C
From the earliest times，man has been interested in art．People have often worked together to collect and save the world's art treasures．
Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre(卢浮宫) in Paris，France．The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries．
The Louvre has not always been a museum．The first building was a fort（炮台）．In 1190，it was the king's castle with high walls and a round tower．It had a moat to keep out his enemies．
Over the years，the number of buildings around the castle grew．By 1350，the castle was no longer needed as a fort．The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens．
During times of peace，new treasures were brought in．During days of war，many treasures were stolen，and the buildings were damaged．
When Francis I became king of France in 1515，he brought in artists from many countries．One of the artists was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy．Da Vinci's"Mona Lisa"is the best known painting in the museum today．
In 1793，the Louvre became a public museum，just as it is now．It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy．www.ks5u
48. On the whole，this passage is mainly about____.???
? A . an art museum called the Louvre ? B．an Italian artist named Leonardo da Vinci
? C．a king of France named Francis I ?  D．the best known painting in Louvre 
49．Why is it good for great art to be kept in public museums？
? A．It helps people remember who the King of France is．
? B．It keeps people out of the palaces．
? C．It gives everyone a chance to enjoy good art．
? D．It helps people to know who is the greatest artist．
50．From the passage we know that _____．
? A．it is not possible for treasures to be stolen
? B．old forts always make the best museums
? C．great art should be shared with all the people
? D．king Francis I of France brought in artists from an old fort
51．In the third paragraph the word "moat "probably means_____．
? A．a high tower built in former times where soldiers watched out for enemies
? B．a long and deep ditch dug round a castle and was usually filled with water
? C．a cart pulled by horses on which soldiers fought
? D．a long and high wall around castle

Grant Wood’s American Gothic caused a stir （轰动）in 1930 when it was exhibited for the first time at the Art Institute of Chicago and awarded a prize of 300 dollars. Newspapers across the country carried the story, and the painting of a farmer and a younger woman posed before a white house brought the artist instant fame.

????????????? In 1930, Grant Wood, an American painter with European training, noticed a small white house built in the small southern Iowa town of Eldon. Wood was so fascinated by it that he decided to paint the house along with the kind of people he thought should live in that house. In the painting, the farmer is modeled on his dentist. Dr. Byron McKeeby. His younger sister Nan served as a model for the woman （imagined to be the farmer’s wife or daughter）. Wood wanted to give a description of the traditional roles of men and women as the man is holding a pitchfork symbolizing hard labor. Each element was painted separately; the models sat separately and never stood in front of the house. The Gothic style of the house inspired the painting’s title.

????????????? American Gothic remains one of the most famous paintings in the history of American art. The painting has become part of American popular culture. Some believe that Wood used it to satirize（讽刺） the narrow-mindedness that has been said to characterize Midwestern culture. The painting may also be read as a praise of the moral virtue or rural America or even as a mixture of praise and satire. American Gothic is one of the few images to reach the status of cultural symbol, along with Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

1.Which of the following is true about American Gothic?

A．It won a prize of ￡ 300.

B．The two characters in it posed before the White House.

C．It was the first painting by Grant Wood.

D．It was on show at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1930.

2.From the passage we can infer Iowa is in __________.

A．the southern town of Eldon???? ????????????? B．the Midwest of the United States

C．a European country?????????? D．the city of Chicago

3.Grant Wood chose the two models __________.

A．to describe traditional roles of men and women

B．to praise the moral virtue of rural America

C．to make his dentist and his sister famous

D．to carry the story across the country

4.The title of the painting is based on __________.

A．the name of a small town?? ????????????? B．the man and the woman

C．the Gothic style of the house???? D．the pitchfork symbolizing hard labor

Leonardo da Vinci(1452-1519) ___ birds kept in cages in order to have the pleasure of setting them free.

A.is said to be buying

B.is said to have bought

C.had said to buy

D.has said to have bought

选词填空。从下列所给单词中选出适当词语，并用其适当形式填空。（共10小题， 每题1分，共10分）
addict, pain, affect, breath, participant, genius, rare, crime, health, catch
【小题1】That was such a difficult game that a third of the __________ gave up halfway.
【小题2】In the past few years, My Heart Will Go On was a popular _______ song among young people.
【小题3】She ___________ watches TV because she thinks it’s a waste of time.
【小题4】Many children in this village look too thin, pale and ____________.
【小题5】A lot of artists were ________ in many fields, such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Beethoven.
【小题6】The __________ had a lonely life in prison but no one wanted to pay a visit to him.
【小题7】I like getting up very early in summer. The morning air is so good to___________.
【小题8】The teacher’s encouragement has a positive ___________ on the students.
【小题9】If you have confidence, I believe you can overcome your ______________ to drugs.
【小题10】If he wants to win in the contest, he must take great ____________ with it.

The Winter Palace was built between 1754 and 1762 for Empress Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great. Unfortunately, Elizabeth died before the palace was completed and only Catherine the Great and her successors were able to enjoy the great interior (内部) of Elizabeth’s home. Many parts of the palace’s impressive interior have been remodeled since then, particularly after 1837, when a huge fire destroyed most of the building. Today the Winter Palace, together with four more buildings arranged side by side along the river embankment, houses the extensive collections of the Hermitage. The Hermitage Museum is the largest art gallery in Russia and is among the largest and most respected art museums in the world.

    The museum was founded in 1764 when Catherine the Great bought a collection of 255 paintings from the German city of Berlin. Today, the Hermitage boasts over 2.7 million exhibits and displays, a diverse range of art and artifacts (手工艺品) from all over the world and throughout history (from Ancient Egypt to the early 20th century Europe). The Hermitage’s collections include works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, a collection of Rembrandts and Rubens, many French Impressionist works by Renoir, Cezanne, Monet and Pissarro, and several works by Rodin. The collection is really worth a stop for all those interested in art and history. The experts say that if you were to spend a minute looking at each exhibit on show in the Hermitage, you would need 11 years before you’d seen them all. However, we suggest you choose a guided tour instead!

    Location: Dvortsovaia Naberezhnaia, 32-38.

    Open: 10:30 am to 5:30 pm, Sunday till 5 pm.

    Closed: Mondays. Ticket-office closes 1 hour before closing time.

1. According to the passage, the Winter Palace was built for ______.

A. Catherine the Great.      B. Empress Elizabeth

C. Peter the Great.           D. Empress Elizabeth’s successors

2. What’s the main reason why many parts of the palace’s impressive interior were remodeled?

A. Catherine the Great and her successors didn’t like the design.

B. Empress Elizabeth wanted to remodel the palace.

C. A huge fire destroyed most of the building in 1837.

D. The building became old itself.

3. According to the passage, which of the following is CORRECT?

A. The Winter Palace was built between 1753 and 1761.

B. The Hermitage’s collections don’t include works by Monet.       

C. The Hermitage Museum is the largest art gallery in Russia.

D. The Hermitage Museum was founded in 1764 when Empress Elizabeth bought a collection of 255 paintings from Berlin.

4.If you want to visit the museum, when can you go?

A. At 10:30 am on Monday.      B. At 10:00 am on Tuesday.

C. At 11:00 am on Sunday.       D. None of the above.