Watercolor is the oldest paints known. It dates back to the early cave men who discovered they could add lifelike qualities to drawings of animals and other figures on the walls of caves by mixing the natural colors found in the earth with water.
Fresco (壁画), one of the greatest of all art forms, is done with watercolor. It is created by mixing paints and water and applying these to wet plaster （灰泥）. Of the thousands of people who stand under Michelangelo’s heroic ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, very few know that they are looking at perhaps the greatest watercolor painting in the world.
The invention of oil painting by the Flemish masters in the fifteenth century made fresco painting go downhill, and for the next several centuries watercolor was used mainly for doing sketches（草图）or as a tool for study. It was not until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that English painters put back watercolor as a serious art form. The English have a widely-known love for outdoors and also small private pictures. The softness of watercolor had a remarkably strong attraction for them.
The popularity of watercolor continued to grow until the twentieth century. The United States passed England as the center for watercolor, producing such well-known watercolor artists as Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth.
1.The purpose of the passage is to introduce ________.
A. the gradual weakness of fresco painting
B. oil’s power or influence over watercolor
C. the discovery of watercolor in England
D. the start and development of watercolor
2.In the 16th and 17th centuries the artists thought ________.
A. watercolor was softer, and thus better.
B. Oil painting lasted longer, and was better.
C. Watercolor wasn’t fit for finished works
D. Watercolor was too hard to use in any works.
3.According to the passage, watercolor painting was put back in England because ______.
A. it was easy to use outdoors B. it was a strong medium（媒介）
C. it was extremely bright in color. D. it was suited for popular tastes
4. What would the next paragraph most probably talk about?
A. The works of famous US watercolor artists.
B. Modern American oil painters.
C. The weaknesses of oil as popular paints
D. Techniques of producing watercolor
Mr Ling lives in China. He worked in a factory and last year he retired. His wife died five years ago and his son works in Japan. He always has sports and he is in good health.
One day his son called him and asked him to have a journey to Tokyo. He was very happy. He was afraid to travel by plane and took the ship.
On the first morning on the ship Mr Ling met an Englishman at table. The man said to him, “Good morning!” He thought the Englishman told his name to him. So he stood up and said, “Ling Bing!” And it was repeated a few mornings and Mr Ling told a teacher about it. Hearing him, the teacher began to laugh and said, “He says hello to you in the morning.”
The next morning, when Mr Ling met the Englishman, he said, “Good morning!” And the Englishman stood up and said, “Ling Bing, sir.”
1. Mr Ling stays at home ______________.
A. with his wife B. with his son C. with his daughter D. by himself
2.Mr Ling went to Japan by ship because ______________.
A. he thought it was safer
B. he wanted to have sports on the ship
C. he had little money to take a plane
D. he had enough time to do so
3.The old man told his name to the Englishman because ________.
A. he hoped to make friends with him.
B. he wanted to say hello to him, too.
C. he wanted him to teach him English
D. he thought “Good morning” was his name
4.Which of the following is right?
A. Mr Ling began to study English on the ship.
B. The Englishman thought “Ling Bing” meant “Good morning” in Chinese
C. The Englishman learned much Chinese on the ship.
D. The old woman began to teach Mr Ling English.
Agatha Christin went out at night. She never 36 the night when she met a 37 many years ago.
That evening, she was going to a birthday party which 38 until 2 o’clock in the morning. Agatha walked in the 39 street alone. Suddenly from the shadow of a dark building a tall man with a sharp knife in his right hand ran out 40 her. “Good morning, lady.” the man said in a 41 voice, “I don’t think you wish to 42 here!” “ What do you 43 ?”Agatha asked.
“ Your earrings, take them off!”
Agatha suddenly had a 44 idea. She tried to cover her necklace with the collar of her overcoat while she used 45 hand to take off both of her earrings and then quickly 46 them on the ground.
“ 47 them and let me go, “ she said. The robber 48 that girl didn’t like the earrings at all, only trying to 49 the necklace. It would cost 50 , so he said, “ Give me your necklace.”
“ Oh, sir. It’s 51 worth much. Please let me 52 it.”
“Stop rubbish. Quick!”
With shaking hands Agatha took off her necklace. As soon as the robber 53 , she picked up her earrings and ran as fast as she could to one of her friends,
The 54 cost 480 pounds and the necklace the robber had taken 55 cost only six pounds.
1.A．minded B．forgot C．remembered D．realized
2.A．friend B．beggar C．robber D．stranger
3.A．stayed B．ended C．began D．lasted
4.A．wide B．narrow C．quiet D．busy
5.A．at B．on C．in D．against
6.A．loud B．low C．sharp D．wild
7.A．come B．die C．fight D．meet
8.A．do B．make C．want D．ask
9.A．bright B．foolish C．funny D．safe
10.A．her right B．her left C．the other D．another
11.A．handed B．put C．passed D．threw
12.A．Take B．Accept C．Collect D．Pick
13.A．considered B．saw C．felt D．thought
14.A．keep B．own C．have D．guard
15.A．more B．less C．cheap D．expensive
16.A．really B．usually C．even D．not
17.A．wear B．keep C．save D．have
18.A．ran B．allowed C．disappeared D．agreed
19.A．loss B．luck C．jewelry D．earrings
20.A．away B．out C．off D．down
Little Tony insisted that his mother _____ him to school.
A. send B. sent C. sends D. sending
When they knew there was a panda in the zoo, the children could ___ wait to see it.
A. almost B. nearly C. hard D. hardly
I know you are very ___ ice-cream, but you will gain weight if you eat too much.
A. fond of B. tired of C. full of D. afraid of
