Question

Grandma Moses is among the most famous twentieth-century painters of the United States, yet she did not start painting until she was in her late seventies. As she once said to herself: " I would never sit back in a rocking chair, waiting for someone to help me." No one could have had a more productive old age.
She was born Anna Mary Robertson on a farm in New York State, one of five boys and five girls. At twelve she left home and was in domestic service until, at twenty--seven, she married Thomas Moses, the hired hand of one of her employers. They farmed most of their lives, first in Virginia and then in New York State, at Eagle Bridge. She had ten children, of whom five survived; her husband died in 1927.
Grandma Moses painted a little as a child and made embroidery (刺绣) pictures as a hobby, but only changed to oils in old age because her hands had become too stiff to sew and she wanted to keep busy and pass the time. Her pictures were first sold at the local drugstore and at a market and were soon noticed by a businessman who bought everything she painted. Three of the pictures exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, and in 1940 she had her first exhibition in New York. Between the 1930's and her death, she produced some 2,000 pictures: detailed and lively portrayals of the country life she had known for so long, with a wonderful sense of color and form. "I think really hard till I think of something really pretty, and then I paint it" she said

1. 1.
   According to the passage, Grandma Moses began to paint because she wanted to______.
   1. A.
      make herself beautiful
   2. B.
      become famous
   3. C.
      earn more money
   4. D.
      keep active
2. 2.
   Grandma Moses spent most of her life ______.
   1. A.
      nursing
   2. B.
      painting
   3. C.
      farming
   4. D.
      embroidering
3. 3.
   The underlined word “portrayals ” means ______.
   1. A.
      expressions
   2. B.
      explanations
   3. C.
      descriptions
   4. D.
      impressions
4. 4.
   From Grandma Moses' description of herself in the first paragraph, it can be inferred that she was ______.
   1. A.
      pretty
   2. B.
      nervous
   3. C.
      rich
   4. D.
      independent
5. 5.
   Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
   1. A.
      The Children of Grandma Moses
   2. B.
      Grandma Moses: Her Life and Pictures
   3. C.
      Grandma Moses: Her Best Exhibition
   4. D.
      Grandma Moses and Other Older Artists

Answer 1

DCCDB
试题分析：本文主要是关于 Grandma Moses简略的自传和她的艺术生涯，她的作品艺术价值。
1.根据短文所述， Grandma Moses 开始学画画是因为她想保持活力。本题为一般推理题，需要从字里行间找答案。在这篇文章的第一段中，曾经引用她的一句话：“ I would never sit back in a rocking chair, waiting for someone to help me.”所以她画画的目的是为让自己多活动，而非其它原因。选D
2.Grandma Moses 把大部分时间花在耕作上。本题为一般理解题，只要仔细阅读，很容易从字里行间找到答案。在第二段中间一句话“… They farmed almost of their lives…”，可以看出她一生中大部分时间用于 farming。选C
3.语义测试题。根据上下文可以看出这是详细的生动的描述。选C
4.从第一段 Grandma Moses 的自述中可以推断出她具有独立性。本题为判断分析题，需要根据关键词语进行推断。在第一段中的那句话，可以看出来，她有 very strong sense of independence.故选D
5.本题考察对整篇文章的综合概括能力。整篇文章都是关于 Grandma Moses 简略的自传和她的艺术生涯，故选B
考点：考查任务传记类短文
点评：解此类题需要结合上下文提供的语境和信息进行简单的概括和判断。同时要从字里行间看出主人翁的性格特点。