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Benjamin West, the father of American painting, showed his talent for art when he was only six years of age. But he did not know about brushes before a visitor told him he needed one. In those days, a brush was made from camel’s hair. There were no camels nearby. Benjamin decided that cat hair would work instead. He cut some fur from the family cat to make a brush.
The brush did not last long. Soon Benjamin needed more fur. Before long, the cat began to look ragged (蓬乱). His father said that the cat must be sick. Benjamin was forced to admit what he had been doing.
The cat’s lot was about to improve. That year, one of Benjamin’s cousins, Mr. Pennington, came to visit. He was impressed with Benjamin’s drawings. When he went home, he sent Benjamin a box of paint and some brushes. He also sent six engravings (版画) by an artist. These were the first pictures and first real paint and brushes Benjamin had ever seen.
In 1747, when Benjamin was nine years old, Mr. Pennington returned for another visit. He was amazed at what Benjamin had done with his gift. He asked Benjamin’s parents if he might take the boy back to Philadelphia for a visit.
In the city, Mr. Pennington gave Benjamin materials for creating oil paintings. The boy began a landscape (风景) painting. William Williams, a well-known painter, came to see him work. Williams was impressed with Benjamin and gave him two classic books on painting to take home. The books were long and dull. Benjamin could read only a little, having been a poor student. But he later said, “Those two books were my companions by day, and under my pillow at night.” While it is likely that he understood very little of the books, they were his introduction to classical paintings. The nine-year-old boy decided then that he would be an artist.
1.How did Benjamin get the brushes at first?
A.He cut a camel’s air. B.He cut some fur from a cat.
C.He asked his father to buy them. D.An artist offered a hand to him.
2.What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 3 suggest?
A.The cat would be closely watched.
B.Benjamin would leave his home shortly.
C.Benjamin would have real brushes soon.
D.The cat would get some medical care.
3.What did Pennington do to help Benjamin develop his talent?
A.He took him to see painting exhibitions.
B.He sent him to a school in Philadelphia.
C.He provided him with painting materials.
D.He taught him how to make engravings.
4.Williams’ two books helped Benjamin to ______.
A.make up his mind to be a painter
B.appreciate landscape paintings
C.get to know other painters
D.master the use of paints
5.What is the passage mainly about?
A.The friendship between Benjamin and Pennington.
B.The beginning of Benjamin’s life as an artist.
C.Williams’ influence on Benjamin.
D.Benjamin’s visit to Philadelphia.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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B
（2017·浙江）Benjamin West, the father of American painting, showed his talent for art when he was only six years of age. But he did not know about brushes before a visitor told him he needed one. In those days, a brush was made from camel’s hair. There were no camels nearby. Benjamin decided that cat hair would work instead. He cut some fur from the family cat to make a brush.
The brush did not last long. Soon Benjamin needed more fur. Before long, the cat began to look ragged （蓬乱）. His father said that the cat must be sick. Benjamin was forced to admit what he had been doing.
The cat’s lot was about to improve. That year, one of Benjamin’s cousins, Mr. Pennington, came to visit. He was impressed with Benjamin’s drawings. When he went home, he sent Benjamin a box of paint and some brushes. He also sent six engravings（版画） by an artist. These were the first pictures and first real paint and brushes Benjamin had ever seen. In 1747, when Benjamin was nine years old, Mr. Pennington returned for another visit. He was amazed at what Benjamin had done with his gift. He asked Benjamin’s parents if he might take the boy to Philadelphia for a visit.
In the city, Mr. Pennington gave Benjamin materials for creating oil paintings. The boy began a landscape(风景) painting. William Williams, a well-known painter, came to see him work. Williams was impressed with Benjamin and gave him two classic books on painting to take home. The books were long and dull. Benjamin could read only a little, having been a poor student. But he later said,＂Those two books were my companions by day, and under my pillow at night.＂While it is likely that he understood very little of the books, they were his introduction to classical paintings. The nine-year-old boy decided then that he would be an artist.
1.What is the text mainly about?
A. Benjamin’s visit to Philadelphia.
B. Williams’ influence on Benjamin.
C. The beginning of Benjamin’s life as an artist.
D. The friendship between Benjamin and Pennington.
2. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 3 suggest?
A. The cat would be closely watched.
B. The cat would get some medical care.
C. Benjamin would leave his home shortly.
D. Benjamin would have real brushes soon.
3.What did Pennington do to help Benjamin develop his talent?
A. He took him to see painting exhibitions.
B. He provided him with painting materials.
C. He sent him to a school in Philadelphia.
D. He taught him how to make engravings.
4. Williams’ two books helped Benjamin to ________.
A. master the use of paints
B. appreciate landscape paintings
C. get to know other painters
D. make up his mind to be a painter
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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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
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The search for beauty lasts centuries.Paintings of Egyptians1.(date) back to 4,000 years show both men and women painting their nails and wearing make-up.In the 18th century,wealthy French noblemen2.(wear) wigs（假发）of long and white hair to make3.(them) attractive.Today people continue to devote a lot of time and money 4.their appearance.
But what exactly is beauty?It's difficult to describe it clearly,and we know it when we find it.Our5.(aware) of it may start from an early age.In a study,six-month-old babies6.(show)a series of photographs.The faces in the pictures had been rated by attractiveness.Babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones.
For better or worse,beauty plays7.role in our life.But it is8.(extreme)difficult to describe exactly what makes a person attractive to another.Although there are certain physical traits9.(consider) universally appealing,it is also true that beauty does not always keep to a single standard.Beauty really is,10.the saying goes,in the eye of the beholder（旁观者）.
高二英语短文填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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The Foundation is holding a dinner at the Museum of American Art the opening of their new show.
A. in honor of B. in memory of C. in response to D. in reply to
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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B
A long-term American study shows the importance of early education for poor children. The study is known as the Abecedarian Project. It involved more than one-hundred young children from poor families in North Carolina.
Half of the children attended an all-day program at a high-quality child-care center. The center offered educational, health and social programs. Children took part in games and activities to increase their thinking and language skills and social and emotional development. The program also included health foods for the children.
The children attended the program from when they were a few weeks old until the age of five years. The other group of children did not attend the child-care center. After the age of five, both groups attended public school.
Researchers compared the two groups of children. When they were babies, both groups had similar results in tests for mental and physical skills. However, from the age of eighteen months, the children in the educational child-care program did much better in tests.
The researchers tested the children again when they were twelve and fifteen years old. The tests found that the children who had been in the child-care center continued to have higher average test results. These children did much better on tests of reading and mathematics.
A few years ago, organizers of the Abecedarian Project tested the students again. At the time, each student was twenty-one years old. They were tested for thinking and educational ability, employment, parenting and social skills. The researchers found that the young adults who had the early education still did better in reading and mathematics tests. They were more than two times as likely to be attending college or to have completed college. In addition, the children who received early education were older on average, when their first child was born.
The study offers more evidence that learning during the first months and years of life is important for all later development.
The researchers of the Abecedarian Project believe their study shows a need for lawmakers to spend money on public early education. They believe these kinds of programs could reduce the number of children who do not complete school and are unemployed.
1.The Abecedarian Project has lasted _______.
A. almost one year B. about five years
C. more than 20 years D. no more than 15 years
2.Those who had been in the child-care center _______ compared with those who hadn't.
A. have their children at later ages
B. get more help from other people
C. have no parenting or social skills
D. are poorer at reading and mathematics
3. What don't we know about the Abecedarian Project after reading the text?
A. What the children learned at the child-care center.
B. How important early education is for poor children.
C. How many children are involved in the Abecedarian Project.
D. Whether lawmakers will spend money on public early education.
4.The study of the Abecedarian Project shows that early education _______.
A. costs a lot of money
B. leads to a lower birthrate
C. can improve the life of poor children
D. is not important for later development
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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A long-term American study shows the importance of early education for poor children. The study is known as the Abecedarian(初步的) Project. It involved more than one-hundred young children from poor families in North Carolina.
Half of the children attended an all-day program at a high-quality childcare center. The center offered educational, health and social programs. Children took part in games and activities to increase their thinking and language skills and social and emotional development. The program also included health foods for the children.
The children attended the program from when they were a few weeks old until the age of five years. The other group of children did not attend the childcare center. After the age of five, both groups attended public school.
Researchers compared the two groups of children. When they were babies, both groups had similar results in tests for mental and physical skills. However, from the age of eighteen months, the children in the educational child care program did much better in tests.
The researchers tested the children again when they were twelve and fifteen years old. The tests found that the children who had been in the childcare center continued to have higher average test results. These children did much better on tests of reading and mathematics.
A few years ago, organizers of the Abecedarian Project tested the students again. At the time, each student was twenty-one years old. They were tested for thinking and educational ability, employment, parenting and social skills. The researchers found that the young adults who had the early education still did better in reading and mathematics tests. They were more than two times as likely to go to college or to have completed college. In addition, the children who received early education were older on average, when their first child was born.
The study offers more evidence that learning during the first months and years of life is important for all later development.
The researchers of the Abecedarian Project believe their study shows a need for lawmakers to spend money on public early education. They believe these kinds of programs could reduce the number of children who do not complete school and are unemployed.
1.The Abecedarian Project has lasted ______.
A. almost one year B. about five years C. more than 20 years D. no more than 15 years
2.What do we know about the people who had been in the childcare center, compared with those who hadn’t?
A. They were more likely to go to college. B. They had children earlier．
C. They had the same results in tests. D. They are less sociable．
3.According to the passage, The Abecedarian Project__________.
A. involves children from rich families
B. doesn’t provide food for children
C. offers foreign teachers to help improve children’s language skills
D. studies the importance of an early education for poor children
4.What is NOT sure about the Abecedarian Project after reading the text?
A. How important early education is for poor children.
B. What the children learned at the child-care center.
C. How many children are involved in the Abecedarian Project.
D. Whether lawmakers will spend money on public early education.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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A long-term American study shows the importance of early education for poor children. The study is known as the Abecedarian Project. It involved more than one-hundred young children from poor families in North Carolina.
Half of the children attended an all-day program at a high-quality child-care center. The center offered educational, health and social programs. Children took part in games and activities to increase their thinking and language skills and social and emotional development. The program
also included health foods for the children.The children attended the program from when they were a few weeks old until the age of five years. The other group of children did not attend the child-care center. After the age of five, both groups attended public school.
Researchers compared the two groups of children. When they were babies, both groups had similar results in tests for mental and physical skills. However, from the age of eighteen months, the children in the educational child-care program did much better in tests.
The researchers tested the children again when they were twelve and fifteen years old. The tests found that the children who had been in the child-care center continued to have higher average test results. These children did much better on tests of reading and mathematics.
A few years ago, organizers of the Abecedarian Project tested the students again. At the time, each student was twenty-one years old. They were tested for thinking and educational ability, employment, parenting and social skills. The researchers found that the young adults who had the early education still did better in reading and mathematics tests. They were more than two times as likely to be attending college or to have completed college. In addition, the children who received early education were older on average, when their first child was born.
The study offers more evidence that learning during the first months and years of life is important for all later development.
The researchers of the Abecedarian Project believe their study shows a need for lawmakers to spend money on public early education. They believe these kinds of programs could reduce the number of children who do not complete school and are unemployed.
1.The Abecedarian Project has lasted _______.
A. almost one year
B. about five years
C. more than 20 years
D. no more than 15 years
2.Those who had been in the child-care center _______ compared with those who hadn't.
A. have their children at later ages
B. get more help from other people
C. have no parenting or social skills
D. are poorer at reading and mathematics
3.What don't we know about the Abecedarian Project after reading the text?
A. What the children learned at the child-care center.
B. How important early education is for poor children.
C. How many children are involved in the Abecedarian Project.
D. Whether lawmakers will spend money on public early education.
4.The study of the Abecedarian Project shows that early education _______.
A. costs a lot of money
B. leads to a lower birthrate
C. can improve the life of poor children
D. is not important for later development
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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A long-term American study shows the importance of early education for poor children. The study is known as the Abecedarian Project. It involved more than one-hundred young children from poor families in North Carolina.
Half of the children attended an all-day program at a high-quality child-care center. The center offered educational, health and social programs. Children took part in games and activities to increase their thinking and language skills and social and emotional development. The program also included health foods for the children.
The children attended the program from when they were a few weeks old until the age of five years. The other group of children did not attend the child-care center. After the age of five, both groups attended public school.
Researchers compared the two groups of children. When they were babies, both groups had similar results in tests for mental and physical skills. However, from the age of eighteen months, the children in the educational child-care program did much better in tests.
The researchers tested the children again when they were twelve and fifteen years old. The tests found that the children who had been in the child-care center continued to have higher average test results. These children did much better on tests of reading and mathematics.
A few years ago, organizers of the Abecedarian Project tested the students again. At the time, each student was twenty-one years old. They were tested for thinking and educational ability, employment, parenting and social skills. The researchers found that the young adults who had the early education still did better in reading and mathematics tests. They were more than two times as likely to be attending college or to have completed college. In addition, the children who received early education were older on average, when their first child was born.
The study offers more evidence that learning during the first months and years of life is important for all later development.
The researchers of the Abecedarian Project believe their study shows a need for lawmakers to spend money on public early education. They believe these kinds of programs could reduce the number of children who do not complete school and are unemployed.
1.The Abecedarian Project has lasted _____.
A. almost one year
B. about five years
C. more than 20 years
D. no more than 15 years
2.Those who had been in the child-care center _____ compared with those who hadn't.
A. have their children at later ages
B. get more help from other people
C. have no parenting or social skills
D. are poorer at reading and mathematics
3.What don't we know about the Abecedarian Project after reading the text?
A. What the children learned at the child-care center.
B. How important early education is for poor children.
C. How many children are involved in the Abecedarian Project.
D. Whether lawmakers will spend money on public early education.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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If you visit the new Mummies(木乃伊) show at the American Museum of Natural History(AMNH), in New York City, don’t miss the Gilded Lady. Scientists say she probably died of lung disease when she was in her 40s---about 2,000 years ago---in Egypt. They even have a model of her skull(头骨). Based on that, an artist was sure how she may have looked when she was alive. And yet, the mummy’s coffin has never been opened. Instead, scientists used a machine called a CT scanner(扫描仪) to look inside.
CT scanners were developed to help doctors examine patients. But the machines turned out to be perfect for studying mummies, too.
“A hundred years ago, scientists would usually open mummies’ coffins. This did a great deal of harm to those mummies,” say AMNH president Ellen V. Futter. “We just don’t do that anymore. We can do so much better. By using CT scanners, scientists can know about an ancient person’s diet from some of a mummy’s hair. Pieces of bone can show who was related to whom.”
Some mummies in Peru were buried with a skull hanging from their neck. Scientists thought these mummies wore the skull of an enemy. But DNA evidence showed that the mummies were buried with the skull of an ancestor(祖先).
The 19 mummies in the show are from Egypt and Peru. They had completely different reasons for mummifying the dead. The ancient Egyptians believed that mummification allowed an ancestor to live on in the next world. The people who prepared the Gilded Lady thought she would continue to see, hear, and smell. In ancient Peru, people practiced mummification to stay connected with their ancestors. Some families kept mummies in their home.
Futter calls the mummies in the show “messengers from another time.” With the help of technology, scientists will continue to uncover mummies’ secrets so we can understand it.
1.What did scientists find about the Gilded Lady?
A. She was a great artist.
B. She died a natural death.
C. She lived in ancient Egypt.
D. She had an amazingly long life.
2.What do Futter’s words suggest?
A. Pieces of bone show a person’s diet.
B. CT scanners do great harm to mummies.
C. Mummies usually wore the skull of an enemy.
D. Technology plays an important role in mummy studies.
3.Why did the ancient Peruvians make mummies?
A. To do traditional medical research.
B. To keep close ties with their relatives.
C. To help their families live a better life.
D. To let their ancestors live in another world.
4.What does the underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. The technology.
B. Their message.
C. Their family.
D. The show.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
also included health foods for the children.