear Bob,‎ I'm delighting that you show an interest in the lecture. To help us grow up healthy, last Friday Professor Smith invited to give us a lecture. He not only offered us some advices on what we should eat，and also pointed out our eating problems.‎ Professor Smith's speech has benefited from us greatly, make us realize the influence of our eating habits. As the saying goes, "we are what we eat", so that is better for us to get into the healthy eating habit.‎ Now we are on a balanced diet and have meals regularly, because of what we are healthier and - 15 -‎ ‎ more energetic now.‎ Yours,‎ Li Hua 第二节 书面表达(满分25分)‎ 假定你是李华，你从国外网站购买了一辆健身自行车，后来发现其问题较多。请就此向美国总部写邮件投诉。内容如下：‎ ‎1.购车情况；‎ ‎2.存在的问题(车身重；刹车失灵等)‎ ‎3.解决方案。‎ 注意：‎ ‎1.词数100词左右；‎ ‎2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。‎ 参考词汇：健身自行车an exercise bike刹车brake Dear Sir or Madam,‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Yours,‎ Li Hua 驻马店市 2019—2020 学年第二学期期终考试 高二英语试题答案 听力部分 - 15 -‎ ‎1-5 BCACB 6-10 ACABC 11-15 BACAC 16-20 BACAB 阅读理解 ‎21-25 BCBDC 26-30 DCADB 31-35 CDDAB 36-40 DABGF 完形 ‎41-45 BACAD 46-50 BDCAC 51-55 DCABD 56-60 ACDBD 语法填空 ‎61.With 62. made 63. is experiencing 64. if 65. islands ‎ ‎66. to complete 67. an 68. location 69. where 70. directly ‎ 短文改错 Dear Bob, ‎ ‎ I’m delighting that you show an interest in the lecture. To help us grow up healthy, last ‎ delighted healthily ‎ Friday Professor Smith∧ invited to give us a lecture.He not only offered us some advices on what ‎ was advice we should eat, and also pointed out our eating problems.‎ ‎ but ‎ Professor Smith’s speech has benefited from us greatly, make us realize the influence of our ‎ making ‎ eating habits. As the saying goes, “we are what we eat”, so that is better for us to get into the ‎ ‎ it a healthy eating habit.‎ ‎ Now we are on a healthy diet and have meals regularly, because of what we are healthier and ‎ ‎ which more energetic now.‎ ‎ Yours, Li Hua ‎ 书面表达 One possible version Dear Sir or Madam，     I’m sorry to write to complain about the exercise bike that I purchased from your online shop ten days ago. It should have reached me last Sunday, but it arrived today. There was one week’s delay in delivering the exercise bike．‎ After unpacking and trying it out，I was surprised to find the bike didn’t consist with what you advertised．First of all, it is much heavier than described, so it is not convenient for me to lift it upstairs.Even worse than that, its brakes don’t work once in a while. Last but not least, I find the bike is not stable and is extremely badly made. Therefore, I’m worried that it will break down when I am cycling at full speed.      For the above reasons，I strongly demand either a new one should be posted to me immediately or my money should be refunded.      Thanks for your consideration. And I’ m looking forward to your early reply.                                                                                                    Yours，‎ ‎ Li Hua - 15 -‎ 听力原文 Text 1‎ M: Lucy, would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow?‎ W: Oh, I’d really love to, but I have an appointment with my dentist at 11:30. Thanks for inviting me.‎ Text 2‎ W: Peter, how is the weather now? Is it still raining?‎ M: No, but there’s still lots of clouds. The weatherman said the sun wouldn’t come out until next week.‎ Text 3‎ M: I’m sorry I was late for class today, Dr. Simpson.‎ W: Well, I’ll let it go this time. But you saw it disturbed the rest of the class. ‎ M: Yes, I realized that. I won’t let it happen again.‎ Text 4‎ W: Hi, Mike. Listen, I’m coming back this afternoon, and I’ll take a bus from the railway station. So, you don’t need to come and pick me up.‎ M: OK, take care, and see you soon. ‎ Text 5‎ M: Jenny, there’s an opening for an assistant manager in our company. You should give it a try. ‎ W: Thank you George, but I’ve decided to travel a bit before finding another job.‎ Text 6‎ M: By the way, do you know what time it is? ‎ W: Well, it’s a quarter to two.‎ M: Oh, I’ve got to go.‎ W: See Linda in the library?‎ M: No. Actually I’m going to meet with Professor Smith at ten past two. You may continue our project discussion with Michael.‎ W: All right. ‎ Text 7‎ W: Harry, guess what? I’ve just received an email from Pamela. She and Peter are coming down to see us this weekend.‎ M: Oh, that’s good news! We haven’t seen them for ages.‎ W: Yeah. The last time we met them was at our wedding three years ago. ‎ M: Did Pamela mention how long they’ll stay?‎ W: About one week.‎ M: Great! I can’t wait to show them around our new house.‎ W: Me too. We haven’t had any guests since we moved in here. If the weather is fine, we can have a barbecue in the garden.‎ M: Good idea. I’ll go to the market tomorrow to buy all the things we’ll need.‎ Text 8‎ W: Hello, everyone. Welcome to our program. Today, we are fortunate to have a special guest with us.Some of you may have heard of him before. He’s an artist. His works have received many prizes and have been shown in over one hundred exhibitions across the country — Los Angeles, New York,‎ - 15 -‎ ‎ Philadelphia, to name just a few. His name is Chris Cucksy. So Chris, tell us a bit about yourself.‎ M: Well, I was born in Springfield, Missouri, and grew up in Kansas. I didn’t come from a family with wealth or position, but I did manage to get a master’s degree in fine arts.‎ W: When did you first start to make art? And what was the turning point in your life that made you an artist?‎ M: I always liked drawing as early as I can remember, so right from then, I knew what I was going to be: an artist.‎ W: What is it that always inspires you to create?‎ M: Nature is the biggest inspiration. I’m always inspired by things of beauty and harmony.‎ Text 9‎ M: You must be pretty excited about your trip to Europe, Dorothy. When are you leaving?‎ W: In just two weeks, and I am excited. I’ve been looking forward to this training program for a long time. But there are still a few things I need to do before I go.‎ M: Like what?‎ W: Like renewing my passport and figuring out what to do with my apartment while I’m gone.‎ M: You are not going to give it up, are you?‎ W: No way! I’ll never find another apartment like it around here. But I don’t like the idea of paying three months for an empty apartment, either. So, I’m looking for someone to take it while I’m away.‎ M: Um, let me think. Oh, I know just a person. An old colleague of mine, Jim Thomas. He is coming here to do some research this summer, from June to August.‎ W: Well, that’s exactly when I’ll be away!‎ M: Tell you what: I’ll be calling Jim late this week anyway, so I’ll mention it to him.‎ W: Well, thanks, Bill. ‎ Text 10‎ W: I hope I’ve given you a clear idea of the schedule for your London weekend. And, before I finish, let me just give you some advice which should make your stay more enjoyable. Firstly, please do remember to put on some comfortable shoes. London is a big place, and whatever you do, you’ll find yourself doing quite a lot of walking. So, comfortable shoes are really necessary. And secondly, let me ask you to please look after your money. Keep it safe at all times, and then you will not have any unpleasant accident, which could ruin your whole weekend. You’ll find a copy of your weekend’s schedule in your room. Take a look at it, and make sure you’re clear about everything. Well, that’s all from me for now. Go and leave your luggage in your rooms. I’ll be seeing you here again in fifteen minutes. Goodbye for now!‎ - 15 -‎