洋县中学2022~2023学年度第2学期检测考试 20230320

洋县中学2022~2023学年度第2学期检测考试 20230320  命题人：王宝红

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

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 does the man think the woman should do?

A. Talk to her husband.  B. Get an eye operation.   C. Buy a new pair of glasses.

2. What is the probable relationship between the speakers?  A. Family members.    B. Classmates.   C. Co-workers.

3. Where does the conversation take place? A. In the kitchen.   B. In the bedroom.    C. Outside the house.

4. What are the speakers talking about?  A. Moving to New York.  B. Holiday plans.    C. The weather.

5. What does the man think of the movie?  A. Exciting.    B. Boring.     C. Just so-so.

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。 听下面一段对话，回答第6、7题。

6. Who will pay for the lunch? A. The man.    B. The woman.  C. The man’s boss.

7. How will the speakers go for the lunch?  A. By taxi.    B. By car.    C. On foot.

听下面一段对话，回答第8、9题。8. How long will the trip take?

A. Four days.       B. Five days.   C. Nine days.

9. What is the woman especially interested in about Thailand? A. The national park.  B. The climate.  C. The food.

听下面一段对话，回答第10至12题。

10. How does the woman feel about going back to school? A. Nervous.   B. Happy.  C. Excited.

11. What did the school do over the summer?

A. They bought new computers.   B. They improved the playground.   C. They built a swimming pool. [来源:学§科§网]

12. What course will the woman probably choose?   A. Drawing.   B. Dancing.   C. Acting.

听下面一段对话，回答第13至16题。

13. What will the woman do when summer starts?  A. Go on a trip.      B. Work.    C. Buy a car.

14. How long will the speakers stay at college?     A. One year.   B. Two years.   C. Three years.

15. What can the woman enjoy in July?    A. A comedy show.  B. A sports match.  C. A concert.

16. Where did the woman get her tickets from?   A. A radio show.  B. The ticket office.  C. A friend.

听下面一段独白，回答第17至20题。17. How did the speaker feel at the first interview?

A. Too confident.  B. Very nervous.  C. A little impolite.

18. When did the speaker get his first job? A. In middle school.     B. In high school.  C. In college.

19. What made the speaker want to be an engineer?

A. Helping at McDonald’s.   B. Serving at a coffee shop.   C. Working at a building company.

20. What is the speaker’s secret to success?  A. He studied hard. B. He met lots of people. C. He had work experience.  

第二部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，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

    Asia is such a vast and diverse continent for anyone dreaming of an escape. Here are some best destinations to visit over the next 12 months.

    Xi'an, China

    Xi'an, China is supreme and then there's the biggie(重要的事物)— the Army of Terracotta

Warriors, celebrating 30 years as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.

    Xi'an is vast, but a relaxed way of living and recent openings have boosted an already superb

accommodation market. A crop of new bars and cafes are thrown in here. There's never been a better time to visit.

    South of Tokyo, Japan

    Two cities in south of Tokyo are well worth visiting.

    Yokohama is just a 20-minute train journey from the capital and packs considerable appeal with its bayside location, architecture, beer and tasty cuisine.

    Less than an hour from Tokyo, fantastic seaside town Kamakura is known for its surfing scene, but also offers an attractive selection of relaxed cafes and restaurants.

    Sri Lanka's Hill Country

    Sri Lanka may be“so hot right now”, but Lonely Planet recommends a different experience.

    Try getting ahead of (and away from) the pack by taking a scenic train to Sri Lanka's Hill Country for a wonderfully temperate escape from the nation's humid coasts.

    This island owns a mountainous interior that is every bit as scenic as the coast, blessed by

pleasantly cool temperatures that rarely above 21℃.

    Raja Ampat, Indonesia

   “Raja”means“king”and this grand title is apparent. Packed with white-sand beaches, lush jungle and unusual mushroom-shaped small islands. Raja Ampat is a biological hotspot.

    Home to some of the richest, most diverse coral reefs on the planet—over 200 diving spots are still in a state of nature—and this, paired with a growing ecotourism(生态旅游) offering, means Raja Ampat will no doubt remain king of the islands.

21. What can visitors do in Xi'an?    A. Shop in a fantastic seaside town.           B. Appreciate diverse heritage.

C. Enjoy mushroom-shaped small islands.  D. Experience planting crops by themselves.

22. Where is a surfer most likely to go?    A. Yokohama.  B. Raja Ampat.  C. Kamakura.  D. Sri Lanka's Hill Country.

23. Where is this text probably taken from?

A. A fiction book.   B. A private letter. C. A science report.  D. A travel guidebook.

B

    I always dreamed of studying abroad, to learn at a world-class university while further exploring the grounds on which these nations achieved new milestones of development with each passing day.

    To study abroad after my graduation, I could not stop seeking my dream. To take the first step, I did some brainstorming and explored opportunities on the Internet and finally decided to go for China. There were a number of reasons behind it—its advanced education system and thousands of centuries of rich culture inspired me to study there. The primary one was my curiosity how a nation has left many nations behind in a short time at its fast pace of development.

    So just like that, I applied, along with some of my friends, for a master's degree program at Communication University of China. I was the only one who got selected in the said program and in addition, the Chinese Scholarship Council sponsored all of my expenses. This good news was welcomed by my family.

    This is my seventh month in Beijing. In my experience so far, one thing that appeared to be missing was the internship(实习) which I tried to find because I want to work here after completion

of my studies. After some struggles I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to work as an intern with the Center for China and Globalization(CCG). It's very exciting to work on their team as a researcher. Now I can proudly say that my decision to choose China as a study destination was the best decision I have ever made.

24. The writer writes the first paragraph mainly to   ?

A. Encourage people to pursue dreams.        B. Summarize the main idea of the text.

C. Explain the reason for writing the passage.   D. Add some background information.

25. What is the most important reason for the author coming to China?

A. China's rich culture.     B. His curiosity.

C. China's advanced education system.     D. His family's support.

26. What can we learn about the author from the last paragraph?

A. He is most proud of studying in China.       B. He wants to be a researcher in the future.

C. He plans to work in China after graduation.   D. He found a job upon arriving in Beijing.

27. What can be a suitable title for the text?   A. Learning and working in China  B. Travel experiences in China

C. Realization of dreams in China  D. Importance of having dreams

C

    A company in San Francisco, California, has found a way to turn used plastic bottles into women's shoes.

    Every day, millions of Americans drink water and other liquids from plastic bottles. More than 60 million of them are thrown away each day. Many of the plastic bottles end up in landfills or are burned with other waste products.

    A San Francisco start-up company called Rothy's, however, turns this plastic waste into environmentally friendly shoes. Roth Martin is the company's co-founder. He explains how they turn plastic into soft material for women's feet. They take the plastic, clean it, and break it down into small pieces. Then they press them through a device that makes soft fibers. Those fibers are then combined together. This is done by a 3D machine. It is designed to reduce waste while making the shoes. The knitted stuff and the inner part of the shoe are then attached to the shoe's outer part, called the sole (鞋底). This outer sole is also made from environmentally friendly material: responsibly sourced no-carbon rubber.

    Rothy's shoes are sold online. They are flat shoes, with either a rounded or pointed toe. They

come in different colors and designs. They cost either ＄125 or ＄145 per pair, depending on the

design. After American actress Gwyneth Paltrow discovered them last year, the demand for the shoes grew. Martin says there is no shortage of material to fill that demand.“We're not going to run out of water bottles any time soon. So we have a limitless supply of material, and I think that is a good sign for our future.”When the environmentally friendly shoes wear out, customers can return them at no cost to a company that uses the recycled materials to make other products.

    For now, the shoes are only available to be shipped in the United States. However, the company says it will add international shipping in the near future.

28. How are used plastic bottles usually dealt with?     A. They are buried or burned.    B. They are used to make shoes.

C. They are changed into soft materials.      D. They are returned to factories for reuse.

29. What does the underlined word“knitted”in the third paragraph mean?

A. Attached  B. Fixed  C. Combined  D. Repaired.

30. Which of the following directly helped to increase the sales of Rothy's shoes?

A. The design and color.       B. The reasonable price.

C. The company's advertisement.  D. The star power of Gwyneth Paltrow.

31. What is the purpose of the text?

A. To advertise a new kind of shoes.                B. To describe the process of making shoes.

C. To introduce a new way of recycling plastic waste.   D. To stress the importance of environmental protection.

D

    Are you a social media addict? Are you always checking your smart phone to see how many “likes”you've received for your latest post? Maybe you feel comforted by the sound that someone has sent you a message?[来源:学科网ZXXK]

    Don't worry, you' re not alone. We check our phones an average of 150 times a day, and around 30% of the total time spent online is devoted to social media. Some experts now fear this habit could be damaging our mental health.

    This is something particularly bothering young adults, according to a study from the University of Pittsburgh. It found the more they used social media, the more likely they were to be depressed. In tests, those people who checked social media frequently were 2.7 times more likely to be depressed compared to those who spent most of their time generally surfing the Internet ,who had just 1. 7 times the risk.

    Some of us certainly feel sad when we're ignored on social media sites, or when we see someone else having a better time than us. But depression is a more serious condition and clinical psychologist, Abigael San, recently told the BBC that ,“It's a real issue, and it's been getting significantly worse over the last 5-6 years. You can get so hooked that it takes you away from your real relationships.”However, Abigael does admit that social media is more likely to worsen pre-existing issues than directly cause them.

    Other research by the University of Glasgow found that teenagers are affected by the 24-hour demands of their social media accounts. It found that those with higher levels of emotional investment in social media , and who use it at night ,were more likely to feel depressed and anxious.

    Despite these warning signs, why do some of us continue to keep clicking? Well, I suppose  we all want to be liked and we don't want to miss out on a conversation that's taking place online. But we need to know when to switch off our virtual online world and connect with the real world instead.

32.Who is more likely to be depressed according to the study?

A. People checking social media frequently.              B. People surfing the Internet regularly.

C. People receiving a few“likes”for their posts.          D. People longing for more messages.

33.Why does the author give a quote from Abigael San in Para.4?

A. To introduce the coming topic.            B. To give a more supporting example.

C. To stress the importance of social media.   D. To explain the cause of a social media addict.

34. Why do people get addicted to social media according to the author?

A. Because they have more time and money.      B. Because the virtual world is much more attractive.

C. Because they want to attract more attention.    D. Because emotional investment in social media benefits them.

35. What's the passage mainly about?

A. It's common for teenagers to be a social addict.      B. Using smart phones does harm to people's health.

C. It's better to stay away from virtual online world.     D. Social media addiction contributes to depression

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。    

    The“Chong Yang Festival”is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, which is also known as the Double Ninth Festival.  36  

    Climbing Mountains

    People like to climb mountains on this festival, so Double Ninth Festival is also called“Mountain-climbing Festival”.[

The 9th lunar month, with clear autumn sky and bracing air, is a good time for sightseeing.     37  . It is really refreshing to climb mountains and enjoy the beauty of nature at this bright and clear time in autumn.

Climbing mountains also indicates“climbing to a higher position”. Another reason why climbing mountains is valued by people, especially by the elderly is that it has a meaning of“climbing to longeval (长命的) life”. Climbing mountains on Double Ninth Festival was already popular in the Tang Dynasty.   38  .

Drinking Chrysanthemum Flower(菊花)Wine

The chrysanthemum flower wine is unique in brewing. In ancient times，people usually picked fresh chrysanthemum flowers and leaves on the 9th of the 9th lunar month. and brewed the mixture of them and grains into the wine.   39  . The wine is said to have wholesome effects on sharpness of the eye, drop of high blood pressure, reduction of weight and removal of stomach trouble, thus contributing to longevity.

   40   

The Double Ninth cake is also known as“flower cake”. It dates back to the Zhou Dynasty. It is said that the cake was originally prepared after autumn harvests for farmers to have a taste of what was just in season, and it gradually grew into the present cake for people to eat on the Double Ninth Festival.

A. Eating Double Ninth Cake                 B. Making“flower cake”with friends

C. A lot of poems were devoted to this custom    D. So people love to go sightseeing this month 

E. It would not be drunk until the same day next year  F. Here are some traditional customs of the Double Ninth Festival

G. But few Chinese people are aware of the importance of the festival

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、D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

   The day I received my letter of acceptance to New York University, I was extremely excited. It was my dream university, and my  41  were pleased for me. But they also hadn't  42  me to get into such a competitive school. In fact, the best thing they ever did for me was to  43  me from doing things  44  —indeed, when I was in elementary school, they offered to buy me a present  45  I got a C.

    It  46  when I was in third grade. An only child in an Asian family, I had just  47  with my family from Taiwan to Los Angeles. Months into third grade, I developed a strong feeling of  48  about getting bad grades. Seeing my anxiety, Dad said, “Kate, tell you what. If you get a C or 49　, I'll buy you a present. If you score higher than that, I won't buy you anything, because you won't  50  it.”

    Clearly my dad wasn't the  51  Asian tiger parent, pressuring me to work tirelessly for the best  52  , and neither was my mom. They didn't want to push me. They wanted me to be  53 and healthy. Dad's  54  of a“failing grade”gift amazingly  55  my worries and pressure. What's more, I  56  getting A's and B's throughout high school, but without the added stress and fear of failing. I think it was my parents’lack of stress on grades that gave me  57  to encourage my own desire for achievements.

    I now realize I was  58  when I thought I didn't receive a present from my dad that day. He gave me two invaluable  59  : the space to develop my own desire for excellence, and the healthy mind to  60  it.

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，共15分）

阅读下列短文，在空白处填入适当的一个单词或括号内所给单词的正确形式。

    My interest in Chinese food started years ago, when I was a young reporter for Washington Post. Our office wasn't far from Chinatown, 61      I found some very good Chinese restaurants.

    That was the first time that I 62      ( notice) the fresh taste of the meat and vegetables of Chinese food.

    When I learned more about the food, I began to understand why 63        has this special feature.

    Many years ago, China had 64      energy crisis because it lost much of its wood due to over population and poor management of its forests. This 65      ( lose) was very bad for the country, of course, but it turned out to be very good for the food. Wood became very expensive and hard to get, so the Chinese had to either find a substitute for their 66     (value) wood, or learn how to use it better. There weren't any substitutes so people found ways to economize.

    In order to economize in cooking, they had to use very little wood. So they started cutting their meat and vegetables 67      small pieces before they put them in the hot oil. That way, the food cooked 68      (fast) and they saved more fuel. The food 69     (prepare) in this way kept its fresh flavour—and it's this flavour 70      attracts people from other countries to the art of Chinese cooking.

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）

    Last Friday, our class was invited an old craftsman to teach us how to making dough　figurines(面人). When the craftsman came into the classroom, we gave him warm welcome and two boys helped him with the tool box. First, he shows us the basic steps and skills of making dough figurines. We stood around him or watched attentively. Then we started to have a try itself. The old man walked around and helped us patient. Finally, we put the figurines we made on the table and took pictures with the old craftsman. Looking on the figurines, we were all very exciting.  We hope we can have more activity of this kind!

第二节 书面表达（满分25分）   为弘扬中国传统文化，学生会将举行“诗歌朗诵大赛”（Poetry Recitation Contest)

邀请学校国际部学生参加。请你根据提示写一则通知。内容要点包括：

1.大赛的目的；  2.大赛的时间、地点；（本周三下午2:30、学校报告厅）；3.朗诵内容：唐诗宋词；（Tang and Song poetry）。

注意：1.词数100左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

参考答案

听力 (共两节，满分30 分 )1～5 BCBBC；   6～10 ACCAA；  11～15 BCBAC；   16～20 AABCC

阅读理解(每小题2分，满分40 分 )A: 21—23 BCD   B: 24—27 DBCC  C: 28—31 ACDC  D: 32—35ABCD

36—40 FDCEA    

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

41—45 CBAAB     46—50 DBADC     51—55 BDDAB       56—60 CCDAC

语法填空（共10小题；每小题1.5分，共15分）61. where   62. had noticed   63. it 64. an 65. loss

66. valuable  67. into  68.faster   69. prepared  70.that

短文改错（共10小题,每小题1分，满分10分）

71. 删掉was     72. making改为make    73. 在him后面加a      74.shows改为showed

75. or 改为and  76.itself 改为ourselves   77. patient改为patiently   78.looking后的on改为 at

79 . exciting 改为 excited                80. activity 改为 activities

书面表达（满分25分）                                  Notice

In order to promote traditional Chinese culture, the Students' Union is going to hold a Poetry Recitation Contest. Here are some relevant details about it.

Undoubtedly, reading poetry effectively helps us have a better appreciation of beauty in ancient literature. As scheduled, it is supposed to launch at 2:30 this Wednesday afternoon in the school Lecture Hall. Students from international department are expected to take part. Additionally, it is recommended that you should prepare Tang and Song poems. Not only can the contest cultivate the habit of reading classic works but also arouse our interest in traditional Chinese literature.

    Hopefully, you will benefit a lot and be immersed in the world of fascinating poetry. Your participation will surely make a difference.

                                                                    the Students' Union  

评分细则：

第五档（很好）：（21~25分）

1.完全完成了试题规定的任务。

2.覆盖所有内容要点。

3.应用了较多的语法结构和词汇。

4.语法结构或词汇方面有些许错误，但为尽力使用较复杂结构或较高级词汇所致；具备较强的语言运用能力。

5.有效地使用了语句间的连接成分，使全文结构紧凑。

6.完全达到了预期的写作目的。

第四档（好）：（16~20分）

1.完全完成了试题规定的任务。

2.虽漏掉1、2个次重点，但覆盖所有主要内容。

3.应用的语法结构和词汇能满足任务的要求。

4.语法结构或词汇方面应用基本准确，些许错误主要是因尝试较复杂语法结构或词汇所致。

5.应用简单的语句间的连接成分，使全文结构紧凑。

6.达到了预期的写作目的。

第三档（适当）：（11~15分）

1.基本完成了试题规定的任务。

2.虽漏掉一些内容，但覆盖所有主要内容。

3.应用的语法结构和词汇能满足任务的要求。

4.有一些语法结构或词汇方面的错误，但不影响理解。

5.应用简单的语句间的连接成分，使全文内容连贯。

6.整体而言，基本达到了预期的写作目的。

第二档（较差）：（6-10分）

1.未恰当完成试题规定的任务。

2.漏掉或未描述清楚一些主要内容，写了一些无关内容。

3.语法结构单调、词汇项目有限。

4.有一些语法结构或词汇方面的错误，影响了对写作内容的理解。

5.较少使用语句间的连接成分，内容缺少连贯性。

6.信息未能清楚地传达给读者。

第一档（差）：（1~5分）

1.未完成试题规定的任务。

2.明显遗漏主要内容，写了一些无关内容，原因可能是未理解试题要求。

3.语法结构单调、词汇项目有限。

4.较多语法结构或词汇方面的错误，影响对写作内容的理解。

5.缺乏语句间的连接成分，内容不连贯。

6.信息未能传达给读者。

听力材料：

Text 1  

W: Who’s there? I can’t see anything without my glasses.

M: It’s me, your husband. You should consider getting an eye operation, because you always put your glasses in a wrong place!

Text 2

W: Where have you been recently? I remember I met you at the managers’ meeting last month. Have you been away on business?

M: No, I’ve been away on holiday. I visited my grandma in the countryside.

Text 3

W: If your back is painful, maybe you shouldn’t get out of bed, dear. Don’t go to the kitchen. I’ll bring breakfast here.

M: No, no. My back feels worse lying down. Help me get dressed, please. Then I’ll walk outside a little.

Text 4

M: Are you going anywhere for the Chinese New Year?

W: I thought about going to visit my aunt in New York. How about you?

M: I’ll probably just stay at home since it is not warm those days.

Text 5

W: How did you like the movie, John? Tom said it was boring. But I know you were excited to see it.

M: I can’t decide. Some parts were all right, and others not so good.

Text 6

M: Do you want to get some lunch with me?

W: Sure. You mean from the coffee shop in the mall?

M: I eat there every day. Let’s eat somewhere else for a change. I was thinking of Romano’s. And don’t worry. Today it’s on me. I got a reward from my boss for my good work.  

W: Great. That’s very kind of you. We’ll take my car or at least let me pay for the taxi.

M: There is no need. They just opened up a new one a couple of blocks away. I could use the fresh air, anyway.

W: Sounds good.

Text 7

M: It’s our 10th anniversary. Where would you like to go this time? I can take five days off work. That will give us nine days in total, including the weekends before and after.

W: Somewhere warm and full of sunshine. How about Bali?

M: It’s close — only a two-hour flight from here. But that place is too expensive.

W: Hmm… then how about Fiji?

M: I don’t like long flights. It’s 12 hours from Beijing… What about Thailand? Six hours on the plane to Phuket isn’t that bad. And I always love Thai food.

W: That would be a great place! Since we have so much time, maybe we can take a day trip to the Similan Islands. I’ve been wanting to visit that national park. The pictures look wonderful!

Text 8

M: Can you believe the school year is almost here?

W: I know. Every time I walk by our new school, I get a little anxious.

M: Why? Everything is going to be so much better.

W: Really? I heard it is a lot of extra work…

M: Relax. We’ll get used to it. Apparently there is a huge computer room we can study in. Also, they have just finished building a new running track and put in artificial grass.

W: Cool. We’ll have lots of fun on the playground.

M: You think that’s cool? There are two gyms and an indoor swimming pool! Anyway, we have to choose two arts courses this year. Any thoughts?    

W: At first I thought about dance and music, but I changed my mind. I think I’m going to try acting instead. And since I’m joining the school newspaper, I’ll take something related to that.

M: Good for you. I’m going to improve my drawing, and learn how to play the drums.  

W: Hey, maybe if you become a famous musician, I can interview you!

Text 9

M: School is finally out! Do you have any plans this summer, Kate?

W: Yes. In August I’m going on a two-week vacation to the Bahamas.

M: Awesome! How much is that going to cost you?

W: Don’t ask. I have to work every single day this month just to be able to pay for the vacation.

M: I know what you mean. I’ve been saving up to buy a truck. I want to have one for the start of my last year of college.

W: That would be nice.

M: Well, it’s too bad you won’t be around in August. There’s a famous English soccer team coming to town. [来源:学&科&网]

W: I heard. At least I’ll be able to see the Backstreet Boys in July. It’s my favorite band. They’re playing at the Victoria Theater.

M: I’ve been there. I saw the Jim Jefferies comedy show there once.

W: You saw that? How did you get tickets? I heard they were hard to get.

M: My friend works at the ticket office. Do you want me to see if he can get your tickets as well?

W: No need. I won mine on a radio show. I had to answer three questions about the band, and I got them all correct.

M: A true fan! You deserve to go!

Text 10

When I showed up at my first job interview, it was my last year of middle school. I thought I knew everything back then. All my friends said how nervous they were for their interviews. I thought to myself, “If you look scared, it is a sign of weakness.” When I went to McDonald’s for the interview, I thought it would be a piece of cake. But my answer to every question was “I don’t know”. Not surprisingly, I didn’t get that part-time job. My parents weren’t happy at all. The following year I had a second chance at a gas station. This time I showed up in a nice shirt with a tie and answered every question politely. And you know what? I got the job. I learned how to deal with money, how to fix cars, and how to deal with people. Most importantly, I had learned a life skill. When I graduated from high school, and my friends were still working at coffee shops, I was working for a building company. I helped build the Westin Hotel and the Ocean View Apartments. It inspired me to become an engineer, and now I design and build airplanes. So how did I get to where I am? My teachers would say it sure wasn’t my study habits. In my case, I learned with my hands.