It was early in 1981 when I first met George. I was in my early 30s, seeking a creative outlet unrelated to the humdrum of housework and raising little ones. My children, then aged three and five, were just entering kindergarten and school life. At 65, George had recently retired and was seeking a rewarding hobby for his golden years. For both of us, painting was art and we met at a local TAFE painting class. Thus began a friendship that was to last for 25 years—until the day he died.
In the late 1950s, George arrived in Western Australia from Britain with his wife and two children. He wasn’t a tall man but was as neat as a pin, with a mouthful of large teeth and glasses that gave his blue eyes a Bambi-like appearance. George was a man who lived life to the full; he worked hard, played hard, and had an opinion about everything. He loved his wife, his family, his friends, and was loyal and outspoken to the equal degree. A slim and vigorous man, George took pride in his fitness and health and walked three kilometres every day. “”I’d no more go without my walk than without brushing my teeth,” he’d say.
And as the only male in a painting class full of women, George was in his element. He loved his singular role and looked after his brood with the same attention he gave to everything.
He took to painting with passion and commitment, even turning the spare bedroom of his home into a studio. His painting equipment was comprehensive—an easel, quality paints, linseed oil, turpentine, brushes, palette, canvases, charcoal pencils, fixative, palette knives—even a rolling pin for removing air bubbles when gluing. Ever practical, George housed many of these items in a tool box-a red metal tool box-built to take hard knocks and purchased from a local hardware store.
For about six years George and I studied together through various units until the completion of the course and other commitments drew us apart, though we always maintained personal contact as we lived within a couple of kilometres of each other. Td sometimes see him on his daily walk or at the local shops and occasionally we'd touch base with a ‘proper’ afternoon tea, sharing a cuppa and a chinwag.
1.Why did the author start to learn painting?
A.To find a lasting and rewarding friendship.
B.To take a break from her boring family life.
C.To develop a hobby for her future golden years.
D.To realize her long-held dream of becoming a painter.
2.The phrase “his brood”（in paragraph 3) most probably refers to __________.
A.George’s interest B.George’s tools
C.George’s family D.George’s classmates
3.In the author’s eye, George was a person who__________
A.desired a luxurious life B.was enthusiastic about sports
C.cared little about his appearance D.seldom told others about his opinion
4.What is the author most likely to deal with in the paragraphs that follow the passage?
A.What happened on the day George died.
B.Why she became a painter while George didn’t.
C.How she and George turned away from each other.
D.Where George used to live before coming to Australia.
Have you ever shouted, “The rent is too damn high?” Shaking wall and hidden disgusting bugs? You’re not ________. The ancient Romans experienced the same annoyance with their apartments. From ________ landlords to sanitation problems, pests to smells, Roman urban living was no walk in the park.
Even in the very early days of Rome, people were crowded together in uncomfortable ________. This collection of animals of every kind mixed together, made life miserable for common citizens. And the close contact spread diseases.
Roman rented residence were called insulae, or islands, because they occupied whole blocks, with the roads flowing around them like water around an island. The insulae, often consisting of six to eight apartment blocks built around a staircase and central courtyard, ________ poor workers who couldn’t afford a traditional domus, or private house.
By the fourth century A.D., there were around 45,000 insulae in Rome, as ________ to fewer than 2,000 private homes. Many people were ________ into their quarters. Apartments on the lower floor would be the easiest for entry and exit – and therefore belong to the wealthy renters - while unfortunate individuals were ________ on higher floors in tiny rooms.
Though made of concrete brick, insulae were usually weakly built, ________ poor craftsmanship and little fund. They usually collapsed and killed passers-by. As a result, emperors restricted how high ________ could construct insulae. The maximum building height was 60 feet.
According to law then, builders were supposed to make walls at least an inch and a half thick, so as to ________ the safety of the building. However, it didn’t work so well, especially since building ________ were ignored by the landlords in order to save on the construction cost, and most renters were too poor to ________ landlords. Therefore, the life-threatening accidents usually happened. Even if insulae didn’t fall down, they could be so ________ as to be washed away in a flood. That’s about the only time their inhabitants would have access to clean natural water, since there was rarely in-home plumbing(水管)in an apartment.
What’s more, the insulae caught fire frequently leaving Rome with a vicious(恶意的)________ of houses burning down and collapsing, sales, then immediate reconstruction and fire once more time. Indeed, rather than being at the nature’s hands, some collapses were ________ since the greedy landlords keep on tearing down the existing insulae and replacing them with higher and larger monsters in pursuit of more rents.
1.A.lonely B.alone C.unique D.special
2.A.unfair B.gracious C.mean D.terrified
3.A.basements B.mansions C.seasons D.quarters
4.A.housed B.lived C.reserved D.organized
5.A.exposed B.opposed C.switched D.related
6.A.mixed B.filled C.invited D.squeezed
7.A.arranged B.assigned C.thrown D.banned
8.A.instead of B.thanks to C.regardless of D.except for
9.A.builders B.architects C.landlords D.renters
10.A.insure B.make sure C.assure D.ensure
11.A.codes B.limitations C.reservations D.emphasis
12.A.defeat B.alert C.charge D.object
13.A.cheap B.vacant C.insignificant D.shaky
14.A.cycle B.punishment C.treatment D.fate
15.A.unexpected B.intentional C.restless D.thorough
A study of English learning problems was carried out among a total of 106 foreign students. It shows that nearly all these students considered 1. (understand) spoken English, especially in the first few weeks, to be their biggest problem on arrival. This was followed by speaking or communicating. Writing then increased as a big problem 2. students discovered difficulties in writing papers that they 3. (expect) to hand in. And at the same time, reading remained as a significant problem.
The information 4. (gain) helped us in determining where special attention should be paid in our course. Although many students have chosen to join the course with a reasonable motivation, we considered it important to note 5. seemed to encourage interest. Nearly all the students have experienced some kind of grammar-based English teaching or 6. (use) the same method, especially if it has failed in the past or it is too complicated to follow or imitate, 7. it might reduce motivation and interest. Therefore a different method may help because it is different.
8. variety of activities was also regarded as a way of maintaining or increasing motivation and interest. Several years ago we had the first timetable 9. operated throughout the course of English learning, but we soon found that both the students and the teachers lost interest by about half-way through the ten weeks. This led us to a major re-think, and we had to explore a much 10. (effective) way of English learning, so finally we brought it into line with the expressed language needs of the students.
— What are you doing this Saturday?
— I’m not sure, but I go to the Rolling Stones concert
A.must B.would
C.should D.might
George _________ too far. His coffee is still warm.
A.must have gone B.might have gone
C.can’t have gone D.needn’t have gone
Harry is feeling uncomfortable. He _______ too much at the party last night.
A.could drink B.should drink
C.would have drunk D.must have drunk
