He lived his whole life as a poor man. His art and talent were recognized by almost no one. He suffered from a mental illness that led him to cut off part of his left ear in 1888 and to shoot himself two years later. But in his death, he achieved world fame. Today, Dutch artist Van Gogh is recognized as one of the leading artists of all time.
Now, 150 years after his birth on March 30, 1853, Zundert, the town of his birth, has made 2003“The Van Gogh Year”in his honour. And the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, home to the biggest collection of his masterpieces, is marking the anniversary with exhibitions through the year. The museum draws around 1.3 million visitors every year. Some people enjoy the art and then learn about his life. Others are first interested in his life, which then helps them understand his art.
Van Gogh was the son of a minister. He left school when he was just 15. By the age of 27, he had already tried many jobs including an art gallery salesman and a French teacher. Finally in 1880, he decided to begin his studies in art.
Van Gogh is famed for his ability to put his own emotions(情感)into his paintings and show his feelings about a scene. His style is marked by short, broad brush strokes(绘画笔法). “Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I have before my eyes, I use colour more freely, in order to express myself more forcibly，”he wrote in a letter to his brother in 1888.
Van Gogh sold only one painting during his short life. He relied heavily on support from his brother, an art dealer who lived in Paris. But now his works are sold for millions of dollars. His Portrait of Dr Gachet sold for US $ 89.5 million in 1990. It is the powerful and the brilliant colours in them are attractive to people，”said a Van Goah's fan.All through his life Van Gogh________.
| A．depended on his brother |
| B．worked hard on his dream |
| C．was not recognized by people |
| D．expressed himself in paintings |
Van Gogh killed himself because of________.
| A．the poor life |
| B．his illness |
| C．his pain from the left ear |
| D．the refusal by artists of his time |
One of the characteristics of Van Gogh's paintings is________.
| A．the likeness between his paintings and the reality |
| B．the short time for him to complete a painting |
| C．the various styles mixed together |
| D．the special strokes he made |
The selling of his paintings is considered to be the most successful because________.
| A．more and more people like his paintings |
| B．people can understand him through his paintings |
| C．1.3 million people visit his paintings museum every year |
| D．Zundert has made 2003“The Van Gogh Year”in his honour |
As is known, healthy foods can help save your life. Now, here is a list of healthy foods that can save your memory. It is best that every person knows what he eats, as he takes in, can make or break himself, in terms of health.
Fish is helpful in regaining back the kind of memory that a person once has. Eating fish can help you save the trouble of forgetfulness. Vegetables rich in fiber and other dark and green leafy kinds are very suitable for people who want to avoid mental blocks. These foods contain high units of vitamin E.
Another food that is considered having different effects on preventing this brain deficiency (缺陷) is avocado (鳄梨), which is also rich in vitamins E and C. It is really good to know these healthy foods that can save your memory are always at hand so as to help you in your fight against diseases. Sunflower seeds are regarded as Vitamin C-powered seeds and also give you enough energy.
As for red wine, do not over consume it, as it is said to have to be taken in moderate amounts in order to help the body. Over-drinking can cause illness and like anything else. This is considered as one of the healthy foods that can save your memory; alcohol can otherwise lose it.
It is better to consume colored bread, rice and whole grains for you to get the best out of fiber. These foods can lower the body’s risk of being infected with Alzheimer’s disease（老年痴呆病）.
Knowing the healthy foods that can save your memory is living the life that you have longed and desired. Among the others, the best, of course, is exercise. Taking in different kind of exercises, physical activities or sports can keep both your body and mind healthy. If you suffer from loss of memory, you _______.
| A．should eat cucumbers and cabbages | B．can drink as much wine as possible |
C．had better take in fish in your meals |
D．may as well take more Vitamin C |
To prevent mental disease from happening, _______.
| A．people are advised to take avocados | B．it is best to eat vegetables high in fiber |
| C．it is better to have more sunflower seeds | D．red wine is the first and best choice |
Which of the following is the most important for health?
| A．Drinking a proper amount of red wine every day. |
| B．Eating bread made of whole grains. |
| C．Adding Vitamin C-powered seeds to meals. |
| D．Taking moderate exercise every day. |
How many means for health does the author mention in the passage?
| A．Six | B．Seven | C．Eight | D．Nine |
Which of the following is most suitable for the passage?
(①="Para.1" ②="Para.2" ③="Para.3" ④="Para.4" ⑤="Para.5" ⑥=Para.6)
①①
↙↘↙↘
| A．②③④⑤ | B．②③④⑤ ↖↗↖↗ ⑥⑥ ①① ↙↘↙↘ |
| C．②③④⑤ | D．②③ |
↖↗↙↘
⑥④ ⑤
↖↗
⑥
The 92-year-old, thin, calm and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, even though she is nearly blind, moved to a nursing home today.
Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the hall of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.
As she walked slowly to lift, I provided a true description of her tiny room, including the old sheets(床单) that had been hung on her window. “I love it.” She said with the happiness.
“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room…. Just wait..” “That doesn’t matter.” She replied. “ Happiness is something you decide ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged. It is how I arrange my mind, I have already decided to lobe it. It is a decision I make every morning when I wake up. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I will focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away.” She went on to explain, “Old age is like a bank account(帐户). You put what you have in. So, my advice to you would be to put in a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank.” And with a smile, she said, “All my memories are happy ones.”
Mr. Jones was always happy in the nursing home and she died at the age of 108. We can infer from the passage that the writer_____________.
| A．is one of Mrs. Jones children |
| B．is a relative of Mrs. Jones |
| C．works in the nursing home |
| D．is the owner of the nursing house |
The room in which the old lady will live ____________.
| A．isn’t in good condition |
| B．is fairly big |
| C．is very comfortable |
| D．is equipped with new furniture |
Which of the following words can best describe Mrs. Jones?
| A．Proud | B．Pleasant |
| C．Loyal | D．Honest |
The author intends to tell us_________________.
| A．why the lonely woman was happy |
| B．what a nursing home was alike |
| C．how to live a long life |
| D．how to lead a happy life |
Matt grows the best vegetables in the village. He grows fruit too – big, sweet apples and oranges. And what else? Well, the biggest and the prettiest flowers.
Things grow in Matt’s garden all through the year. He cuts some flowers for his sitting room table; and of course , he eats some fruit and vegetables. But he sells everything else in the market. Matt is not a poor man.
He knows a few other gardens; but he does not have any friends. You might ask, “What is that?” Why doesn’t he have friends. I will tell you. People do not understand him. And they do not understand his garden. “Why not?” You will ask. “It is a very good garden, isn’t it?” It is a wonderful garden. Matt plants things in spring, summer, autumn and winter. After that he does very little work. He sits in the garden with his small radio. And everything grows.
People ask, “How does Matt grow these wonderful things? He waters the plants sometimes, but he doesn’t do anything else. He just sits under an orange tree with his radio. He listens to music nearly all day!” and that is all quite true. People cannot understand it, and so they don’t like it very much.
Matt likes music. But what about the garden? Who does the work? I will tell you another true thing: the music does the work. All plants love music; and Matt knows that.
Do you want big vegetables and the loveliest flowers? Well, just give your plants a lot of music.There are not only vegetables and flowers, but also ________ in Matt’s garden.
| A．plants | B．fruit trees | C．ants | D．crops |
Matt makes a living by ___________
| A．selling his vegetables, fruit and flowers | B．growing trees in his garden |
| C．working in the market | D．helping other people growing plants |
Everything in Matt’s garden grows well because ______
| A．he has a good garden |
| B．he is good at growing things and likes listening to the radio |
| C．music helps his plants a lot |
| D．he is very hardworking |
People don’t like Matt because ____________
| A．he doesn’t give them any vegetables or fruit | B．he listens to the radio too much |
| C．they don’t understand him | D．Matt doesn’t let them listen to his radio |
If we observe carefully, we van find that most of the flowers in nature are red, orange and yellow. If we have seen a black flower, it’s a chance in million. People have made a census(普查)to colours of more than four thousand kinds of flowers and discovered that only eight of them are black. Why?
As we know, sunlight is formed by seven different kinds of coloured light. The wave length of each light changes, so the quantity of heat in each light changes, too. Flowers, especially their petals(花瓣), are very delicate(纤弱) and prone(易于) to the harm caused by high temperature. Black flowers can take in all the light waves, which cause the flowers to dry up in a high temperature. So black flowers can rarely survive sunlight. But red flowers, orange flowers and yellow flowers can protect themselves from sunlight by reflecting the red light, orange light and yellow light, each of which has a large quantity of heat.
That is why red, orange and yellow flowers are very common in nature while black flowers are so rare. We can hardly find black flowers because _____.
| A．they are so weak that it’s difficult for them to grow up |
| B．there are no black flowers in the world. |
| C．the petals of black flowers are very delicate |
| D．they can take in the light of all wave lengths, which make the flowers dry up |
Sunlight is formed by _____.
| A．many different kinds of coloured light |
| B．three different kinds of coloured light—red, orange and yellow |
| C．seven different kinds of coloured light |
| D．four thousand kinds of coloured light |
The red, orange or yellow light contains _____.
| A．less heat than the other lights | B．more heat than the other lights |
| C．a great deal of heat | D．a little heat |
“It is a chance in a million” means_____________
| A．it is common | B．it is extremely rare | C．it’s lucky | D．it’s impossible |
Winter-swimming has become popular in Beijing . Three years ago, few people would go swimming in the icy waters. But now there is a Winter-swimming Enthusiasts Club(冬泳爱好者协会) and it has more than 2,000 members. The oldest is 84 and the youngest is only 7. The members are from all walks of life. They may be workers, peasants, soldiers, teachers, students.
Though it is now the coldest part of the season and the water temperature in the city’s lakes is around 0℃, many winter-swimmers still swim in the icy waters, even when it is snowing. They enjoy themselves in the lake, while the people by the side of the lake are wearing heavy clothes.
Why are so many people interested in winter-swimming? Because winter-swimming can be good for one’s health.
Bei Sha is a good example. He is 69, and he once suffered from heart trouble for 26 years. After ten years of winter-swimming he is now in good health. Scientists are now studying the effects of winter-swimming on health.Among the winter- swimmers the oldest man is ________ years older than the youngest
| A．91 | B．84 | C．77 | D．7 |
Guess what “The members are from all walks of life” mean?
| A．The members do different jobs at different places |
| B．They come from all parts of Beijing. |
| C．They are persons of different ages. |
| D．They are man and woman, old and young. |
Winter-swimming has become popular in Beijing because_________________.
| A．more and more people like to swimming in Beijing |
| B．it is more interesting than swimming in summer |
| C．winter-swimmers are brave men |
| D．winter-swimming does a lot of good to one’s health |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．People Like Swimming in Winter |
| B．Winter-swimming- a Craze(狂热) in Beijing |
| C．People Benefit from Winter- swimming |
| D．Winter-swimmers are Brave Men |