Georiga O’Keeffe always thought of herself as an artist. By 1928, the rest of the world did, too. At the age of 41 she was living in New York City and becoming a well-known painter. Still, O’Keeffe wasn’t happy. New York had been a good source of ideas for almost ten years. Now those ideas were drying up. O’Keeffe felt like she needed a change. She had visited New Mexico in 1917 with her sister. The wide open space had thrilled her. “Maybe I should go back,” she thought. In April of 1929, O’Keeffe packed her bags.
The wide open space of New Mexico drew O’Keeffe in. She spent hours just watching the sky change. Because the light was so clear, she felt like she could see for the first time. The beauty of the land renewed her. She couldn’t wait to start painting. Cow and horse skulls and desert flowers filled her canvases (画布). The colors of the desert inspired O’Keeffe. As a result, she made new choices in her artwork. “The color up there is different,” she explained. She loved the dusty blues and greens.
That August, O’Keeffe went home to New York. It was the start of a pattern. Each spring, she traveled to New Mexico to paint. These trips restored her spirit. Then, in the fall, she would return to New York. There, she showed her work. Each time O’Keeffe visited New Mexico, she explored a little more.
The bleached animal bones and skulls that O’Keeffe found excited her because she could see their special beauty. The bones didn’t mean death to O’Keeffe. To her, they showed the lasting beauty of the desert. The landscapes, clear light, and bright colors also spoke to her. She often painted close-ups of the rocks and mountains. Later, she began to travel more in search of new ideas. However, she always came back to New Mexico.
As O’Keeffe grew older, her eyesight began to fail. Still, O’Keeffe wasn’t ready to give up. Her friend Juan Hamilton helped her work with watercolors. He also taught her to sculpt. As a result, she made art into her 90s. When she died at the age of 98, Hamilton sprinkled her ashes over the desert. Her body became part of the land that had touched her art and her life.
1.O’Keeffe was unhappy in New York in 1928 because __________.
A.she was lack of the creative ideas B.she felt disappointed about her job
C.she was not successful as an artist D.she felt bored about life in a big city
2.After her trips to New Mexico, O’Keeffe __________.
A.received great reputation there B.discovered the meaning in her life
C.chose to settle down in that country D.got new thoughts from the scenery
3.What can we know about O’Keeffe from the passage?
A.She was never afraid of failure and death. B.She was devoted and passionate about art.
C.She was patient with the coming chances. D.She was curious about the nature of people.
4.Which of the following could be the best title for this article?
A.Lifestyle in the Desert B.Special Love for Art
C.Inspiration from the Desert D.Modern Women Artists
A vacation often means rest and relaxation, but more and more people are looking at traveling as an opportunity to help others and give back.
Don Germaise is a familiar face to many in Tampa Bay, but this former TV reporter’s life has changed a bit. “In the TV business you see the best and the worst the world has to offer, and at some point, it just occurred to me: I just need to do something to make the world a better place,” he explained.
He now travels the world, volunteering his time to help others. “Here’s the best part about a volunteer vacation. You’re not stuck at a hotel doing tours that everyone else does,” Germaise said. “You’re meeting regular people, living with regular people and helping regular people all over the world.”
Travel Writer Joe Miragliotta says that’s exactly why more people are spending time volunteering on vacation. “Travelers, especially millennials (千禧一代) like myself, are becoming more socially conscious when it comes to choosing where they go,” Miragliotta said. “They want to connect with the communities and causes they really care about.”
He recently took some time out of a trip to San Francisco to help out at a local farm. “Here, volunteers are growing healthy foods for the community, and they give it right back for free; and you know you can tend the vegetable gardens, help clean the orchard—lots of fun activities,” Miragliotta explained.
Volunteering doesn’t take up your entire vacation. You can do it for a few hours or even a few days. It’s all up to you. “With a kid...when you do something as simple as giving him or her a pencil when they never had a pencil for school, the look in their eyes is so unbelievable,” Germaise said. “It’s like they got an iPad for Christmas. It’s the greatest feeling in the world.”
1.What do vacations mean to Don Germaise?
A.Having a rest and relaxing. B.Getting an opportunity to travel.
C.Meeting and helping regular people. D.Reporting on what happens around the world.
2.According to Joe Miragliotta, young people __________.
A.are becoming more socially conscious B.find it fun to help in vegetable gardens
C.enjoy taking care of the children around D.are trying to learn more about other people
3.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.It only takes travelers a few hours to do volunteering.
B.Finding a way to help the people in need is not easy.
C.It is impossible for the kids to get an iPad for Christmas.
D.Making a small difference to people’s life is rewarding.
4.What’s the passage mainly about?
A.Millennials pay more attention to society.
B.Volunteer vacation is becoming a new trend.
C.Two travelers shared their experiences abroad.
D.Volunteers enjoy popularity among local people.
Table Talk
As we got out of the car, our son announced, “Phones stay in the car.”
“Why do you always have to tell us that?” complained our fifteen-year-old grandson.
Our son’s wife winked at us and then explained, “We have a family _________ that no one may bring anything electronic to the table.”
We _________ our phones in the car. Even though the restaurant was filled with families, there was little noise. All I heard were a few quiet conversations and the ding of forks on plates. The _________ unnerved me. I looked around. Everyone, even the young kids, was _________ at some kind of screen.
The silence was broken _________ the six of us sat down, and started talking. The waitress stood patiently and waited for our orders. When our food came, we continued to chat.
An elderly couple at the next table were finishing their dinners and conversing quietly. I noticed that they shot us a few glances, and _________ if our constant chatter was annoying them.
After the dessert, my son signaled the waitress for the check. She hesitated when she brought the black folder to our table. My son opened the black folder—it was _________. “You forgot the check,” he told her.
“There isn’t one. Someone else _________ your bill—and the tip too.” she said with a giggle (咯咯笑).
“Why?” asked our son, his wife and myself at once.
“They loved it that no one was connected,” she continued. “They loved watching you guys _________. The old lady went on and on about how nice it was to see a family eating and talking instead of looking at ‘electric games’.”
For a moment, everyone at our table was at a loss for __________. Then we all started talking at once. My son’s voice rose above the others. “Where are they? We want to thank them.”
“They left after you ordered dessert,” the waitress replied.
We spent the next fifteen minutes discussing this goodness and camp up with a __________. Next time we see a family eating at a restaurant __________ looking at anything electronic, we’ll pay it forward, just like what happened to us.
1.A.rule B.appointment C.discussion D.goal
2.A.closed B.returned C.sent D.locked
3.A.sweetness B.quietness C.patience D.preference
4.A.smiling B.knocking C.staring D.pointing
5.A.though B.before C.when D.until
6.A.realized B.wondered C.asked D.hesitated
7.A.special B.strange C.typical D.empty
8.A.paid B.served C.managed D.changed
9.A.eat B.talk C.argue D.work
10.A.directions B.choices C.words D.ideas
11.A.schedule B.message C.task D.plan
12.A.without B.by C.through D.for
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School uniforms should be required for all students for some important reasons. Firstly, wearing uniforms makes everyone feel equal. It makes students 1. come from poor families feel the same. In addition, getting ready for school every morning can be much faster and easier. Many kids waste time choosing what 2. (wear) to school. Most importantly, some 3. (study) show that school uniforms make students perform better in school. Some people might say that uniforms take away personal freedom, but students still have many other ways to express 4. (they).
阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空，在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。
One morning I went fishing in a river 1. suddenly there came a cry: “Help!” I looked around and saw a boy struggling in the river. Throwing the fishing pole, I jumped into the river and swam 2. (quick) towards the boy. Then I took the boy to a nearby hospital. After the boy was saved, his mother gave me a thousand thanks. Back to my fishing place, I found my fishing pole floating on the water. 3. my surprise, there was a big fish on the hook.
阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空，在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。
At the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, a group of teenagers 1. (sing) the classic song, Me and My Motherland as they walked past the Golden Water Bridge in Tian’anmen Square. Then the singers 2. (join) by thousands of people. It might have been the biggest crowed ever to form in such a short period and the scene was very 3. (touch). Many viewers couldn’t help shedding tears and waving flags to express their love to the nation.
