【题目】The summer I was ten, my mother decided to bring us to the world of art. My brother and I were not very excited when we realized what my mother meant. What she meant was not that we could take drawing classes or painting classes but that we would have to spend one afternoon a week with her at the Fine Arts Museum. Before each visit to the museum，she made us read about artists and painting styles. It was almost as bad as being in school. Who wants to spend the summer thinking about artists when you could be with your friends at the swimming pool?

First we had to read about ancient Egyptians (古埃及人)and their strange way of painting faces and then go to look at them at the museum. My 12-year-old brother thought this was so funny, but I was not interested. Later we had to learn about artists in the Middle Ages who painted people wearing strange long clothing. We had to look at pictures of fat babies with wings and curly hair and with no clothes on flying around the edges of paintings. I certainly couldn't see what was so great about art.

On our last visit to the museum，something happened when I saw a painting by a woman called Mary. In it, a woman was reading to a child. The colors were soft and gentle, and you could tell by the mother's expression how happy she was just to be with the child. I couldn't stop looking at this painting ！ I wanted to se every painting Mary had ever made! It was really worthwhile looking at so many paintings to find a painter who could interest me so much.

【1】The aim of the mother's plan was to __________.

A. take them to visit the museum

B. introduce them to the world of art

C. ask them to read about artists

D. show them different painting styles

【2】What was the writer's experience at the museum before the last visit?

A. She came to feel her mother's love

B. She liked many paintings.

C. She hardly enjoyed herself.

D. She could understand the pictures of fat babies.

【3】What made the writer change that summer?

A. One of Mary's paintings.

B. A strange way of painting.

C. Artists in the Middle Ages.

D. Her mother's instruction.

【4】From the text, we can see __________.

A. the importance of curiosity

B. the effect of art

C. the value of learning

D. the power of family education

【5】The writer and her brother had thought that they could __________ in their summer vacation.

A. have visited some art museums

B. have been to Egypt for a visit

C. have taken drawing or painting classes

D. have played with their friends

【题目】Every time __________ I called on him，he was very busy.

A.during B．when

C.in which D．/

【题目】As you may have noticed，she is very __________ about her appearance.

A.sensible B．sensitive

C.active D．attractive

【题目】Arthur Miller( 1915 - 2005) is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller's father had moved to the USA from Austria-Hungary, drawn like so many others by “the Great American Dream". However, he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early 1930s.

Miller's most famous play, Death of a Salesman, is a powerful attack on the American system，with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman, the hero of the play, we see a man who has got into trouble with this system. Willy is “ burnt out ” and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment ： if he can't do the work，then he is no good to his employer，the Wagner Company, and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this，and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.

When it was first staged in 1949，the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and it won the Tony Award for Best Play，the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award，and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.

Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut , on the evening of February 10,2005 , the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.

【1】Why did Arthur Miller's father move to the USA?

A. He suffered from severe hunger in his home country.

B. He was attracted by"the Great American Dream".

C. He hoped to make his son a dramatist.

D. His family business failed.

【2】The play Death of a Salesman __________.

A. exposes the cruelty of the American business world

B. discusses the ways to get promoted in a company

C. talks about the business career of Arthur Miller

D. focuses on the skills in doing business

【3】What can we learn about Willy Loman?

A. He treats his employer badly.

B. He runs the Wagner Company.

C. He is a victim of the American system.

D. He is regarded as a hero by his colleagues.

【4】After it was first staged, Death of a Salesman __________.

A. achieved huge success

B. won the first Tony Award

C. was warmly welcomed by salesmen

D. was severely attacked by dramatists

【5】What is the text mainly about?

A. Arthur Miller and his family.

B. The awards Arthur Miller won.

C. The hardship Arthur Miller experienced.

D. Arthur Miller and his best-known play.

【题目】My family suffered a lot three years ago when my father died in a car accident. It my mother, two younger brothers and me alone.

At that time, I was in a senior high school. As the eldest son, I had no choice but to of school and work in a factory. Life went on without any wonder. I dared not ask for more and just thought about my two brothers. However, it wasn’t easy, for I couldn’t their tuition (学费) even if I worked from day to night without rest. I also had to look after my sick mother. I wanted to go back to school, but it seemed to be an impractical idea, since I needed to work to support my family.

A thread of appeared during those gloomy (阴暗的) days. It was a rainy dusk when I went outside into the rain and walked in the street. Suddenly the rain stopped! I raised my head, and found that “the sky” was in fact a dark blue umbrella. Then I heard a deep voice say, “Why not without an umbrella?” It was a one-legged man, “If you run, you won’t get so wet.” His words me deeply. Without my father’s protection, was I only a slave to fate﹙命运﹚?

While walking with him in the rain, I knew that his dream was once by an accident. He was glad that he didn’t lose and still “ran” on the road of life. Facing this guy, I had no pity, but admiration.

Inspired by his , I went to a city in the south and became an insurance representative. After two years’ “running”, I got somewhere and my family situation became better . I went back to school and eventually succeeded in being admitted to a university.

Everything is so simple: to run without an umbrella! When you run out of the season of your life, there will be a bright sky ahead of you.

【1】A.left B. carried C. had D. forced

【2】A. take out B. drop out C. make out D. jump out

【3】A.bringing in B. taking away C. bringing up D. taking over

【4】A. receive B. realize C. manage D. afford

【5】A. chance B. need C. hope D. money

【6】A. drive B. walk C. travel D. run

【7】A.shocked B. puzzled C. discouraged D. hurt

【8】A. burnt B. accepted C. ruined D. discovered

【9】A. face B. heart C. sight D. control

【10】A.images B. achievements C. signs D. remarks

【11】A.simply B. gradually C. normally D. immediately

【12】A. rainy B. cloudy C. sunny D. windy

【题目】It is __________ that I can’t afford it.

A.so expensive a car, B.such a expensive car

C.so an expensive car, D.such expensive a car

【题目】 The main street is lined with small stands and shops _____ sell almost anything you can imagine.

A. what B. where C. who D. which

【题目】We believe the time and hard work _______ in completing such an important project are worthwhile.

A. involved B. involving

C. to involve D. to be involved

【题目】Pablo Picasso, born in Spain in 1881, was one of the most famous artists of the 20th century. Picasso began painting when he was a small child and took advanced art courses when he was only fifteen. Between 1904 and 1947 Picasso lived in Paris. In 1947 he moved to Riviera, in the south of France.

Many people thought Picasso's works were strange and unpleasant. Still，he had a great influence on artists in every country. Today, Picasso is regarded as a genius (天才), and his paintings are in the museums all over the world.

In 1912, Picasso actually invented a new type of art. He painted a picture，then he pasted bits of paper and something else on the picture. This picture of art is called collage(拼贴艺术).

Picasso was not only a painter, he was also a sculptor (雕塑家)and a designer of scenery for plays. There are even some photographs of “ light paintings ” that he created. These paintings were produced by moving a light pencil, or a small flashlight in the air. Although the images could be seen only briefly by anyone watching them happen, the camera was able to catch the images as they occurred.

By the time he died in France in April of 1973 , he had created a staggering 22,000 works of art.

When Picasso was asked how someone could become an artist, he would reply, If you want to draw, you must shut your eyes and sing.

【1】After reading the text, we can learn that Picasso was a _________.

A. French artist

B. Spanish artist

C. English artist

D. Australian artist

【2】The meaning of the underlined word "pasted" in this text means __________

A. stuck with

B. struck on

C. drew

D. mixed with

【3】Which of the following statements best explains the meaning of Picasso's advice about how to become an artist?

A. Study hard and practise painting.

B. Only people who sing can become painters.

C. Painters should learn to paint with their eyes closed.

D. There is more to painting than just study and hard work.

【4】Which would be the best title for the text?

A. How to Become a Great Artist

B. A Genius

C. Pablo Picasso ： More Than Just a Painter

D. Picasso's Life in France

【5】According to the text, which of the statements is right?

A. Even Picasso was a great artist, he was not clever at all when he was young.

B. Picasso didn't leave Paris until he was 23 years old.

C. People didn't like Picasso's works at first.

D. Picasso was only good at collage.

【题目】Playing a role in the hit show “Daddy, Where Are We Going?”, Kimi, together with the other four kids, _______ popular with many teenagers now.

A. is B. are C. was D. were