2017-2018学年湖北省长阳县第一中学高二上学期期末考试英语试题（Word版）

2017-2018学年湖北省长阳县第一中学高二上学期期末考试英语试题（Word版）

长阳一中2017-2018学年度第一学期期末考试 ‎ 高二英语试卷 考试时间：120分钟 试卷总分：150分 ‎ ‎ ‎ 第I卷 第一部分 听力（共两节，满分30分）‎ 做题时，先将答案标在试卷上。录音内容结束后，你将有两分钟的时间将试卷上的答案转涂到答题卡上。‎ 第一节 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 the weather be like late this afternoon?‎ A. Sunny. B. Rainy. C. Snowy.‎ ‎2. What will the girl probably do tonight?‎ A. Prepare for the exam. B. Watch a movie. C. Play with her friends.‎ ‎3. Why did Henry go to Oxford?‎ A. For travel. B. For study. C. For work.‎ ‎4. What contributes most to the garden according to the man?‎ A. His hard work. B. The good weather. C. The woman’s efforts.‎ ‎5. What did the man order?‎ A. Water. B. Coffee. C. Juice.‎ 第二节 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。‎ 听下面一段对话，回答第6和第7两个小题。‎ ‎6. What are the speakers talking about?‎ A. A special event. B. The man’s friends. C. A big box.‎ ‎7. How does the boy sound?‎ A. Surprised. B. Excited. C. Calm.‎ 听下面一段对话，回答第8和第9两个小题。‎ ‎8. What is the date today?‎ A. January 1st. B. December 24th. C. December 25th.‎ ‎9. What does the man say about the girl’s mother?‎ A. She is hard to please. ‎ B. She wants to buy a new hat. ‎ C. She doesn’t like chocolates.‎ 听下面一段对话，回答第10至第12三个小题。‎ ‎10. What was Bonzo doing when hit by a car?‎ A. Playing in a garden.‎ B. Running after a ball.‎ C. Walking on the road.‎ ‎11. What do we know about Bonzo?‎ A. He is a pet.‎ B. He is Megan’s brother.‎ C. He is having an operation.‎ ‎12. What will the speakers do later?‎ A. Do some shopping. B. Go to the hospital. C. Have some coffee.‎ 听下面一段对话，回答第13至第16四个小题。‎ ‎13. How can people know the age of a star?‎ A. From its size. B. From its color. C. From its light.‎ ‎14. What does the man say about space?‎ A. There is an end in space.‎ B. There are still unsolved problems.‎ C. There are some unknown stars.‎ ‎15. What are the speakers doing?‎ A. Attending a meeting. B. Having an interview. C. Reading a book.‎ ‎16. What does the man think of finding life elsewhere in the universe?‎ A. Impossible. B. Exciting. C. Easy.‎ 听下面一段独白，回答第17至第20四个小题。‎ ‎17. How long did Westlife last?‎ A. 19 years. B. 14 years. C. 12 years.‎ ‎18. How many top ten singles did Westlife achieve?‎ A. 14. B. 26. C. 50.‎ ‎19. Which is Westlife’s first single?‎ A. Flying Without Wings. B. If I Let You Go. C. Swear It Again.‎ ‎20. Which country did Westlife fail to break into?‎ A. The US. B. Ireland. C. The UK.‎ 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 Volunteering abroad is a great way to help others, improve your skills and become a more confident, independent person. If you are interested in volunteering abroad, here are some places to go.‎ Australia If you seek a life on the beach, in a great climate with friendly people, Australia might be your best bet. With thousands of volunteers already signing up to leave for Australia during the holidays, it will be a very popular choice. ‎ Brazil This vast country has some great opportunities on offer and is especially popular this year. A lot of volunteer work is available（可获得的）in Brazil centers on conservation and ecological(生态的) projects. With the world's largest rainforest in Brazil, of which huge part is in danger, there are lots of different jobs you can do. ‎ Kenya Kenya‎ is the destination for those seeking an African experience. Generally volunteers in Kenya work in orphanages(孤儿院) or with local children living in slums(贫民窟). There is a great demand for volunteers in Africa because many people live in poverty, so if you truly feel like making a difference to a community, Kenya should be at the top of your list.‎ Costa Rica Golden sandy beaches, clear coastlines and beautiful cities are what Costa Rica is all about. Because of its small size, you can see a lot of the country in just a short time. You can really make the most of your time as a volunteer. A lot of work is needed with wildlife, so if you want to look after turtles on the beach, Costa Rica could be just the place for you. ‎ ‎21. If you are interested in protecting the environment, you will probably go to _______. ‎ A. Australia B. Kenya C. Brazil D. ‎Costa Rica ‎22. It can be inferred from the passage that volunteers in Kenya mainly work with______.‎ ‎ A. animals B. plants C. the elderly D. children ‎ ‎23. If you choose to go to Costa Rica, you are supposed to________.‎ ‎ A. work with animals on the beach B. surf with children in the water ‎ C. take care of trees in the forests D. look after children who have lost their parents B On plenty of drives with my mom through my childhood, she would suddenly pull over the car to examine a flower by the side of the road or rescue a beetle from tragedy(悲剧) while I, in my late teens and early twenties, sat impatiently in the car.‎ Though Mother’s Day follows Earth Day, for me, they have always been linked to each other. My mom has been “green” since she became concerned about the environment. Part of this habit was born of thrift (节俭). Like her mother and her grandmother before her, mom saves glass jars, empty cheese containers and reuses her plastic bags.‎ Mom creates a kind of harmonious relationship with wildlife in her yard. She knows to pick the apples on her trees a little early to avoid the bears and that if she leaves the bird feeders out at night, it is likely that they will be knocked down by a family of raccoons (浣熊). Spiders that make their way into the house and are caught in juice glasses will be set loose in the garden.‎ I try to teach my children that looking out for the environment starts with being aware of the environment. On busy streets, we look for dandelions(蒲公英) to fly in the wind; we say hello to neighborhood cats and pick up plastic cups and paper bags. This teaching comes easily, I realize, because I was taught so well by example. Mom didn’t need to lecture; she didn’t need to beat a drum to change the world. She simply slowed down enough to enjoy living in it and with that joy came mercy and an instinct(直觉) for protection.‎ I am slowing down and it isn’t because of the weight of my nearly forty years on the planet, it is out of my concern for the planet itself. I’ve begun to save glass jars and reuse packing envelopes. I pause in my daily tasks to watch the squirrels race each other in the trees above my house.‎ Last summer, in the company of my son and daughter, I planted tomatoes in my yard. With the heat of August around me, I ate the first while sitting on my low wall with dirt on my hands. Warm from the sun, it burst on my tongue with sweetness. I immediately wanted to share with my mom.‎ ‎24. Why does the author say Earth Day is connected with Mother’s Day?‎ A. Because Mother’s Day falls shortly after Earth Day.‎ B. To show that all the older women in her family are environmentalists.‎ C. To show how much her mother cares about the environment.‎ D. Because her mother shows her how to be friendly to nature on Mother’s Day.‎ ‎25. Which of the following is NOT related to Mom’s “green life”?‎ A. Rescuing a beetle from a certain tragedy.‎ B. Saving glass jars or empty cheese containers.‎ C. Setting a caught spider free in the garden.‎ D. Picking dandelions on busy streets.‎ ‎26. What can be learned from the last paragraph?‎ A. Tomatoes are the author’s favorite fruit.‎ B. It is her mother who taught the author to plant tomatoes.‎ C. Planting tomatoes is a way of protecting environment.‎ D. The author really appreciates her mother’s teaching.‎ ‎27. The writer’s attitude towards her mom’s behavior changed in the order of ______.‎ A. understanding — negative— supporting.‎ B. supporting — doubtful — negative.‎ C. negative — understanding — supporting.‎ D. doubtful— negative— supporting.‎ C ‎ If you have ever tried a new sport or tried learning a musical instrument（乐器）, you may well know that the hardest part is getting started. Once you have learned the skills, they return quit easily, even if they are not used for long periods of time. Most experts put this down to "muscle（肌肉）memory," which means the brain remembers the action and can remember it when needed. There is another thing that may be as important in recalling formerly learned sport skills---the mistakes made while learning the task.‎ The study led by Reza Shadmehr included asking volunteers to play a simple video game: hitting a red target dot（目标点）with a slightly smaller blue dot, similar to playing virtual dart（虚拟飞镖）. What the gamers did not know was that as soon as they mastered the game, the researchers moved the blue dot slightly off-course, so forcing them to restart the learning process. Though the volunteers did make mistakes every time the game was changed, they got faster at mastering it.‎ Reza believes that this has to do with the fact that in addition to performing the task to muscle memory, the brain is also correcting each wrong move and learning how to correct it. He compares it to having a coach that points out the mistakes and makes suggestions on how to improve.‎ What surprised the scientists is that making mistakes not only trains the brain to do better at a certain task, but also helps it learn faster from mistakes, even when the mistakes are made while learning an entirely different task. The brain keeps a general record of mistakes and draws on them whenever a new sport skill is being learned, to make sure that mistakes are not made again. This helps make leaning much faster and probably explains why people, who master one sport or musical instrument, are able to pick up others more easily.‎ Making mistakes is a good thing. So the next time you are practicing playing the piano, working on your tennis skill, or learning any other sport skill, don't get discouraged by the mistakes!‎ ‎28. What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 1 refer to?‎ A. The brain. B. The action. C. A new sport. D. An instrument.‎ ‎29. The second paragraph is mainly about_____________.‎ A. how Reza carried out the experiment B. when the gamers learned a game well C. what games the volunteers were interested in D. why the researchers liked to play virtual games ‎30. What surprised Reza most about the results?‎ A. Mistakes will be repeated in learning. B. Mistakes add difficulty to learning.‎ C. Mistakes make people learn faster. D. Mistakes speed up the actions in brain.‎ ‎31. What is the main idea of the passage?‎ A. Mistakes help achieve success. B. Mistakes should be corrected in time.‎ C. Muscle memory makes you succeed. D. Muscle memory shows past experience.‎ D Americans use many expressions with the word dog. People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside and give them good food and medical care. However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life. The expression, to lead a dog’s life, describes a person who has an unhappy existence.‎ Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.‎ Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life.‎ ‎ To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks (技法). They believe that old people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.‎ Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways. People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as meaner than a junkyard dog. Junkyard dogs live in places where people throw away things they do not want. Mean dogs are often used to guard this property (地产). They bark or attack people who try to enter the property. However, sometimes a person who appears to be mean and threatening is really not so bad. We say his bark is worse than his bite.‎ A junkyard is not a fun place for a dog. Many dogs in the United States sleep in safe little houses near their owners’ home. These doghouses provide shelter. Yet they can be cold and lonely in winter.‎ Dog expressions also are used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs. ‎ ‎32. When someone leads a dog’s life, he __________. ‎ A. lives a happy life B. lives a terrible life ‎ C. has to work like a dog D. is as tired as a dog every day ‎ ‎33. What can we infer from the dog phrases in the second paragraph? ‎ A. Dogs are also very tired in society. ‎ B. People should work casually like a dog. ‎ C. People are living in a competitive world. ‎ D. A sick dog cannot find a job. ‎ ‎34. To comfort a person, which expression should we choose to use? ‎ A. Every dog has its day. ‎ B. You are leading a dog’s life. ‎ C. Dogs eat dogs. ‎ D. Let a sleeping dog lie. ‎ ‎35. What would be the best title of the passage? ‎ A. Dogs and their life. ‎ B. What do people think of dogs? ‎ C. Dog and people in everyday life. ‎ D. Words and their stories: dog talk.‎ 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的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。‎ You may have grown up living with sisters and brothers, or this may be your first time sharing your living space ‎ with someone else. Having a roommate surely has its challenges. 36 ．Follow these tips to make sure you and your roommate keep things pleasant and supportive throughout the year.‎ Be clear from the beginning.‎ Maybe you hate it when someone interrupts you when you are sleeping every morning. 37 ． Let your roommate know about your preferences. It’s not fair to expect him or her to pick up on them right away, and communicating what you need is one of the best ways to get rid of problems before they become problems.‎ Respect your roommate’s things.‎ This may seem simple，but it’s probably one of the biggest reasons why roommates experience conflicts. Don’t think he’ll not mind if you borrow his shoes for a soccer game for all you know, you just stepped over an impassable line. 38 ．‎ Be open to change.‎ You should expect to learn and grow and change during your time at school. And the same should happen to your roommate, if all go well. 39 . Be comfortable addressing things that unexpectedly come up, setting new rules, and being flexible to your changing environment.‎ ‎ 40 ‎ Always remember: treat your roommates like you’d like to be treated. No matter what your relationship is at the end of the year, you can take comfort knowing you acted like an adult and treated your roommate with respect.‎ A. Don’t borrow, use, or take anything without getting permission first.‎ B. As the term progresses, realize things will change for both of you.‎ C. Getting along well with a roommate is really a difficult job.‎ D. Maybe you need moments to be silent after you wake up.‎ E. You should correct your bad habits first.‎ F. Follow the Golden Rule.‎ G. However, it can also be a great part of your college experience.‎ 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）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。‎ I woke up the other day to a phone call from a taxi driver. He had my friend’s cell phone, and told me that my friend had 41 it in the cab the night before.‎ It was a rainy 42 , which for cab drivers is a very busy time. The cab driver asked where he could 43 the cell phone off. I told him the cross 44 where I lived. I quickly got dressed and told him that I’d 45 him on the corner of the street.‎ The driver drove all the 46 from Queens to deliver the phone without 47 . When I met up with him, I 48 and blessed him for having such a kind and beautiful 49 . I was so happy for my 50 because of this man’s kindness! My friend had 51 moved here and I could only imagine how 52 his cell phone was to him! I further asked the taxi driver if I could get his 53 , so that my friend can thank him as well. He said my 54 and gratitude were all that he needed and drove off.‎ I emailed my friend telling him I had his 55 and later that day I met up with him to tell him how I had 56 it. My friend said he couldn’t believe such kindness should 57 in this big city. He told me he could not 58 to pay it forward.‎ I was so 59 to see the kindness that happened early that morning. It just made my 60 !‎ ‎41. A. hid B. left C. threw D. missed ‎42. A. morning B. night C. afternoon D. evening ‎43. A. throw B. give C. put D. drop ‎44. A. hotel B. town C. street D. city ‎45. A. pay B. meet C. exchange D. call ‎46. A. time B. distance C. way D. trip ‎47. A. delay B. permit C. support D. request ‎48. A. rewarded B. talked C. greeted D. thanked ‎49. A. figure B. cab C. soul D. idea ‎50. A. decision B. friend C. luck D. deed ‎51. A. lastly B. finally C. recently D. hurriedly ‎52. A. important B. popular C. expensive D. lovely ‎53. A. honor B. permission C. photo D. information ‎54. A. help B. blessing C. attitude D. concern ‎55. A. address B. letter C. message D. phone ‎56. A. bought B. searched C. got D. kept ‎57. A. wait B. exist C. react D. allow ‎58. A. wait B. quit C. hope D. expect ‎59. A. annoyed B. shocked C. surprised D. touched ‎60. A. day B. dream C. example D. story 第Ⅱ卷 第一节 （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（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。‎ Bike sharing is growing in popularity as a means of public transportation. It seems like a perfect solution 61 China’s heavy traffic. 62 some local authorities say the bikes have become great troubles and one Shanghai district has confiscated (没收) almost 5,000 bikes. The unregulated parking has caused continuous problems and complaints. Traffic police had confiscated the bikes because they had been 63 (legal) parked.‎ Shanghai‎ is the world’ s 64 (large) bikeshare city with 280,000 shared bikes citywide. That number is expected 65 (jump) to 500,000 by this June, according to Guo Jianrong, Secretary General of Shanghai Bicycle Association.‎ Until the turn of the century, bikes were the main form of transport in Chinese cities. But in recent years, as Chinese have grown 66 (rich) than before, bicycles 67 (replace)by private cars, motorbikes and other public transport.‎ Bike sharing is hardly new, but what makes 68 unique in China is that it is usually station free---which means that users can leave the bikes anywhere they want. It’s also cheap. Shanghai is not the only city 69 bike sharing has had teething(萌芽的)problems. More than 500 bikes 70 (rent)out by bike sharing firms were piled up in the southern city of Shenzhen in January.‎ 第二节 短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）‎ 假如英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改一下你同桌的作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。‎ 增加：在此处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出修改的词。‎ 删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。‎ 修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在其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11处起）不计分。‎ Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I feel great honored to be speaking on behalf of all the camp members. First of all, I’d like to express my thank to all the teachers and host families that have given us a lot of help in life and in study. In past few weeks we have had a good time and achieve a lot. The host ‎ parents took care of us, which made us feeling at home. But with the help of the teachers we have made great progresses . Meanwhile, we have got to know more about western history and culture before seeing so many places of interest. What’s more, the visit to Harvard University and Stanford University that has broadened our horizons.‎ What they have gained from this camp is not only knowledge, but also friendship. I hope our friendship will last forever. Thank you!‎ 第三节 书面表达（满分25分）‎ 你的朋友Anne邀请你到她家去吃晚饭, 但是你要为即将到来的考试做准备，不能赴约. 请写封信给她，表示你的歉意，并说明原因。然后邀约她下次再相聚。‎ 注意：1、词数100左右 2、可以适当发挥，不要逐字翻译，使行文连贯。‎ Dear Anne, ‎ ‎_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Li Hua 参考答案 一．听力 ‎ ‎1—5 BACBB 6—10 ABBCB 11—15 ACABB 16—20 ABBCA 二．阅读理解 ‎21-23. CDA 24-27. CDDC ‎28-31. BACA 32-35. BCAD ‎ 36-40. GDABF 三. 完形填空 ‎41-45. BADCB 46-50. CADCB 51-55. CADBD 56-60. CBADA 四. 填词题 ‎ 61. to 62. But 63. illegally 64. largest 65. to jump 66. richer ‎ ‎67. have been replaced 68. it 69. where 70. rented 五. 短文改错：‎ ‎1. great--greatly 2. thank--thanks 3. past前加 the ‎ ‎4. achieve—achieved 5. feeling--feel 6. But--And ‎ ‎7. progresses---progress 8. before--after 9.去掉that 10. they—we 六. 书面表达范文：‎ Dear Anne,‎ Thank you for your invitation to dinner at your home tomorrow evening.‎ Unfortunately, it is much to my regret that I cannot join you and your family, because I will be fully occupied then for an important exam coming the day after tomorrow. I feel terribly sorry for missing the chance of such a happy get-together, and I hope that all of you enjoy a good time. Is it possible for you and me to have a private meeting afterward? If so, please don't hesitate to drop me a line about your preferable date. I do long for a pleasant chat with you.‎ ‎ Please allow me to say sorry again.‎ Regards,‎ ‎ Li Ming 录音原文：‎ Text 1‎ M: Nice day. I don’t think I have to wear the thick coat.‎ W: No, it would be rainy late this afternoon and tomorrow it might even be snowy!‎ Text 2‎ M: Some of our friends are going to watch a movie tonight. Would you like to come?‎ W: Enjoyment before the exam? You must be mad!‎ Text 3‎ W: What did you do in the summer holidays, Henry?‎ M: Oxford has millions of tourists in the summer, so it was easy for me to find a job there.‎ Text 4‎ W: Your garden looks great. You must have spent much time here.‎ M: Not really. The weather has been good this year.‎ Text 5‎ W: Here you are, sir.‎ M: Oh, I think you’ve made a mistake. What I ordered is a cup of coffee, not juice.‎ W: Sorry, sir. Please have this glass of water and wait for a moment. I’ll get your drink soon.‎ Text 6‎ M: I can’t wait for my birthday party this Saturday evening. I hope it will be better this year. I’m hoping for something surprising and a lot of gifts.‎ W: It will be. There will be a lot of people at your party.‎ M: I know my friends are preparing to give me a big surprise these days.‎ W: How do you know?‎ M: I saw Tom wrapping a big box with Alice, Bob and Danny!‎ Text 7‎ W: Come on, Dad! The shops will be closed if we don’t hurry.‎ M: Don’t worry.⑧The shops are open until midnight on Christmas Eve.‎ W: Yes, but it will take us a long time to find a car park. And it will be midnight before we choose a present for mother! Plus we don’t know what to buy for her, maybe a hat.‎ M: No, she has already had so many hats.‎ W: Well, ⑨maybe a box of chocolates.‎ M: ⑨But she never eats them. Anything else is OK. You know she will be satisfied with what you buy ‎ for her.‎ Text 8‎ M: Hi, Megan. How are you? Have you seen the doctor?‎ W: No, it’s not about me. It’s about Bonzo.‎ M: What happened?‎ W: I was playing football with Bonzo in the garden, and ⑩the ball went over the garden into the road. When Bonzo was running after it, he got hit by a car.‎ M: Oh, no! Didn’t the driver see Bonzo?‎ W: Not really. Bonzo was running too fast. (11) We took him to the pet hospital immediately, but there was nothing they could do.‎ M: Oh, poor dog. I know how much he meant to you.‎ W: I have had him since he was two months old. He was like one of my family.‎ M: I know you are very sad but you can’t be alone like this any more. Let’s go out and do some shopping which is your favorite.‎ W: (12) I would like to have a cup of coffee to calm down.‎ M: (12) Fine. Let’s go.‎ Text 9‎ W: How do you know how old a star is?‎ M: (13) For most stars, we find its age from how big it is. We can know its size from the amount of light it puts out, and its color. Then the size tells us how long a star will live. Big stars live a short life while small stars live much longer.‎ W: (14) I’ve always wondered if there is an end in space. Do you think scientists have found the answer?‎ M: This is a difficult question. The truth is that we have no idea! (14) We currently don’t have a way of testing it. But some scientists will come up with a way in the future. I have faith in it.‎ W: (15) The last question is from our readers: do you believe there’s other life in different parts of the universe?‎ M: There are so many planets in the universe. (16) Life may exist on other planets. But will we ever find or research them? I think that’s very unlikely.‎ Text 10‎ W: Hello, everyone. Welcome to World Music. Today we’ll have a look at Westlife. I believe many of ‎ you are quite familiar with them. (17) Westlife was an Irish boy band who formed in 1998 and broke up in 2012. Westlife sold over 50 million records worldwide. In addition, the group had 14 number-one singles in the United Kingdom, the third-highest in UK history. (18) They achieved a total of 26 top ten singles over their 14-year career. (19) In April 1999, the group had their first single, Swear It Again, which immediately topped the lists in Ireland and in the UK for two weeks, which earned them great fame overnight. Their second single, If I Let You Go, which appeared in August 1999 along with Flying Without Wings in October the same year, also topped the lists in the UK. By 2010, Westlife was listed as the UK’s top-selling album group of the 21st century. Although they gained great success in Europe and Asia, (20) Westlife never managed to break into the US market, achieving only one hit single in 2000: Swear It Again.‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎