It has taken an extremely long time - 161 years - but the National Portrait Gallery finally has the Duke(公爵)of Wellington in its collection after a fundraising campaign reached its £1.3m target.

The gallery announced on Thursday that it had acquired Sir Thomas Lawrence's unfinished final painting of a man regarded as Britain's greatest soldier after a successful appeal.

Nicholas Cullinan, the gallery's director, said the NPG had been looking for a suitable painting of the Duke of Wellington since the gallery was founded in 1856.

He called it “a remarkable painting'', while Lucy Peltz, the gallery's senior manager of 18th-century paintings, said the work was "an inspiring and powerful image of one of the most influential men of the 18ih and 19th centuries”.

The NPG announced last November that it needed to raise £300,000, the final piece of a funding jigsaw(拼图).The Art Fund had already contributed £350,000 and the appeal reached its target thanks to £200,000 from the G&K Boyes charitable trust and £180,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. A further £570,000 came from a public appeal and the gallery's own funds.

It was painted in 1829 when Wellington was prime minister, however, Lawrence died in 1830 leaving the portrait unfinished. The gallery believes it is a more attractive work because of that, with the viewer focusing more on the man himself rather than any clothes of power.

Dan Snow, the historian and broadcaster, said Wellington was a "titanic figure” in British history... the only field greatest prime minister, a man of genius on and off the battlefield. He added: “ This arresting portrait must sit in the national collection and now, following an outpouring of donation, it will do. The artist has caught the Duke's legendary features. Among his many contributions to British life he formed the culture of unbending spirit in the face of difficulty.”

The painting was lent to the NPG in 2015 for an exhibition marking the Battle of Waterloo.

1.Who was regarded as Britain’ greatest soldier in the article?

A. Lucy Peltz. B. Dan Snow.

C. Sir Thomas Lawrence. D. The Duke of Wellington.

2.Why did the NPG need to raise £300,000 last November?

A. Because it is aimed at £1.3m to draw a painting of Wellington.

B. Because it is short of fund to include the painting to its collection.

C. Because different organizations donated much money to the NPG

D. Because Lucy Peltz took charge of the gallery's 18th century paintings.

3.What makes the NPG believe the portrait more attractive?

A. The powerful spirit. B. The unfinished work.

C. The clothes of Wellington. D. The Battle of Waterloo.

4.What do you know from Dan Snow's words?

A. Wellington was a successful politician and soldier.

B. The owner must donate the painting to the NPG

C. The NPG will display the painting for celebration.

D. The artist removed a unique British culture of bravery.

What’s going on under Liverpool?

A Rainy Day in Liverpool

Dark clouds appear over the River Mersey and a cold wind is blowing. A few rain drops are beginning to fall. We’re in the famous city of Liverpool and we’re going to spend this rainy day in the Williamson Tunnels.

An Interesting Life Story

Joseph Williamson was born into a poor family in 1769,but left home and went to work for a tobacco company aged 11. He began at the bottom, and finally became head of the business.

An Unsolved Mystery

Nobody knows why Williamson dug tunnels under most of Liverpool, but many think it was to create jobs. Perhaps half of Liverpool’s population worked for him. The industry of war had made enormous amounts of money, but now Liverpool was in a terrible financial situation.

The King of Edge Hill

I went on a guided tour starting close to where his empire began in Edge Hill. In the tunnels, the steps leading from rooms below ground to those buildings, which no longer exist, seem particularly ghostly.

Incredible Engineering

We go into the Double Tunnel. It’s just been discovered that it’s actually a triple tunnel - but nobody knows why the three tunnels were built on top of each other.

We finish the tour and decide we’ll have a coffee in the Williamson Tunnels Cafe Bar. There, I notice lots of flyers for bands and theater groups that are coming to play there.

Why Liverpool?

Apart from the obvious attractions like the football clubs, or anything to do with the Beatles, Liverpool has a lot to offer. Princes Park and Croxteth Park were royal hunting grounds and the trees are 200 years old. Renshaw Street displays are an unusual mix of architecture styles. The nightlife is exciting. If you want to experience a part of the British Isles with a character entirely different from London, you should definitely come to Liverpool.

1.Which of the following is TRUE about Joseph Williamson?

A. He was born in the early 1700s.

B. He left home when he turned 18.

C. He worked for a tobacco company when he was young.

D. He started his business by himself but ended up broke.

2.Where did Williamson start his business?

A. Princes Park. B. Edge Hill.

C. Croxteth Park. D. Renshaw Street.

3.What can you do in Liverpool?

a. Join football clubs.

b. Enjoy Beatles music.

c. Visit famous tourist spots.

d. Enjoy the beautiful beach.

A. abd B. bcd

C. acd D. abc

It was a sunny day when I quit my job to travel. As a contract administrator(合同管理员)for a shipping company, I’d spent 2012 _____in Washington DC. While it was a well-paid job, even a_____career, it was not what I wanted, I wanted to _____stories and see the world.

The _____of this decision were sown(播种)in 2010, when I graduated from college and moved to Spain to teach English. I spent my spare time travelling around Europe, writing it all in my blog. After two years, my teaching contracts______, so I moved back to work in Washington DC.

Writing, on the other hand, continued to make me______. And during those two years in Spain, my blog had_____many readers. But I faced a __ decision: quit and pursue writing full-time, or keep a good job.I knew that _____to the world of writing and travelling was the right choice,_____ I began planning my next move. This time, my______was New Zealand.

Every night______I came home from my job I work on my blog. I spent a year______my blog and setting up freelance(自由职业者)writing contracts, so that I would have guaranteed paid work once I quit. A few months later, I was invited to explore Jordan for a few weeks. I knew the time had come to______the final preparations. I planned out my trips, _____my flights and sold my car (my last strong tie to my old life)before______. And finally, I was on my way to New Zealand.

Since quitting my job, I’ve sailed off the coast of Italy and Greece; dived in Bali; ridden horses across western Mongolia; slept_____the stars on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Not once have I______my decision to leave my job in Washington DC. Through all this, I have achieved my____of becoming a writer. I gave up a comfortable life to pursue personal happiness—_______proving that dreams really do come true, if you work for them.

1.A. studying B. teaching C. working D. travelling

2.A. terrible B. wrong C. vital D. good

3.A. write B. remember C. understand D. read

4.A. plants B. seeds C. crops D. branches

5.A. started B. continued C. ended D. failed

6.A. qualified B. delighted C. bored D. tired

7.A. protected B. demanded C. attracted D. selected

8.A. strange B. tough C. normal D. simple

9.A. returning B. sending C. donating D. leading

10.A. or B. but C. so D. unless

11.A. destination B. situation C. occasion D. description

12.A. since B. because C. until D. when

13.A. turning up B. getting up C. cutting up D. building up

14.A. reject B. make C. test D. apply

15.A. sold B. bought C. booked D. earned

16.A. setting off B. settling down C. calming down D. turning around

17.A. on B. over C. in D. under

18.A. explained B. shared C. regretted D. imagined

19.A. reason B. example C. memory D. goal

20.A. narrowly B. awfully C. widely D. hopefully

"Barefoot Mike" gets a lot of attention when he shows up at the beginning of a race. He loves to run and has been running since he was a kid. He loves to race, and often competes in 10K races. But that’s not the reason he gets so much attention. People notice him because when he runs, “Barefoot Mike” runs barefoot.

Running barefoot has become a huge trend in the world of running. “I didn't set out to be a trend setter,” laughed

“Barefoot Mike”, otherwise known as Mike Whitaker. “I've always been a runner, but until a few years ago, I always wore shoes. Then one day I was running after a rainstorm. I stepped off into the grass to avoid a puddle(水坑) on the sidewalk, and accidentally stepped into a huge muddy puddle that had been hidden in the grass. I tried to keep running, but the wet and dirty shoe made it really hard. I figured the best solution was to just get rid of the shoes.”

Mike took off his shoes and dropped them into the nearest trash can. “Then I started running. At first I went really slowly because I was watching out for rocks or other things that could hurt my feet, but there really weren't any problems.” He started going faster. “It felt so good!” Mike said. “My knee, which always ached, didn't ache. My foot was able to spread out so I had better balance. And my feet didn't feel all hot and sweaty. It was awesome!”

“There are actually potential health benefits to running barefoot,” said Dr. Nancy Bower, a podiatrist(足科医师).

A recent study agrees. A team of researchers recently videotaped several people running —first wearing shoes and then barefoot. In almost every case, when wearing shoes, the runners tended to land on the heel of their foot, which they call “heel?striking.” Many runners have impact injuries such as knee pain. Heel?striking may be the cause of these injuries or may make an existing injury worse.

When running barefoot, the runners tended to land on the middle part of the foot. The force is spread out throughout the foot. The ankle, shin(胫部), knee and hip don't get the shock of a hard landing with every step.

1.Why does Mike receive a lot of attention while running?

A. Because he runs very fast.

B. Because he loses his shoes.

C. Because he wears no shoes.

D. Because he wears strange clothes.

2.According to Paragraph 2, why did Mike run barefoot years ago?

A. He liked running barefoot.

B. He was advised to run barefoot.

C. His shoe became very uncomfortable.

D. His dream of becoming famous motivated him.

3.After running barefoot for a while a few years ago, Mike ________.

A. was very tired

B. was badly hurt

C. gave up running

D. felt unexpectedly great

4.According to the recent study, heel?striking ________.

A. is bad for one's health

B. is caused by existing injuries

C. happens when one runs barefoot

D. can be avoided by wearing sports shoes.

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