广东省龙川县2023年高考适应性考试英语试卷含解析

2023高考英语模拟试卷注意事项：1．答卷前，考生务必将自己的姓名、准考证号填写在答题卡上。2．回答选择题时，选出每小题答案后，用铅笔把答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑，如需改动，用橡皮擦干净后，再选涂其它答案标号。回答非选择题时，将答案写在答题卡上，写在本试卷上无效。3．考试结束后，将本试卷和答题卡一并交回。第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1．Myfatherinsistedthateveryminute____madefulluseof_______theworkwell.A．be,todo B．hasbeen,doingC．be,doing D．hasbeen,todo2．---Howoftendoyouworkout?---_________,butusuallyonceaweek.A．Havenoidea. B．Itdepends. C．Asusual. D．Generallyspeaking.3．Takingonlinereadingintoconsideration,wecanchallengetheassumption____readingforpleasurecontinuestodecrease.A．whether B．that C．where D．when4．Manyartifacts________forthefirsttimeintheNationalMuseumatpresent.A．wereexhibitedB．werebeingexhibitedC．arebeingexhibitedD．areexhibited5．MeizhouIslandissuchabeautifulplaceofinterest______everyonelikestovisit.A．as B．that C．which D．where6．Hehasnoideawhatthebookisabout．Hehavereaditverycarefully．A．needn’t B．shouldn’t C．can’t D．mustn’t7．—ThemovieLalalandisawesome.It’sreallyapitythatyoudidn’tmakeit.—Sorry,I________.Iwastoobusythen.A．didn’tB．didC．wouldn’tD．would8．DreamoftheRedChamberisbelievedtobesemi-autobiographical,_______thefortunesofCao’sownfamily.A．mirroredB．tomirrorC．mirroringD．mirror9．Thepolicehaveanyonewithinformationtocomeforwardandtalktothem.A．appealedtoB．attendedtoC．respondedtoD．attachedto10．Johnhadplannedtomakeacompromise,buthechangedhismindatthelastminute.A．anyhow B．otherwiseC．therefore D．somehow11．Localslivedinrather________conditionsuntilthefoundingofthePeople’sRepublicofChinain1949.A．precious B．primitiveC．precise D．prior12．Whentheoldmanwokeup,hefoundsomeonehisTVinthelivingroom.A．stole B．steal C．stealing D．stolen13．Whatmadethemmissthedeadlinewasnottheirlackoffunding,but________theirlackofplanning.A．even B．stillC．rather D．ever14．_______hisoverseasstudy,hewaseventuallyemployedbyhisdreamcompany.A．Havingcompleted B．CompletingC．Completed D．Tocomplete15．---Theyarequiet,aren’tthey?---yes.Theyareaccustomed____atmeals.A．totalking B．tonottalking C．tonottalk D．totalk16．________individualplayers,wehaveagreatteambuttheproblemisthattheydon’tplayfootballtogetherwellatall.A．OntopofB．BymeansofC．IntermsofD．Incaseof17．—Catherine,willyouvisitusthisweekend?—Iplannedto,butsomethingunexpected.A．hascomeup B．wascomingupC．hadcomeup D．wouldcomeup18．Pleasedon’tmakesoloudnoise．ThenewsofthevolcaniceruptioninIndonesia____andIwanttolisten．A．isbroadcast B．isbeingbroadcastC．hasbeenbroadcast D．hadbeenbroadcast19．Shesaidher________isenoughtosupportherinlateryearsandthatheronlyhopeisthathersoncanvisitregularly.Afterallshehadnotmuchtimeleft.A．pension B．benefit C．allowance D．bonus20．—What’swrongwithyou?—Oh,Iamsick.I________somuchicecreamjustnow.A．shouldn’teat B．mustn’teatC．couldn’thaveeaten D．shouldn’thaveeaten第二部分阅读理解（满分40分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。21．（6分）Indianscientistshavedesignedanewdevicewhichtheyhopewillsolveoneofthebiggestproblemswiththeuseofsolarenergy.Theycallthedeviceasolartree.Solartreeshavemetal"branches"extendingfromatall,centralpoleatdifferentlevels.Eachbranchholdsaphotovoltaic(光电的)panel,alsocalledasolarpanel.Thesepanelsareflatsurfacesthatcollectenergyfromthesunandturnitintoelectricity.DaljitSinghBediisthechiefscientistattheCouncilofScientificandIndustrialResearch,orCSIR,inNewDelhi,India.TheCSIRlaboratoriesarewherethesolartreewasdesigned.Bedisaystheshapeofthesolartreemakesitpossibletofitmorephotovoltaicpanelsinaspacethantraditionalsystemsdo."Ittakesabout4squaremetersofspacetoproduceenergywhichotherwisewouldhaverequired400squaremetersofspace,"hesays.Scientistsbelievetheenergyasolartreecollectswillbeenoughtopowerfivehomes.Thesolartreeswillmakeiteasiertoprovidesolarenergyforhomesincities,theysay.Thesolartreeswillalsotakelessspacefromfarmersinruralareas.Andtheywillcollectmoreenergythannormalphotovoltaicpanelsonthetopsofbuildings,becausetheirdesignhelpswithplacementofsolarpanelsinawaythattheyareexposedmoretothesun.Indiaistheworld'sthirdlargestproducerofgreenhousegases.Thecountryhaspromisedtoreduceitsrateofgreenhousegasproduction.Thecostofphotovoltaicpanelshasgonedowninrecentyears.Thishasmadesolarpowercheaperandeasiertouse.Butitisstillnotclearhowusefulthesenewdevelopmentsinsolarpowertechnologyare.1、Whichpicturecanshowthesolartreeinthepassage?A． B． C． D．2、WhatdoesBedisayaboutthesolartrees?A．Theyareenergy-consuming. B．Theyarespace-saving.C．Theyareeasilyaccessible. D．Theyhavegeographicallimitation.3、Whatmakesthesolartreecollectmoreenergy?A．Thehi-techmaterialsbuiltinthepanels. B．Thenumberofpanelsfixedonit.C．Thecorrectplacementofthetree. D．Theflexibilitvofitsdesign.4、What'sthepurposeofthepassage?A．Tointroduceanewtechnologicalinvention.B．Toexplainwhyscientistsdesignsolartrees.C．Todescribethefeaturesofsolartrees.D．Toshowthebenefitsofsolarpowertechnology.22．（8分）Inthelate1950s,aRussiangeneticistcalledDmitryK.Belyaevattemptedtocreateatame(驯化的)foxpopulation.ThroughtheworkofabreedingprogrammeattheInstituteofCytologyandGeneticsatNovosibirsk,inRussia,hesoughttofindtheevolutionarypathwayoftameanimals.Histestsubjectsweresilver-blackfoxes,amelanistic(带黑色的)versionoftheredfoxthathadbeenbredinfarmsforthecoloroftheirfur.Heselectedtheanimalsbasedonhowtheyrespondedwhentheircagewasopened.About10%ofthefoxesdisplayedaweak“wild-response”,meaningtheyweredocilearoundhumans.Thosethathidinthecornerormadeaggressivevoiceswereleftinthefarm.Ofthosefriendlyfoxes,100femalesand30maleswerechosenasthefirstgenerationsofparents.Whentheyoungfoxeswereborn,theresearchershand-fedthem.Theyalsoattemptedtotouchorpetthefoxeswhentheyweretwototwo-and-a-halfmonthsold,forstrictlymeasuredperiodsatatime.Iftheyoungfoxescontinuedtoshowaggressiveresponse,evenaftersignificanthumancontact,theywerethrownawayfromthepopulation—meaningtheyweremadeintofurcoats.Ineachselection,lessthan10%oftameindividualswereusedasparentsofthenextgeneration.Bythefourthgeneration,thescientistsstartedtoseedramaticchanges.Theyoungfoxeswerebeginningtobehavemorelikedogs.Theywaggedtheirtailsand“eagerly”soughtcontactwithhumans.By2005-2006,almostallthefoxeswereplayful,friendlyandbehavinglikedomesticdogs.Thefoxescould“read”humanhintsandrespondcorrectlytogesturesorglances.1、WhatdoweknowaboutBelyaev’sbreedingplan?A．Itexplainshowredfoxeswerebred.B．Itfocusesonhowtameanimalsevolved.C．Itexplainswhypetfoxesbecamepopular.D．Itconcentratesonwhytameanimalsdisappeared.2、Howdidhechoosehistestfoxesintheexperiment?A．Byappearance.B．Bycolor.C．Byreaction.D．Byflexibility.3、WhatcanbeinferredfromParagraph3?A．Smartfoxeswereusedfortesting.B．Thepurposeofselectionwasunclear.C．Friendlyfoxeswerekeptontesting.D．Theselectionwasnotexactandthorough.4、Whatisthedistinguishingcharacteristicofthefourthgenerationfoxes?A．Behavinginafriendlierway.B．Eatingplants.C．Havingdroopingears.D．Havingshortenedlegs.23．（8分）Notlongago,peoplethoughtbabieswerenotabletolearnthingsuntiltheywerefiveorsixmonthsold.YetdoctorsintheUnitedStatessaybabiesbeginlearningontheirfirstdayoflife.Scientistsnotethatbabiesarestronglyinfluencedbytheirenvironment.Theysayababywillsmileifhermotherdoessomethingthebabylikes.Ababylearnstogetthebestcarepossiblebysmilingtopleasehermotherorothercaregivers.Thisishowbabieslearntoconnectandcommunicatewithotherhumanbeings.Onestudyshowsthatbabiescanlearnbeforetheyareborn.Theresearchersplacedataperecorderonthestomachofapregnantwoman.Then,theyplayedarecordingofashortstory.Onthedaythebabywasborn,theresearchersattemptedtofindifheknewthesoundsofthestoryrepeatedwhileinhismother.Theydidthisbyplacingadeviceinthemouthofthenewbornbaby.Thebabywouldhearthestoryifhemovedhismouthoneway.Ifthebabymovedhismouththeotherway,hewouldhearadifferentstory.Theresearcherssaythebabyclearlylikedthestoryheheardbeforehewasborn.Theysaythebabywouldmovehismouthsohecouldhearthestoryagainandagain.Anotherstudyshowshowmotherscanstronglyinfluencesocialdevelopmentandlanguageskillsintheirchildren.Researchersstudiedthechildrenfromtheageofonemonthtothreeyears.Theresearchersattemptedtomeasurethesensitivityofthemothers.Thewomenwereconsideredsensitiveiftheysupportedtheirchildren’sactivitiesanddidnotinterfere(干预)unnecessarily.Theytestedthechildrenforthinkingandlanguagedevelopmentwhentheywerethreeyearsold.Also,theresearchersobservedthewomenforsignsofdepression.Thechildrenofdepressedwomendidnotdoaswellintestsasthechildrenofwomenwhodidnotsufferfromdepression.Thechildrenofdepressedwomendidpoorlyintestsoflanguageskillsandunderstandingwhattheyhear.Thesechildrenalsowerelesscooperativeandhadmoreproblemsdealingwithotherpeople.Theresearchersnotedthatthesensitivityofthemotherswasimportanttotheintelligencedevelopmentoftheirchildren.Childrendidbetterwhentheirmotherswerecaring,evenwhentheysufferedfromdepression.1、Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingisNOTthefactorthatinfluencesintelligencedevelopmentinbabies?A．Theenvironment.B．TheirpeersC．Mother’ssensitivityD．Educationbeforebirth2、Whatisthepurposeoftheexperimentinwhichnewbornbabiesheardthestories?A．ToprovethatbabiescanlearnonthefirstdaytheyarebornB．ToshowmotherscanstronglyinfluenceintelligencedevelopmentintheirbabiesC．Toindicateearlyeducationhasadeepeffectonthebabies’languageskillsD．Toprovethatbabiescanlearnbeforetheyareborn3、Whichgroupofchildrendidtheworstintestsoflanguageskills?A．ThechildrenofwomenwhodidnotsufferfromdepressionB．ThechildrenofdepressedbutcaringmothersC．ThechildrenofdepressedmotherswhocaredlittlefortheirchildrenD．Childrenwithhighcommunicationabilities4、Whatisthemainideaofthepassage?A．ScientificfindingsabouthowintelligencedevelopsinbabiesB．ScientificfindingsabouthowbabiesdevelopbeforebirthC．Scientificfindingsabouthowtimehasaneffectonbabies’intelligenceD．Astudyshowsbabiesarenotabletolearnthingsuntiltheyarefiveorsixmonthsold24．（8分）In2018towhichwe'vejustsaidgoodbye,we'veseenexcellentmoviessuchasBlackPanther,CrazyRichAsiansandAStarIsBorn.In2019therewillbereturnstoclassicmoviecharactersandstories.Herearemoviesnottomiss.Spider-Man-.FarH0-July5,USTomHolland,theactorof2017'sSpider-Man:Homecoming,returnstoplayPeterParker,ahighschoolstudentwhogainssuperpowersafterbeingbittenbyaspider(蜘蛛).Whenweseehimagainintheaters,Spider–Manwillhaveanewred-and–blacksuit.ThemoviewilltakePeteronaglobaladventureoutsideoftheUS.AccordingtoMarvedStudiosPresidentKevinFeige,Spider-Manwilltryareturntohis“normal"self;hewilltrytofindhisoldpowersonhisnewjourney.HobbsandShaw,July26,USTomostpeopletheFastandFuriousseriesisallaboutcrazydriversracinginsportscar.ButinHobbsandShaw,humorisaddedtotheaction-packedthrills.ThenewfilmwillhitUStheatersonJuly26.FamousEnglishactorJasonStathamwillstaralongsideDwayneJohnson,“TheRock”,asDeckaidShawandLukeHobbsrespectively,asintheirpreviousappearancesinFastandFurious8.Theactionandchemistryreallythrilltheiraudience.ButthenewactionscenesbetweenanMI6agentHobbsandthekillerShawwillhavetobegoodtobeattheirstand-offinthe2017movie.TheLionKing,July19,USThisisabrand-newversionoftheclassicchildren’sfilm.Thestoryofwide-eyedyounglionSimbastillremainsinheartsofworldaudiencesevenafter25years.Inthisre-telling,SimbaagainbeginsthedifficultjourneytobecometheKingofthePrideLands，avastAfricanprairie(大草原).ThefavoritepartofthestoryformanyhasalwaysbeenthefriendshipbetweenSimba,TimonandPunibaa.ThelasttwosacrificealltheyhavetohelpSimbatobecometheking.Howwillthenewmoviere-imaginetheirfamousrelationship?1、Whichmoviewillprobablybemostpopularamongchildren?A．Spider-Man:FarFromHome. B．HobbsandShaw.C．FastandFurious8. D．TheLionKing.2、Whatdothethreemovieshaveincommon?A．Theheroeshaveappearedinpreviousmovies.B．Theyhavethecomplexplotandhumorstyle.C．TheywillbeonintheatersinJulyworldwide.D．Famousactorsandactressesactinthemovies.3、What’sthewritingpurposeofthetext?A．Toaskformoviereviews.B．Tomakecommentsonthemovies.C．ToencouragereaderstowatchfilmsD．Toinstructreaderstoknowstylesofmovie.25．（10分）Wehumanslovetostareintooursmartdevices.Wegazeforhours—about10hoursand1minutesaday—atourcomputers，smartphones，tabletsandtelevisions.Isallthisstaringbadforus?Itmightbe，mainlybecauseaswestareatourdevicesweareexposingourselvestobluelight.Bluelightisatypeofelectromagneticradiationwithaveryshortwavelengththatproducesahighamountofenergy.Whileit'struethatlightcandamageoureyesundercertaincircumstances，there'snoscientificevidencesuggestingthatbluelightisharmfultooureyes.Butmanypeoplestillthinkitis，whichiswhybluelight—blockingglassesaresopopular.Sodotheglasseswork?“Everyoneisveryconcernedthatbluelightmaybecausingdamagetotheeye，butthere'snoevidencethatitmaybecausingseriousdamage，”Dr.RahulKhurana，clinicalspokesmanfortheAmericanAcademyofOphthalmologists，toldBusinessInsider.Bluelightexposureisnothingnew.Infact，thesunisthelargestsourceofbluelight.Moreover，bluelightisalsopresentinLEDlight.Butifbluelightisn'tharmful，thenwhyareweconstantlyrubbingoureyeswhenwe’relookingatourscreens?Theansweriseyestrain(眼疲劳):Morethan60percentofpeopleexperienceeyeproblemsassociatedwithdigitaleyestrain.Andbluelight，itseems，isn'tthecause.Instead，oureyesaresostrainedbecausemostofusblinklesswhenwestareatourdigitaldevices.Soifeyestrainistherealissue，bluelight-blockingglassesareprobablyoflittleuse.1、Whatdoweknowaboutbluelight?A．Itisakindofnuclearradiation.B．Ithastheshortestwavelength.C．Itmaycomefromelectronicdevices.D．Itconsumesagreatdealofenergy.2、Whatcausesthepopularityofbluelight-blockingglasses?A．Evidenceoftheirbenefitstoeyes.B．Beliefinbluelight'sharmfuleffect.C．Widespreaduseofsmartdevices.D．Scientificunderstandingofbluelight.3、WhatcanbeinferredfromParagraph4?A．Bluelightexposureishardlyavoidable.B．Eyeproblemsarenoteasytodealwith.C．Blue1ightmayconnectwithtiredeyes.D．Rubbingeyesmakespeoplestrained.4、Accordingtothetext，wearingbluelight-blockingglassesmaybe_______.A．tiring B．harmful C．useless D．beneficial第三部分语言知识运用（共两节）第一节（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A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项．26．（30分）Asdarknessfell,hundredsofpeopleintheSwissvillagelefttheirhouses.Theywerestaring36atthemountaintopinthedistance.Itwascoveredwith37,beautifulanddangerous.ThehugemountainiscalledMatterhorn.Mountainclimbershad38thetop,usingthesouthernroute.Butnoonehadeverdaredtotryawinterclimbingupthe39side.Butnowonemanwasdaringtotrythe40route.HewasWalterBonatti,agreatmountainclimberfromItaly.Fortwodayshehadclimbed.Thevillagepeoplehadwatchedhim41.Nowtheywerewaitingtoseehis42.Ifheplannedto43thenextday,hewouldlightagreensignal.Aredlightwouldmeanthathewas44.Atinygreenlight45highonthemountainside.Bonattiwasnotgivingup!Thepeople46.Thenextdayhe47hiswayupward.Hewassolonelyandsotired!Buthewouldnotgiveup.Againthatnighthelitthe48light.Inthemorning,Bonattilookedup.Hecouldnotseethetop,butheknewhewas49there.50theclimbwaspainful,hemovedup.Bonattihadspentmonths51fortheclimb.Wasthetrainingenough?Didhehavethestrengthand52toclimbtothetop?Hewasfinallyatthetop!Newsabouthis53wasradioedtotheworld.Thetripdownthesouthern54waseasy.Hewaswarmlywelcomedinthevillage.Hehaddonethe"55",andwouldbewellrememberedasaclimberofalltime.1、..A．up B．down C．back D．forward2、..A．greentrees B．flowers

C．rocks D．iceandsnow3、.A．passed B．reached C．climbed

D．watched

4、.A．eastern B．western C．northern D．southern

5、.A．different B．difficult C．easy D．same

6、.A．anxiously B．carefully C．patiently D．eagerly7、.A．signal B．flag

C．face D．figure8、.A．godown B．comeback C．goon D．giveup9、.A．turningaround B．turningback C．movingup D．indanger

10、.A．raised B．rose C．disappeared

D．appeared11、.A．cheered B．shouted C．laughed D．jumped12、.A．stopped B．abandoned C．continued D．ended

13、.A．green B．yellow C．blue D．red

14、.A．already B．surely C．almost D．nolonger15、.A．Because

B．Though C．Since D．When16、.A．asking

B．planning C．preparing D．training17、..A．money B．wish C．effort D．skill18、.A．victory

B．climb C．courage

D．thing

19、..A．pace

B．route

C．path D．passage20、..A．necessaryB．great

C．important

D．impossible

第二节（每小题1.5分，满分15分）阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。27．（15分）WhenIwasyoungIhatedlanguages.Mydadspokeseveralandwasambitiousforme.Itwasnotuntilmy1．(graduate)fromhighschool2．Iconsideredlearning3．secondlanguage—Spanish.Iwasworkinginaschoolfordisabledchildreninaclassofsix.Onlytwochildrencouldspeak,butIrealized4．(gradual)thateverychildcouldcommunicate.Someofthemusedphysicalsignsandmovements5．(express)themselves.Othersusedtheirvoices—theymadenoiseswhichchangeddepending6．howtheyfelt.Theyeven“talked”toeachother,7．(have)argumentsandfriendlychatslikeanyoneelse.Everychildinthatroomhadlikesanddislikes,desiresandfears8．theycommunicatedeveryday,withoutsayingasinglesentence.Astimewenton,IlearnednotonlySpanishbutthelanguageofeveryoneofthechildrenIcaredfor.Ihadbeenmakingexcusesfornottryingalltheseyearsandhere9．(be)agroupofdisabledchildrenshowingmehowimportantcommunicationreallyis.Itmademewanttochallenge10．(I)andreallylearnSpanish.第四部分写作（共两节）第一节短文改错（满分10分）28．（10分）假如英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌的以下作文，文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加，删除或修改。增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(/\),并在其下面写出该加的词。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。Myfirsttriptothezoowasyearsbeforeduringanelementaryschoolfieldtrip.ItisanactivityIstillrememberedtothisday.ItwasforthefirsttimethatIhadfoundmesoclosetoanimalsliketigersandlions.Iwouldsaythatthetripwaswortheveryminuteoftimespending.However,somefeelthatanimalsshouldnotbekeptincages,andshouldratherbeletoutinthewild.Theythinkkeepinganimalincagesshowsthecruelofhumanbeings.AsfarasIconcerned,withoutzoos,manyofuswouldneverhavethechancetoseehowatigerorlionreallylookslike.第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）假定你是李华，马上就要填报高考志愿（applyforadmissionintoauniversity）了，你的外教Adam发邮件向你询问相关情况。请你回复邮件，内容包括：1.你打算申请的专业；2.选择本专业的原因；3.希望得到专业选择方面的指导。注意：1.词数100左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

参考答案第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1、A2、B3、B4、C5、A6、C7、A8、C9、A10、D11、B12、C13、C14、A15、B16、C17、A18、B19、A20、D第二部分阅读理解（满分40分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。21、1、C2、B3、D4、A22、Manyteensinhighschoolwanttotryoutforsports.Alotofthemtryoutbecausetheythinkitwillmakethempopularorgetthemmoredates.Whilethismayseemlikeasillyreason,therearelotsofotherbenefitstosportsthatyourchildrenmayfailtonotice.WithTV,movies,computersandvideogamesbecomingmoreandmorepopular,ithasbecomesomucheasierforteenstobebythemselvesratherthangoingoutwithfriends.Kidsusedtogohangoutatthemallordrivearoundtown;nowtheyjustsitathome.Gettingyourteensintoasportgivesthemachancetogooutandspendtimewithotherpeoplesocially.Whiletheymaynotfindanewbestfriend,theywilllearnhowtocommunicatewithoneanotherandworkasateamandthey’llfindsomethingusefullaterinlife.Moreandmorekidsarebecomingoverweight.Joiningateamsportwillhelpteensgetoutandgetsomeexercisewithoutfeelingpressuredtoloseweightorgetinshape.What’smore,ifyourteensseethattheirphysicalconditioniscausingthemtounder-perform,theymaybeencouragedtodootheractivitiestogethealthy.Bythetimeyourchildrenreachtheirteenageryear,partofgoodparentingwillbeprovidingthemwithdirectionandencouragementandcontinuingtohelpthemdevelopahealthystyleofliving.Thesedays,it’sbecomingharderto