Question

    When Millet was a boy he worked on his needy father's farm. At the rest hour in the fields the other workers would all take naps, but young Millet would spend time drawing. Finally, the village where he lived gave him a little money to Paris to study art.

When Millet reached Paris, he had a tough time. Fortunately, when he was almost starving, someone bought one of his peasant paintings, which enabled his family to leave for Barbizon.

Millet's pictures of peasants at work were painted in a unique way. The painter would go out on the farms and watch them carefully—digging, hoeing, spreading manure, sawing wood, or sowing grain. Then he would come home and paint what he had seen. So astonishingly accurate was his memory that he could paint at home without models and get all the movements of his figures right. When he did need a figure to go by, he would ask his wife to pose for him.

One of his noted artworks is called “The Sower”, which shows a man seeding. He reaches into his bag for seed and then swings backward to scatter the seed, and with each swing of his hand the sower strides forward. In Millet's picture the sower has been working hard, but his swinging step and arm still move smoothly, like a machine. Only the man's head reveals his great tiredness.

Another masterpiece is called “The Gleaners”. A gleaner is someone picking up the leftover in the field after the wheat harvest. When farmers near Barbizon are extremely badly-off, even the little the gleaners can find is a help. You can see from Millet's picture what back-breaking work gleaning must be.

1.What do we know about Millet?

A.His wife supported him to be a painter. B.He was keen on painting as a kid.

C.He spent his whole life in Barbizon. D.He was brought up in Paris.

2.How did he paint the laboring farmers?

A.Asking models for help. B.Imagining figures in the field.

C.Remembering what he had observed. D.Recalling the days on his father's farm.

3.What do Millet's works convey?

A.The farmers' hardships. B.The scene of farming.

C.His love for the village. D.His anxiety about the farmers.

4.What painting style of Millet can be inferred from the text?

A.Impressionistic. B.Abstract.

C.Romantic. D.Realistic.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.A

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了Millet从小就喜欢画画，他的画作主要描绘了农民劳动时的场景。他通过记住他所观察到的来描绘劳动的农民，且Millet的作品传达了农民的艰辛。文章最后介绍了他的两幅作品。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中When Millet was a boy he worked on his needy father's farm.At the rest hour in the fields the other workers would all take naps, but young Millet would spend time drawing.可知,当小米还是个孩子的时候，他在他父亲的农场工作。在田间休息的时候，其他的工人都会打盹，但小Millet会花时间画画。由此可知，Millet从小就喜欢画画。故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段中The painter would go out on the farms and watch them carefully—digging, hoeing, spreading manure, sawing wood, or sowing grain. Then he would come home and paint what he had seen.可知画家会到农场去，看他们仔细地挖土、锄地、撒肥料、锯木头或播种。然后他回到家，把他所看到的画出来。由此可知，他通过记住他所观察到的来描绘劳动的农民。故选C。

3.推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中In Millet's picture the sower has been working hard, but his swinging step and arm still move smoothly, like a machine. Only the man's head reveals his great tiredness.可知在Millet的画中，播种者一直在努力工作，但他摆动的步伐和手臂仍然流畅地移动，像一台机器。只有这个男人的头部显露出他极度的疲惫。以及最后一段中You can see from Millet's picture what back-breaking work gleaning must be.可知从Millet的画中可以看出，拾穗是一项多么累人的工作。由此可推知，Millet的作品传达了农民的艰辛。故选A。

4.推理判断题。根据文章第三段中Millet通过观察劳动的农民来进行作画，以及最后两段描述Millet作品中农民耕作时现实的形象，由此可推知，Millet的绘画风格是现实主义的。故选D。