2020学年高二英语下学期期末联考试题新人教版

2020学年高二英语下学期期末联考试题新人教版

‎2019学年度第二学期期末联考 高中二年英语科试卷 完卷时间：120分钟 满分：l50分 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. Where did the man get the book? ‎ A. From his brother.‎ B. From the library.‎ C. From a bookstore.‎ ‎2. How does Mike usually go to school now? ‎ A. By car. B. By bus. C. By bike.‎ ‎3. What is the weather like now? ‎ A. Cold but sunny.‎ B. Windy and cold.‎ C. Sunny and warm.‎ ‎4. What time does the woman want to meet the man? ‎ A. At 1:00 p.m. B. At 1:30 p.m. C. At 2:00 p.m.‎ ‎5. What are the speakers mainly talking about? ‎ A. What to have for dinner.‎ B. How to make Chinese food.‎ C. Where to find an Indian restaurant.‎ 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，并标在试卷的相应位置。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。‎ 听第6段材料，回答第6、7题。‎ ‎6. How often does the man go to the gym? ‎ A. Twice a week.‎ B. Five times a week.‎ C. Every morning.‎ ‎7. What does the woman want to go to the gym for? ‎ A. Dancing. B. Running. C. Swimming.‎ 听第7段材料，回答第8、9题。‎ ‎8. How many people are going hiking? ‎ A. Two. B. Three. C. Four.‎ 13‎ ‎9. When will the speakers go hiking? ‎ A. On Wednesday. B. On Thursday. C. On Friday.‎ 听第8段材料，回答第10至12题。‎ ‎10. What does Aron say about his mother? ‎ A. She just changed jobs.‎ B. She just moved to London.‎ C. She just opened a law firm.‎ ‎11. What will Aron be doing in Paris? ‎ A. Looking for a job.‎ B. Going to school.‎ C. Taking a holiday.‎ ‎12. What is the probable relationship between the speakers? ‎ A. Co-workers. B. Friends at school. C. Brother and sister.‎ 听第9段材料，回答第13至16题。‎ ‎13. How long will the exhibition in Italy last? ‎ A. Two weeks. B. Four weeks. C. Eight weeks.‎ ‎14. Where is the second stop of the exhibition tour? ‎ A. Spain. B. Greece. C. Portugal.‎ ‎15. Why won’t the speakers go to the exhibition on Saturday? ‎ A. The woman has to go to classes.‎ B. The man has to work on his paper.‎ C. The museum will be crowded that day.‎ ‎16. Where will the woman probably be on Friday morning? ‎ A. In the library. B. At the gallery. C. In the classroom.‎ 听第10段材料，回答第17至20题。‎ ‎17. How many languages does Start Today teach at the moment? ‎ A. 11. B. 22. C. 57.‎ ‎18. Why do most people learn new languages according to the speaker? ‎ A. To become language experts.‎ B. To get better opportunities.‎ C. To travel around the world.‎ ‎19. What is the goal of Start Today? ‎ A. To make education free through technology.‎ B. To develop more courses through technology.‎ C. To create private experiences through technology.‎ ‎20. What is the learning process like at Start Today? ‎ A. Very fun. B. Very boring. C. Very difficult.‎ 13‎ 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)‎ A I felt like I had clicked my heels three times and come to a country away from home every morning as I walked through the doors at the Embassy of Australia in Washington. Musical Aussie accents, and Aboriginal art exhibits made me wonder if I had entered without a visa. In fact I was a temporary employee, a public affairs unpaid intern(实习) for three months during the summer in order to engage myself in the culture of the country where I planned to study the next spring.‎ During the summer I read the Australian news every day. Working at the embassy allowed me to escape the U.S. for six hours per day and learn about what was going on across the planet. After reading the daily Australian and U.S. news I usually helped prepare a PowerPoint presentation for school kids who visited the embassy as part of a school activity. Depending on whether an embassy event was going on, I would attend weekly meetings to listen in on planning and see what I could do to help. Usually there were smaller tasks to be done such as creating visitors' guides.‎ The most fantastic event in which I participated was the visit of the Australian prime minister. As the only American among countless Australian media and staff, I felt comfortable and was kept busy taking pictures and recording door-stop interviews at famous sites such as the Capitol. But as an intern, you will not be inside, exposed to top-secret information, when it comes to special events.‎ Government work is a useful addition to one's experience. As an embassy employee you will gain invaluable knowledge while spending your summer in a culturally diverse workplace.‎ ‎21. What is the author talking about?‎ A. Her foreign culture experience.            B. Her trouble in finding a job.‎ C. Her embassy internship.           D. Her preparation for future employment.‎ ‎23. What was the author forbidden to do when the Australian prime minister visited America?‎ A. Record door-stop interviews.            B. Know top-secret information.‎ C. Take pictures of special events.          D. Stand among the Australian staff.‎ ‎24. What can we infer about her daily routine at the Embassy?‎ A. It is tiring.                                        B. It is disgusting.‎ C. It is relaxing.                                    D. It is exciting. ‎ B Three years ago Jenny Salgado, a Dominican shop assistant, moved to Highland town, a neighborhood of Baltimore. When she arrived the shop she works in was one of only a few Spanish 13‎ ‎ businesses. Now there are many more. “It’s good now if you speak Spanish,” she smiles.‎ Baltimore has been losing people for 60 years. To address this, its former mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, wanted to make it the most immigrant-friendly city in the world. Its libraries provide Spanish-language exercise classes. To help those with no papers, the city is introducing micro-loans (小额贷款）which require no credit checks. City police would no longer routinely check the immigration status of citizens or enforce any federal immigration law unless required to. The then governor, Martin O'Malley made it possible for illegal immigrants to get driving licenses. Such welcoming policies are spreading. Such cities as Cleveland, Dayton and Philadelphia all eagerly try to please immigrants. Rick Snyder, Governor of Michigan, has asked the federal government to offer 50,000 visas to people who agree to live in Detroit. His administration has made it easier for skilled migrants to get professional licenses.‎ When a city’s population falls, both tax receipts and services fall. Half-deserted neighborhoods breed (滋生）crime, driving yet more people to leave.‎ No city has escaped this without attracting new residents, says Steve Tobocman of Global Detroit. Several studies suggest that when immigrants arrive, crime goes down, schools improve and shops open up. In Detroit, immigrants living near the tiny separate city of Hamtramck have formed local watches to guard against thieves. Their neighborhoods are not just safer; they are also among the only places where it is as easy to buy fresh vegetables as drugs and alcohol.‎ But attracting new immigrants to the cities which most need them is hard, argues Audrey Singer of the Brookings Institution. They care about the same things as everyone else: safe streets, good schools and jobs. Cities which have lost population for decades struggle with all of these.‎ ‎24. What does the underlined word “address” mean?‎ A. deal with    B. remark on C. get through   D. refer to ‎25. Which can best describe the situation mentioned in Paragraph 3?‎ A. A constant matter    B. A dilemma C. A death circle    D. A classic case ‎26. What is the topic of the last but one paragraph?‎ A. Problems caused by immigrants.   B. The positive role immigrants play. ‎ C. The living conditions of immigrants.    D. Difficulties immigrants face in Detroit.‎ ‎27. Which statement may Audrey Singer agree with?‎ A. There is no need to encourage such immigrant-friendly policies.‎ B. Immigrants have higher expectations of a city than its locals.‎ C. Attracting immigrants helps prevent a city from losing population.‎ D. Attracting immigrants to cities losing people is demanding.‎ C I recommend a lot of non-fiction books, and every once in a while I review a novel. But I don’t think I’ve ever written about a book of poetry before. That’s almost what Maylis de Kerangal’s The Heart is, though. It’s poetry disguised as a novel.‎ Three French 20-year-olds go surfing in the middle of the night, and as they’re driving back from the beach just before sunrise, they have a car accident. Two of them survive but one of them, Simon, dies, and his parents have to decide whether to donate his heart or not. They 13‎ ‎ finally decide to do it, and doctors transplant（移植）the heart, and the book is over. That’s just its story.‎ The car crash happens in the first 15 pages, so the rest of the book is a meditation（冥想）on life, death, and, as the title suggests, the heart. There aren’t even that many characters: you meet Simon’s father and mother, the doctor on duty at the hospital when Simon gets there, the nurse assisting him, the head of the organ donation organization, the woman who gets the heart in the end , and a few other people.‎ But just describing the plot is like saying “during a heart transplant, doctors put one person’s heart into another person’s body” and leaving it at that. It’s not the plot that makes The Heart such a wonderful book. First of all, there’s the language. It makes me think of Vladimir Nabokov more than anybody else. The sentences are rich and full, and they go on and on, which is the exact opposite of how I write.‎ At times I found myself reading more slowly than usual, simply because the way she describes things is so beautiful: at one point she describes a character’s words an “reddening rocks from a still-burning fire”. The choices of words are very specific—I went to the dictionary a dozen times to look up the words I didn’t know.‎ ‎28. What does the author think of the story of the book?‎ A. not complex. B. very touching. C. very interesting. D. very inspiring.‎ ‎29.From the 16th page, the book ________.‎ A. starts telling stories B. shows some poems C. becomes more exciting D. talks about something big ‎30. What makes the book wonderful according to the author?‎ A. Its theme. B. Its plot C. Its writing style D. Its characters ‎31. This passage can be classified as________.‎ A. an advertisement B. a book review C. a feature story D. A news report ‎ D When a laptop or smart phone battery starts losing its power, the only options are to buy an expensive replacement, or just keep it plugged in (接通电源的) all the time. But one woman may have found the answer to this problem. Mya Le Thai is a scientist studying at the University of California. She recently discovered a process that may lead to batteries that last forever. Thai said she had been frustrated that the batteries for her wireless devices degraded(退化) over time, until they failed to charge fully. Thai did not like having to keep her laptop connected to an electrical outlet (电源插座) to keep it powered on. So, she decided to do something about that problem. At first, she and her team at UC Irvine thought about inventing a new battery. But as they experimented, Thai discovered something that might permit lithium-ion (锂离子) batteries to last forever. Lithium-ion batteries power most wireless devices. Over time, the batteries lose the ability to hold a charge. Most of these batteries have a life span of about 7,000 charging cycles before they die. One of the reasons lithium-ion batteries degrade is their use of nanowires to carry electricity. Nanowires are extremely thin. A human hair is thousands of times thicker, for example.‎ 13‎ ‎ Nanowires are extremely efficient carriers of electricity, which makes them useful in batteries. But Thai said their thinness also makes them weak. “Nanowires break and fracture over time,” she said. “That’s why they lose capacity.” But, Thai had a theory – the nanowires might last longer if covered with a gel (凝胶). She and her team tested this theory. “It was a long process and a lot of work,” Thai said. The team tried many coverings for the wires. PMMA, a type of plastic, was one of them. The nanowires were coated with PMMA and cycled through charges 200,000 times. The PMMA-coated nanowires showed no evidence of damage. The results suggest that batteries could last forever, without losing charging ability. Thai said 200,000 cycles amount to about three months on just one device. Thai hopes to continue her research to understand why this gel works so well and to see if any other gel could create better results. Mya Le Thai said she is enjoying the publicity about her discovery. She said she never expected her research to get media coverage. “It’s kind of cool,” she said. “I’m really glad people are showing interest in my work and not just in the work itself, but also in technology and energy.” ‎ ‎32. What caused Thai to work on lithium-ion batteries?‎ A. She disliked the batteries for her laptop. B. She thought batteries were too expensive. C. She found that batteries gradually wear out.‎ D. She and her team were assigned to invent a new battery.‎ ‎33. Which of the following sentences is TRUE about nanowires?‎ A. They last only 7,000 charging cycles. ‎ B. They are too weak to carry electricity. C. They are not suitable to use in batteries. D. They are the main cause of battery degrading.‎ ‎34. The breakthrough may most probably lie in ______.‎ A. a new kind of battery B. coating nanowires in gel ‎ C. new materials for batteries D. a new way of charging batteries ‎35. What may be the best title for the passage?‎ A. Why batteries are degrading B. Nanowires trying on new coating C. Nanowires discovered by scientist D. Scientist invents life-long battery 第二节七选五（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）‎ ‎ Why do you go to the library? For books, yes—you like books because they tell stories. ______36______ At one type of library, you can just do that –even though there is not a single book.‎ ‎ At the Human Library, instead of books, you can “borrow” people. _______37_______ For a certain amount of time, you can ask them questions and listen to their stories, which are as fascinating as anything you can find in a book. You can speak with a refugee （难民）,a homeless person of a woman living with HIV._______38_____ In other words, the Human Library encourages people to challenge their own prejudice（偏见）--to truly get to know and learn from someone 13‎ ‎ they might otherwise make an unfair judgment about.‎ ‎ _____39_____ Ronni Abergel, his brother Dray and some colleagues hosted a four-day event during a major Northern European festival, hoping to raise awareness about violence among youth. After the success of this event, Abergel set up the Human Library Organization, which has been growing ever since.‎ ‎ The stories these＂books＂tell range from fascinating to heartbreaking and everything in between. And that is the very point of the organization—to prove that no person can be summed up in just one word. ________40_______‎ A. Their life stories are on various topics.‎ B. People with unique life stories volunteer to be the “books”.‎ C. Here, difficult questions are expected, appreciated and answered.‎ D. It seeks to show people that you truly can’t judge a book by its cover.‎ E. You hope to be lost in a story or be transported into someone else’s life.‎ F. You don’t need a library card –anyone can come and be part of the experience.‎ G. The Human Library Organization was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2000.‎ 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l.5分．满分30分)．‎ 阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并标在答题卷的相应位置。‎ I had just arrived in this Asian country for a one-year teaching position. One day, I took the subway to visit some ancient palaces and temples in the downtown. The following account of what happened to me has taught me much about culture 41 . Since all the 42 were taken, I stood. Suddenly, I felt someone pulling on my bag. 43 I probably was in someone’s way, I moved over slightly. But in one quick motion, I felt my bag removed from my back, and in a flash it was44 .I turned around to see who the thief was. I looked at the people standing behind me, but didn’t see my bag or anyone 45 .My heart sank and I began to 46 . I glanced around the car and found directly across from me was an elderly lady, and sitting on her lap was my 47 .I tried to get it back from her lap. But as I began to 48 it up, she quickly grabbed it back and 49 it. I looked around at the people standing beside me, and those sitting beside her, but no one took any notice of the situation. Trying not to cause a/an 50 ,I tried to negotiate(协商) through gestures. I used my hands as best as I could, but she 51 my requests for my bag and pointed to my back. She picked up my bag, showing how 52 it was. I finally began to understand. She was holding my bag to 53 me. At the next stop, a middle-aged woman got on the crowded subway. Another elderly woman sitting down took her bag, 54 it on her lap. They didn’t talk; 55 this older woman was very pleased to sit with this stranger’s bag on her lap throughout her journey. As the subway pulled into the main downtown station and I was getting ready to get off, the woman 56 handed me back my bag. But 57 I had a chance to thank her, she had disappeared into the crowd. Sadly, this considerate custom was more 58 to me than if I had been robbed. Everyone back home had heard of being robbed--that was 59 city behavior --but having a stranger hang on to someone’s bag out of 60 ,in a city of twelve million people-- that was truly unusual.‎ 41. A. loss B. aim C. difference D. cause 13‎ 41. A. cars B. seats C. buses D. stations 42. A. Deciding B. Expecting C. Admitting D. Assuming 43. A. gone B. emptied C. opened D. broken 44. A. cautious B. nervous C. suspicious D. alternative 45. A. regret B. scream C. sob D. panic 46. A. bag B. book C. money D. map 47. A. bring B. pull C. check D. wrap 48. A. held out B. passed on to C. held on to D. kept up 49. A. attack B. change C. accident D. scene 50. A. ignored B. handled C. took D. received ‎ 51. A. small B. useful C. heavy D. special 52. A. remind B. relieve C. tease D. warn 53. A. dropping B. setting C. closing D. tapping 54. A. yet B. so C. or D. because 55. A. accurately B. merely C. gently D. abruptly 56. A. until B. once C. while D. before 57. A. surprising B. amusing C. annoying D. disgusting 58. A .practical B. standard C. regular D. reasonable 59. ‎ A. curiosity B. pity C. desperation D. consideration 第二节语法填空（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分） 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容或括号内单词的正确形式。‎ Don’t forget family A lot of films have tried to describe the afterlife and our memories of family members who have passed away. But few have done better than Coco, which_____61_____(enjoy) popularity worldwide since it was released. The film creating a young boy, Miguel, ____62___dreams of becoming an accomplished musician , _____63_____(set) in the Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos—Day of the Dead .On that year’s Dia de los Muertos, he gets accidentally ______64_____(transport) to the Land of the Dead, only _____65____ (find) himself involved in a mysterious chain of events. ____66___ is in this magical world that Miguel gets to meet and discover the truth about his great-great-grandpa. ‎ While told with a wild imagination, the story presents a clear and warm message , as Vanity Fair put it , ___67___ family comes first.‎ Family is a concept at the center of Mexican culture. On Dia de los Muertos every year, people in Mexico honor their ancestors ___68___ putting their photos up on the family shrine(神龛), as indicated in the film, and share food and ____69____(drink) to keep the spirits of their family members alive. “In an era when young people are so ____70____(easy) attracted by celebrities, Coco teaches kids to preserve and respect the memory of their ancestors .‎ 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。错误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（∧），并在其下面写上该加的词。‎ 删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。‎ 修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写上修改后的词。‎ 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。‎ 13‎ Dear Jack, ‎ ‎ It is so amazing question that I can’t wait to answer it. If I had a clone of myself for one day , I would have it do the following for me .‎ In the morning, it will walk my dog with my grandfather ,who retired a few years ago and needed company. Very busy as my parents are, but they still spend plenty of times on housework. As for me, I am too occupying to help them. So I hope the clone can do a favor to them in the afternoon. Above all, it will share happiness and have a warm talk with my parents, express my gratitude for all what they have done for me .Meanwhile , it will tell them I am more than happier to be their daughter.‎ ‎ If only I have a clone of myself ! What about you ?‎ Yours ,‎ ‎ Li Hua 第二节书面表达 假设你是学生李华，你的外国朋友Sam最近了解到中国的“新四大发明”，并对其中的手机移动支付（mobile payment）非常感兴趣，他来信希望你能简单地向他介绍手机支付，并且谈谈你对手机移动支付的看法。请你用英语给他回信。‎ 注意：1.词数100左右；‎ ‎         2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。‎ 参考词汇:扫描二维码scan QR codes Dear Sam,‎ How are you? ________________________________________________________________‎ ‎_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________‎ 13‎ ‎ Yours,‎ Li Hua ‎2019学年度第二学期八县（市）一中期末联考英语科参考答案 第一部分听力（共两节，满分 30 分）‎ ‎1-5 ACACA 6-10 BCBCA 11-15 BBABC 16-20 CBBCA 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）‎ ‎21-23CBD 24-27 ACBD 28-31 ADCB 32-35 CDBD ‎ 第二节（共 5 小题，每小题 2 分，满分 10 分）‎ ‎36-40 EBCGD 第三部分英语知识运用（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）‎ ‎41-45 CBDAC 46-50 DABCD 51-55 ACBBA 56-60 CDACD 第二节语法填空（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）‎ ‎61.has been enjoying/ has enjoyed 62.who 63. is set 64.transported 65.to find ‎ ‎66 .It 67. that 68.by 69.drinks 70. easily 第四部分写作（共两节满分35分）‎ 第一节短文改错（10分）‎ Dear Jack, ‎ ‎ It is so amazing ⌃question that I can’t wait to answer it. If I had a clone of myself for one day , I would have it do the following for me .‎ In the morning, it will walk my dog with my grandfather ,who retired a few years ago and needed company. Very busy as my parents are, but they still spend plenty of times on housework. As for me, I am too occupying to help them. So I hope the clone can do a favor to them in the afternoon. Above all, it will share happiness and have a warm talk with my parents, express my gratitude for all what they have done for me .Meanwhile ,it will tell them I am more than happier to be their daughter.‎ ‎ If only I have a clone of myself ! What about you ?‎ Yours ,‎ ‎ Li Hua ‎1.question 前面加“a” 2. needed改为needs 3. 去掉 but 4. times改为time ‎5. occupying改为occupied 6.to改为for 7. express改为expressing ‎8. what改为that/去掉what/去掉all 9. happier改为happy 10. have改为had 13‎ 第二节书面表达（满分25分）【参考范文】‎ Dear Sam,‎ How are you? Glad to tell you something about mobile payment in China.‎ Mobile payment is very popular in China, which has made people's daily life more and more convenient. Most of us are used to paying by scanning QR codes. By mobile payment, we can pay easily wherever we go. We are able to pay for many things by scanning with smart phones. It is the widespread use of mobile payment that saves us the trouble of taking cash or bank cards.‎ Mobile payment has greatly changed people's lives in China. It seems that China is really leading in some ways and mobile payment is also sweeping the world.‎ If you want to know more, feel free/don't hesitate to ask! Looking forward to your reply! ‎ Yours,‎ Li Hua 录音原文 Text 1‎ W: Hey, I just finished reading the same book. Did you get it from the library?‎ M: I borrowed it from my brother. He just bought it from a bookstore.‎ Text 2‎ W: How do you usually go to school, Mike? Do you take the bus?‎ M: No. My parents used to drive me, but the traffic in the morning is just terrible. So I ride my bicycle to school now. ‎ Text 3‎ M: Would you like to sit outside? The sun is finally out.‎ W: But it is still very cold outside, and it seems like the wind will pick up soon. Let’s just sit inside to keep warm.‎ Text 4‎ M: Hey Lucy, are we still meeting at the station at half past one this afternoon?‎ W: Let me see… It’s already one o’clock, and I still need a little time to finish my homework. Let’s meet there in one hour from now. ‎ Text 5‎ W: Shall we order some pizza for dinner tonight?‎ M: Didn’t we just have pizza the day before yesterday? ‎ W: No. We had pizza over the weekend. I made Chinese food two nights ago. Remember?‎ M: Oh, that’s right. Let’s order some Indian food, then.‎ Text 6‎ W: Do you exercise often?‎ M: Yes. I exercise pretty often. I go to the gym five times a week.‎ W: That’s cool! I have been thinking about starting to go to the gym, too.‎ M: You should. What do you want to go to the gym for?‎ W: I want to start swimming.‎ M: That sounds like a plan. Do you do any exercise at the moment?‎ W: I run for half an hour every morning, and I go to a dance club twice a week.‎ M: That’s great!‎ Text 7‎ W: Hey Kevin, James and I have been thinking about going hiking one of these days in the countryside. Would you like to come along?‎ 13‎ M: Sure, that sounds fun! How about Wednesday?‎ W: Well, according to the weather forecast, it is going to be very cloudy that day. How about Thursday? It should be sunny by then.‎ M: I have plans for Thursday already. Let’s do it on Friday, okay?‎ W: All right. That will work for us, and the weather is nice on Friday, too.‎ M: Cool! So how should we go? Shall we take the bus? ‎ W: No. James can borrow his father’s car. We will pick you up at your place.‎ Text 8‎ M: Hey Tina, I just want to let you know that I will be moving away after this semester.‎ W: Where are you moving, Aron? ‎ M: Paris. My mom received a job offer from a law firm there, and she decided to take it. ‎ W: Is your whole family going to move there?‎ M: Well, my sister and I will go with my mom first. My dad will stay in London for another year and then join us.‎ W: Do you know how long you will live there?‎ M: At least two years. My mom has already found a school there for me and my sister.‎ W: Will you come back to London and visit during those two years?‎ M: Of course. I will come back to visit during holidays, maybe even at the weekend sometimes. Paris is not that far after all.‎ W: Okay. Well, good luck with everything. I will for sure miss you.‎ M: Thanks. I will miss you, too!‎ Text 9‎ W: Would you like to go to the National Gallery of Modern Art sometime this week? ‎ M: Sounds good. Is there any special exhibition going on at the moment?‎ W: Yes! They are showing Vincent van Gogh’s paintings in the main gallery. ‎ M: Really? That’s super cool! How long will this exhibition last? ‎ W: Two weeks. All the paintings are borrowed from the Van Gogh Museum in Holland. ‎ M: Nice. I wish it could last longer. ‎ W: Me, too. But this special exhibition is actually part of a Southern Europe tour. So after being shown here in Italy, these paintings will go to Greece, Spain, then Portugal before going back to Holland. ‎ M: So how long is the entire tour?‎ W: Eight weeks. The exhibitions in Greece and Spain will be four-week long. ‎ M: Okay. So when should we go?‎ W: I was thinking this Saturday. But the museum must be very crowded over the weekend. ‎ M: How about Friday? I don’t have any class on Friday.‎ W: Sure. Though I do have two classes in the morning. So let’s go in the afternoon.‎ M: All right. Then I will work on my paper in the school library. Meet there at noon?‎ W: OK!‎ Text 10‎ Start Today is one of the best language-learning websites today. At the moment, we offer 57 different language courses across 22 languages. And another 11 new courses are being developed by our professional team of language experts from all around the world. Today, there are over one billion people trying to learn a new language, and most of them are doing so in order to get better opportunities in life. Unfortunately, learning a new language can often be very 13‎ ‎ expensive. But that is not a problem here at Start Today, because we believe in free education. All of our online courses are free of charge, and our goal is to give everyone who learns with us a private tutor experience through technology.Now, you may think learning online is boring, but be ready to change your mind at Start Today. To make sure the learning process is interesting, our courses are designed like games. 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