Question

【题目】Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

The Grasshopper in Van Gogh Painting

Art conservators (管理员) dream of finding 【1】 (hide) secrets in the masterpieces they look after. Rarely do they expect to find a dead grasshopper.

Conservators at the Nelson-Atkins museum of art in Kansas City said they discovered the dead insect in one of its star paintings, Vincent van Gogh’s Olive Trees, when it 【2】 (scan) as part of the research for a catalogue of its French painting collection.

It was spotted by Mary Schafer. She told a local broadcaster that she found it in the work’s lower foreground. “【3】 (look) at the painting with the microscope, I came across the tiny body of a grasshopper covered in the paint, so it 【4】 have occurred in the wet paint back in 1889.

“We can connect it to Van Gogh painting outside, so we think of him battling the elements, dealing with the wind, the bugs, and then he’s got to walk back to his studio through the fields. What’s fun is that we can come up with all these stories for 【5】 the insect landed in the paint.”

Schafer said they were curious to know if the grasshopper could be studied 【6】 (far) to possibly identify which season Van Gogh painted Olive Trees.

Michael Engel, a professor at the University of Kansas, was approached 【7】 (examine) the grasshopper further. He discovered that part of the insect’s body was missing and there was no sign of movement in the surrounding paint. In other words, it was already dead 【8】 it somehow landed on the artist’s wet canvas and could not be used for dating purposes.

Van Gogh painted Olive Trees in 1889, the year after his falling out with his friend Gauguin, 【9】 may have led to his famous act of self-mutilation in the history of art: cutting off his own ear.

The grasshopper may not help in any art historical research but it has become a talking point for museum visitors, looking closely into the painting to see 【10】 they can spot the dead insect.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】hidden

【2】was being scanned

【3】Looking

【4】must

【5】how

【6】further

【7】to examine

【8】when/before

【9】which

【10】if/whether

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文，讲述了纳尔逊-阿特金斯艺术博物馆的管理员在一幅名画文森特·梵高的《橄榄树》中发现了一只死蚱蜢，这成为了该博物馆的一个热门话题。

【1】考查非谓语动词。句意：艺术管理员梦想在他们所关注的杰作中找到隐藏的秘密。hide与secrets之间是逻辑上的动宾关系，表示被动，用过去分词做定语，故填hidden。

【2】考查时态语态。句意：位于堪萨斯城的纳尔逊-阿特金斯艺术博物馆的管理员表示，他们在该馆的一幅名画文森特·梵高的《橄榄树》中发现了这只死昆虫，当时这幅画正在被扫描，作为其法国绘画收藏目录研究的一部分。it与scan之间是被动关系，而且表示过去正在进行的动作，所以用过去进行时的被动语态，故填was being scanned。

【3】考查非谓语动词。句意：用显微镜看这幅画，我看到了一个被颜料覆盖的小蚱蜢的身体，所以它一定是在1889年的湿颜料中出现的。I与look之间是逻辑上的主谓关系，表示主动，用现在分词做状语，故填Looking。

【4】考查情态动词。句意同上，must have done表示对过去的动作最有把握的推测，表示“一定做过某事”，故填must。

【5】考查宾语从句。句意：有趣的是，我们可以想出所有这些关于昆虫如何落在颜料上的故事。for后为宾语从句，从句中不缺主宾表，缺少方式状语，故填how。

【6】考查副词。句意：谢弗说，他们很想知道是否可以进一步研究这只蚱蜢，以确定梵高画《橄榄树》的季节。根据句意可知此处表示“进一步地”，故填further。

【7】考查非谓语动词。句意：堪萨斯大学教授迈克尔·恩格尔被请来进一步研究这只蚱蜢。根据句意可知此处表示目的，应该用不定式做目的状语，故填to examine。

【8】考查连词。句意：换句话说，它在不知何故掉在艺术家的湿帆布上之前就已经死了/当它不知何故落在艺术家的湿帆布上的时候就已经死了。根据句意可知此处表示“在……之前”或“当……的时候”，故填when/before。

【9】考查非限定性定语从句。句意：梵高在1889年画了《橄榄树》，那是他和朋友高更闹翻的第二年，这可能导致了他在艺术史上著名的自残行为：割掉自己的耳朵。此处为非限定性定语从句，关系词指代整个主句内容并在从句中做主语，故填which。

【10】考查宾语从句。句意：这只蚱蜢可能对任何艺术史研究都没有帮助，但它已经成为了博物馆参观者的一个话题，他们仔细观察这幅画，看看能否发现这只死昆虫。空处引导宾语从句，表示“是否”，故填if/whether。