上海交通附属中学 2018-2019 学年度第二学期高二
英语摸底考试试卷
II. Grammar and Vocabulary
Section A
(A)
There is a tendency to think of each of the arts as ___1___ parate area of activity. Many artists, however, would prove ___2___ there has always been a warm relationship between the a warm relationship areas of human activity. For example, in the late nineteenth century the connections between music and painting were especially clo. Artists ___3___ (invite) to design clothes and ttings for operas and ballets, ___4___ sometimes it was the musicians who were inspired by the work of contemporary painters. Of the musical compositions as respons to the visual arts, perhaps the most famous is Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.
Mussorgsky compod the piece in 1874 after the death, at the age of 39, of the artist Victor Hartman. ___5___ their friendship had not been a particularly long-lasting one, Mussorgsky was shocked by Hartmann’s unexpected death. The following year the critic, Vladimir Stasov, ___6___ decided to told an exhibition of Hartmann’s work, suggested that Mussorgsky ___7___ (try) to relieve his grief by writing something in memory of Hartmann.
The exhibition rved as Mussorgsky’s inspiration. The ten pieces that make up Pictures at an Exhibition ___8___ (intend) as symbols rather than reprentation of the paintings in the exhibition. Between each is a promenade (舞曲中的行进), as the compor walks from one painting to ___9___ The music is sometimes witty and playful, sometimes almost alarming and frightening. Thought a range of surprising contrasts, Mussorgsky manages ____10____ (convey) the spirit of the artist and his work.
(B)
Today home-ownership has reached extremely high levels. Modern generations tend to believe there is something wrong with them ___11___ they rent. However, is high home-ownership really as people imagine？___12___ (stare) at data first, we realize that the most successful, stable, attractive country in the Western world is Switzerland. It has tiny unemployment; wealth; high happiness and mental-health scores. Does it have high home-ownership rates? Absolutely not. In Switzerland, about ven in ten of the population are renters. Yet, with Europe’s ___13___ (low) home-ownership rate, the nation thrives. Now go to the other end of the miry distribution. Spain has approximately the highest home-ownership rate in Europe （at more than 80%）. But one-quarter of its population are unemployed.
A likely reason is that high levels of home-ownership mess up the labour market. In a nsibly functioning economy it is easy for people to move around to drop into the vibrant job slots ___14___ (throw) up by technological change. With a high degree of owner-occupation, everything slows. Folk get stuck. Renters can go to new jobs. In that way they do the economy a favours. ___15___ Friedman said, the rate of unemployment dep
ends on the flexibility of the housing market.
Next we come to economic breakdown. Most analysts accept that at heart it was the housing market-obssive pursuit of homes, the engendered mortgage（房贷） lending and an unavoidable hou-price crash--- ___16___ sank the Western world. Germany, say, with its more efficient rental market, had a far smoother ride through trouble.
As for the monetary system, in the past few decades, in the hope of getting untaxed capital gains way above their true labour earnings, many people threw their spare cash into buying larger hous or building extra bedrooms. TV programmes about how to make easy money, beautiful rising hou prices, and most importantly, our faulty tax system encouraged that. When ___17___ some point market broke down, everyone suffered. Our countries ought, instead, to design tax systems that encourage people to invest in productive real activities and in innovation. Renting leaves money free for better purpos. That also points to the role of nsible budgeting over a person’s lifetime. Why should we think that when we die it is necessary ___18___ (pay) off an entire hou？
Our children do not derve it. Let them pay for themlves. We ___19___ rent-and enjoy our lives with the money saved.
Finally, moderation usually pays off. Our scientific understanding of how economies function is horribly limited. This suggests that the golden rule should be to avoid extremes. A50-50mix of home-ownership and renting, not the 70-30split that is now obrved in so many Western nations, ______20______ (make) n.
Section B
Rapidly advancing technology and its impact on education has been a subject of debate. How can schools equip students with the skills they need to succeed in a challenging job market?
Since technology is driving the changes, there is a theory that governments should kee
p focusing on STEM subjects. The are often referred to as “hard skills,” which are ___21___ in primary school and right through to university level. In the meantime, ‘soft skills’ are being ___22___.
This is a mistake. Much evidence suggests that soft skills are far more ___23___ to graduates in the long term. Rearch from Harvard University on the global job market has shown that STEM- related careers grew strongly between 1989 and 2000 but have slowed down since. In contrast, jobs in the creative industries----the ctor probably most ___24___ with the need for soft skills---are growing rapidly. Soft skills are, in fact, increasingly in demand in the workplace: Google cites creativity, leadership ___25___ and communication skills as top requirements for both potential and current employees.
