There lived a king who liked art. One day an artist offered to  paint the most beautiful picture in the world on the wall of his palace.

So he king said, “ All right, you may work on one of the walls in the new hall. ”

Just then, another artist said, “Please allow me to work on the opposite wall. I shall make exactly what that man will make on the opposite wall. Moreover, I shall do so without looking at his work. I would even request you to have a thick curtain put up between the two walls so the either of us cannot see the other. ”

Everyone in the king’s court, including the king and the first artist was surprised. So the king decided to give the man a chance.

The following day, a thick curtain was put into place and both the artists got to work. The first artist brought in a regular supply of paint, oil and water. But the second one would come with a cloth and a bucket of water every day.

A month later the first artist said that his work was completed and invited the king to come.

So the king sent the message to the second artist, saying he was coming to see their works that evening.

After seeing the first artist’s wall, the king was very impressed with the painting and gave him a huge sum of money as a reward. He then asked for the curtain to be opened up.

The same painting was seen on the opposite wall too! It was exactly like the one on the first wall. But this man had not seen what was going on, on the other side of the curtain.

The man said simply, “It’s very easy I just polished the wall every day! ”

It was a wall made of white marble. The fellow polished it till it shone like a mirror. The reflection of the painting across the room showed up in it!

56．A thick curtain was put up between the two walls in order to __________.

A．help them concentrate on their work

B．keep the first artist’s painting a secret

C．prevent their painting from being seen

D．make it hard for them to exchange ideas

57．Why did the first artist receive a huge sum of money from the king?

A．His painting satisfied the king.

B．His painting was the best the king has ever seen.

C．He painted better than the second artist.

D．The king promised to give him a reward.

58．How was the king feeling when he saw the second wall ?

A．Surprised and excited.           B. Fascinated and doubtful.

C．Satisfied and curious.            D. The paintings on the wall.

59．What would be best title of the text?        .

A．A king who loved art            B．Two artists and the king

C．Whose painting is better?        D．The painting on the wall

There lived a king who liked art. One day an artist offered to paint the most
beautiful picture in the world on the wall of his palace.
So the king said, “All right, you may work on one of the walls in the new hall.” Just then, another artist said, “ Please allow me to work on the opposite wall. I shall make exactly what that man will make on the opposite wall. Moreover, I shall do so without looking at his work. I would even request you to have a thick curtain put up between the two walls so the either of us cann’t see the other.”
Everyone in the king’s court, including the king and the first artist was surprised. So the king decided to give the man a chance.
The following day a thick curtain was put into place and both the artists got to work. The first artist brought in a regular supply of paint, oil and water. But the second one would come with a cloth and a bucket of water every day.
A month later the first artist said that his work was completed and invited the king to come.
So the king sent the message to the second artist, saying he was coming to see their works that evening.
After seeing the first artist’s wall, the king was very impressed with the painting and gave him a huge sum of money as a reward. He then asked for the curtain to be opened up.
The same painting was seen on the opposite wall too! It was exactly like the one on the first wall. But this man had not seen what was going on, on the other side of the curtain.
The man said simply, “It’s very easy I just polished the wall every day!”
It was a wall made of white marble. The fellow polished it till it shone like a mirror.  
The reflection of the painting across the room showed up in it!
【小题1】A thick curtain was put up between the two walls in order to _____________.

There lived a king who liked art. One day an artist offered to paint the most

beautiful picture in the world on the wall of his palace.

So the king said, “All right, you may work on one of the walls in the new hall.” Just then, another artist said, “ Please allow me to work on the opposite wall. I shall make exactly what that man will make on the opposite wall. Moreover, I shall do so without looking at his work. I would even request you to have a thick curtain put up between the two walls so the either of us cann’t see the other.”

Everyone in the king’s court, including the king and the first artist was surprised. So the king decided to give the man a chance.

The following day a thick curtain was put into place and both the artists got to work. The first artist brought in a regular supply of paint, oil and water. But the second one would come with a cloth and a bucket of water every day.

A month later the first artist said that his work was completed and invited the king to come.

So the king sent the message to the second artist, saying he was coming to see their works that evening.

After seeing the first artist’s wall, the king was very impressed with the painting and gave him a huge sum of money as a reward. He then asked for the curtain to be opened up.

The same painting was seen on the opposite wall too! It was exactly like the one on the first wall. But this man had not seen what was going on, on the other side of the curtain.

The man said simply, “It’s very easy I just polished the wall every day!”

It was a wall made of white marble. The fellow polished it till it shone like a mirror.  

The reflection of the painting across the room showed up in it!

1.A thick curtain was put up between the two walls in order to _____________.

A．help them concentrate on their work.

B．keep the first artist’s painting a secret.

C．prevent their painting from being seen.

D．make it hare for them exchange ideas.

2.Why did the first artist receive a large sum of money from the king?

A．His painting satisfied the king.

B．His painting was the best the king has ever seen.

C．He painted better than the second artist.

D．The king promised to give him a reward.

3.How was the king feeling when he saw second wall?

A．Surprised and excited.                   B．Fascinated and doubtful.

C．Satisfied and curious.                    D．The paintings on the wall.

4.What would be the best title of the text? _____________

A．A king who loved art.                    B．Two artists and the king.

C．Whose painting is better?                 D．The painting on the wall.

I heard a story about two workers who were interviewed by a reporter. The reporter asked the first worker, “What are you doing?” His  1  was to   2  that he was almost a slave, an underpaid bricklayer who spent his days   3  his time, placing bricks on the   4  of one another.

The reporter asked the second worker the   5  question. His response,  6  , was quite different. “I’m the   7  person in the world,” he said. “I get to be a part of important and beautiful pieces of   8  ; I help   9  simple pieces of brick into fine and delicate masterpieces.”

They were both   10  The truth is, we see in life what we want to see. If you search for   11  , you’ll find   12  of it. If you want to find   13  with other people, your career, or the world in general, you’ll certainly be able to do so and find life is unfair to you always.

But the   14  is also true. If you look for the extraordinary in the   15 , you can train yourself to see it. The second bricklayer sees a magnificent church   16  pieces of brick. The question is, can you? Can you see extraordinary things that exist in our world, the extraordinary beauty of nature and the incredible miracle of human life? To me, it’s all a(n)  17  of intention. There is so much to be   18  for, so much to respect. Life is precious and extraordinary.  19  your attention on this fact and little, ordinary things will  20  on a whole new meaning.

1．A．reaction                B．thought               C．response             D．opinion

2．A．blame                   B．complain             C．praise                  D．doubt

3．A．taking                   B．enjoying              C．wondering           D．wasting

4．A．point                     B．top                      C．cover                  D．height

5．A．similar                  B．familiar                C．same                   D．popular

6．A．therefore               B．however              C．otherwise            D．moreover

7．A．funniest                B．luckiest               C．best                    D．wisest

8．A．art                        B．education             C．architecture         D．society

9．A．tear                      B．break                  C．make                  D．turn

10．A．wrong                 B．right                    C．exact                  D．actual

11．A．  beauty               B．ugliness               C．kindness              D．evil

12．A．lot                      B．few                     C．plenty                 D．bit

13．A．fault                    B．favor                   C．hatred                 D．difference

14．A．objection             B．opposite              C．contrary              D．contrast

15．A．ordinary              B．common              C．usual                   D．regular

16．A．under                  B．on                       C．over                    D．within

17．A．affair                  B．matter                 C．event                  D．incident

18．A．respectful            B．careful                C．regretful              D．grateful

20．A．look                    B．hold                    C．take                    D．keep

There lived a king who liked art. One day an artist offered to paint the most beautiful picture in the world on the wall of his palace.　　

So the king said, " All right, you may work on one of the walls in the new hall. "

Just then, another artist said, "Please allow me to work on the opposite wall. I shall make exactly what that man will make on the opposite wall. Moreover, I shall do so without looking at his work. I would even request you to have a thick curtain put up between the two walls so the either of us cannot see the other. "　　

Everyone in the king's court, including the king and the first artist was surprised. So the king decided to give the man a chance.　　

The following day, a thick curtain was put into place and both the artists got to work. The first artist brought in a regular supply of paint, oil and water. But the second one would come with a cloth and a bucket of water every day.　　

A month later the first artist said that his work was completed and invited the king to come. So the king sent the message to the second artist, saying he was coming to see their works that evening.　　

After seeing the first artist's wall, the king was very impressed with the painting and gave him a huge sum of money as a reward. He then asked for the curtain to be opened up.　

The same painting was seen on the opposite wall too! It was exactly like the one on the first wall. But this man had not seen what was going on, on the other side of the curtain. “How have you managed to do this?” asked the king.

The man said simply, "It's very easy. I just polished the wall every day! "　　

It was a wall made of white marble. The fellow polished it till it shone like a mirror. The reflection of the painting across the room showed up in it!　　

56. A thick curtain was put upbetween the two walls in order to ________.

A. help them concentrate on their work

B. keep the first artist's painting a secret

C. prevent their paintings from being seen by other people

D. give the king a great surprise.

57. How was the king feeling when he saw the second wall?

A. Surprised and excited.                      B. Fascinated and doubtful.

C. Satisfied and curious.                     D. frightened and attracted

58. What would be best title of the text?　　

A. A king who loved art                B. Two artists and a king

C. Whose painting is better?             D. The paintings on the wall.