He lived his whole life as a poor man. His art and talent were recognized by almost no one. He suffered from a mental（精神的）illness that led him to cut off part of his left ear in 1888 and to shoot himself two years later. But after his death, he achieved world fame. Today, Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh is recognized as one of
the leading artists of all time.
Now, 150 years after his birth on March 30, 1853, Zundert, the town of his birth, has made 2003 “The van Gogh Year”in his honor. And the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, home to the biggest collection of his masterpieces, is marking the anniversary（周年纪念）with exhibitions throughout the year. The museum draws around 1.3 million visitors every year. Some people enjoy the art and then learn about his life. Others are first interested in his life, which then helps them understand his art.
Van Gogh was the son of a pastor（牧师）. He left school when he was just 15. By the age of 27, he had already tried many jobs including an art gallery（画廊）salesman and a French teacher. Finally in 1880, he decided to begin his studies in art.
Van Gogh is famed for his ability to put his own emotions into his paintings and show his feelings about a scene. His style is marked by short, broad brush strokes（笔画）.“Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I have before my eyes, I use color more freely, in order to express myself more forcibly,” he wrote in a letter to his brother in 1888.
Van Gogh sold only one painting during his short life. He relied heavily on the support from his brother, an art dealer who lived in Paris. But now his works are sold for millions of dollars. His portrait of Dr. Gacher sold for $89.5 million in 1990. It is the highest price ever paid for a painting. “I think his paintings are powerful and the brilliant colors in them are attractive to people,” said a Van Gogh’s fan.
1.All through his life, Van Gogh __________.
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A．depended on his brother |
B．worked hard on art studies |
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C．was not recognized by people |
D．expressed himself in paintings |
2. Van Gogh killed himself because of ___________.
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A．the poor life |
B．his illness |
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C．his pain from left ear |
D．the objections from the artists of his time |
3. One of the characteristics of Van Gogh’s paintings is ______________.
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A．the likeness between his paintings and the reality |
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B．the short time for him to complete a painting |
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C．the various styles mixed together |
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D．the special strokes he made |
4. The selling of his paintings is considered to be the most successful because ________.
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A．more and more people like his paintings |
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B．people can understand him through his paintings |
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C．1.3 million people visit his painting museum every year |
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D．Zundert has made 2003 “The Van Gogh Year” in his honor |
5. We can infer from the passage that _______.
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A．his powerful art came from his poor life |
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B．his fellow townsmen regret treating him unfairly |
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C．all his paintings were drawn in the last 10 years of his life |
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D．most of his paintings are kept in the museum of his hometown |
Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers tried to conquer Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the United Kingdom. The republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.
In the 1840s the main crop, potatoes was affected by disease and about 750,000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work, forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.
For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.
The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly. Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived(复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish song which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.
1.What does the author tell us in paragraph 1? _____________.
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A．how the Irish fought against the English |
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B．how Ireland gained independence |
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C．how English rulers tried to conquer Ireland |
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D．how two “Irelands” came into being |
2.We learn from the text that in Ireland________.
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A．food shortages in the 1840s led to a decline in population |
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B．people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside |
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C．it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker |
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D．different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments |
3.The last paragraph is mainly about_________.
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A．the Irish character |
B．Irish culture |
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C．Irish musical instruments |
D．a famous Irish writer |
4.According to the author, all the following words can be used to describe the Irish EXCEPT ___________.
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A．brave |
B．kind |
C．pleasant |
D．hard-working |
5.What can be the best title for the text?________
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A．Life in Ireland |
B．A Very difficult history |
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C．Ireland, past and present |
D．The independence of Ireland |
完形填空 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从41—55各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Never Save Something Beautiful for That Special Day
Years ago I was talking with a classmate in Sydney. At the time his wife had just passed away not too long ago. He told me while going through her things, he found a silk scarf _1 in a designer store when they had traveled to New York City. The scarf was beautiful, with elegant _2 , and a high price tag still hanging. His wife begrudged wearing it; she was _3 it for a special day.
He _4 at that moment; I didn't say anything either. After a long pause he said: “Never save something beautiful for that special day. Each _5 day is a special day.”
Whenever I _6 what he had said, I would put down the things I was doing to grab a novel, turn on the music and lie down on the couch to _7 some time for myself. I would appreciate the glorious scenery of the Tanshui River through a French window, _8 the dust gathered on the glass. I would take my wife out to _9 , not thinking what to do with the meal already cooked. Life should be the experience we truly cherish, not days we just have to endure.
One time I shared the above conversation with a lady. When I saw her again, she told me that she no longer _10 the beautiful china in a cabinet. She had thought to save them for a special day, only to discover that it never _11 came. “Future”, “someday” are not contained in her _12 any more. If there are things that are pleasant or make her complacent, she wants to hear or see them now.
We often hope to gather with old friends, but always say, “let's find a(n) _13 .” We often want to hug our grown children, but always wait for the appropriate moment. We often want to write to our spouses to express our strong affection or to show our deep admiration, but always tell ourselves that there is no need to _14 . In fact, each morning when we open our eyes, we should tell ourselves that this is a special day. Each day, each minute is so incredibly _15 .
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语法填空 (共10小题，每小题1.5分，满分15分)
阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卷标号为1～10的相应位置上。
Christmas or Christmas Day, ___1___ is celebrated generally on December 25 as a religious and cultural holiday by billions of people around the world, is
an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. ___2__ is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in countries around the world, including many whose populations are mostly non-Christian. In some non-Christian countries, periods of former colonial rule introduced the celebration (e.g. Hong Kong); in __3__, Christian minorities or foreign cultural influences have led populations to observe the holiday. Countries such as Japan and Korea, ___4__Christmas is popular despite there being only a small number of Christians, have adopted many of the secular aspects of Christmas, such as gift-giving, decorations and Christmas trees. ___5___ addition, a special Christmas family meal is _6___(tradition) an important part of the holiday's celebration, ___7___ the food which is served varies greatly from country to country. Some regions, such as Sicily, have special meals for Christmas Eve, __8___ twelve kinds of fish are served. In England and countries influenced by its traditions, 9 standard Christmas meal would include turkey, potatoes, vegetables, sausages and gravy, __10__ (follow) by Christmas pudding or mince pies. In Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, fish often provides the traditional main course, but richer meat such as lamb is increasingly served.
The manager of the supermarket was so impatient and even rude! I will never go shopping in that supermarket again and __________________.
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A．nor will my friends go. |
B．neither my friends will go. |
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C．nor my friends will go. |
D．neither will go my friends. |
English is a subject ___________ we should attach great importance.
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A．which |
B．that |
C．to which |
D．for which |
