The artist Grandma Moses became famous for he...

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

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_______.

2.Grandma Moses spent most of her life ________.

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 ________.

5.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

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 Peales were a famous family of American artists. Charles Willson Peale is best remembered for his portraits of leading figures of the American Revolution. He painted portraits of Franklin and Jefferson and over a dozen of George Washington. His life-size portrait of his sons Raphaelle and Titian was so realistic that George Washington reportedly once tipped his hat to the figures in the picture.

Charles Willson Peale gave up painting in his middle age and devoted his life to the Peale museum, which he founded in Philadelphia. The world’s first popular museum of art and natural science mainly covered paintings by Peale and his family as well as displays of animals in their natural settings. Peale found the animals himself and found a method to make the exhibits more lifelike. The museum’s most popular display was the skeleton (骷髅) of a huge, extinct（灭绝的）elephant, which Peale unearthed on a New York farm in 1801.

Three of Peale’s seventeen children were also famous artists. Paphaelle Peale often painted still lives of flowers, fruit, and cheese. His brother Rembrandt studied under his father and painted portraits of many noted people, including one of George Washington. Another brother, Rubens Peale, painted mostly landscapes and portraits.

James Peale, the brother of Charles Willson Peale, specialized in miniatures (小画像). His daughter Sarah Miriam Peale was probably the first professional female portrait painter in America.

1. What is the main topic of the passage?

A. The life of Charles Willson Peale.                  B. Portraits in the 18th century.

C. The Peale Museum.                                      D. A family of artists.

2. The author mentions in Paragraph 1 that Washington tipped his hat to the figures in the painting to show that ________.

A. Charles Willson Peale’s painting was very lifelike

B. Washington respected Charles Willson Peale’s work

C. Washington was friendly with Raphaelle and Titian Peale

D. the painting of the two brothers was very large

3. The underlined word “unearthed” is closest in meaning to“ ______”.

A. showed            B. dug up          C. invented               D. looked over

4. Which of the following is NOT the child of Charles Willson Peale?

A. Titian Peale.   B. Rubens Peale.  C. Raphaelle Peale.      D. Sarah Miriam Peale.

5. The author’s attitude toward the Peales is in general _______.

A. puzzled            B. excited           C. admiring                D. disappointed

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

The Peales were a famous family of American artists．Charles Willson Peale is best remembered for his portraits of leading figures of the American Revolution．He painted portraits（肖像） of Franklin and Jefferson and over a dozen of George Washington．His life-size portrait of his sons Raphaelle and Titian was so realistic that George Washington reportedly once tipped his hat to the figures in the picture．

Charles Willson Peale gave up painting in his middle age and devoted his life to the Peale museum，which he founded in Philadelphia．The world’s first popular museum of art and natural science mainly covered paintings by Peale and his family as well as displays of animals in their natural settings．Peale found the animals himself and found a method to make the exhibits more lifelike．The museum’s most popular display was the skeleton （骷髅） of a huge，extinct elephant，which Peale unearthed on a New York farm in 1801．

Three of Peale’s seventeen children were also famous artists．Raphaelle Peale often painted still lives of flowers，fruit，and cheese．His brother Rembrandt studied under his father and painted portraits of many noted people，including one of George Washington．Another brother，Rubens Peale，painted mostly landscapes and portraits．

James Peale，the brother of Charles Willson Peale，specialized in miniatures （小画像）．His daughter Sarah Miriam Peale was probably the first professional female portrait painter in America．

1.The author mentions in Paragraph 1 that Washington tipped his hat to the figures in the painting to show that ________．

A．Charles Willson Peale’s painting was very lifelike

B．Washington respected Charles Willson Peale’s work

C．Washington was friendly with Raphaelle and Titian Peale

D．the painting of the two brothers was very large

2.The underlined word “unearthed” is closest in meaning to“ ______”．

A．Showed

B．invented

C．dug up

D．looked over

3.Which of the following is NOT the child of Charles Willson Peale?

A．Titian Peale．

B．Rubens Peale．

C．Raphaelle Peale．

D．Sarah Miriam Peale．

4.The author’s attitude toward the Peales is in general _______．

A．Puzzled

B．admiring

C．Excited

D．disappointed

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The Peales were a famous family of American artists. Charles Willson Peale is best remembered for his portraits of leading figures of the American Revolution. He painted portraits of Franklin and Jefferson and over a dozen of George Washington. His life-size portrait of his sons Raphaelle and Titian was so realistic that George Washington reportedly once tipped his hat to the figures in the picture.

Charles Willson Peale gave up painting in his middle age and devoted his life to the Peale museum, which he founded in Philadelphia. The world’s first popular museum of art and natural science mainly covered paintings by Peale and his family as well as displays of animals in their natural settings. Peale found the animals himself and found a method to make the exhibits more lifelike. The museum’s most popular display was the skeleton (骷髅) of a huge, extinct elephant, which Peale unearthed on a New York farm in 1801.

Three of Peale’s seventeen children were also famous artists. Raphaelle Peale often painted still lives of flowers, fruit, and cheese. His brother Rembrandt studied under his father and painted portraits of many noted people, including one of George Washington. Another brother, Rubens Peale, painted mostly landscapes and portraits.

James Peale, the brother of Charles Willson Peale, specialized in miniatures (小画像). His daughter Sarah Miriam Peale was probably the first professional female portrait painter in America.

1.What is the main topic of the passage?

A. The life of Charles Willson Peale.

B. Portraits in the 18th century.

C. The Peale Museum.

D. A family of artists.

2.The author mentions in Paragraph 1 that Washington tipped his hat to the figures in the painting to show that _______.

A. Charles Willson Peale’s painting was very lifelike

B. Washington respected Charles Willson Peale’s work

C. Washington was friendly with Raphaelle and Titian Peale

D. the painting of the two brothers was very large

3.Which of the following is NOT the child of Charles Willson Peale?

A. Titian Peale.　 B. Rubens Peale.

C. Raphaelle Peale. D. Sarah Miriam Peale.

4.The author’s attitude toward the Peales is in general _______.

A. puzzled　　 B. excited　　 C. admiring　　 D. disappointed

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

She became famous overnight but the ________she paid for it was missing this year’s college entrance exam.

A price     B money     C fee        D fare

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Grandma　 had　 the coin for as long as I can remember.　 Every time I went over　 to her house, she told me the story of the coin：

It was the day after the ship had ______ in New York City. My grandmother and grandfather had come from Poland on that ship. They came to______ for a new life in the United States, ______ from the poverty and war in their native land.

They were walking to their new ______ from their factory jobs when they saw a　 small glint (闪光) on the sidewalk. My grandmother bent over to ______ it more closely. It turned out to be a dark and dirty quarter. My grandmother ______ it up and said，“This coin is a good omen, a ______ of good fortune to come.” They took the coin to their little apartment and ______ it to make it shine.　 The next day my grandmother got a(n) ______ job at a jewelry store.

As the years passed, my grandparents______good times and bad. My father and uncles were born,　 my　 grandfather　 was ______from the factory, but got a job at a big machinery company. There, my grandparents finally found the good ______ my grandmother had ______.

When my grandfather died three years ago,　 my grandmother ______ in to live with my family. This is when she ______the coin to me. Every day she told me this story. After a few months I could ______ tell the story in my sleep, ______ still she told me the story every day, stressing the importance of ______ on the coin. Last week she died. According to her ______， I got the coin. I think I was fortunate enough because I got the thing that ______ the most to my grandmother, and I will cherish it forever.

1.A. sailed　　 B. joined　　 C. landed　　 D. pulled

2.A. prepare　　 B. ask　　 C. apply　　 D. search

3.A. absent　　 B. fre　　 C. tired　　 D. independent

4.A. restaurant　　 B. store　　 C. apartment　　 D. cottage

5.A. examine　　 B. observe　　 C. test　　 D. touch

6.A. picked　　 B. dug　　 C. lifted　　 D. fixed

7.A. moment　　 B. message　　 C. gift　　 D. sign

8.A. packed　　 B. cleaned　　 C. repaired　　 D. rebuilt

9.A. worse　　 B. greater　　 C. better　　 D. easier

10.A. got over　　 B. took up　　 C. passed by　　 D. went through

11.A. laid off　　 B. laid down　　 C. shut off　　 D. broken down

12.A. wealth　　 B. chance　　 C. fortune　　 D. situation

13.A. described　　 B. planned　　 C. experienced　　 D. predicted

14.A. settled　　 B. moved　　 C. entered　　 D. dropped

15.A. promised　　 B. presente　　 C. sent　　 D. gave

16.A. hardly　　 B. practically　　 C. particularly　　 D. usually

17.A. and　　 B. so　　 C. but　　 D. however

18.A. keeping　　 B. passing　　 C. carrying　　 D. holding

19.A. order　　 B. dream　　 C. explanation　　 D. will

20.A. proved　　 B. offered　　 C. meant　　 D. contributed

高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

For Christmas last year, Marie’s grandma wanted to get her something special. So Marie asked her grandma for her dream gift: a brand-new pair of UGG boots. All her friends had them.

On Christmas morning, Marie really got a pair of boots. They fit perfectly. The quality was superb. There was only one thing missing: the tiny label (标签) on the heel that says UGG.

Marie thanked her grandma. But she’s only worn those boots twice — both times to visit her grandma. “I would never wear them in public,” she says.

Marie’s grandma would be heartbroken to know the truth. But at UGG headquarters (总部), a room full of sales managers would be cheering.

Through clever marketing and expensive advertising, the makers of UGGs have convinced (使信服) Marie — and millions of others — that the name UGG has value far beyond what the homely slipper boots should really cost. UGGs, like North Face jackets, Nike sneakers, and other brand-name items are “status symbols”. People pay double, triple, even 10 times more for brand names than for similar items. Is a pair of $400 True Religion jeans really better than the $18 Wranglers you can get at Walmart? Maybe the quality is a bit higher. Maybe they shrink less. But are brand names really worth the exorbitant prices? Some pricey brands do, in fact, use higher-quality materials that fit better and feel nice on your skin.

However, the truth is that the value of a brand has little to do with quality and a lot to do with status. A recent study by Consumer Reports found that some of the least expensive jeans are better made than the more expensive jeans. But that doesn’t matter. Wearing a certain label tells the world “I belong” or “I can afford it.”

A few decades ago, the idea of a kid refusing to wear a pair of boots because the label was wrong would have seemed as crazy as talking on a phone the size of your hand.

Clearly, times have changed.

1.When she received the Christmas gift from her grandma, Marie seemed .

A. excited　　 B. worried　　 C. moved　　 D. disappointed

2.UGG’s managers would be cheering probably because of .

A. its particular design

B. its successful marketing

C. its high-quality products

D. its better customer service

3.The underlined word “exorbitant” in Paragraph 5 probably means .

A. high　　 B. good　　 C. average　　 D. attractive

4.In the author’s opinion, people wear brand-name products as a way to .

A. follow the fashion

B. show themselves off

C. keep pace with the times

D. improve their quality of life

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The famous Spanish painter Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The problem he has is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

This is both encouraging and discouraging. The fact that we were all born to be artists is certainly exciting, and yet the reality has proven that remaining one is a task that many of us have failed.

Fortunately, some people have seen the problem and want to solve it.

Western educators have suggested that we introduce the concept of “STEAM” instead of “STEM” - traditional “core majors” including science, technology, engineering, and math -since the “A”, which stands for “arts”, is just as important.

And on April 11, China’s Ministry of Education issued a guideline. Colleges and universities are required to provide more art-related courses and students need to earn a certain number of art credits in order to graduate.

These efforts came after many scientific studies had found that art education helps students develop self-confidence and teamwork skills, as well as habits of mind such as problem solving and critical thinking, according to The Washington Post.

It’s true that none of these skills target specific jobs. But as former US ballet dancer Damian

Woetzel told The Atlantic, the purpose of art is “to give kids the tools to become adults who are creative, adaptable, and expressive - capable of having their eyes and ears and senses alive”.And we can now see how we lost track of our born “artist self” on our way to growing up: We failed to keep our capabilities to see, hear and feel, and became blind, deaf and insensitive adults.

Hopefully, art education can help turn things around.

1.What is the function of the first paragraph?

A.To introduce a famous artist. B.To summarize the whole passage.

C.To lead in the topic. D.To encourage us to be artists.

2.Why should the concept of “STEAM” be introduced according to western educators?

A.Art is as important as traditional “core majors”.

B.All of us should learn art in college.

C.Traditional “core majors” are out of date.

D.Western education is more helpful.

3.What can we predict from the guideline issued by China’s Ministry of education?

A.More art-related courses will appear in all schools.

B.College students will have to gain enough art credits to graduate.

C.More students will major in art at colleges and universities.

D.Art will become much more important than science.

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A.Every child is an artist B.Bringing art to life

C.Learning from the artists D.Life is art

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析