2025屆山東省名校高三第五次模擬考試英語(yǔ)試卷含解析

2025屆山東省名校高三第五次模擬考試英語(yǔ)試卷請(qǐng)考生注意：1．請(qǐng)用2B鉛筆將選擇題答案涂填在答題紙相應(yīng)位置上，請(qǐng)用0．5毫米及以上黑色字跡的鋼筆或簽字筆將主觀題的答案寫在答題紙相應(yīng)的答題區(qū)內(nèi)。寫在試題卷、草稿紙上均無(wú)效。2．答題前，認(rèn)真閱讀答題紙上的《注意事項(xiàng)》，按規(guī)定答題。第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1．---Theyarequiet,aren’tthey?---yes.Theyareaccustomed____atmeals.A．totalking B．tonottalking C．tonottalk D．totalk2．Themonitorsaidthatthelearningmethodheusedimprovedhismaths.A．greatly B．nearly C．normally D．seriously3．Itwassonoisythatwehearourselvesspeak.A．couldn’t B．shouldn’tC．mustn’t D．needn’t4．Wechatintendstoradicallychangetheway______peopleusemobilephones.A．/ B．which C．why D．who5．Goingoutis__________goodmeansofrelaxation.Wouldyouliketogoto______parkwithmeintheafternoon?A．the;the B．the;a C．a(chǎn);the D．/；a6．---Hello,Tom.ThisisMaryspeaking.---Whatacoincidence!I_________aboutyou.A．justthought B．wasjustthinkingC．havejustthought D．wouldjustthink7．Wehavenoideawhatairwewillbebreathinginthefutureifweanythingtostophazyweather.A．hadn’tdoneB．didn’tdoC．haven’tdoneD．don’tdo8．—I'mgoingtoorderchickenandsalad．Whataboutyou?—.I'llhavethesame. A．I'mafraidnot B．It'suptoyou C．Thatsoundsgoodtome． D．Thatdepends9．Inrecentyears,ChineseartshavewontheofalotofpeopleoutsideChina.A．reputationB．enjoymentC．a(chǎn)ppreciationD．entertainment10．Amythisanaccountofthedeedsofagodorsupernaturalbeings,usuallyexpressedintermsof______thought.A．primary B．capital C．initial D．primitive11．Theengineeristhoughttobecapableandmodest,sohispromotiontomanagerisapopular_____.A．a(chǎn)chievement B．a(chǎn)ppointment C．commitment D．employment12．Idon’tmindhercriticizingme,but___ishowshedoesitthatIobjectto.A．it B．thatC．this D．which13．Aftershebecameill,Ifelt______withher—shewascheerywhileIfeltgloomy.A．outoftune B．outofbreath C．outofcuriosity D．outofmind14．—John,doyouknowwhythesuspectwassetfree?—Forlackof________evidence.A．solidB．a(chǎn)pparentC．a(chǎn)mbiguousD．concrete15．_____hishomeworkintime,hehadtostayuplateintothenight.A．Finishing B．Havingfinished C．Tofinish D．Tohavefinished16．—Vivien,youlookblue.What’swrong?—Therearesomanypapers_____.I’mreallybusyrecently.A．finishB．tofinishC．finishingD．finished17．ThoughProfessorLiu____inNewYorkforsevenyears,hehasneverregrettedmovingbacktoShanghai,hishometown.A．lived B．haslived C．hadlived D．wasliving18．Shedoesn’tspeakourlanguage,sheseemstounderstandwhatwesay.A．yetB．a(chǎn)ndC．orD．so19．IhadbeenbetrayedbythosewhoItrustedseveraltimes,______inasuspiciousattitudetowardseverythingandeveryone.A．resulted B．havingresulted C．resulting D．toresult20．Onlyafterhewasbroughttothepolicestationdidtheboy________hehadstolensomepursesfromotherpassengers.A．participate B．a(chǎn)cknowledgeC．realize D．summarize第二部分閱讀理解（滿分40分）閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。21．（6分）Ayoungmanwanderedthroughthedesertforfortyuntilhereachedabeautifulcastleatthetopofamountain.Therelivedthesagethathewaslookingfor.Withconsiderablepatience,thesagelistenedattentivelytothereasonfortheboy’svisit,buttoldhimthatatthatmomenthedidnothavetimetoexplaintohimthesecretofhappiness.Hesuggestedthattheyoungmantakeawalkaroundhispalaceandcomebackintwohours’time.“However,Iwanttoaskyouafavor,”headded,bandingtheboyateaspoon,inwhichhepouredtwodropsofoil.“Whileyouwalk,carrythisspoonanddon’tlettheoilspill.”Theyoungmanbegantoclimbupanddownthepalacestaircases,alwayskeepinghiseyesfixedonthespoon.Attheendoftwohourshereturnedtothepresenceofthewiseman.“So,”askedthesage,“didyouseethePersiantapestries(掛毯)hanginginmydiningroom?DidyouseethefantasticgardenthattheMasterofGardenersspenttenyearsincreating?”Embarrassed,theyoungmanadmittedthathehadseennothing.“So,gobackandseethewondersofmyworld,”saidthewiseman.“Youcan’ttrustamanifyoudon’tknowhishouse.”Nowmoreatease,theyoungmantookthespoonandwanderedagainthroughthepalace,thistimepayingattentiontoalltheworksofartthathungfromtheceilingsandwalls.Hesawthegardens,themountainsallaroundthepalace,andthedelicacyoftheflowers.Returningtothesage,hereportedindetailwhathehadseen.“ButwherearethetwodropsofoilthatIentrustedtoyou?”askedtheSage.Lookingdownatthespoon,theyoungmanrealizedthathehadspilledtheoil.“Well,thatistheonlyadviceIhavetogiveyou,”saidthesageofsages.“Thesecretofhappinessliesinlookingatallthewondersoftheworldandneverforgettingthetwodropsofoilinthespoon.”1、Whatwastheintentionoftheyoungmantotraveltolookforthesage?A．ToappreciatethemostbeautifulsceneryalongthewayB．ToexperienceadventuresoftheoutsideworldC．TofigureoutwhetherthesagewasknowledgeableornotD．Tolearnthesecretofhappinessfromthewisestman2、Whichofthefollowingstatementsiswrong?A．ThesagelistenedtotheyoungmanwithpatienceB．Duringhissecondroundofwandering,theyoungmanappreciatedthewondersofthecastleC．TheyoungmanmadeitasthesagehadexpectedD．Theyoungmanwastooconcernedabouttheoilwhenhefirstwentaroundthecastle3、Whydidthesageasktheyoungmantogoaroundhiscastlewithaspoonoftwodropsofoil?A．BecausehewantedtofindoutwhethertheyoungmanwasperseverantinaccomplishinghisgoalsB．BecauseheintendedtolettheyoungmanknowthathappinesscameatapriceC．BecausehewantedtolettheyoungmantrusthimD．Becausehewantedtohelptheyoungmantouncoverthesecretofhappinessinanindirectway4、Whatcanwelearnfromthestory?A．Wecan’ttrustamanunlesswegetfamiliarwithhishouseB．RealhappinessconsistsinenjoyingourrightsandmeanwhilefulfillingourdutiesC．ThesearchforthesecretofhappinessdemandsourdevotionD．It’snoteasytokeepbalancebetweenenjoymentandcommitment22．（8分）ChinesefashiondesignerWangTaoreleasedherfall-winter2019collectioninNewYorkonFebruary9,thetenthtimeherbrand,TaorayWang,hasbeenfeaturedattheNewYorkFashionWeek.SittingonthefrontrowoftheshowwereU.S.PresidentDonaldTrump’syoungestdaughterTiffanyTrumpwithhermotherMarlaMaples,aswellasformerFoxNewshostKimberlyGuilfoyle.TiffanyTrump,afanofTaorayWang,woreacustommadewhitedouble-breastedcoatbyWangtoherfather’sinauguration(就職典禮)ceremonyinJanuary2017.Wang’slatestcollection,Eternity,ispartlyinspiredbyTiffanyTrump.Inthiscollection,Wangcombinestheunconventionalbeautyofthe1970s,representedbyfamousAmericanmodelLaurenHuttonandthefemalelookfavoredbypeoplesuchasTiffanyTrump.Thetwowomenarefromintwodifferentagegroupswithtwodifferentstylesbutbothareconfidentandbrave,saidWangwhileattendinghershowinManhattan.“Beautyisnotabouttimeorage.It’sallaboutattitude.’’AlongwithChina’sgrowingeconomicstrength,Chinesefashionhasgraduallygainedworldwideattention,saidWang,addingthatonlywhenmoreandmoreforeignerswearclothesdesignedbyChinesepeople,willitmeanarealriseofChinesefashionontheglobalstage.Wanghasadiversebackground.WithadegreeinhistoryfromEastChinaNormalUniversityinShanghai,WanggotaseconddegreeinfashionfromJapan’stopfashioninstituteTokyoModeGakut'n,whereshereceivedfiveinternationalawardsindesign.ShewasselectedbyJunkoKoshino—awell-kownJapanesedesigner,toheadthestudioasthechiefmen’sdesigner.Torealizeherglobalcareerambitions,WangthenleftJapantogototheUKwheresheworkedasaleadingdesigner.In2002shereturnedtoChinaandledtherepositioningofbroadcast:bo,makingitoneofthetop10Chinesewomen’slabels.WangiscurrentlyaboardmemberoftheShanghaiRiboFashionGroup.1、WhoprobablygaveWang’sinspirationforherlatestcollection?A．TiffanyTrumpandMarlaMaples. B．JunkoKoshirioandKirnbrlyGuilfnyle.C．TiffanyTrumpandDonaldTrump. D．TiffanyTrumpandLaurenHutlon.2、WheredidWangTaowinfiveinternationalawardsindesign?A．InTokyo. B．InNewYork. C．InManhattan. D．InShanghai.3、Whatcanbeinferredfromthetext?A．BothTaorayWangandboarewellreceived.B．WangTaoworkedinUKasachiefmen’sdesigner.C．ItistheTrumpwhomakeWangTaobecomefamous.D．WangTaostudiedfashioninEastChinaNormalUniversity.4、Whatisthetextmainlyabout?A．WangTao’sdiverseeducationbackground.B．AChinesedesigner’swayontheglobalstage.C．ThedesignstyleofaChinesefashiondesigner.D．WangTao’sfall-winter2019collectioninNewYork.23．（8分）Microsofthasdevelopedanewsmartphoneappthatinterpretseyesignalsandtranslatesthemintoletters,allowingpeoplewithmotorneuronediseasetocommunicatewithothersfromaphone.TheGazeSpeakappcombinesasmartphone’scamerawithartificialintelligencetorecognizeeyemovementsinrealtimeandconvertthemintoletters,wordsandsentences.ForpeoplesufferingfromALS（漸凍癥）,alsoknownasmotorneuronedisease,eyemovementcanbetheonlywaytheyareabletocommunicate.“Currenteye-trackinginputsystemsforpeoplewithALSorothermotorimpairmentsareexpensive,notstrongandhealthyundersunlight,andrequirefrequentre-checkandlotsofrelativelyfixedsetups,”saidXiaoyiZhang,aresearcheratMicrosoftwhodevelopedthetechnology.“Toeasethedrawbacks…wecreatedGazeSpeak,aneye-gesturecommunicationsystemthatrunsonasmartphone,andisdesignedtobelow-cost,stable,hand-heldandeasytolearn.”Theappisusedbythelistenerbypointingtheirsmartphoneatthespeaker.Achartthatcanbestucktothebackofthesmartphoneisthenusedbythespeakertodeterminewhicheyemovementstomakeinordertocommunicate.Thestickershowsfourgridsofletters,whicheachcorrespondtoadifferenteyemovement.Bylookingup,down,leftorright,thespeakerselectswhichgrids(格)theletterstheywantbelongto.Theartificialintelligencecomputationalprocedureisthenabletopredictthewordorsentencetheyaretryingtosay.Zhang’sresearch,Smartphone-BasedGazeGestureCommunicationforPeoplewithMotorDisabilities,issettobepresentedattheConferenceonHumanFactorsinComputingSystemsinMay.1、Whowillbenefitfromthenewly-developedApp?A．ALSvictims.B．peoplewitheyedisabilities.C．smartphoneaddicts.D．technologyresearchers.2、WhatarenotthebasicelementsusedintheApp?A．Artificialintelligence.B．Asmartphone’scamera.C．User’seyemovements.D．Hand-writtenletters.3、Whatdidtheresearchersdotoimprovethecurrenteye-trackinginputsystems?A．Tochecktheeyesignalstwicetomakeitfixed.B．Tocreateastableandconvenienteye-gesturecommunicationsystem.C．Topointthesmartphoneatthespeaker.D．Tolookup,down,leftorright.24．（8分）IntheU.S.stateofWashington,aroadcalledInterstate90cutsthroughawildmountainousareatoreachthecityofSeattle.Forthearea'smanykindsofanimals,thebusyhighwaygreatlylimitstheirmovements.Animalsneedtomovetofindfood,tofindmatesandtofindnewplacestolive.CrossingI-90astheroadiscalledisariskybutsometimesnecessaryact.Butsoon,animalswillhaveasaferchoice.Tohelptheanimals,thestateisfinishingworkonitslargest-everwildlifebridge.The11-meter-tall,20-meter-widebridgebeginsintheforest.Workersareaddingfencinganti-plantstohelpguidetheanimalsacrossthebridge.TheI-90bridgeispartofagrowingnumberofwildlifecrossingsacrosstheUnitedStates.Somearefences,someareoverlandbridges,andsomeareunderpasses.Theyallaimtokeepdriversandanimalsawayfromeachother.AU.S.TransportationDepartmentstudyfoundcrashesbetweenanimalsandhumansroseyearbyyear.Theaccidentsmadeupabout5percentofallcrashesnationally,andcosttheeconomyabout$8billion.Suchcostscomefromcarrepaid,emergencyroomvisitsandremovalofthedeadanimalsonroads.Collisionsbetweenanimalsanddriversarerarelydeadlytopeople.Buttheyareoftendeadlytowildlife.Thestudyalsofoundthat21endangeredorthreatenedspeciesintheU.S.areaffectedbyvehiclehits.PattyGarveyDardaoftheU.S.ForestServicesaysthe$6-millionbridgewillonedaypayforitselfbecausethehighwaywillnothavetobefullyorpartlyclosedeachtimealargeanimalisstruck.“IfyoushutdownInterstate90,youshutdowninterstatetrade.”sheadds.1、Whyismovingacrosshighwaysnecessaryforanimals?A．Tosurvive.B．Tofindfood.C．Tofollowtheirhabit.D．Tofreetheirmovements.2、WhatarethosewildlifecrossingsintheU.S.builtfor?A．Avoidinghumandeaths.B．Preventingcaraccidents.C．Increasinginterstatetrade.D．Protectingwildanimals.3、WhatdoestheauthorintendtodoinParagraph3?A．Highlighttheharmcausedbycaraccidents.B．Showthecostsrelatedtocar-animalcrashes.C．Explainthenecessityofwildlifecrossings.D．Presenttheurgencytoprotectwildspecies.4、WhatisDarda’sattitudetowardsthebuildingofI-90?A．Opposed.B．Concerned.C．Favorable.D．Indifferent.25．（10分）TherearecampusmuseumsalloverChinathatoffervariouscollectionsandmakeforeye-openingvisits.BeijingAirandSpaceMuseumatBeihangUniversityAdmission:freeOpeninghours:TuesdayandSaturday,9:00am-12:00pmHighlights:Includedamongthemorethan300historicaircraftandspaceartifactsareoneofthetwoNorthropP-61BlackWidowsintheworldandChina’sfirstlightairliner,Beijing1.FudanUniversityMuseumAdmission:freeOpeninghours:TuesdaytoFriday,9:00am-11:30amand1:30pm-4:30pmHighlights:AuniquecollectionofnativeartifactsfromtheGaoshanaboriginesinTaiwan.Someofthem,suchaspearlvests,arerarelyseeneveninTaiwan.ChinaIchthyicCultureMuseumatShanghaiOceanUniversityAdmission:10yuanOpeninghours:MondaytoFriday,9:00am-11:30amand1:30pm-4:00pmHighlights:Inthiscollectionofmorethan40,000specimensofabout3,000ocean-dwellingspecies,themosteye-catchingoneisan18.4-meter-longspermwhaleskeleton.YifuMuseumofChinaUniversityofGeosciencesAdmission:40yuan;halfpriceforstudentsOpeninghours:MondaytoFriday,8:30am-12:00pmand2:30pm-5:00pm;weekendsandholidays,9:00am-4:30pmHighlights:Ithousesacollectionofmorethan30,000mineralandrockspecimens,morethan2,000ofwhicharerareoneslikethemuseum’swell-knowndinosaurfossils.ChinaAcademyMuseumatHunanUniversityAdmission:50yuanOpeninghours:MondaytoSunday,8:00am-6:30pminsummerand8:30am-6:00pminwinterHighlights:China’sonlymuseumtofeaturethehistoryofacademiesandculturaleducationinthecountry.1、Whichmuseumwillyouchooseifyou’reinterestedinseaspecies?A．ChinaAcademyMuseumatHunanUniversity.B．YifuMuseumofChinaUniversityofGeosciences.C．BeijingAirandSpaceMuseumatBeihangUniversity.D．ChinaIchthyicCultureMuseumatShanghaiOceanUniversity.2、WhatcanyouseeinYifuMuseumofChinaUniversityofGeosciences?A．Spaceartifacts. B．Dinosaurfossils.C．Nativeartifacts. D．Spermwhaleskeletons.3、WhencanyougotoChinaAcademyMuseumatHunanUniversity?A．OnTuesday6:00pminwinter.B．OnSaturday8:00aminwinter.C．OnSunday6:30pminsummer.D．OnWednesday8:00aminsummer.第三部分語(yǔ)言知識(shí)運(yùn)用（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)（每小題1.5分，滿分30分）閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的A、B、C和D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)．26．（30分）Anoldmanhadbeenworkingformanyyearsforatown.Hisjobwastoclearawaynaturalwastefromthepoolwaterinthehills,whichmadeupthelovelyriverflowingthroughthetownnearby.Quietlyand1,theoldmanguardedthehills,2theleavesandbranches,andcleanedupthedirtthatwouldhave3andpollutedthefreshflowofwater.Thetownsoonbecameapopularattractionfortourists.Elegantswans(天鵝)floatedalongtheclearriverandtheviewwassobeautiful4words.Yearspassed.Oneeveningthetown5met.Astheyreviewedthebudget,oneman’s6caughtsightofthesalary7beingpaidtotheseldomseenkeeperoftheriver.Heasked,“Whoistheoldman?Whydow8toemployhim?Nooneintownever9him.Forallweknow,thestrangekeeperofthehillsisn’tdoinghisjob.Hispositionisn’t10anylonger.”Thentheyvotedto11theman.Forseveralweeks,nothingchanged….Byearlyautumn,thetreesbeganto12theirleaves.Smallbranchesbrokeoffandfellintothepoolsofthehills,13theflowoftheshiningwater.Oneafternoon,someonenoticedaslightyellowish-brown14intheriver.Afewdayslater,thewaterwasmuch15Withinanotherweek,anoilysomethingcoveredsomesectionsofthewateralongthebanks,andaterrible16wassoonsensed.Swansleftandsodidthe17Theonlythingthatwasnowvisitingthevillagewasdiseaseandsickness.Quickly,the18towncommitteecalledaspecialmeeting.Realizingtheirhugeerrorin19,theyrehiredtheoldkeeperoftheriveragain,andwithinafewweeks,theriverbegantoclearup.SwansandtouristscamebackagainandnewlifereturnedtothesmalltownintheAlps.Neverignoretheseemingsmallnessofatask,joborlife.Theymayallmakea201、A．regularly B．suddenly C．naturally D．a(chǎn)ctually2、A．cut B．burned C．removed D．selected3、A．carried B．poured C．changed D．blocked4、A．beyond B．with C．in D．a(chǎn)fter5、A．office B．a(chǎn)ssociation C．department D．committee6、A．eye B．care C．hand D．mind7、A．list B．form C．figure D．a(chǎn)ccount8、A．promise B．continue C．stop D．tend9、A．visits B．hires C．tells D．sees10、A．powerful B．important C．necessary D．suitable11、A．find B．fire C．support D．forgot12、A．lose B．miss C．fall D．grow13、A．pulling B．speeding C．slowing D．pushing14、A．fish B．color C．flower D．leaf15、A．deeper B．cooler C．warmer D．darker16、A．sound B．smell C．wave D．taste17、A．managers B．passengers C．villagers D．tourists18、A．embarrassed B．a(chǎn)nnoyed C．discouraged D．diappointed19、A．a(chǎn)rrangement B．a(chǎn)ssignment C．judgement D．a(chǎn)musement20、A．suggestion B．difference C．progress D．decision第二節(jié)（每小題1.5分，滿分15分）閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入1個(gè)適當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~或括號(hào)內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）ItwastheambitionofanelevenyearsoldboyinKansasCitytobeanenginedriver.Bornwithoutarms,hehadbeensenttospecialschools1．helearnedtousehis2．(foot)as“hands”.Hespendallhisssparetime3．(watch)trainsandonedayhisdreamcame4．(truth).Seeingadesertedengine,theboyclimbedin,hehadno5．(difficult)instartingitupwithhisfeet.Soonhewastravelingalong6．fortymilesanhour.Signalmencouldnotseetheyoungdriver,sotheysetout7．(stop)thetrain.MeanwhiletheboyreachedMissouri,stoppedtheenginehimself,andthen8．(make)itgobackwards.Whenhewasnearhome,arailwaymancaughtupwiththeengineandstoppedit.Atfirst,hewasveryangry,buthesmiledwhentheboysaid9．(simple),“Iliketrains.”“Well,I’mgladyoudon’tlikeplanes!”answered10．railwayman.第四部分寫作（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)短文改錯(cuò)（滿分10分）28．（10分）假定英語(yǔ)課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請(qǐng)你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。文中共有10處語(yǔ)言錯(cuò)誤，每句中最多有兩處，每處錯(cuò)誤僅涉及一個(gè)單詞的增加、刪除或修改。增加：在缺詞處加一個(gè)漏字符號(hào)(∧)，并在其下面寫出該加的詞。刪除：把多余的詞用斜線(＼)劃掉。修改：在錯(cuò)的詞下畫一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。注意：1、每處錯(cuò)誤及其修改均限一詞；2．只允許修改10處，多者(從第11處起)不計(jì)分。IwasenteringtheundergroundparkinglotwhenIheardalittlegirlshouted,“Mama,Mama!”Ilookedaroundandsawthegirlinacaralone、Iwentovertoaskherhowwasthematter、Shesaidsheneededtogotothewashroombadly、ItellthegirltogetoutandIwouldtakehimtothewashroom、Shewasverygladlyandranwithmetothewashroom、Aftershewashedherhand,Itookherbacktocar、Still,hermomdidn’tcome、Ireallyhopedthegirlwouldtellhermomwhathadbeenhappened、Butnexttimethemomwouldn’tleaveherlittledaughterinthecaronherself、第二節(jié)書面表達(dá)（滿分25分）29．（25分）寒暑假期間，很多高中學(xué)生選擇短期出國(guó)游學(xué)，但是也有一部分學(xué)生認(rèn)為這沒(méi)有意義。請(qǐng)根據(jù)以下提示，用英語(yǔ)寫一篇150詞左右的短文，并談?wù)勀阕约旱目捶āＶС?.接觸不同文化，開闊視野;2.有助于語(yǔ)言能力的提高;3.提高孩子獨(dú)立生活能力。反對(duì)1.價(jià)格昂貴，增加家庭經(jīng)濟(jì)負(fù)擔(dān);2.學(xué)習(xí)時(shí)間短暫，不能系統(tǒng)學(xué)習(xí);3.旅游占據(jù)大量時(shí)間。你的看法……（寫作要求）1.對(duì)所給要點(diǎn)逐一陳述，適當(dāng)發(fā)揮，不要簡(jiǎn)單翻譯;2.作文中不是提及有關(guān)考生個(gè)人身份的任何信息，如校名、人名等;3.開關(guān)已給出，不計(jì)入總詞數(shù)。4.參考詞匯：出國(guó)游學(xué)overseasstudytours內(nèi)容完整，語(yǔ)言規(guī)范，語(yǔ)篇連貫，詞數(shù)適當(dāng)。Withtheimprovementoflivingstand