2018-2019学年湖北省黄冈市高二3月月考英语试题 Word版

2018-2019学年湖北省黄冈市高二3月月考英语试题 Word版

‎2019年3月月考高二英语试卷 ‎ 时间：120分钟 满分：150分 注意事项： ‎ ‎1.本试卷分第I卷（选择题）和第II卷（非选择题）两部分。‎ ‎2.答题前，考生务必将自己的姓名、准考证号填写在本试卷相应的位置。‎ ‎3. 全部答案在答题卡上完成，答在本试卷上无效。‎ ‎4. 考试结束后，将答题卡交回。‎ 第I卷（选择题，共100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. Why did David avoid the diving board? ‎ A. He thinks it’s too high. B. He doesn’t know how to dive at all.‎ C. It’s too crowded in that part of the pool.‎ ‎2. What is the relationship between the speakers?‎ A. Co-workers. B. Boss and secretary. C. Teacher and student.‎ ‎3. How does the woman feel about the candles? ‎ A. They smell bad. B. They’re not bright enough. ‎ C. They’re better than electricity.‎ ‎4. How many students took the exam last Friday?‎ A. 18. B. 22. C. 40.‎ ‎5. Who is the woman talking to? ‎ A. A boss. B. A reporter. C. A secretary.‎ 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。‎ 听第6段材料，回答第6、7题。‎ ‎6. Where does Mr. Patterson work? ‎ A. On a farm. B. At a school. C. In a post office.‎ ‎7. What are the speakers talking about? ‎ A. Some plants in a field. B. Something in a picture. C. Some animals in a story.‎ 听第7段材料，回答第8至10题。‎ ‎8. When did the flight attendant see the backpack? ‎ A. After the plane landed. B. When the little girl dropped it.‎ C. While the woman was brushing her teeth.‎ ‎9. When did the woman get her luggage? ‎ A. At 7:00. B. At 8:30. C. At 9:00.‎ ‎10. Where does the conversation take place?‎ A. In a security office. B. In a restaurant. C. At the airport.‎ 听第8段材料，回答第11至13题。‎ ‎11. What is the woman surprised by?‎ A. The noise in the countryside. B. The cool weather in summer.‎ C. The unclean appearance of the forest.‎ ‎12. When will the birds quiet down? ‎ A. In seventeen days. B. In a month or so. C. In four months.‎ ‎13. Where does the woman come from? ‎ A. North Carolina. B. Georgia. C. California.‎ 听第9段材料，回答第14至16题。‎ ‎14. What does the woman want to prepare for her mother?‎ A. A clean house. B. Some nice food. C. A comfortable chair.‎ ‎15. What does the man suggest the woman do? ‎ A. Offer the mouse peanuts. B. Put glue in a mouse trap. ‎ C. Go to a field to find a mouse.‎ ‎16. What kind of mouse does the woman think is in her house? ‎ A. A friendly mouse. B. A fat mouse. C. A small mouse.‎ 听第10段材料，回答第17至20题。‎ ‎17. Who is mostly in Branson during the winter? ‎ A. Local people. B. Students. C. Visitors.‎ ‎18. What is Branson mostly known for? ‎ A. Live music. B. Helicopter tours. C. An amusement park.‎ ‎19. Why did Branson become a tourist attraction?‎ A. It’s near the ocean. B. It has many lakes. C. It’s near a river.‎ ‎20. How do most people get to Branson? ‎ A. By train. B. By car. C. By air. ‎ 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 SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND Captain Good Fellow ‎ Do your children enjoy interesting stories, funny games, and exciting dances? Captain Good Fellow will be ready to teach all these things to children of all ages at the City Theatre on Saturday morning at 10:00. Free.‎ Walking Tour of the Town ‎ Forget your worries on Saturday morning. Take a beautiful walk and learn about local history. Meet at the front entrance of City Hall at 9:30. Wear comfortable shoes!‎ Films at the Museum ‎ Two European films will be shown on Saturday afternoon at the Museum Theatre. See Broken Window at 1:30. The workers will be at 3:45. For further information, call 4987898.‎ International Picnic ‎ Are you tired of eating the same food every day? Come to Central Park on Saturday and enjoy food from all over the world. Delicious and not expensive. Noon to 5:00 pm.‎ Take Me out to the Ballgame ‎ It’s October, and tonight is your last chance to see the Redbirds this year. Get your tickets at the gate. It might be cold; don’t forget sweaters and jackets.‎ Do You Want to Hear “The Zoo”‎ ‎ “The Zoo”, a popular rock group from Australia, will give their first US concert tomorrow night at 8:00 at Rose Hall, City College.‎ ‎21. If you are going on the Walking Tour, don’t forget_____________.‎ ‎ A. your comfortable shoes B. your beautiful walk ‎ C. your learning about local history D. your worries ‎ ‎22. You can probably eat Chinese, Italian, and Arab food_____________.‎ ‎ A. at the front entrance of City Hall B. at Central Park on Saturday ‎ C. at 5:00 pm D. at the Ballgame ‎23. The Redbirds ballgame____________.‎ ‎ A. is in the afternoon B. is at the gate C. is outside D. might be cold ‎24. “The Zoo” is ______________.‎ A. a park with lots of animals B. US concert C. a music group D. going to give the concert at 8:00 am B Joy Mangano was 33 and divorced. She had three kids under age 7, and was barely keeping up payments on her small two-bedroom home by working extra hours as a ‎ waitress. “There were times when I would lie in bed and think, I don’t know how I’m going to pay that bill,” Mangano says.‎ But she had a special ability for seeing the obvious thing. She knew how hard it was to mop the floor. “I was tired of bending down, putting my hands in dirty water, wringing (拧) out a mop,” Mangano says. “So, There must be a better way.‎ How about a “self-wringing” mop? She designed a special tool you could twist in two directions at once, and still keep your hands clean and dry. She set out to sell it, first a few at flea markers.‎ Then Mangano met with the media. But would couch potatoes (电视迷）buy a mop? The experts on shopping TV were less than certain. They gave it a try, and it failed. Mangano was sure it would sell if they’d let her do the on-camera display. She said, “Get me on that stage, and I will sell this mop because it’s a great item.”‎ So QVC, a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping, took a chance on her. “ I got onstage and the phones went crazy. We sold every mop in minutes.”‎ Today she’s president of Ingenious Designs, a multimillion-dollar company, and one of the stars of HSN, the Home Shopping Network. Talking about the household invention, Mangano says, “It is as natural for me as it is for a parent to talk about their child.”‎ ‎25. What is the first paragraph mainly about?‎ A. Mangano’s small home. B. Mangano’s work experience.‎ C. Mangano’s unhappy marriage. D. Mangano’s hard living conditions.‎ ‎26. Mangano sold the mop successfully with the help of .‎ A. HSN B. QVC C. couch potatoes D. experts on shopping TV ‎27. What does Mangano think of her invention?‎ A. Special. B. Normal. C. Dissatisfied D. Unbelievable.‎ ‎28. What can we learn from the text?‎ A. HSN is a business organization that sells goods on the Internet.‎ B. The experts on shopping TV were confident about Mangano's mop.‎ C. Mangano got the idea of self-wringing mop from her own experience.‎ D. Mangano once had to work seven days a week to support her family.‎ C Younger students experience school bullying (欺凌) more frequently than older ones, and male students are bullied more than their female peers, a survey found.‎ It also found that nearly half of students had been intentionally hit or knocked down by classmates. About 6 percent said they are targeted by bullies on campus every day. The survey also found that students from ordinary schools experienced more bullying than peers from key institutions, and children from poor families are more likely to be bullied at school.‎ Being bullied can have a negative impact on a child’s personal development and academic performance, according to Zhou Jinyan, a researcher who led the study at Beijing Normal University. “Children being bullied will find it hard to trust others,” Zhou said. “They may often feel anxiety, anger, resentment or depression. These emotions will further undermine their ability to control their own life.” ‎ In recent years, bullying on Chinese campuses has been frequently reported and has attracted widespread attention and concern. The most recent incident to arouse heated discussions took place in December at Beijing’s Zhongguancun No.2 Primary School. A fourth-grade student was bullied and laughed at by classmates, causing him acute stress disorder.‎ The Supreme People’s Procuratorate (最高人民检察院) received about 1,900 cases related to school bullying in 2016. Meanwhile, there was a notable increase in bullying reports involving middle school students from 14 to 18 years old.‎ Zhou came up with some ways to solve the problem, including boosting communication between teachers, parents and students and trying to establish more harmonious relationships among children. She said it was strongly suggested that parents try to be involved in their children’s educational experience, as their presence and companionship have proved effective in reducing bullying and its negative effects. ‎ ‎29. Who is the most likely to become the target of bullying?‎ ‎ A. A 10-year-old girl from a key school B. A 10-year-old boy from a poor family ‎ C. A 17-year-old boy from a rich family D. A 17-year-old girl from an ordinary school ‎30. Being bullied will cause students to go through the following EXCEPT _____.‎ A. a lack of trust in other people B. a drop in academic performance ‎ ‎ C. a lack of confidence in themselves D. a drop in the sense of depression ‎31. We can learn from the text that _____.‎ ‎ A. bullying at school usually leads to acute stress disorder ‎ B. bullying on campus has been brought into sharp focus by the media ‎ C. students who enjoy parents’ companionship will be bullying-free ‎ D. the government should consider taking further action against bullying at school D Newly discovered fossils(化石) in New Zealand have revealed a giant penguin(企鹅) that was as big as an adult man. ‎ The creature was almost the same size and weight as professional Canadian hockey player Sidney Crosby, who plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Scientists estimate it was a little shorter than Crosby, at 178 centimeters (Crosby is 180 centimeters), and nine kilograms heavier.‎ The new discovery is larger than any other ancient penguin that scientists have found, says Gerald Mayr. He is with the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, Germany. A possibly larger penguin is only known to scientists from a small piece of leg bone. That makes estimating its size difficult. The largest living penguin species is the emperor penguin in Antarctica. It stands about 120 centimeters tall. Mayr and others described the giant bird in a paper released this week.‎ The fossils are between 56 million to 60 million years old. That is almost as old as the earliest-known penguin fossils, says Daniel Ksepka, who has studied New Zealand fossil penguins but was not a part of the new study. Ksepka told the Associated Press that the new discovery shows that penguins grew very large, very quickly. They grew just after a mass extinction 66 million years ago – the extinction that is best known for killing off dinosaurs, he said.‎ The event played a role in penguin history, as well. Before that, a non-flying seabird like the penguin would have been threatened by larger animals living in or near the water, as they competed for the same food. But after the extinction killed most of the larger animals, the ability to fly became less important. This helped penguins survive and grow. The question that remains, however, is what happened to the giant birds? Mayr said researchers believe they died out when large marine mammals, such as toothed whales and seals, showed up and started competing with the penguins for food ‎ and safe breeding places. These newer animals may also have hunted the giant penguins.‎ ‎32. Sidney Crosby is mentioned in Paragraph 1 to______.‎ ‎ A. show how big the ancient penguin was ‎ B. show the relationship between penguins and men ‎ C. tell us he is interested in the newly discovered fossils ‎ D. tell us how famous the hockey player is ‎33. What does the underlined word “That” in Paragraph 3 refer to?‎ ‎ A. The limitation of researching time ‎ B. The shortage of solid evidence ‎ C. The lack of researching fund ‎ D. The absence of enough efforts ‎34. From the passage we can learn that______.‎ ‎ A. the largest living penguin species is larger than the newly discovered penguin ‎ B. Daniel Ksepka took part in the study of newly discovered fossils ‎ C. the giant penguins survived and grew after the extinction of most larger animals ‎ D. the exact reason for giant penguins’ extinction has already been found out ‎35. The author wrote this passage in order to______.‎ ‎ A. explain how ancient giant penguins became extinct ‎ B. inform people of newly discovered fossils of giant penguins ‎ C. teach people how to study fossils of ancient penguins ‎ D. help people know more about different ancient giant penguins 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。‎ We all have one, don’t we? A friend who’s always late. The one who turns up for coffee a full half hour after the appointed time. 　36　. Or just maybe, if you’re really honest, this tardy (拖延的) individual is actually you yourself. Either way, 1ateness can be extremely annoying to the receiving end.‎ How on earth can people be so inconsiderate?‎ Recent research suggests that there might be more to this than simple rudeness. Psychologists from Washington University believe people view time differently. Their study gave participants a specific amount of time to complete a task. 　37　. Despite ‎ this, some people became so absorbed in the activity that they completely forgot to check the clock.‎ Our personality also plays a role. The less punctual among us often share characteristics such as “optimism, low levels of self-control, anxiety” 　38　. Optimists tend to overestimate how much they can achieve and underestimate problems. It means they don’t account for the long traffic jam on the way for that coffee.‎ ‎　39　. The English phrase “to be fashionably late” is used to describe the proper time to arrive at an event. The problem is, what one person regards as fashionably late, another may view as impolite. 40 .‎ A. Why optimism, you ask?‎ B. Maybe language is to blame C. It even provided them with a clock D. Different people vary from each other E. Next time you have coffee, do try to be on time F. The one who seems to be forever “stuck in traffic”‎ G. The one that might always be later than the agreed time 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）‎ 阅读下面短文, 从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）, 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。‎ The young woman entered the pool where an injured dolphin（海豚）was swimming．Despite her fear, she felt strong wearing her new leg．‎ In her second grade．Maja 41 her cousin．Jasmina．After Jasmina’s death．Maja swore she would honor the little girl by 42 with a dolphin, an animal that both girls 43 .” Jasmina never got the chance to do it.” says Maja, who is now 32 years old, “so I 44 that someday I’d do it for her．”‎ In high school, Maja was 45 about sports．She even planned to become an athlete． 46 , in 1993, during the civil war in her home country, a bomb 47 her left leg．‎ After two years’ 48 in the U.S., Maja received her first artificial （人造的）leg, but 49 it didn’t fit well, walking for Maja was very painful 50 , she managed to graduate from a local high school．Then after receiving a 51 from Saint Francis University, she got a job at an insurance firm and 52 started her own company．‎ To relax, Maja 53 often watch the dolphins play at an aquarium（水族馆）near her home．A young dolphin, Winter, who had lost its tail, caught her 54 . One day, Maja happened to see trainers 55 Winter with a high-tech tail．When they were done．Winter swam freely in the water．Maja was 56 ．She managed to find the inventors of Winter’s tail．Within ten days, she had a new leg which freed her of the 57 that had troubled her for almost 16 years．‎ Now Maja was ready to keep her 58 ．She went to the aquarium, lowered herself into the pool and held out a hand to Winter, who approached 59 , then swam away．After a few minutes, the dolphin let Maja 60 its back. Finally, the two began to swim around the pool together．‎ ‎41. A. lost B. visited C. rescued ‎ D. left ‎42. A. talking B. living C. swimming ‎ D. surfing ‎43. A. adored B. adopted ‎ C. possessed ‎ D. purchased ‎44. A. pretended B. decided ‎ C. perfected D. agreed ‎45. A. positive ‎ B. enthusiastic ‎ C. particular ‎ D. curious ‎46. A. Undoubtedly B. Surprisingly C. Strangely D. Unfortunately ‎47. A. took away B. took over C. cut down D. cut out ‎48. A. study B. operation C. treatment D. experiment ‎49. A. until B. because C. although D. if ‎50. A. Otherwise B. Therefore C. Besides D. However ‎51. A. scholarships B. degree C. prize ‎ D. notice ‎52. A. gradually B. actually C. eventually ‎ D. naturally ‎53. A. might B. should C. could D. would ‎54. A. eye B. leg C. nose D. hand ‎55. A. decorating B. guiding C. marking ‎ D. fitting ‎56. A. inspired B. puzzled C. shocked D. amused ‎57. A. worry B. sadness C. pain D. fear ‎58. A. appointment B. promise C. record D. habit ‎59. A. blindly ‎ B. angrily C. gratefully ‎ D. cautiously ‎60. A. strike ‎ B. cover ‎ C. touch ‎ D. wipe 第II 卷（非选择题，共50分）‎ 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（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。‎ I was driving home late at night 61. my car lost momentum(动力) and got slower and slower. Nothing I did seemed to make any 62. (different)．“It can't be the fuel，”I thought. The petrol gauge (汽油量表) was showing I had plenty 63. (leave)．Then my car died completely after I 64. (manage) to roll to the side of the road. It was an extremely dark，lonely country road. Neither a single person 65. any traffic was in sight at all. I felt like an idiot. I should not have left without charging my cell phone. The battery was dead and I was alone without any way 66. (contact) my family. Time dripped slowly like a leaking tap.‎ ‎“God，help me！”I begged anxiously.“Is there someone who will be kind enough to stop and help me out？”67. ，there was no sign of anyone. I was starting to panic，68. (feel) completely abandoned. Suddenly I saw a faint light 69. the distance. I waved my white scarf as hard as possible. It was a huge lorry. The driver stopped and kindly drove me to the nearest hotel，70. I had a rest， and then I called my family and explained what had happened. How lucky I was! When he stopped for me，I felt as if I had just found a million dollars.‎ 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）‎ 英语课上,老师要求同桌同学相互修改作文。假设以下小作文为你同桌所写，请你对其进行修改。文中共有10处错误,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：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（^），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。‎ 删除：把多余的词用斜线（）划掉。‎ 修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。‎ 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。‎ ‎3．必须按答题要求做题 Recently，a famous basketball player has caused public angry by writing on the Great Wall. In the fact，this happens in many place of interest. I had some suggestions to solve this problem.‎ First，make more posters to inform the public the damage of graffiti (涂鸦)．Besides，punishments，such as a fine，is necessary to tourists with so bad behavior. Also，I think it's helpfully to put up some boards along the tourist attractions that tourists can leave messages.‎ I'm sure with our efforts，more and more people will become concerning about protecting cultural relics.‎ 第二节 书面表达（共25分）‎ 假定你是李华，你与外教Mr Johnson原本约好本周六上午一起去市图书馆，但你因故不能赴约。请你用英语给他写一封电子邮件，内容包括：‎ ‎1.表示歉意；‎ ‎2.说明原因；‎ ‎3.另约时间。‎ 注意：1. 词数100左右；‎ ‎2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。‎ Dear Mr Johnson, ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Yours,‎ Li Hua ‎ ‎ 高二年级三月调考答案 听力1～5 AABCA 6～10 BBCBC 11～15 ABCAB 16～20 CAACB 阅读理解21-24 ABCC 25-28 DBBC 29-31 BDB 32—35.ABCB 36-40 FCABE 完形填空41-45 ACABB 46-50 DACBD 51-55 BCDAD 56-60 ACBDC 语法填空61. when　62. difference　63. left　64. managed/had managed　‎ ‎65. nor　66. to contact　67. However　68. feeling　69. in　70. where 短文改错 Recently，a famous basketball player has caused public by writing on the Great Wall. In fact，this happens in many of interest. I some suggestions to solve this problem.‎ First，make more posters to inform the public ^ the damage of graffiti (涂 ‎ of 鸦)．Besides，punishments，such as a fine， necessary to tourists with bad behavior. Also，I think it's to put up some boards along the tourist attractions tourists can leave messages.‎ I'm sure with our efforts，more and more people will become about protecting cultural relics.‎ 书面表达（参考范文）‎ Dear Mr Johnson,‎ I’m sorry to inform you that I can’t go to the City Library with you this Saturdays morning because I’ve just been told that have to go and visit my sick grandfather in the countryside that day. I hope the change won’t cause you too much trouble.‎ How about going there next Saturday morning? If it’s convenient for you, let’s meet at the school gate at 9:00. If not, please let me know what time suits you best. I should be available any time next weekend.‎ Yours,‎ Li Hua 听力原文 Text 1 ‎ W: Did you go off the diving board, David?‎ M: No, that’s too high for me. I’m scared of heights. I’m sticking to the water slide.‎ W: You should try it. I saw you dive off the side, and you might like it. There aren’t many people in that part of the pool. ‎ Text 2 ‎ M: Why didn’t you tell me the boss was coming back today, Julie?‎ W: I shouldn’t have to. You should be on time every day, Mark.‎ M: I know, but I could have come early and gotten his desk ready.‎ Text 3 ‎ W: Why all the candles? Is the electricity out or something?‎ M: No, I just thought it would make the place smell nice.‎ W: It does smell nice, but it’s still awfully dark.‎ Text 4‎ W: How many students took the exam last Friday?‎ M: Well, let me see. Not all of the students showed up. I believe that we had 22 from the Middle East and 18 from Latin America.‎ Text 5 ‎ W: May I come in? My name is Jane Smith. I was called here to have an interview. I’m a designer, looking for a job.‎ M: Please talk to my secretary over there. She will set you up with the test.‎ Text 6 ‎ M: What a pretty picture,7Samantha! That’s a cute puppy.‎ W: It’s not a puppy, Mr. Patterson. It’s a dragon.‎ M: Oh, of course. And that’s the princess in the castle.‎ W: No, it’s not. That’s a train, not a castle. And the lady is buying a ticket.‎ M: I see. Of course it’s a train. I see the train tracks now. ‎ W: The train’s in a field. There aren’t any tracks around it. Don’t you see the corn plants? They’re just like the ones dad grows.‎ M: Oh, I see it now. Does your dad have dragons in his field?‎ W: No, Mr. Patterson. Aren’t you a teacher?6 Dragons aren’t real. Mom tells me stories about them when she gets home from the post office every day.‎ Text 7 ‎ M: What happened? I’ve been waiting for two hours.‎ W: Sorry. We landed on time, but I couldn’t exit the airplane with everyone else.‎ M: Why not?‎ W: Security stopped me. Just before we landed, a little girl dropped her backpack in my seat when I went to brush my teeth. 8I guess the flight attendant couldn’t figure out whose it was and called security.‎ M: So you landed at 7:00,9 and you’ve been with the police this whole time?‎ W: Well, they let me go after an hour and a half,9 but I had to get my luggage. Oh, and there was no food on the flight, either.10‎ M: You must be starving. Can I take you to a restaurant?‎ W: Thanks.‎ Text 8 ‎ W: I had no idea the countryside was so noisy.11 ‎ M: It’s usually very quiet in the North Carolina mountains, Kathy. But this is the year of our seventeen-year bird calls.‎ W: You mean it’s only noisy right now, for me? And it won’t be like this again until 2034?‎ M: Well, it’s not all summer long. They just come out when the weather gets cool, usually after a big storm. They’ll be quiet after four or five weeks. 12‎ W: Where do they go for the next seventeen years?‎ M: Oh, they live near the mountains for most of their lives. They just come down here to sing and do their special dances.‎ W: It sounds like they’re in the sky. ‎ M: Well, they’re in the trees, mostly. ‎ W: This is terrible. Now I don’t want to walk under any of the trees in this forest. There is probably bird waste everywhere. ‎ M: So, you don’t have these in the city? I thought I heard them when I went to Atlanta, Georgia.‎ W: I’ve never heard anything like this before. California might not have them.13‎ M: Maybe they’re just in the east…‎ Text 9 ‎ M: Did you catch the mouse yet? I know you wanted to get rid of it before your mom comes to stay with you.‎ W: I didn’t. Two weeks of planning, and nothing. My mom always wants the house to be clean.14 I don’t want her to know I had a mouse here. She would be so uncomfortable.‎ M: Well, the traps usually work if you put peanut butter in them. You can take the mouse out to a field and let it go.‎ W: I bought some of those and tried the peanut butter, but it didn’t really work. It sure did love that peanut butter, though.‎ M: Well, how about a trap that has glue on it? 15You could still let it go later.‎ W: I tried that, too, but I think this is a very small mouse. 16It didn’t weigh enough to get stuck. ‎ M: What are you going to do?‎ W: Well, I have one day to catch it. If not, I’ll have to think of a story to tell mom. She’s only here for seven days. Maybe I can start talking about how I lost my little pet mouse. ‎ Text 10 ‎ Most people plan expensive vacations to Disneyland or ocean cruises with onboard entertainment. But not many people talk about some of the smaller and cheaper resort areas when they talk about vacations. One example is Branson, a small summer resort town famous for country music.18 In the fall, it’s full of college students. In winter, only locals fill the restaurants.17 But in summer, it’s a fantastic hidden vacation spot. How did it become a tourist attraction? In 1912, a dam was built on the nearby White River, forming a new lake.19 This lake was in the middle of some beautiful mountains, and people started building vacation homes there. Soon, the main street featured country music shows. Vacationers began to visit from nearby states. Now, in addition to the live shows that made it famous, there is a tiger reserve, a golf course, helicopter tours, museums, hotels, campgrounds, lake cruises, and an amusement park. The town is still small, and far from city life. There’s no major airport to bring in a large number of tourists, so they arrive by car or bus.20 Even though you can ride the Branson railway, it’s just for touring the area. There is no passenger train service to the town. ‎