2020-2021學年上海中學高二（上）期末英語試卷

第1頁（共1頁）2020-2021學年上海中學高二（上）期末英語試卷Ⅰ．ListeningComprehensionSectionADirections：InSectionA，youwillheartenshortconversationsbetweentwospeakers．Attheendofeachconversation，aquestionwillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid．Theconversationsandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce．Afteryouhearaconversationandthequestionaboutit，readthefourpossibleanswersonyourpaper，anddecidewhichoneisthebestanswertothequestionyouhaveheard．1．A．Enjoyingthesunset．B．Havinganafternoontalk．C．Takingapicture．D．Fixingtheirhair．2．A．6：00pm．B．8：00pm．C．4：00pm．D．10：00pm．3．A．TheclasshaskeptthepartyasecretfromPeter．B．Peterisorganizingapartyfortheretiringteacher．C．Peterissurprisedtolearnofthepartyforhim．D．TheteacherwillcometoPeter'sbirthdayparty．4．A．Hedidn'twatchmuchofthoseoldcomedies．B．Hewatchedonlythosecomediesbyfamousdirectors．C．TVcomedieshavenotimprovedmuchsincethe1980s．D．Newcomediesarenotasentertainingasthoseinthe1980s．5．A．Onabus．B．Inaclinic．C．Onaship．D．Onaplane．6．A．Thewomanpossessesanaturaltalentforart．B．Hehasn'tacquiredtheskillsinabstractpainting．C．Abstractpaintingisapieceofcakeforhim．D．Hedoesn'tlikeabstractpainting．7．A．Gethisshowerfixed．B．Asktobemovedtoanotherbuilding．C．Takeashoweratthegym．D．Fetchsomehotwaterfromthegym．8．A．Meetthewomanatthelibrary．B．Continuetoread．C．Enjoyacupofcoffee．D．Attendhislectureclass．9．A．Mostplantsgrowbetterindirectsunlight．B．Thewomancanhelpthemantakecareoftheplants．C．Themanhaswateredtheplantstoofrequently．D．Theplantsshouldbeplacedinashadyspot．10．A．Speaktoherprofessorabouttheconditionofthelecturehall．B．Organizeateamofstudentstocleanthelecturehall．C．Findoutwhohasbeenmakingthemess．D．Discusswithherprofessorhowtosolvetheproblem．SectionBDirections：InSectionB，youwillhearseveralshortpassage（s）andlongerconversation（s），andyouwillbeaskedseveralquestionsoneachofthepassage（s）andtheconversation（s）．Thepassage（s）andconversation（s）willbereadtwice，butthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce．Whenyouhearaquestion，readthefourpossibleanswersonyourpaperanddecidewhichonewouldbethebestanswertothequestionyouhaveheard．11．（1）A．Perseverancebringshope．B．Practicemakesperfect．C．Aclearconsciencelaughsatfalseaccusations．D．Don'tputofftilltomorrowwhatshouldbedonetoday．（2）A．Thethief．B．Thedog．C．Thelittleboy．D．Thecandle．（3）A．Sticktoyourdreamandsuccesswillfollow．B．Masterscanbeanywhere．C．Theonlythingwehavetofearisfearitself．D．Knowledgeispower．12．（1）A．Readingliteratureopensone'smind．B．Readingliteratureenhancesone'spowerofimagination．C．Readingliteratureimprovesone'sabilityofdecision﹣making．D．Readingliteraturehelpscultivateasharpmind．（2）A．Animpulsiveactressinafilm．B．Animaginativereaderofanovel．C．Apsychologistinafictionalstory．D．Acharacterinafamousnovel．（3）A．Anegativeattitudetowardsproblemsanddifficulties．B．Akeenperceptionofothers'thoughtsandbehavior．C．Aclosedmentalconditioninfrustrationandanxiety．D．Aleaptoconclusionwithoutmuchdiscussion．13．（1）A．Theircompany．B．Theircolleague．C．Aparty．D．Theirboss．（2）A．Mexicanfood．B．StarWarssouvenirs．C．Amovieposter．D．StarWarbooks．（3）A．ThepartywilltakeplacewhenFrankhasabusinesslunchwithhisclient．B．Thepartywillbeheldinthecompanycanteen．C．Frankwillnotknowthepartyinadvance．D．Frankwillshowhisappreciationofthecompanyattheparty．（4）A．Hewillgiveaperformance．B．HewillgiveFrankamemorablegift．C．HewillpraiseFrankonbehalfofthecompany．D．Hewilldeliveraspeechonloyaltyandworkefficiency．Ⅱ．GrammarandvocabularySectionA14．Scientistssayitmaybefiveyears______itispossibletotestthismedicineonhumanpatients．（）A．since B．until C．before D．when15．Thereisnottheremotestpossibilityofanyonecallingonme，anditisunbelievablethatI____________callonanyoneelse．（）A．can B．might C．should D．must16．TheproposalFathermadethismorningdidsoundfeasible______________everymemberofthefamily______________one﹣thirdofhisorherincomeincaseofemergency．（）A．which，setaside B．that，setaside C．which，setsaside D．that，setsaside17．Hehardly______________apologizeforanyinconveniencecaused，sinceweknowit'snothisfault．（）A．don'tneedto B．needs C．need D．needn't18．Inthecomingyear，we'llseeeventspostponedfrom2020，sportingandartseventsnow_____________rightontopofoneanother，andnew，entirelydigitalversionsofpreviouslyface﹣to﹣faceaffairs．（）A．scheduling B．scheduled C．toschedule D．havingbeenscheduled19．Thecurrentpopulationoftheplant______________fitintothestateofTaxes，ifTaxesweresettledasthicklyasNewYorkCity．（）A．could B．can C．will D．should20．Patients'medicalnoteswentmissingtwodaysagoandnobody______________themsince．（）A．hasseen B．hadseen C．saw D．wouldsee21．I'msureheiskeepingsomethingback．I'dratherhe______________methetruth．（）A．tells B．told C．hastold D．hadtold22．Acoupleofpeoplevoicedobjections______________thepatient，asitmightcostmorethanexpected．（）A．tooperateon B．tothedoctor'soperatingon C．forthedoctortooperateon D．operatingon23．He'ssucharemarkabletennisplayer______________seemstogetthecredithedeserves．（）A．that B．as C．which D．whom24．Lefttoitself，theplace______________intoaprosperouscivilizedcommunity．（）A．wastogrow B．weretogrow C．shouldhavegrown D．wouldhavegrown25．﹣﹣﹣Yououghttohavecometotheparty．Wehadawonderfultime!﹣﹣﹣______________，butIhadtoworkovertime，soIguessIleftbeforeyougotthere．（）A．SooughtI B．SoIought C．SoIhave D．SoIdid26．Nowhereelse______________thaninthehigh﹣techindustries．（）A．moresoftwareisbeingdeveloped B．ismoresoftwarebeingdeveloped C．isbeingdevelopedmoresoftware D．beingdevelopedmoresoftware27．Atrain______________by，shakingthewallsoftherowhouses．（）A．rocketed B．routed C．slipped D．sailed28．Sincehebecamefamous，hehasbeenregularly______________withdemandsforsignedphotographsfromadmirers．（）A．identified B．punctured C．bombarded D．spoiled29．Thankstopromisingdigitalconnectivityandsupportforindustrialstartups，therise，thefirstintenmonthsamidtheragingpandemic，______________thedownwardslideintheunemploymentrate．（）A．revealed B．reflected C．reversed D．revolutionized30．Inthedimlight，thecandleonthetablethrewahugedancing______________againstthewall．（）A．reflection B．impression C．shade D．shadow31．Insomesense，yearsofeconomicrecessionremainedanevilthat______________thewholenationaleconomy．（）A．drove B．touched C．stressed D．sheltered32．Don'tgojumpingtoconclusions；itwouldseem______________todomoreresearchbeforewewrapuptheproject．（）A．conclusive B．competent C．sensible D．sensitive33．Ifacallerclaimingtobeacolleagueasksyouforpersonaldata，dialthenumberonthiscardto______________thestatements．（）A．checkout B．checkwith C．checkin D．checkoffSectionBDirections：Completethefollowingpassagebyusingthewordsinthebox.Eachwordcanonlybeusedonce.Notethatthereisonewordmorethanyouneed.34．A.moralB.infrequentlyC.rockD.dwellingE.chillinglyAB.emergencyAC.addressAD.milestoneAE.modelingBC.highlightBD.rankingPhysiciansAren'tImmunetoSuicideandDepressionMedicineisatoughprofession.It'sbothtremendouslyrewardingandterriblydemanding.Physiciansareatthefrontlinesofhumanity，alongwithnurses，therapistsandmore.Butbeingatthefrontlinescanberisky：Inastudy，nearly50percentofdoctorsreportingthattheywereburnedout.（1）physicians，whoareoncall24/7，haveittheworst，followedcloselybyphysiciansworkinginotherdemandingsubspecialties.Studiesaboutphysicianburnoutareimportantbuttheytypicallydon'treflectthisgroup'shighriskforevenmoredirementalhealthoutcomes.Pastresearchhasalsoshownthatphysicianshaveahigherriskforsuicidecomparedwithotherprofessions，（2）inthetoptenofriskyprofessions.AndarecentLancetstudynotesthat（3），onephysiciandiesfromsuicideeverydayintheU.S.Suicidaltendencies（4）thewholecommunity.Healthcaresystemsrespondwithwellnessmeetingsandotherinterventionsbuttraineesstillreportfeelinguncaredfor.Infact，severaltraineesprivatelytellmethattheyhavetoreportfewerhoursthantheyactuallywork.Researchstudies（5）similarconcernstothoseI'veheard.Theyreportthatworkplacefactorscontributetophysiciansuicide"includingalargeworkload，competitivenessoftrainingprograms，pressureofpatientandservicedemandsandtheriskof（6）injuryifphysiciansareforcedtoworkinwaysthatconflictwiththeirethicsandvalues."Thisnewanalysisisamajor（7）forunderstandingandappropriatelyrespondingtothementalhealthcrisistoday.Insteadof（8）onthepast，thealarmhasnowbeensounded：Greaterattentionmustbepaidtophysicianwell﹣being.Wewantphysicianstobesafeandwell，butwealsoneedtohelppatientsby（9）goodhealthpractices.Fortunately，preventivemeasuresarealreadyunderway.Soon，wewillhopefullybeabletobetter（10）partofwhatismissinginthecurrentconversationaboutphysicianmentalhealth.Ⅲ．ReadingcomprehensionSectionADirections：ForeachblankinthefollowingpassagetherearefourwordsorphrasesmarkedA，B，CandD．Fillineachblankwiththewordorphrasethatbestfitsthecontext．35．TrackersonIceJustbecauseascientistputsaGPStrackingcollaronawildpolarbeardoesnotmeantheanimalwillobliginglykeepiton．（1），thesehugecollarsarepurposefullyloose．Ifonebecomesannoying，abearcan（2）it．Butscientistshavenowfoundawaytouse（3）fromthediscarded（丟棄的）devices．"Thesedroppedcollars（4）wouldhavebeenconsideredgarbagedata，"saysNatashaKlappstein，apolarbearresearcherattheUniversityofAlberta．Sheandhercolleaguesinsteadused（5）fromsuchcollars，leftonseaiceinCanada'sHudsonBay，totracktheiceitself．Fortheirstudy，publishedinJuneinTheCryosphere，theresearchersidentifiedtwentycollarsthattransmittedmovementdatainlinewithicedriftratherthanpolarbear（6）between2005and2015．TheresultingrecordsofhowmeltingicetypicallydriftsinHudsonBayareunique．Therearenoeasily（7）on﹣the﹣groundsensors，andsatelliteobservationsoftencannotaccuratelycapturethemotionofsmallicesheets．Theteam（8）thediscardedcollars'movementswithwidelyusedice﹣driftmodelingdatafromtheU.S．NationalSnowandIceDataCenter（NSIDC）．CollardataindicatedthattheNSIDCmodelunderestimatesthespeedatwhichicemovesaroundinHudsonBay﹣aswellastheoverall（9）ofdrift．Overthecourseofseveralmonths，themodelcoulddriftawayfromanicesheet'slocationbyafewhundredkilometers，theresearcherssay．Thismeansthebearsmaybeworkingharder，whenmovingagainstthedirectionoftheice，thanscientistshad（10）："Sincewe'reunderestimatingthespeedofdrift，we'relikelyunderestimatingtheenergeticeffortofpolarbears，"saysNatashaKlappstein．Theresearchreveals（11）insightintohowhighlymobileicemoves．Asmeltingincreasesinthecomingyears，suchicewilllikelybecomemore（12）farthernorth，inthecentralArtic．ScientistshadknownNSIDCdatacouldunderestimatedriftspeeds，but"anytimewecanfindadata（13），itisagoodthing．"Plus，suchdatacouldimprovepredictionsabouthowoilspillsorotherpollutantsmay（14）inseaslitteredwithdriftingice，saysWaltMeier，aseniorNSIDCresearchscientist，whowasnotinvolvedinthestudy．Thefindingsmayeven（15）futureNSIDCmodels："It'sareallynicedataset，"Meiersays．"Andcertainlyonewe'lltakeunderconsideration．"（1）A.InfactB.InawayC.InadditionD.Intheend（2）A.destroyB.removeC.resistD.reject（3）A.scratchesB.sensesC.samplesD.signals（4）A.particularlyB.relevantlyC.intentionallyD.potentially（5）A.estimatesB.subjectsC.measurementsD.patents（6）A.behaviorB.habitatC.mannerD.motion（7）A.flexibleB.favorableC.accessibleD.changeable（8）A.overloadedB.comparedC.exchangedD.traced（9）A.extentB.damageC.trendD.limit（10）A.agreedB.promisedC.provedD.assumed（11）A.valuelessB.superiorC.entireD.timely（12）A.evidentB.uniqueC.commonD.realistic（13）A.gapB.scanC.boomD.fit（14）A.riseB.spreadC.recoverD.settle（15）A.reverseB.resembleC.influenceD.motivateⅣ．ReadingComprehensionSectionBDirections：Readthefollowingthreepassages．Eachpassageisfollowedbyseveralquestionsorunfinishedstatements．ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA，B，CandD．Choosetheonethatfitsbestaccordingtotheinformationgiveninthepassageyouhaveread．36．Eachyear，backedupbyagrowinganti﹣consumeristmovement，peopleareusingtheholidayseasontocallonusalltoshopless.Drivenbyconcernsaboutresourceexhaustion，overrecentyearsenvironmentalistshaveincreasinglyturnedtheirsightsonour"consumerculture".GroupssuchasTheStoryofStuffandBuyNothingNewDayaregrowingasamovementthatincreasinglyblamesallourillsonourdesiretoshop.Weclearlyhaveagrowingresourceproblem.Theproduceswemake，buy，anduseareoftenlinkedtothedestructionofourwaterways，biodiversity，climateandthelandonwhichmillionsofpeoplelive.ButtoblametheseissuesonChristmasshoppersismisguided，andputsusintheoldtrapofblamingindividualsforwhatisasystematicproblem.WhilewecomplainaboutenvironmentaldestructionoverChristmas，environmentalistsoftenforgetwhattheholidayseasonactuallymeansformanypeople.Formost，Christmasisn'tanadd﹣ontoanalreadyheavyshoppingyear.Infact，itislikelytheonlytimeofyearmanyhavetheopportunitytospendonfriendsandfamily，orevenjusttobuythenecessitiesneededformodernlife.Thisisparticularly，trueforBoxingDay，oftenthetargetofthestrongestderision（嘲弄）byanti﹣consumerists.Whilewemaylaughatthequeuesinfrontoftheshops，formany，thosesalesprovidetheonechancetobuyitemsthey'veneededallyear.AsLeighPhillipsargues，"thisisoneofthefewtimesoftheyearthatpeoplecanevenhopetoaffordsuch'luxuries'，theChristmaspresentstheirkidsareaskingfor，orjustanappliancethatworks."Indeed，therichest7%ofpeopleareresponsiblefor50%ofgreenhousegasemissions.ThisbecomesparticularlyharmfulwhenyoutakeintoaccountthatthoseshoppingonBoxingDayareonlyasmallpartofourconsumption"problem"anyway.Whyareenvironmentalistsattackingtheseindividuals，whileignoringsuchpeopleasRussianbillionaireRomanAbramovich，whohashisown￡1.5bnyachtwithamissiledefencesystem？Anyway，anti﹣consumerismhasbecomeamovementofwealthypeopletalkingdowntotheworkingclassabouttheirlifechoices，whileignoringtherealcauseofourenvironmentalproblems.Itisnowonderoneischangingtheirbehaviours﹣orthatenvironmentaldestructioncontinueswithoutanyreductioninintensity.（1）Itisindicatedinthe1stparagraphthatduringtheholidayseason，manyconsumers.A.ignoreresourceproblemsB.arefascinatedwithpresentsC.areencouragedtospendlessD.showgreatinterestinthemovement.（2）ItcanbeinferredfromParagraphs2and3thattheenvironmentalistmovement.A.hastargetedthewrongpersonsB.hasachieveditsintendedpurposesC.hastakenenvironment﹣friendlymeasuresD.hasbenefitedbothconsumersandproducers（3）TheexampleofRomanAbramovichisusedtoshowenvironmentalists'.A.madnessaboutlifechoicesB.discontentwithrichlifestyleC.ignoranceabouttherealcauseD.disrespectforholidayshoppers（4）ItcanbeconcludedfromthetextthattellingpeoplenottoshopatChristmasis.A.anythinglessthanaresponsibilityB.nothingmorethanabiasC.indicativeofenvironmentalawarenessD.unacceptabletoordinarypeople37．ThisisWhataREALSilverDollarLooksLikeIfyoutrustintheyen，theeuro，andthedollar…stopreading.BecausethisisastoryabouttheslivercoinEVERYBODYwants.Youreadtheheadlines.Youknowthattroubledeconomictimeshaveputglobalcurrencyonarollercoaster（過山車）ride.Butmillionshavefoundasmarterwaytobuildlong﹣termvaluewithhigh﹣gradecollectablesilver.Andrightnow，thosepeoplearelininguptosecuresomeofthelast2012U.S.MintSilverEagles，America'sNewestSilverEagleDollars.Today，youcangraduatetothefrontofthatline.BuynowandyoucanownthesebrilliantuncirculatedSilverDollarsforonly＄38.95!YouCan'tAffordtoLoseWhyarewereleasing（發(fā)行）thissilverdollarforsucharemarkableprice？Becausewewanttointroduceyoutowhathundredsofthousandsofsmartcollectorsandsatisfiedcustomershaveknownsince1984﹣NewYorkMintistheplacetofindtheworld'sfinesthigh﹣gradecoins.That'swhywe'reofferingyouthisBrilliantUncirculated2012U.S.SilverEagleforaslittleas＄37.45（pluss/h）.TimingisEverythingOuradvice？Keepthistoyourself.Becausethemorepeoplewhoknowaboutthisoffer，theworseitisforyou.DemandforSilverEaglesin2011brokerecords.Expertspredictthat2012SilverEaglesmaybreakthemalloveragain.Duetorapidchangesinthepriceofsilver，pricesmaybehigherorlowerandaresubjectto（受……影響）changewithoutnotice.Suppliesarelimited.CallimmediatelytoaddtheseSilverEaglestoyourholdingsbeforeit'stoolate.OfferLimitedto40perhousehold2012AmericanSilverEagleCoinYourcost1﹣4Coins＄38.95each+s/h5﹣9Coins＄38.45each+s/h10﹣19Coins＄37.95each+s/h20﹣40Coins＄37.45each+s/hNote：＄10s/h（shippingandhandling）foreachpurchaseForfastestservice，calltoll﹣free24hoursaday1﹣888﹣201﹣7143OfferCode（代碼）ASE177﹣04Pleasementionthiscodewhenyoucall.NewYorkMint14101SouthcrossDriveW.，Dept.ASE177﹣04Burnsville，Minnesota55337www.NewYorkM（1）Whatisstressedinthead？A.Thecoinisofhighqualityandworthcollecting.B.Thecoincanbecirculatedasacurrency.C.Limitedsuppliesguaranteeastablepriceofthecoin.D.Demandforthecoinisboundtobreakrecords.（2）Ifyoubuysix2012U.S.MintSilverEaglesbypost，youshouldpayatleast.A.＄230.7B.＄233.7C.＄240.7D.＄243.7（3）Theadstronglyencouragespeopletopurchasethesilvercoinsby.A.shoppingonlineB.makingaphonecallC.liningupinfrontofthestoresD.writingtothecompany38．Dr.DonaldSadowayatMITstartedhisownbatterycompanywiththehopeofchangingtheworld'senergyfuture．It'sadramaticendorsement（支持）foratechnologymostpeoplethinkaboutonlywhentheirsmartphonegoesdark．ButSadowayisn'taloneinboastingaboutenergystorageasamissinglinktoacleaner，moreefficient，andmoreequitableenergyfuture．Scientistsandengineershavelongbelievedinthepromiseofbatteriestochangetheworld．Advancedbatteriesaremovingoutofspecializedmarketsandcreepingintothemainstream，signalingatippingpointforforward﹣lookingtechnologiessuchaselectriccarsandrooftopsolarpropels．Theubiquitous（無所不在的）batteryhasalreadycomealongway，ofcourse．Forbetterorworse，batteriesmakepossibleourmobile﹣first．lifestyles，ourscreenculture，ourincreasinglyglobalizedworld．Still，asimpressiveasallthisis，itmaybetrivialcomparedwithwhatcomesnext．Havingalreadyenabledacommunicationsrevolution，thebatteryisnowpoisedtotransformjustabouteverythingelse．Thewirelessageisexpandingtoincludenotjustourphones，tablets，andlaptops，butalsoourcars，homes，andevenwholecommunities．Inemergingeconomies，ruralcommunitiesarebypassingthewiresandwoodenpolesthatspreadpower．Instead，someinAfricaandAsiaareseeingtheirfirstlightbulbsilluminatedbythepowerofsunlightstoredinbatteries．Today，energystorageisa＄33billionglobalindustrythatgeneratesnearly100gigawatt﹣hoursofelectricityperyear．Bytheendofthedecade，it'sexpectedtobeworthover50billiondollarsandgenerate160gigawatt﹣hours，enoughtoattracttheattentionofmajorcompaniesthatmightnototherwisebeinterestedinadecidedlypedestriantechnology．Evenutilitycompanies，whichhavelongviewedbatteriesandalternativeformsofenergyasathreat，arelearningtoembracethetechnologiesasenablingratherthandisrupting．Today'sbatterybreakthroughscomeastheworldlookstoexpandmodernenergyaccesstothebillionorsopeoplewithoutit，whilealsocuttingbackonfuelsthatwarmtheplanet．Thosesimultaneouschallengesappearlessoverwhelmingwithincreasinglybetteranswerstoacenturies﹣oldquestion：howtomakepowerportable．Tobesure，thebatterystillhasalongwaytogobeforethenightlyrechargecompletelyreplacestheweeklytriptothegasstation．Abattery﹣poweredworldcomeswithitsownrisks，too．Whathappenstothecentralizedelectricgrid，whichtookdecadesandbillionsofdollarstobuild，asmoreandmorepeoplebecome"prosumers，"whoproduceandconsumetheirownenergyonsite？Nooneknowswhich﹣﹣ifany﹣﹣batterytechnologywillultimatelydominate，butonethingremainsclear．Thefutureofenergyisinhowwestoreit．（1）WhatdoesDr.Sadowaythinkofenergystorage？A.Itinvolvestheapplicationofsophisticatedtechnology．B.Itisthedirectionenergydevelopmentshouldfollow．C.Itwillprovetobeaprofitablebusiness．D.Itisatechnologybenefitingeveryone．（2）Whatismostlikelytohappenwhenadvancedbatteriesbecomewidelyused？A.Mobile﹣firstlifestyleswillbecomepopular．B.Theglobalizationprocesswillspeedup．C.Communicationswilltakemorediverseforms．D.Theworldwillundergorevolutionarychanges．（3）Insomeruralcommunitiesofemergingeconomies，peoplehavebegunto．A.finddigitaldevicessimplyindispensableB.communicateprimarilybymobilephoneC.lighttheirhomeswithstoredsolarenergyD.distributepowerwithwiresandwoodenpoles（4）Whatdoestheauthorimplyaboutthecentralizedelectricgrid？A.Itmightbecomeathingofthepast．B.Itmightturnouttobea"prosumer"．C.Itwillbeeasiertooperateandmaintain．D.Itwillhavetobecompletelytransformed．SectionCDirections：Readthefollowingpassageandfillineachblankwiththesentencethatbestfitsthecontext．Eachsentencecanonlybeusedonce．Notethattherearetwosentencesmorethanyouneed．39．TwilightoftheBrandsIt'satruismofbusiness﹣bookthinkingthatacompany'sbrandisits"mostimportantasset，"morevaluablethantechnologyorpatentsormanufacturingprowess.Butbrandshaveneverbeenmorefragile.Thereasonissimple：consumersaresupremelywellinformedandfarmorelikelytoinvestigatetherealvalueofproductsthantorelyonlogos.AbsoluteValue，anewbookbyItamarSimonsonandEmanuelRosenshowsthat，historically，theriseofbrandswasaresponsetoaninformation﹣poorenvironment.（1）IfacarwasmadebyG.M，oraketchupbyHeinz，youassumedthatitwasprettygood.Itwashardtofigureoutifanewproductfromanunfamiliarcompanywasreliableornot，sobrandloyaltywasawayofreducingrisk.Today，consumerscanreadmuchresearchaboutwhatevertheywanttobuy.ThisstartedbackwithConsumerReports，whichdidobjectivestudiesofproducts.（2）Ithasgivenordinaryconsumerseasyaccesstoexpertreviews，userreviews，anddetailedproductdata，inanarrayofcategories.Arecentstudyfoundthateightypercentofconsumerslookatonlinereviewsbeforemakingmajorpurchases，andahostofstudieshaveloggedthestronginfluencethosereviewshaveonthedecisionspeoplemake.（3）Anundesirableproductcanbecomealaughingstock（笑柄）inamatterofhours.Intheolddays，youmightbuyaSonytelevisionsetbecauseyou'downedonebefore，orbecauseyoutrustedthebrand.Today，suchconsiderationsmattermuchlessthanreviewsonAmazonandEngadgetandCNET.AsSimonsonsaid，"eachproducthowhastoproveitselfonitsown."It'sbeenarguedthatinaworldwhereconsumersareoverwhelmedwithinformation，theinformationwillactuallymakebrandsmorevaluable.Indeed，theroleabrandplaysinpeople'sliveshasbecomeallthemoreimportant.Butinformationoverloadislargelyamyth.（4）Andthishasmadecustomerloyaltyprettymuchathingofthepast.Onlytwenty﹣fivepercentofAmericanrespondentsinarecentstudysaidthatbrandloyaltyaffectedhowtheyshopped.A.ButwhatreallyweakenedthepowerofbrandsistheInternet.B.Forconsumersthisisideal：heightenedcompetitionhasraisedqualityandhelddownprices.C.Whenconsumershadtorelyonadvertisementsandtheirpastexperiencewithacompany，brandsservedasaguaranteeforquality.D.Alargequantityofconsumersfailtogetagreatdealofinformationefficientlyandeffectively.E.Theriseofsocialmediahasspedupthetrendtoanastonishingdegree.F.Mostconsumersfigureouthowtofindwhatthey'relookingforwithoutspendinghugeamountsoftimeonline.Ⅳ.GrammarandVocabularyDirections：Afterreadingthepassagebelow，fillintheblankstomakethepassagecoherentandgrammaticallycorrect．Fortheblankswithagivenword，fillineachblankwiththeproperformofthegivenword；fortheotherblanks，useonewordthatbestfitseachblank．閱讀下面短文，在空白處填入1個適當的單詞或括號內單詞的正確形式。40．CanadvertisingsupportafreeInternet？Thesupportersofanopen，democraticInternet，fundedmainlybyadvertising，arefacingsomebigquestionsabouthowtheirvisionwillunfold．Afreelyaccessibledigitalworld，（1）websitesandsocialnetworksareopentoall，isthedreamofmany．Butcriticswonderifthisisdesirableorevenpossible．Brands（2）（shift）ahugeproportionoftheirmarketingbudgetsintoonlineadvertisinginrecentyears．Butwhilemanycampaignshitthespot，others（3）beannoying，intrusiveandirrelevant．Todiscussthefutureofonlineadvertising，theGuardianteamedupwithadvertisingtechnologyproviderAppNexustorunaroundtablediscussion．ThediscussionwasconductedundertheChathamHouseRule，wherecommentsweremadeonconditionthattheywerenotattributedtothespeakers，（4）（encourage）afree﹣flowingdiscussion．Akeypointofargumentint