He lived his whole life as a poor man. His art and talent were recognized by almost no one. He suffered from a mental（精神的）illness that led him to cut off part of his left ear in 1888 and to shoot himself two years later. But after his death, he achieved world fame. Today, Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh is recognized as one of
the leading artists of all time.
　　Now, 150 years after his birth on March 30, 1853, Zundert, the town of his birth, has made 2003 “The van Gogh Year”in his honor. And the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, home to the biggest collection of his masterpieces, is marking the anniversary（周年纪念）with exhibitions throughout the year. The museum draws around 1.3 million visitors every year. Some people enjoy the art and then learn about his life. Others are first interested in his life, which then helps them understand his art.
Van Gogh was the son of a pastor（牧师）. He left school when he was just 15. By the age of 27, he had already tried many jobs including an art gallery（画廊）salesman and a French teacher. Finally in 1880, he decided to begin his studies in art.
Van Gogh is famed for his ability to put his own emotions into his paintings and show his feelings about a scene. His style is marked by short, broad brush strokes（笔画）.“Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I have before my eyes, I use color more freely, in order to express myself more forcibly,” he wrote in a letter to his brother in 1888.
Van Gogh sold only one painting during his short life. He relied heavily on the support from his brother, an art dealer who lived in Paris. But now his works are sold for millions of dollars. His portrait of Dr. Gacher sold for $89.5 million in 1990. It is the highest price ever paid for a painting. “I think his paintings are powerful and the brilliant colors in them are attractive to people,” said a Van Gogh’s fan.
【小题1】All through his life, Van Gogh __________.

A．depended on his brother	B．worked hard on art studies
C．was not recognized by people	D．expressed himself in paintings

【小题2】 Van Gogh killed himself because of ___________.

A．the poor life	B．his illness
C．his pain from left ear	D．the objections from the artists of his time

【小题3】 One of the characteristics of Van Gogh’s paintings is ______________.

A．the likeness between his paintings and the reality

B．the short time for him to complete a painting

C．the various styles mixed together

D．the special strokes he made

【小题4】 The selling of his paintings is considered to be the most successful because ________.

A．more and more people like his paintings

B．people can understand him through his paintings

C．1.3 million people visit his painting museum every year

D．Zundert has made 2003 “The Van Gogh Year” in his honor

【小题5】 We can infer from the passage that _______.

A．his powerful art came from his poor life

B．his fellow townsmen regret treating him unfairly

C．all his paintings were drawn in the last 10 years of his life

D．most of his paintings are kept in the museum of his hometown

The UK has a well­respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world. But to those who are new to it all, sometimes it can be confusing．

October is usually the busiest month in the college calendar. Universities have something called Freshers’ Week for their newcomers. It’s a great opportunity to make new friends, join lots of clubs and settle into university life．

However, having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind, the prospect（前景）of meeting lots of strangers in big halls can be nerve­wracking（令人头痛的）. Where do you start? Who should you make friends with? Which clubs should you join?

Luckily, there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you worrying about starting their university social life on the right foot. So just take it all in slowly. Don’t rush into anything that you’ll regret for the next three years.

Here is some top advice from past students on how to survive Freshers’ Week：

●Learn rules. Make sure you know British social etiquette（礼节）. Have a few wine glasses and snacks handy for your housemates and friends.

●Be kind. Sometimes cups of tea or even slices of toast can give you a head start in making friends.

●Be sociable. The more active you are, the more likely you’ll be to meet new people than if you’re someone who never leaves their room.

●Bring a doorstop. Keep your door open when you’re in and that sends positive messages to your neighbors that you’re friendly.

So with a bit of clever planning and effort, Freshers’ Week can give you a great start to your university life and soon you’ll be passing on your experience to next year’s new recruits．

1.Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the passage？

A．October is generally the busiest month for universities．

B．It’s a good idea to have a doorstop.

C．A bit of planning can make Freshers’ Week easier.

D．The first week of your every year at university is called Freshers’ Week．

2.The underlined word "recruits" in the last paragraph refers to__________．

A．courses           B．freshers           C．neighbors         D．challenges

3.We can infer from the 4th paragraph that 　　　　．

A．the newcomers usually miss the days living at home

B．most of the students in the UK spend three years in universities

C．many freshers are worried about how to fit university life

D．all the new students will make new friends and join certain clubs

4.Why does the author suggest having wine glasses and snacks handy？

A．To pass the busy university life．

B．To help make friends with other freshers．

C．To show yourself a drinker as others．

D．To pass the time in a happy way．

 

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，共30分）

      阅读下面短文，从短文后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出可以填入空白出的最佳选项。

?After 42-year-old guy Tom had quitted his job, he began to make up his mind to become a freelance (self-employed) writer, no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a(n)  21  typewriter and settled down to work．

    After a year or so, however, Tom began to  22  himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by  23  what he wrote．But Tom determined to put his dream to the test —  24  it meant living with uncertainty and fear of  25 ．This is the shadowland of hope, and  26  with a dream must learn to live there．

    One day Tom got a call, “We need a(n)  27 , and we’re paying $6,000 a year．” $6,000 was  28  money in 1960．It would enable Tom to get a nice apartment, a used car and more． 29 , he could write on the side． 30  the dollars were dancing in Tom’s head, something  31  his senses．He had dreamed of being a  32  — full time．“Thanks, but no,” Tom said  33 ．“I’m going to stick it out and write．”

    After Tom got off the phone, he  34  everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Tom put the cans and cents into a  35  bag, saying to himself, “There’s everything you’ve made of yourself so far．”

　　Finally his work was  36  in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that  37  writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into limelight．

　　Then one day, Tom  38  a box filled with things he had owned years before． 39  was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he  40 himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Tom, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence it takes to stay the course in the shadowland．

1.A．excellent        B．used           C．expensive      D．priceless

2.A．regret           B．hate           C．doubt          D．trust

3.A．selling          B．buying         C．reading        D．appreciating

4.A．Now that         B．What if        C．As if          D．Even though

5.A．success          B．failure        C．perspiration   D．loss

6.A．someone          B．none           C．nobody         D．anyone

7.A．boss             B．assistant      C．manager        D．writer

8.A．false            B．little         C．real           D．high

9.A．However          B．Still          C．Besides        D．Therefore

10.A．As              B．But            C．If             D．Because

11.A．hurt            B．destroyed      C．cleared        D．struck

12.A．driver          B．assistant      C．writer         D．dancer

13.A．hesitantly      B．firmly         C．slowly         D．hurriedly

14.A．pulled out      B．pulled apart   C．pulled back    D．pulled down

15.A．cloth           B．metal          C．plastic        D．paper

16.A．written         B．published      C．completed      D．punished

17.A．few             B．great          C．famous         D．poor

18.A．sought          B．searched       C．found          D．picked

19.A．Above           B．Below          C．Outside        D．Inside

20.A．called    B．pictured C．described    D．reminded

 

　　Bill Gates is one of the most famous people in the world. His books have been translated into many languages.

　　What many people do not know is that he is not the only founder of Microsoft. A lot of honor must go to his partner, Paul Allen.

　　Allen and Gates met at Lakeside Preparatory School. They and some other friends became interested in computers. They began skipping（逃）PE lessons to play on the school computers. Their school did a deal with a computer company. It al-lowed Allen and Gates to use the company's computers for free. They even started their first software business while in high school. Computers were their lives.

　　After leaving school, Alien worked as a programmer. Gates went to Harvard University, one of the best universities in the world, to study law. The invention of computers was small enough to be used at homes, called personal computers, helped Allen persuade Gates to leave Harvard University and start Microsoft together. They designed software like MS-DOS and BASIC for large companies like IBM. However, they were not satisfied with the software and came up with a new system, called Windows. Allen was one of the main programmers. The equally successful Microsoft Office soon followed.

　　Allen fell ill in 1983. He stopped working full-time for Microsoft. He took time off, read, traveled and stayed with his family. Allen and Gates are still close. He is still involved in Microsoft, and as one of the richest men in the world, doesn't regret leaving.

(1) It is generally believed by people that ________.

[　　]

A．Bill Gates is the richest person in the world with little education

B．Bill Gates alone founded Microsoft

C．Paul Allen is a close competitor in computers against Bill Gates

D．Paul Allen is also a successful writer besides his achievement in computers

(2) We know from this passage that ________.

[　　]

A．Allen and Gates have known each other for a long time

B．Allen first used a computer at a company

C．Allen and Gates never attended a PE lesson

D．Allen and Gates helped companies with problems for money

(3) Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

[　　]

A．Paul Allen invented personal computers.

B．Bill Gates joined Microsoft after he finished his law degree at Harvard University.

C．Paul Allen lost all of his interest in computers after he fell ill.

D．Bill Gates and Paul Allen started Microsoft at the same time.

(4) The best title for this passage is“________”.

[　　]

A．The Other Half of Microsoft

B．Bill Gates

C．How Microsoft Started

D．Microsoft and Its History

 

第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36～55题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

Two friends visited the zoo together. The zoo was very large and it was 36 to go everywhere. They had to decide where and which animal to visit as their time was 37. So both of them agreed not to 38 after choosing a 39 at every fork (岔路口).

A road sign at the first fork 40 one way to the lion quarters and the other to the tiger hill. They decided on the 41 after a 42 discussion because lions were “the king of the grassland”. The second showed a division (路口) going separately to the panda and peacock. They 43 panda as it was the nation’s treasure and went its way. Thus they made choices all along the way and each choice meant 44  what they couldn’t help regretting. But they had to make it, and  45 , for it brooked(容忍) no delay. If they hesitated they would miss 46  . Only 47 decision could offer more chances for sightseeing and 48  possible regret.

Life is 49 like this—choices often occur that one has to make, for example, between two 50  jobs, two fascinating wooers(追求者). To get one you 51 give up the other——you can get half of it. If you 52 weighing the pros and cons and calculating gains and losses, you will most likely 53 empty-handedness. Don’t be sad about it.  54 you have got half of the desirable things in life——something that is  55 to come by.

36. A. easy               B. eager　　　       C. impossible       D. possible

37. A. enough　　　       B. limited　　 C. tight             D. plentiful

38. A. retrace          B. come　　　       C. go　　　　　    D. go back

39. A. main road　          B. branch　　         C. crossing　　　   D. highway

40. A. showed　　　      B. pointed　　         C. intended　　　  D. made

41. A. former　　　        B. later　　　     C. last                D. the third

42. A. brief　　　           B. long　　　         C. no　　　　　    D. heated

43. A. hoped　　　        B. wanted　　       C. favored             D. got

44. A. getting          B. taking　　          C. grasping           D. giving up

45. A. slowly　　　         B. immediately      C. timely　　      D. easily

46. A. less　　　　         B. more　　　       C. most　　　　  D. least

47. A. high　　　　        B. slow　　　        C. short　　　　  D. rapid

48. A. increase　　             B. rid　　　　         C. reduce　          D. raise

49. A. just exactly        B. more or less         C. hardly           D. most

50. A. unwanted　　      B. rejected　       C. enjoyable          D. desirable

51. A. wish　　　　       B. want　　　       C. must　　　　　 D. have to

52. A. spend time　　    B. kill time            C. have a hard time  D. hope for

53. A. start with　      B. get up　　          C. succeed in　　   D. end up in

54. A. By no means       B. Not in the least   C. At most              D. At least

55. A. stupid　　　         B. delighted　     C. hard               D. supported