Grandma Moses is among the most famous twentieth-century painters of the United States, yet she did not start painting until she was in her late seventies. As she once said to herself: " I would never sit back in a rocking chair, waiting for someone to help me." No one could have had a more productive old age.
She was born Anna Mary Robertson on a farm in New York State, one of five boys and five girls. At twelve she left home and was in domestic service until, at twenty--seven, she married Thomas Moses, the hired hand of one of her employers. They farmed most of their lives, first in Virginia and then in New York State, at Eagle Bridge. She had ten children, of whom five survived; her husband died in 1927.
Grandma Moses painted a little as a child and made embroidery (刺绣) pictures as a hobby, but only changed to oils in old age because her hands had become too stiff to sew and she wanted to keep busy and pass the time. Her pictures were first sold at the local drugstore and at a market and were soon noticed by a businessman who bought everything she painted. Three of the pictures exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, and in 1940 she had her first exhibition in New York. Between the 1930's and her death, she produced some 2,000 pictures: detailed and lively portrayals of the country life she had known for so long, with a wonderful sense of color and form. "I think really hard till I think of something really pretty, and then I paint it" she said.
1.According to the passage, Grandma Moses began to paint because she wanted to_______.
A.make herself beautiful | B.become famous |
C.earn more money | D.keep active |
2.Grandma Moses spent most of her life ________.
A.nursing | B.painting | C.farming | D.embroidering |
3.The underlined word “portrayals ” means ________.
A. expressions B explanations C. descriptions . D. impressions
4.From Grandma Moses' description of herself in the first paragraph, it can be inferred that she was ________.
A.pretty | B.nervous | C.rich | D.independent |
5.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.The Children of Grandma Moses. | B.Grandma Moses: Her Life and Pictures. |
C.Grandma Moses: Her Best Exhibition. | D.Grandma Moses and Other Older Artists. |
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
Grandma Moses is among the most famous twentieth-century painters of the United States, yet she did not start painting until she was in her late seventies. As she once said to herself: " I would never sit back in a rocking chair, waiting for someone to help me." No one could have had a more productive old age.
She was born Anna Mary Robertson on a farm in New York State, one of five boys and five girls. At twelve she left home and was in domestic service until, at twenty--seven, she married Thomas Moses, the hired hand of one of her employers. They farmed most of their lives, first in Virginia and then in New York State, at Eagle Bridge. She had ten children, of whom five survived; her husband died in 1927.
Grandma Moses painted a little as a child and made embroidery (刺绣) pictures as a hobby, but only changed to oils in old age because her hands had become too stiff to sew and she wanted to keep busy and pass the time. Her pictures were first sold at the local drugstore and at a market and were soon noticed by a businessman who bought everything she painted. Three of the pictures exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, and in 1940 she had her first exhibition in New York. Between the 1930's and her death, she produced some 2,000 pictures: detailed and lively portrayals of the country life she had known for so long, with a wonderful sense of color and form. "I think really hard till I think of something really pretty, and then I paint it" she said.
1.According to the passage, Grandma Moses began to paint because she wanted to_______.
A.make herself beautiful | B.become famous |
C.earn more money | D.keep active |
2.Grandma Moses spent most of her life ________.
A.nursing | B.painting | C.farming | D.embroidering |
3.The underlined word “portrayals ” means ________.
A. expressions B explanations C. descriptions . D. impressions
4.From Grandma Moses' description of herself in the first paragraph, it can be inferred that she was ________.
A.pretty | B.nervous | C.rich | D.independent |
5.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.The Children of Grandma Moses. | B.Grandma Moses: Her Life and Pictures. |
C.Grandma Moses: Her Best Exhibition. | D.Grandma Moses and Other Older Artists. |
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
When it comes to the most famous 20th century painters of the United States, Grandma Moses should be mentioned, although she did not start painting until she was in her late seventies. As she once said to herself , “I would never sit back in a rocking chair, waiting for someone to help me”. No one could have had a more active old age.
She was born on a farm in New York State, one of five boys and five girls. At 12 she left home and was in domestic service until at 27 she married Thomas Moses, the hired hand of one of her employers. They farmed most of their lives, first in Virginia and then in New York State, at Eagle Bridge. She had ten children, of whom five survived; her husband died in 1927.
Grandma Moses painted a little as a child and made embroidery (刺绣) pictures as a hobby, but only changed to oils in old age because her hands became too stiff (僵硬的) to sew and she still wanted to keep busy and pass the time. Her pictures were first sold at the local drugstore and at a market and were soon noticed by a businessman who bought all that she painted. Three of the pictures were exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, and in 1940 she had her first exhibition in New York. Between the 1930’s and her death, she produced some 2,000 pictures: careful and lively portrayals of the country life she had known for so long, with a wonderful sense of color and form. “I think really hard till I think of something really pretty, and then I paint it” she said.
1.What can we learn about Moses?
A.She stopped painting in her late seventies.
B.She still led an active life when she was old.
C.Her marriage life was not happy.
D.She painted oils as a child.
2.What did Grandma Moses spend most of her life doing?
A.Embroidering. B.Farming.
C.Nursing. D.Painting.
3.What does the underlined word “portrayals ” in the last paragraph mean?
A.Directions. B.Stages.
C.Surveys. D.Descriptions.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Grandma Moses: the Best Woman Painter
B.Grandma Moses and Her Farm Life
C.Grandma Moses and Her Exhibition
D.Grandma Moses : A Famous Woman Painter of 20th Century
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The artist Grandma Moses became famous for her simple, bright, cheerful paintings of American farm life.Her full name was Anna Mary Robertson Moses.But she was known to everyone as Grandma Moses because she did not begin to paint seriously until in her seventies.
Born on a farm in New York, Anna had little schooling.Her days were filled with farm chores.But she often found time to make pictures.Soon, however, she became too busy to draw or paint.At the age of 12, she went to work as a servant for a family nearby.She worked for other people for many years.Then, when she was 27, she married Thomas Moses, a farmer.And they began raising a family of their own.
Anna Moses could no longer do heavy farm work with age.Then, in her seventies, she began to paint in oils.Her pictures showed things she recalled from childhood-farm scenes, ice-skating, bringing home the Christmas tree.Later, she began to display her art at county fairs.Her pictures recorded a way of life that was quickly passing away.People everywhere loved these happy scenes, and soon her paintings were shown in art galleries.Grandma Moses became famous partially on account of her age, but mainly because her approach to art was modest and simple compared to many other painters of her time.Without formal training or even knowledge of Modernism, she relied on her own simple techniques to create her landscapes and scenes.She continued to paint almost until her death, on December 13, 1961 , at the age of 101.
The themes in her paintings provided the comfort of a rural life that many busy Americans treasured from their past.The threat of nuclear arms that appeared on television screens and in magazines had Americans starving for something more.Grandma Moses' art appealed to those who had lost hope for the future.Her classic paintings still appear on TV commercials, greeting cards, and magazine and book covers.
1.What can be inferred from the fact that Grandma Moses picked up a paintbrush?
A.She had no other ways to kill time.
B.Her friend and family suggested it.
C.She had had a love for painting since her childhood.
D.She needed to make a living by selling her paintings.
2.The key reason for her success is ___________.
A.her old age B.her plain style
C.her lack of training D.her modern knowledge
3.We can know from the passage that ______.
A.her paintings raised people's hope for the future
B.her paintings expressed the reality of her old age
C.many Americans were interested in purchasing art works
D.people wanted to get comfort by remembering grandmas
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The dodo is among the most famous extinct creatures, and a poster child for human-caused extinction events. Despite its bad name, and the fact that the species was alive during recorded human history, little is actually known about how this animal lived, looked, and behaved. A new study of the only known complete skeleton(骨架) from a single bird takes advantage of modern 3-D laser scanning(扫描) technology to open a new window into the life of this famous extinct bird.
The study was presented at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Estrel, Berlin. Leon Claessens, Associate Professor at the College of the Holy Cross, and lead researcher on the study said that, "the 3-D laser surface scans we made of the fragile dodo skeletons enable us to reconstruct how the dodo walked, moved and lived to a level of detail that has never been possible before. There are so many outstanding questions about the dodo bird that we can answer with this new knowledge."
A complete dodo skeleton, found by an amateur collector and barber, Etienne Thirioux, on the island of Mauritius between 1899 and 1917, has remained unstudied, even though it is the only complete dodo skeleton from a single individual bird known to exist. All other skeletons are incomplete combinations, meaning that they are gathered from more than one individual. In addition, Thirioux constructed a second, partially combined skeleton, which contains many bones that also belong to a single bird. "Being able to examine the skeleton of a single, individual dodo, which is not made up from as many individual birds as there are bones, as is the case in all those other combined skeletons, truly allows us to appreciate the way the dodo looked and see how tall or fat it really was," said Juilan Hume, of the Natural History Museum UK, a co-author on the study.
The scans were performed on site in Durban, South Africa, and allow examination of the biology of this mysterious extinct bird in detail for the first time. Using the newest digital tools and techniques, the scans provide an insight into how the flightless dodo may have developed its giant size, and how it walked and lived in its forest home. According to Kenneth Rijsdijk, a biologist from University of Amsterdam, “the skull of the dodo is so large and its mouth so strong that it is easy to understand that the earliest naturalists thought it was related to sharks and other birds of prey(猛禽), rather than the pigeon family.”
1.The underlined phrase “a poster child” in Para. 1 is closest in meaning to “ ”.
A. a typical example
B. an endangered animal
C. a child who puts up posters on the board
D. a child posted in a newspaper as an advertisement
2.The researchers study the dodo skeleton to find out .
A. ways to save the dodo
B. the dodo’s living habits
C. the bird’s natural habitat
D. the cause of the dodo’s extinction
3.What is special about the dodo skeleton found by an amateur collector?
A. It is gathered from more than one individual.
B. It reminded unstudied between 1899 and 1917.
C. It is the only complete dodo skeleton from a single individual bird.
D. It can be examined with 3-D laser scanning technology.
4.What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
A. To call people’s attention to wildlife protection.
B. To criticize humans for the extinction events.
C. To introduce a new way of studying the dodo.
D. To give tips on how to study extinct creatures.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The dodo is among the most famous extinct creatures, and a poster child for human-caused extinction events. Despite its bad name, and the fact that the species was alive during recorded human history, little is actually known about how this animal lived, looked, and behaved. A new study of the only known complete skeleton(骨架) from a single bird takes advantage of modern 3-D laser scanning(扫描) technology to open a new window into the life of this famous extinct bird.
The study was presented at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Estrel, Berlin. Leon Claessens, Associate Professor at the College of the Holy Cross, and lead researcher on the study said that, "the 3-D laser surface scans we made of the fragile dodo skeletons enable us to reconstruct how the dodo walked, moved and lived to a level of detail that has never been possible before. There are so many outstanding questions about the dodo bird that we can answer with this new knowledge."
A complete dodo skeleton, found by an amateur collector and barber, Etienne Thirioux, on the island of Mauritius between 1899 and 1917, has remained unstudied, even though it is the only complete dodo skeleton from a single individual bird known to exist. All other skeletons are incomplete combinations, meaning that they are gathered from more than one individual. In addition, Thirioux constructed a second, partially combined skeleton, which contains many bones that also belong to a single bird. "Being able to examine the skeleton of a single, individual dodo, which is not made up from as many individual birds as there are bones, as is the case in all those other combined skeletons, truly allows us to appreciate the way the dodo looked and see how tall or fat it really was," said Juilan Hume, of the Natural History Museum UK, a co-author on the study.
The scans were performed on site in Durban, South Africa, and allow examination of the biology of this mysterious extinct bird in detail for the first time. Using the newest digital tools and techniques, the scans provide an insight into how the flightless dodo may have developed its giant size, and how it walked and lived in its forest home. According to Kenneth Rijsdijk, a biologist from University of Amsterdam, “the skull of the dodo is so large and its mouth so strong that it is easy to understand that the earliest naturalists thought it was related to sharks and other birds of prey(猛禽), rather than the pigeon family.”
1.The underlined phrase “a poster child” in Para. 1 is closest in meaning to “ ”.
A. a typical example
B. an endangered animal
C. a child who puts up posters on the board
D. a child posted in a newspaper as an advertisement
2.The researchers study the dodo skeleton to find out .
A. ways to save the dodo
B. the dodo’s living habits
C. the bird’s natural habitat
D. the cause of the dodo’s extinction
3.What is special about the dodo skeleton found by an amateur collector?
A. It is gathered from more than one individual.
B. It reminded unstudied between 1899 and 1917.
C. It is the only complete dodo skeleton from a single individual bird.
D. It can be examined with 3-D laser scanning technology.
4.What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
A. To call people’s attention to wildlife protection.
B. To criticize humans for the extinction events.
C. To introduce a new way of studying the dodo.
D. To give tips on how to study extinct creatures.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
There are thirty-four bridges on the Thames River in London, the following are among the most famous ones.
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894 and is one of the finest, most recognizable bridges in the World. It is the bridge in London you may see in movies and on advertising writing for London. Tower Bridge is the only Thames Bridge that can be raised. It used to be raised about 50 times a day, but nowadays it is only raised 4 to 5 times a week.
London Bridge
The construction of the first stone London Bridge started in 1176 and finished years later. Houses and shops were once built on the bridge, which made the road so narrow that it was often jammed with people, horses and carts. A ‘keep left’ rule was made in 1733 to keep the traffic moving. This became the rule of the road in Britain. In 1757 the old bridge was pulled down and a new one was built in 1831. Interestingly, that one was pulled down again in 1967 but rebuilt in Lake Havasu City, USA, as a tourist attraction. The present London Bridge was opened in 1973.
Millennium Bridge
The Millennium Bridge is a bridge for walkers. It was built to connect the Tate Modern Art Gallery to the City and St Paul’s Cathedral (圣保罗大教堂) in 2000. Thousands of people rushed to see the new bridge. Almost immediately after opening, the bridge had to be shut because of the dangerous waving caused by too many visitors. It has now been reopened. The bridge is about 320 meters, costs 16 million pounds to build and only takes walkers.
Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster and Lambeth. The present bridge, opened in 1862, is the second on the site and took the place of an earlier bridge opened in 1750. The British romantic poet, William Wordsworth, wrote a famous poem “Composed Upon Westminster Bridge” in the autumn of 1802.
Want to know more about the bridges on the Thames River? Click here www.bridgesinbritain.com.
1.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A. The 1831 London Bridge is now in the USA.
B. Tower Bridge is much less frequently lifted today than before.
C. Cars and buses are not allowed to cross Millennium Bridge.
D. Westminster Bridge is for walkers only.
2.The Passage is most probably taken from a ________.
A. school report B. website article
C. teenage magazine D. science fiction
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. William Wordsworth wrote many poems of the bridges on the Thames River.
B. Millennium Bridge wasn’t built strong enough so that it had to be pulled down and rebuilt.
C. That all the traffic is kept left in Britain was from a rule of an old London Bridge.
D. Tower Bridge is the symbol of London because it is the first bridge on the Thames River.
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
The sad thing is _________the world-famous artist devoted his whole life _____, he only sold one painting before he died.
A.although; to painting | B.that; to paint |
C.that although; to painting | D.although that; to paint |
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
The white swan(天鹅) is among the most beautiful of birds. 1.. It floats quietly on the water, unable to sing sweet songs like most other birds.
In ancient times, however, people believed that the swan was given a special gift of song at the end of its life.
2..
The story of the swan's last song found a place in the works of other writers, including the early English writers Chaucer and Shakespeare.
3.. At first, swan song meant the last work of a poet, musician or writer. Now, it means the final effort of any person. Someone's swan song usually is also considered that person's finest work.
4.. The expression may be used to describe a politician's last campaign, his final attempt to win the cheers and votes of the people. The last hurrah also can mean the last acts of a politician, before his term in office ends.
Writer Edwin O'Connor made the expression popular in 1956. He wrote a book about the final years in the political life of a long-time mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. 5..
Some language experts say the expression came from a name given to noisy supporters of Andrew Jackson—America's seventh president. They cheered hurrah so loudly for Andy Jackson during his presidential campaign that they became known as the hurrah boys.
A. It is mostly silent through its life.
B. He called his book "The Last Hurrah".
C. It is often a symbol of love in many writers' works.
D. A political expression with a similar meaning is the last hurrah.
E. They believed a swan sings a most beautiful song just before it dies.
F. They believed the story of the swan's last song was lost to the world.
G. The expression swan song has long been a part of the English language.
高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
.
Recently, the most popular topic among people in Zhongguancun has been: How far is Zhongguancun away from Silicon Valley (硅谷)? Can Zhongguancun be the next Silicon Valley?
People think that the day is not far when Zhongguancun will become a Silicon Valley. This is because Silicon Valley has two famous universities, Stanford and Berkeley universities, and Zhongguancun also has two universities, Peking and Tsinghua universities. Silicon Valley and Zhongguancun are gathering places for engineers. Silicon Valley has a group of well-known American high-tech companies including Intel and Hewlett-Packard, and Zhongguancun has famous companies such as Lenovo and Founder. Silicon Valley is good at science and technology, especially the information industry, while Zhongguancun is known as an electronics street.
However, Silicon Valley is still a far dream for Zhongguancun. Silicon Valley is a product of the market economy, while Zhongguancun is a government-led industrial group. Silicon Valley has an investment system of its own, while Zhongguancun is mainly a trading center for information products, a sales center and a market center. The Silicon Valley people have special and useful ideas. It’s important because of people’s innovation and adventure. All of the people have a good inter-personal relationship network, which enables Silicon Valley business starters to quickly get more money they need, find partners and grow.
The people in Zhongguancun think more about fund-raising, and give little thought to other factors. Some managers don’t understand the idea of market well. This can bring about many problems and can easily lead to failure. Now the basic task for Zhongguancun is to know the demands of the market and the users.
Now, many overseas talents who are returning home are people who once studied, lived and worked in Silicon Valley. A group of first-class universities have taken part in the development of Zhongguancun. It’s believed that Zhongguancun can become the next Silicon Valley, but it doesn’t need to copy Silicon Valley in every way. Zhongguancun can become a Silicon Valley with Chinese characteristics.
64. According to the passage, what is Hewlett-Packard?
A.An American high-tech company in Silicon Valley.
B.A famous American company in Zhongguancun.
C.The most famous university in America.
D.The headquarters of Silicon Valley.
65. Which of the following is WRONG about the differences between Zhongguancun and Silicon Valley?
A.Zhongguancun is a government-led industrial group.
B.Silicon Valley has an investment system of its own.
C.The Zhongguancun people don’t have lots of ideas of innovation and adventure.
D.Some managers in Silicon Valley don’t understand the idea of market well.
66. What does the author suggest in the fourth paragraph?
Chinese should bravely face some failure.
Chinese should think more about fund-raising.
Chinese should understand the demands of the market and the customers.
Chinese should have a quicker development in science.
67. What is the main idea of this passage?
A.China develops more slowly than America in science and technology.
B.The possibility that Zhongguancun becomes a Silicon Valley is discussed.
C.Americans have a better inter-personal relationship network than Chinese.
D.Some methods are put up to enlarge the competitive ability of Zhongguancun.
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Kung fu is one of the most popular topics of discussion among foreigners talking about China. As a discipline of kung fu with the largest number of practitioners in China, Tai Chi is gaining popularity worldwide. Tai Chi is sweeping the world thanks to its deep cultural roots and the health benefits coming from practicing it.
The philosophy of Tai Chi features the concept of yin and yang, which is typical of Confucianism and Taoism. Tai Chi also takes in ideas from traditional Chinese medicine, including anatomy (解剖学) and physiology (生理学). It is a practice that couples hardness with softness, and it is a perfect example of traditional Chinese culture.
Through lasting practice, learners begin to feel the positive impact (影响) of Tai Chi on their health. Unlike kung fu practices that focus on attacking and defending against enemies, Tai Chi focuses more on shaping good characters and keeping fit. By practicing Tai Chi, people will feel an improvement in their physical and psychological health by promoting a balance between yin and yang within their bodies. This is similar to Western medicine’s improving people’s self-healing ability and immune system.
Tai Chi is playing an important role in presenting Chinese culture to the rest of the world, acting like a bridge between China and other countries. Recent years have seen a lot of international communication on Tai Chi. In provinces like Hebei, Henan, Shanxi and Shaanxi, where Tai Chi teaching and learning are particularly active, local governments and non-governmental institutions often organize activities and competitions for learners and fans to attend and participate in. Large sporting events hosted by China such as the Asian Games and Olympics have featured Tai Chi performances or contests. These activities have opened a window for the outside world to know more about Tai Chi, paving the way for its overseas wide spread.
Today, Tai Chi not only belongs to China, but also to the whole world and to everyone who loves it.
1.Why is Tai Chi becoming popular around the world?
A. Chinese culture spreads quickly.
B. A good many people practice it.
C. Foreigners show more interest in it.
D. It has deep culture roots and health benefits.
2.What does Tai Chi represent?
A. The ideas of medicine.
B. The traditional Chinese culture.
C. The characteristic of yin and yang.
D. A practice of hardness and softness.
3.According to Paragraph 3, Tai Chi practice is to .
A. restore people’s immune system
B. help people keep healthy and get good characters
C. defend the body from being attacked
D. improve people’s self-healing ability
4.What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
A. Tai Chi has become a sport event.
B. Tai Chi is active only in central China.
C. Tai Chi promotes cross-culture communications.
D. Tai Chi opens a window for people to know about the world.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析