本溪市重点中学2025届高三英语第一学期期末复习检测模拟试题含解析

本溪市重点中学2025届高三英语第一学期期末复习检测模拟试题注意事项：1．答题前，考生先将自己的姓名、准考证号填写清楚，将条形码准确粘贴在考生信息条形码粘贴区。2．选择题必须使用2B铅笔填涂；非选择题必须使用0．5毫米黑色字迹的签字笔书写，字体工整、笔迹清楚。3．请按照题号顺序在各题目的答题区域内作答，超出答题区域书写的答案无效；在草稿纸、试题卷上答题无效。4．保持卡面清洁，不要折叠，不要弄破、弄皱，不准使用涂改液、修正带、刮纸刀。第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1．Amotherrecognizesthefeelofherchild’sskinwhenblindfolded._________,shecaninstantlyidentifyherbaby’scry.A．SimilarlyB．MeanwhileC．NeverthelessD．Accordingly2．Nowadays,theInternetisapopular________forthepublictoaccessinformationandvoicetheiropinions.A．track B．trendC．channel D．lane3．Roberthadacomfortablechildhood,______upinapleasanthousewithaviewofthesea.A．grew B．growingC．grown D．togrow4．Ithinkthatthisisthebestmobilephoneavailableintheworld.Nootheronecan________it.A．compare B．match C．produce D．win5．Jennynearlymissedtheflight_________________doingtoomuchshopping.A．asaresultof B．ontopofC．infrontof D．inneedof6．—Iwasintendedtototheconcertwithyouthisweekend,butIcan’tnow.—______.A．Bad B．That’srightC．Notatall D．You’rewelcome7．Salesdirectorisaposition_______communicationabilityisjustasimportantassaleskills.A．which B．thatC．when D．where8．—Whatdoyouthinkofyourpreparationsforthefinalexams?—Notsogood.ActuallyIfeellike______forI’vemadelittleprogressinMaths.A．Danielinthelion’sden B．Achilles’heelC．agoodSamaritan D．asacredcow9．—Amazingly,I’vemanagedtostartmyownshoponline!—________Itoldyouitwaseasy.A．Thereyouare! B．Believeitornot.C．Howcome? D．Yougotmethere!10．—Bobsayshewilldrawlessonsfromhisfailureandcontinuetotry.—I’mdelightedthathe________takethatview.A．willB．mayC．shouldD．could11．--Hello，________________--Oh，sorry.I'vegotthewrongnumber.A．Dr.Brown'soffice. B．Who'sthatspeaking？C．CanIhelpyou？ D．IsthatDr.Brown？12．Marywaspleasedtoseethattheseedsshe______inthegardenweregrowing.A．wasplantingB．hasplantedC．wouldplantD．hadplanted13．Ifhe________histeacher’ssuggestion,hewouldhavewontheEnglishSpeechContest.A．hadfollowed B．shouldfollowC．wastofollow D．followed14．Inviewofrapidlyagingpopulation,thesecond-childpolicyatthestartof2016.A．isadoptedB．wasadoptedC．hasbeenadoptedD．wasbeingadopted15．The114colorfulclayWarriors____atNo.1pit,______inheightfrom1.8mto2m,haveblackhair,green,whiteorpinkfaces,andblackorbrowneyes.A．unearthed;rangingB．unearthing;rangingC．unearthed;rangedD．areunearthed;areranging16．ThoughthestoryofLiYunlongintheTVdrama“BrightSword”isafiction,muchof__________happenedishistoricallytrue.A．that B．what C．which D．it17．Theexpertpointsoutthephenomenonthatcreamgoesbadfasterthanbutter______itsstructureratherthanitschemicalcomposition.A．livesupto B．getsdowntoC．comesdownto D．standsupto18．Iwascaughtinatrafficjamforoveranhour,otherwise,I________youwaitingforsuchalongtime.A．hadnotkept B．willnotkeepC．wouldnothavekept D．havenotkept19．Julieisoneofthosewomenwhoalwaysthelatestfashion.A．putupwith B．keepupwith C．comeupwith D．getonwith20．Thiswasreturnedbecausetheperson________thisletterwasaddressedhaddiedthreeyearsago.A．towhom B．towhichC．which D．whom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）Theyear2114willbeaneventfuloneforart.InMayofthatyearinBerlin,thephilosopher-artistJonathonKeats’“centurycameras”–cameraswitha100-year-longexposure(曝光）time–willbebroughtbackfromhidingplacesaroundthecitytohavetheirresultsdevelopedandexhibited.Sixmonthsafterthat,theFutureLibraryinOslo,Norway,willopenitsdoorsforthefirsttime,presenting100booksprintedonthewoodoftreesplantedinthedistantpastof2014.AsKatiePaterson,thecreatoroftheFutureLibrary,putsit:“FutureLibraryisanartworkforfuturegenerations.”Theseprojects,morethanacenturyinthemaking,arepartofanewwaveof“slowart”intendedtopushviewersandparticipantstothinkbeyondtheirownlifetimes.Theyaimtochallengetoday’sshort-termthinkingandthebriefattentionspansofmodernconsumers,forcingpeopleintoconsideringworksmoredeliberately.Intheirway,too,theyarefightingagainstmodernculture–notjustregardingmoney,butalsothewayinwhichartisticworthismeasuredbyattention.Inasimilarfashion,everyAprilonSlowArtDay,visitorsareencouragedtostareatfiveworksofartfor10minutesatatime–atoughtaskfortheaveragemuseumvisitor,whotypicallyspendslessthan30secondsoneachpieceofart.LiketheFutureLibrary,thecenturycamerasareverymuchaprojectforcities,sinceit’sincitiesthattimerunsfastestandthepaceoflifeisfastest.“SinceIstartedlivinginacity,I’vesomehowbeenquitedisconnected,”AnneBeateHovind,theFutureLibraryprojectmanager,whodescribedhowworkingonthelibrarydrewherbacktothepaceoflifesheknewwhenshewasgrowinguponafarminheryouth,toldTheAtlanticmagazine.1、Accordingtothefirstparagraph,whatwillNOThappenin2114?A．Acamerawhichwasproduced100yearsagowillbeexhibited.B．TheFutureLibrarywillbeopentothepublicforthefirsttime.C．Photoswitha100-yearexposuretimewillbedevelopedandexhibited.D．Booksprintedonthewoodoftreesplantedin2014willbedisplayed.2、Whatcanwelearnabouttoday’speople’sattitudetowardworksofart?A．Theyconsiderworksdeliberately.B．Theyspendlittletimeonworks.C．Theyspendmuchmoneyonworks.D．Theystareatworksfor10minutesatatime.3、Whatisthepurposeofthewaveofslowart?A．Toadvocatecreatingworksofartslowly.B．Toprotectworksofartfrombeingdamaged.C．Topromoteworksofartformodernculture.D．Toencouragepeopletoconsiderworksmoredeliberately.4、HowwouldAnneBeateHovindfeelaboutthecitylife?A．It’sdiscouraging.B．It’sawful.C．It’sdeveloped.D．It’sbusy.22．（8分）DepressionandsuicidalthoughtshavedoubledinyoungAmericans,accordingtoanewstudyfromtheAmericanPsychologicalAssociation.Likelytriggers?Cellphonesandsocialmedia.“MoreUSadolescentsandyoungadultsinthelate2010s,vsthemid-2000s,experiencedseriouspsychologicaldistress,majordepressionandmoreattemptedsuicide(自杀)”,saysleadresearcherJeanTwenge,professorofpsychologyatSanDiegoStateUniversity.“Thesetrendsareweakornon-existentamongadults26yearsandover,suggestingagenerationalshiftinmooddisordersinsteadofanoverallincreaseacrossallages.”Twengebelievesthistrendispartiallyduetotheexplosionofdigitalcultureoverthepastdecade,whichmayhavetwistedmodesofsocialinteractionenoughtoaffectmooddisorders.ThestudyanalyzeddatafromtheNationalSurveyonDrugUseandHealth,whichtrackeddrugandalcoholuseandmentalhealthissuesinmorethan200,000youthsaged12to3from2005to203andalmost400,000adultsfrom2008to203.Majordepressioninthelast12monthsincreasedby52percentinkidsfrom2005to203and63percentinyoungadultsaged4to25from2009to203.Therewasalsoa71percentjumpinyoungadultsexperiencingseriouspsychologicaldistressintheprevious30daysfrom2008to203.Sowhat’ssodifferentnow?Twengesaysresearchshowsyoungpeoplejustaren’tgettingasmuchshuteyeastheydidinpreviousgenerations.WhereasolderAmericansmighthaveestablishedmorestabilityintheirlives,sleep-disruptingsocialstressorsarelikelyattheirpeakforteensandyoungadultsinthisdigitalera,shesays.Olderadultsarealsolesslikelytoletdevicesinterfere(干预)withsleep.Theseresultssuggestaneedformoreresearchtounderstandhowdigitalcommunicationversusface-to-facesocialinteractioninfluencesmooddisordersandtodevelopspecializedinterventionsforyoungeragegroups.Hersuggestion?Putyourphonedownatleastanhourbeforebedtime.1、HowisParagraph6developed?A．Bystatingfacts. B．Bygivingexamples.C．Byprovidingstatistics. D．Bypresentingtheories.2、WhatmightProfessorTwengeagreewith?A．Mooddisordersshownodifferenceacrossallages.B．Teensarelesslikelytoletdevicesinterferewithsleep.C．Digitalculturalexplosionmightcausedepressioninteens.D．Thepastdecadehasseenasharpdecreaseinteensmentaldisorders.3、Whatdotheunderlinedwords“socialstressors”inPara8mean?A．Interactionmodes. B．Mentalhealthissues.C．Drugandalcoholuse. D．Cellphonesandsocialmedia.4、Fromwhichisthetextprobablytaken?A．Abiologytextbook. B．Asciencemagazine.C．Atravelguidebook. D．Amedicalcase.23．（8分）Untilrecently,voicecloning—orvoicebanking,asitwasthenknown—wasacustomizedindustrywhichservedthoseatriskoflosingthepowerofspeechtocancerorsurgery.Synthesizing（合成）avoicewasalongandexpensiveprocess.Itmeantrecordingmanyphrases,eachspokenmanytimes,withdifferentthehistoryoftheKidPassblogemotionalemphase（s重音）andindifferentcontexts(statement,question,commandandsoforth),inordertothetipsonwritinggoodarticlesonlinecoverallpossiblepronunciations.Notanymore.Softwareexiststhatcanstorepiecesofrecordedspeechwhichismerelyfivemillisecondslong,eachmarkedwithaprecisepitch（音高）.Thesecanbeputtogethertomakenewwords,andadjustedindividuallysothattheyfitharmoniouslyintotheirnewsonichomes.Thisismuchcheaperthanconventionalvoicebanking,andpermitsnovelusestobedeveloped.ThisyearVivoTextplanstoreleaseanappthatletsusersselecttheemphasis,speedandlevelofhappinessorsadnesswithwhichindividualwordsandphrasesareproduced.Mr.Silbertreferstotheemotivequalityofthehumanvoiceas“theultimateinstrument”.Yetthispoweralsotroubleshim.VivoTextlicensesitssoftwaretoHasbro,anAmericantoymakerkeentosellincreasinglyinteractiveplaythings.Hasbroisaware,Mr.Silbertnotes,thatwithoutsafeguardsanaughtychildmight,forexample,typeimpolitewordsonhismother’ssmartphoneinordertoseeayoungersiblingburstintotearsonhearingthemspokenbyatoyusingmum’svoice.Moretroubling,whentestedagainstvoice-biometricssoftwarelikethatusedbymanybankstoblockunauthorizedaccesstoaccounts,morethan80%ofthefakevoicestrickedthecomputer.AlanBlack,oneofFestvox’sdevelopers,thinkssystemsthatrelyonvoice-IDsoftwarearenow“deeply,fundamentallyinsecure”.Dr.Saxenaandhiscolleaguesaskedvolunteersifavoicesamplebelongedtoapersonwhoserealspeechtheyhadjustlistenedtoforabout90seconds.Thevolunteersrecognizedclonedspeechassuchonlyhalfthetime(ie,nobetterthanchance).Theoutcome,accordingtoGeorgePapcun,anexpertwitnesspaidtodetectfakerecordingsproducedasevidenceincourt,istheappearanceofatechnologywith“enormouspotentialvaluefordisinformation”.Asmightbeexpected,countermeasurestorecognizesuchdeception（欺骗）arebeingdeveloped.NuanceCommunications,amakerofvoice-activatedsoftware,isworkingonalgorithms（算法）thatdetecttinyskipsinfrequencyatthepointswhereslicesofspeecharestucktogether.Adobe,bestknownasthemarkerofPhotoshop,animage-editingsoftwaresuite,saysthatitmayadddigitalwatermarkstospeechsynthesizedbyavoice-cloningsoftwarecalledVoCoitisdeveloping.Suchtechnologymayhelpcomputersrecognizesuspiciousspeech.Evenso,itiseasytoimaginethechaosthatmightbecreatedinaworldwhichmakesiteasytoputauthentic-soundingwordsintothemouthsofopponents—betheycolleaguesorheadsofstate.1、Paragraphs1and2aremainlyabout.A．significantelementsinfluencingvoicecloningB．possibleapplicationsofvoicecloninginrealityC．complexitiesofcreatingasyntheticcopyofavoiceD．differencesbetweentraditionalandexistingvoicebanking2、What’sHasbro’sattitudetowardsVivoTest’snewapp?A．Optimistic.B．Conservative.C．Unconcerned.D．Subjective.3、TheexperimentcarriedoutbyDr.Saxenaandhiscolleaguesshowsthatvolunteers.A．identifiedclonedspeechinabout45secondsB．preferredarealspeechtoavoicesampleC．provedonlyalittlehardertofoolthansoftwareD．foundithardtousethesoftwaretorecordtheirvoices4、Whatcanweinferfromthelastparagraph?A．Investmentsshouldbeincreasedtoadvancevoicecloning.B．Long-termmeasuresshouldbetakentopopularizetheideaofvoicecloning.C．Disagreementsamongfirmsaboutthewaytotreatvoicecloningaregettingserious.D．Problemsofvoicecloningareunavoidabledespitetheeffortsthathavebeenmade.24．（8分）Themosttypicaldefinitionofsuccessis“theaccomplishmentofanaimorpurpose”orwhatmostofushaveheard:“theattainmentofpopularityorprofit.”ButisSuccessreallydefinedbypurposesorprofit?Aftergraduatingfromhighschool,myfamilyadvisedmetoaimtobuildasuccessfulcareer.Myoptionswerenarroweddowntobecomingadoctororchoosingafieldinengineering.SoIgraduatedwithachemicalengineeringdegree.Iwasadvisedtoaimforgraduatestudies,andinlessthantwoyears,IhadahighlyspecializeddegreeinplasticsengineeringfromoneofthemostreputableuniversitiesintheU.S.ThenIfoundacorporatejob,performedwellintheorganization,climbeduptheladder,andmadeabiggerpaychequewitheverynewtitle.Myproudparentstoldmystorytotherestofthefamilyandfriendsasa“success”story.Nomatterwhereweliveintheworld,weallhaveourownversionsofsuccess.Ourfamiliestakeprideintellingtheworldhowsuccessfulweareinourprofession,andoftentheonlymeasureofthatsuccessbecomesthefinancialwealthweaccumulate.Inaworldwhereeverythingisreflectedbynumbers—thelikesonFacebook,thenumberofviewsonYouTube,etc.—everyaspectofourlifeisbeingtakenoverbynumbers.Weareconditionedtobelievethatthestrongeryourfinancialstanding,thehigheryourankonthesuccesschart.Butrememberthewords,“aim”or“purpose,”inthedefinitionofsuccess.AltruisticfiguressuchasMotherTeresa,MahatmaGandhiandMartinLutherKingJr.alsolivedsuccessfullivesbuthadselflessconcernoverthewell-beingofothers.Whiletherestoftheworldfocusedonaccumulatingwealth,theyfocusedongiving,doing,andcreatingforeveryoneelse.Wealthaloneneverwillbethemeasureofsuccess.Thinkbeyondprofits.NopromotionorpayraiseIeverreceivedinmyprofessionalcareerwasbecauseofmydeepdesiretoobtainabettertitleorhigherpay;instead,itwasbasedontheexcellenceIcreatedintheexperienceourcustomershadwiththeorganization.1、Whatdoyouknowabouttheauthor?A．Hehasliveduptohisfamily’sexpectations.B．Heaskshisparentsforadviceoneverything.C．Hedoesn’tlikehisjobthoughheiswellpaid.D．Hewantedtobeadoctorbutbecameachemicalengineer.2、What’sthecommonawarenessofsuccessaroundtheworld?A．Socialconnections.B．Contributionstosociety.C．Theaccumulationoffinancialwealth.D．Theaccomplishmentofpersonaldreams.3、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“Altruistic”inParagraph3mean?A．Ofabundantwealth.B．Offewachievements.C．Devotedtoothers’welfare.D．Focusedonpersonalwell-being.4、Whatinspirationcanbedrawnfromtheauthor’sworkingexperience?A．Changejobsfrequentlyforhigherpay.B．Aimatprovidingqualityserviceatwork.C．Takeeverychancetogetpromotion.D．Focusonmakingprofitsfromthecustomers.5、What’stheauthor’spurposeinwritingthispassage?A．Toexplorethetruemeaningofsuccess.B．Toexpresshisinnervoicestohisparents.C．Toacknowledgethehelphehasreceivedinhislife.D．Tosharehispersonalexperienceforothers’reference.25．（10分）MyBestEnemyOnceagain,Iwasinanewschool.SowasagirlinmyclassnamedLisa.Thatwaswherethesimilaritiesended.Iwastallandshewassmall.Mythickblackhairhadbeenrecentlycutshortintoanuntidystyle.Hernaturalblondehairflowedtoherwaistandlookedgreat.Iwas12andoneoftheoldestintheclasswhileshewas11andtheyoungest.Iwasawkwardandshy.Shewasn’t.Icouldn’tstandher,consideringhermyenemy.Butshelikedmeandwantedtomakefriendswithme.Oneday,sheinvitedmeoverandIsaidyes---Iwastooshockedtoansweranyotherway.Myfamilyhadmovedsixtimesinsixyears,andIhadnevermanagedtodevelopanyfriendships.Butthisgirlwhoworethelatestfashionswantedmetogohomewithherafterschool.Shelivedinafunpartoftownthathadtwopizzaplaces,anall-nightbookstore,amovietheaterandapark.Aswewalkedfromtheschoolbusstopthroughherneighborhood,triedtoguesswhichhousemightbehers.Wasitthewhiteonewiththeperfectlawnorthethree-storyhousewithafrontporch?Igotverysurprisedwhensheledmeintoanoldapartmentbuilding.Shelivedonthefourthfloorinatwo-roomplacewithhermother,herstepfather,hertwobrothersandhersister.Whenwegotintotheroomshesharedwithhersister,shetookoutabigcaseofBarbies,whichwasmynextsurprise.Ihadneverplayedwiththem.Wesatonthefloor,laughingaswemadeupcrazystoriesabouttheBarbies.Wefoundoutthatwebothwantedtobewriterswhenwewereolderandbothhadwildimaginations.Wehadagreattimethatafternoon.Lisawaslovedbythewholeneighborhood.Thebookstoreownerlentherfashionmagazines;themovietheatergaveherfreetickets...SoonIwasincludedinhermagicworld.Wesleptoverateachother’shousesandspenteveryfreemomenttogether.Lisa,myfirstrealfriendsincechildhood,helpedmegetthroughtheroughyearsofearlyadolescence(青春期)andtaughtmeanamazingthingaboutmakingfriends:yourworstenemycanturnouttobeyourbestfriend.1、InthepassagethewriterdescribedLisaasagir1whowas.A．awkwardandshyB．noisyandproudC．quietandlonelyD．fashionableandfriendly2、WhatdidthewriterlearnfromLisa?A．Howtoturntoherneighborhood.B．Howtodressandlookfashionable.C．Howtobecomeagoodwriter.D．Howtomakefriends.3、Fromthepassage,wecanseethatthroughherfriendshipwithLisa,thewriter.A．foundsheandLisahadalotincommonB．wasabletofitinathernewschoolwithLisa’shelpC．wasnotsoawkwardorshyasbeforeD．learnedmoreaboutfashionherself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）John’sparentsacquiredthewasherwhenhewasasmallboy.IthappenedduringWorldWarⅡ.Hisfamilynever1awashingmachineand,sincegasolinewasexpensive,theycouldnot2tripstothelaundryseveralmilesaway.Keepingclothes3becameaproblemforyoungJohn’shousehold.Afamilyfriendjoinedthearmy,andhiswife4togowithhim.John’sfamily5tostoretheirfurniturewhiletheywereaway.Tothefamily’s6,thefriendsuggestedtheyusetheirBendix.Sothisishowthey7thewasher.YoungJohnhelpedwiththewashing,andacrosstheyearshe8alovefortheold,greenBendix.But9thewarended.Whenthefriendscametotakeitback,Johngrewterribly10.Hismother11himandsaid.“Youmustremember,thatmachine12belongedtousinthefirstplace.Thatweevergottouseitatallwasagift.So,insteadofbeingmadatitbeingtaken13,let’susethis14tobegratefulthatwehaditatall.”Thelessonturnedout15.Yearslater,Johnwatchedhiseight-year-olddaughterdieaslowandpainfuldeathofleukemia(白血病).Thoughhe16formonthswithherdeath,Johncouldnotbegingettingoverfromthe17untilherememberedtheoldBendix.Hisdaughterwasa18.Whenherealizedthesimplefact,everythingchanged.Hecouldnowbeginrecoveringfromthedeathofhisdaughter.Hestartedtoseeherasamarvelousgiftthathewasfortunateenoughto19foratime.Hefelt20.Hefoundstrengthandrecovery.Heknewhecouldgetthroughthevalleyofloss.1、A．required B．repaired C．saw D．owned2、A．afford B．take C．have D．ride3、A．warm B．nice C．clean D．good4、A．agreed B．prepared C．managed D．desired5、A．decided B．offered C．expected D．promised6、A．astonishment B．disappointment C．sadness D．regret7、A．bought B．got C．borrowed D．used8、A．achieved B．reduced C．produced D．developed9、A．obviously B．finally C．immediately D．peacefully10、A．upset B．frightened C．hopeless D．confused11、A．explained B．encouraged C．comforted D．taught12、A．once B．already C．never D．hardly13、A．out B．down C．up D．away14、A．success B．event C．treasure D．chance15、A．invaluable B．important C．necessary D．reasonable16、A．thought B．struggled C．missed D．forgot17、A．lesson B．illness C．loss D．difficulty18、A．gift B．washer C．death D．loser19、A．spend B．live C．share D．earn20、A．grateful B．energetic C．relaxed D．happy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）Markwaswalkinghomefromschooloneday1．henoticedthattheboyaheadofhimhadtrippedand2．(drop)allofthebookshewascarrying.Markkneltdownandhelpedtheboypickupthescattered3．(article).Sincetheyweregoingthesame

way,hehelpedtocarrypartoftheburden.Astheywalked,Markdiscoveredtheboy'snamewasBill,and4．helovedvideogames,baseball,historyandsoon.

TheyarrivedatBill'shomefirstandMark5．(invite)inforaCokeandtowatchsometelevision.Theafternoonpassed6．(pleasant)withafewlaughsandsome7．(share)smalltalks,andthenMarkwenthome.8．continuedtoseeeachotheraroundschool,hadlunchtogetheronceortwice,andthenbothgraduatedfromjuniorhighschool.Theyendedup9．thesamehighschool10．theykeptregularcontactsovertheyears.第四部分写作（共两节）第一节短文改错（满分10分）28．（10分）假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文,请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误,每句中最多有两处。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限一词;2、只允许修改10处,多者（从第11处起）不计分。Graduatedattheageof90fromtheUniversityofBuckinghammightinvoke(引起)theexpressionof"latesaner,butsoathingistheresultofalongprocess、Ileftoutschoolat14in1935、MyhighereducationformalbeganwhenIwasinmy60s,asIhadnothadaopportunitytostudybeforemyretire