Question

    Born in 1956 in Detroit, Michigan, Robert Wyland began his career in painting at the age of three. With a few cans of house paint found under the kitchen sink, he painted his first mural（壁画），dinosaurs, on the headboard of his parents’ bed.

Today you never know where you might find Wyland, but chances are that you will have to look up. This painter, sculptor, and muralist now paints giant-sized murals of sea animals on much larger canvases（画布）: walls and ceilings of hotels and other buildings, and even the outside of a stadium.

His project, the Whaling Walls, began in 1981 when Wyland painted a life-sized mural of a gray whale（鲸） and her baby on the side of a hotel in Laguna Beach, California. His goal was to paint one hundred whaling walls, which has been achieved. Painting so many murals would be a huge project for any artist, but the size of these murals is what has really made this a giant task.

How does Wyland go about creating such huge lifelike murals? Wyland says he relies on what he calls his “mind’s eye”. He explains that through his mind’s eye he can look at a blank canvas and form a picture of the finished mural in his mind.

To cover such large areas, Wyland, who is afraid of heights, depends on scaffolding（脚手架） to help him move around and produce his murals. But unlike most artists who can step back to survey their work, Wyland has to rely mostly on his memory.

For accuracy in his artwork, Wyland spends as much time underwater as he does painting. He dives to study his subjects and learn more about them in their natural environment. Through his artwork, Wyland hopes to inspire people to care more about our oceans and to respect and protect the life within them. The whales he works so hard to protect may not know   it  , but Wyland might just be the best friend a whale could have.

1.Where did Wyland paint his first mural?

A.In a hotel. B.In the open air.

C.In his parents’ bedroom. D.In the kitchen of his home.

2.What is Wyland’s “mind’s eye”?

A.His eyesight. B.His memory.

C.His enthusiasm. D.His imagination.

3.What does the underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refer to?

A.Wyland may be whale’s best friend. B.Wyland is good at painting whales.

C.Wyland may know whales very well. D.Wyland tries his best to protect the ocean.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A.100 Whaling Walls B.The Prince of Whale

C.Look up, Enjoy the Murals D.Never Stop, Follow Your Dream

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.A

4.B

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文。主要讲述画家Robert Wyland的绘画生涯和事迹，他画了一百堵捕鲸墙，为了能画好这些壁画，他潜入水底了解学科和知识，并且想通过他的作品来激励人们关心海洋，保护和尊重海洋生命。

1.细节理解题。 文中“With a few cans of house paint found under the kitchen sink, he painted his first mural（壁画），dinosaurs, on the headboard of his parents’ bed.” 在厨房水槽下面发现了几罐房屋油漆，他在父母的床头板上画了第一幅壁画---恐龙。因此可知Wyland的第一幅壁画是在他父母的卧室画的，故选C。

2.细节理解题。 文中“How does Wyland go about creating such huge lifelike murals? Wyland says he relies on what he calls his “mind’s eye”. He explains that through his mind’s eye he can look at a blank canvas and form a picture of the finished mural in his mind.” Wyland是如何创造出如此庞大的栩栩如生的壁画的呢？Wyland说，他依赖于他所谓的“心灵之眼”。他解释说，通过他心灵的眼睛，他可以看到一张空白的画布，并在他的脑海中形成一幅完成的壁画。通过Wyland解释，我们可知他的心灵之眼指的就是在脑海中构思，想象，故选D。

3.词义猜测题。 文中最后一段中“The whales he works so hard to protect may not know it, but Wyland might just be the best friend a whale could have.” 他努力保护的鲸鱼可能不知道，但是Wyland可能就是鲸鱼能拥有的最好的朋友。Wyland保护鲸鱼，实质上他才是鲸鱼最好的朋友，但鲸鱼却不知道，因此文中it指代就是Wyland可能是鲸鱼最好的朋友，故选A。

4.主旨大意题。通读全文可知，短文主要讲述画家Robert Wyland的绘画生涯和事迹，他画了一百堵捕鲸墙，为了能画好这些壁画，他潜入水底了解学科和知识，并且想通过他的作品来激励人们关心海洋，保护和尊重海洋生命。所以B选项The Prince of Whale“鲸鱼王子”更符合中心思想，故选B。