About art
Art is a vast subject，including all kinds of pictures and sculptures.This book introduces 32 works by some of the world's most famous artists.This is only a small selection，but it reveals（揭示） huge differences in what artists do.
Why make art？
Artists make art for many reasons.Sometimes，they just want to create something beautiful.But hundreds of years ago﹣ when many people couldn't read﹣ paintings were often designed to illustrate stories.
Very grand paintings were usually made to order，for wealthy clients who wanted to impress people.More recently，artists have begun to paint to express their own feelings or explore ideas.
About this book
The pictures reproduced in this book were painted over the last 500 years.They are arranged（排列） in order of date，so you can see how ideas about art have changed over time.If you would like to see more art，there is lots on the Internet﹣ ﹣just follow the links recommended throughout the book.If you can，visit an art gallery too，so you can experience seeing the"real thing".
（1）Why are the works introduced in the book？
A.To tell readers huge differences in what artists do.
B.To offer readers all kinds of pictures and sculptures.
C.To share every famous artists life story with readers.
D.To introduce a number of works from an artist to readers.
（2）The works in the book are arranged in order of .
A.size
B.space
C.time
D.importance
（3）The passage above mainly .
A.gives an introduction to the book
B.shows the size of each part in the book
C.shows the number of the artists in the book
D.gives the reasons to order paintings in the book
A man went to see a doctor. “Open your mouth ”, the doctor said. The man opened his mouth and the doctor looked in quickly.“It’s clear what’s wrong with you .You need more exercise, ” the doctor said.“But doctor,” the man said “I don’t think …” “Don’t tell me what you think,” “ I am the doctor, not you. I know what you need . I see hundreds of people like you. None of them get any exercise. They sit in offices all day and in front of theTV in the evening. What you need is to walk quickly for at least 20 minutes a day” “Doctor, you don’t understand ,” the man said, “I…” “I don’t want to hear any excuses,” the doctor said , “ You must find time for exercise .If you don’t you will get fat and have health problems when you are older.” “ But I walk every day ,”the man said. “Oh, yes , and I know what kind of walk that is .You walk a few feet to the train station from your house, a few more feet from the station to your office, and a few more feet from your office to a restaurant for lunch and back. That’s not real walking .I’m talking about a walk in the park for twenty minutes every day.”“ Will you listen to me , doctor !” the man shouted, getting angry with this doctor who thought he knew everything. “I m a postman”., the man went on, “ and I walk for seven hours every day! It’s my wife, she is ill.”The post man went to see the doctor because ______
| A．he though he was ill |
| B．he was too fat and could not walk quickly |
| C．something was wrong with his wife |
| D．he had a healthy problem |
The doctor thought many people had health problems only because they__
| A．did not have enough exercise | B．didn’t like walking |
| C．spent much time watching TV. | D．were working in offices |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The postman sent letters on foot. |
| B．The doctor had a walk in a park every day. |
| C．The postman lived near a train station |
| D．The postman went to see the doctor on foot. |
The story happened _____.
| A．near the post office. | B．in the doctor’s office |
| C．near the playground | D．in the man’s office |
Most people like watching TV.So does Mary.She doesn't mind soap operas or talk shows.But she can't stand sitcoms，for(因为)they are too boring.Sports shows are her favorite programs.She likes sports very much，and she likes watching football matches on TV.
Mary likes women’s volleyball，too.She often watches matches on TV，sometimes on the Internet.Her favorite team is the Chinese team.She thinks all the members are fantastic.
Mary enjoys volleyball，but she isn't good at it.She is good at table tennis.She often plays it with her best friend after school.They are both on the school table tennis team.Sometimes they play with teams from other schools.They have a lot of fun with it.Mary thinks sitcoms are ______.
| A．interesting | B．boring |
| C．exciting | D．surprising |
______ are Mary's favorite program.
| A．Talk shows | B．Soap operas |
| C．Beijing opera | D．Sports shows |
What's the meaning of the word “fantastic”？
| A．漂亮的 | B．潇洒的 | C．棒极了 | D．狂妄的 |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Mary often plays table tennis after school. |
| B．Mary is good at playing volleyball. |
| C．Mary only watches volleyball matches on TV. |
| D．Mary's favorite team is the Japanese team. |
Henry is a little fatter than he wants to be.He wants to lose some weight （减轻重量）.He tries not to eat too much and he eats very little sugar because it will make him fat.He also does exercise every day.He swims,and he runs about two miles a day.Now he is stronger than before.Henry’s sister,Susan, is healthier than Henry.She is also younger and thinner than he is.She does exercise every day.She doesn’t eat much meat.She eats a lot of fruit and vegetables, because she thinks they are better for her health.Henry wants to be_______
| A．a little fatter | B．a little thinner |
| C．a little older | D．a little younger |
Which will make people fat?
| A．Meat and fruit | B．Sugar and meat. |
| C．Fruit and vegetables . | D．Vegetables and sugar. |
Susan is __________ than Henry.
| A．younger but fatter | B．older and healthier |
| C．thinner but not stronger | D．thinner and healthier. |
It feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly, my mother will push the conversation into World War III. All these because I don’t plan to be a doctor. And much to her sadness, I don’t want to do any job related(和…相关) to science, either. In fact, when I said that I planned to major(主修) in English and communications, Her heart was broken.
“Why can’t you be like my friend’s son?” she bemoans(抱怨) all the time. Her friend’s son received a four-year scholarship and is now earning 70,000 dollars a year as an engineer. I can’t be like him. He is Mr. Perfect. I’m the type of person who loves to help out in the community, write until the sun goes down, and most of all, wants to achieve a career because I love it, not because of fame (名声) or salary(薪水).
I understand why my mother is worried about my future major. I’ve seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours. She leaves the house around 6.30 a.m. and usually comes home around 5 p.m. or even 6 p.m. However, I want her to know that by becoming a doctor, it doesn’t mean I’ll be successful. I’d rather follow my dreams and create my own future. Which topic do the writer and his mother often talk about?
| A．The writer’s studies. | B．The writer’s future job | C．Dinner plans | D．World War III |
From Paragraph 1，we know that the writer’s mother ____________.
| A．doesn’t want the writer to major in English |
| B．doesn’t think the writer should be a doctor |
| C．gets along very well with the writer |
| D．thinks working in the science field is a good idea |
Which sentence is probably TRUE about the writer?
| A．He wants to be like his mother’s friend’s son. |
| B．He wants to find a job in his community in the future. |
| C．He doesn’t think his mother’s friend’s son is perfect. |
| D．He wants to do something he really likes in the future. |
We can know from the last paragraph that ____.
| A．the writer’s mother works very hard for the family |
| B．the writer doesn’t know what his future will be like |
| C．the writer doesn’t think being a doctor is a good job |
| D．the writer sometimes thinks his mother’s advice is very good |
It was a village in India. The people were poor but they were happy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.
Then one day, some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.
This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were useless to the villagers. What they had to do was to catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. The villagers were able to dream of a better future. But the dream didn’t last long.
The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops weren’t doing so well. More worry was that the children fell ill more often, and there were more insects around lately. The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides (杀剂) and medicine. Soon there was no money left.
The people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job--- eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.
Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.From Paragraph l, we learn that the villagers_______.
| A．worked very hard for centuries |
| B．dreamed of having a better life |
| C．were poor but somewhat happy |
| D．lived a different life from their forefathers |
Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?
| A．The frogs were easy money. |
| B．They needed money to buy medicine. |
| C．They wanted to please the visitors. |
| D．The frogs made too much noise. |
What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?
| A．The crops didn’t do well. | B．There were too many insects. |
| C．The visitors brought in diseases. | D．The pesticides were overused. |
What is meaning of the last sentence of the article?
| A．Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country. |
| B．Money is important. |
| C．The harmony between man and nature is important. |
| D．Good old days will never be forgotten. |