Throughout the history of the arts, the nature of creativity has remained constant to artists. No matter what objects they select, artists are to bring forth new forces and forms that cause change-to find poetry where no one has ever seen or experienced it before.

Landscape(风景) is another unchanging element of art. It can be found from ancient times through the 17th-century Dutch painters to the 19th-century romanticists and impressionists. In the 1970s Alfred Leslie, one of the new American realists, continued this practice. Leslie sought out the same place where Thomas Cole, a romanticist, had produced paintings of the same scene a century and a half before. Unlike Cole who insists on a feeling of loneliness and the idea of finding peace in nature, Leslie paints what he actually sees. In his paintings, there is no particular change in emotion, and he includes ordinary things like the highway in the background. He also takes advantage of the latest developments of color photography(摄影术) to help both the eye and the memory when he improves his painting back in his workroom.

Besides, all art begs the age-old question: What is real? Each generation of artists has shown their understanding of reality in one form or another. The impressionists saw reality in brief emotional effects, the realists in everyday subjects and in forest scenes, and the Cro-Magnon cave people in their naturalistic drawings of the animals in the ancient forests. To sum up, understanding reality is a necessary struggle for artists of all periods.

Over thousands of years the function of the arts has remained relatively constant. Past or present, Eastern or Western, the arts are a basic part of our immediate experience. Many and different are the faces of art, and together they express the basic need and hope of human beings.

46. The underlined word “poetry” most probably means __________.

A. an object for artistic creation                        B. a　collection of poems

C. an unusual quality                                       D. a natural scene

47. Leslie's paintings are extraordinary because _________.

A. they are close in style to works in ancient times

B. they look like works by 19th-century painters

C. they draw attention to common things in life

D. they depend heavily on color photography

48. What is the author's opinion of artistic reality?

A. It will not be found in future works of art.

B. It does not have a long-lasting standard.

C. It is expressed in a fixed artistic form.

D. It is lacking in modern works of art.

49. What does the author suggest about the arts in the last paragraph?

A. They express people's curiosity about the past.

B. They make people interested in everyday experience.

C. They are considered important for variety in form.

D. They are regarded as a mirror of the human situation.

50. Which of the following is the main topic of the passage?

A. History of the arts.                               B. Basic questions of the arts.

C. New developments in the arts.                      D. Use of modern technology in the arts.

A lot of us lose life's tougher battles by starting a frontal(正面的)attack-when a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who hit a traffic jam on his way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum(最后通牒)about being late on the job. Although there was a good reason for Sam's being late-serious illness at home-he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn't work any longer. His supervisor was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal speech. Yes, the boss was, as Sam entered the office at9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room(更衣室);everyone was hard at work. Sam's supervisor came up to him. Suddenly, Sam forced a grin and stretched out his hand. "How do you do!" he said. "I'm Sam Maynard. I'm applying for a job. Which, I understand, became available just 35 minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?"

　　The room exploded in laughter. The supervisor clamped off a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had saved his job-with the only tool that could win, a laugh.

　　Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected(忽略), means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying "no," criticizing, getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face. For some jobs, it's the only tool that can succeed. It is away to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialogue may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians(喜剧演员)on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance(忍受力)than people in any other forum.

1.WhywasSamlateforhisjob?

　A. Because he was ill.　　 B. Because he got up late.

C. Because he was caught in a traffic jam. 　 D. He was busy applying for a new job.

2.The main idea of this passage is ____.

　A. Sam Maynard saved his job with humor 　 B. humor is important in our lives

　C. early bird gets the worm 　　　　 D. humor can solve racial discriminations.

3.The phrase "clamped off" n paragraph 3 means____.

　A. tried to hold back　 B. tried to set　 C. charged　 D. gave out

4.Which of the following statements can we infer from the passage?

A. Many lose life's battles because they are lacking in a sense of humor.

B. It wasn't the first time that Sam came late for work.

C. Sam was supposed to arrive at his office at8:30.

D. Humor is the most effective way of solving problems

【2011·上海卢湾区4月模拟】

Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

       If you were to begin a new job tomorrow, you would bring with you some basic strengths and weaknesses. 

　　Success or   50   in your work would depend, to a great degree, on your ability to use your strengths and weaknesses to the best advantage.   51   the greatest importance is your attitude.

　　A  person  who  begins  a  job convinced that he isn’t going to like it or is   52   to suffer is exhibiting a weakness which can only   53   his success.

　　On the other hand, a person who is secure in  his  belief that he is probably as   54   of  doing the work as anyone else and who is   55   to make a cheerful attempt at it possesses a certain strength of purpose.

　　The chances are that he will do well.   56   the essential skills for a particular job is strength.

　　Lacking those skills is   57   a weakness.

　　A bookkeeper who can’t add or a carpenter who can’t   58   a straight line with a saw is hopeless cases.

　　This book has been  designed  to help you take advantage of the strengths and   59   the weaknesses that you bring to the job of learning.

　　But  in   groups   to   measure  your  development,  you  must  first   60   somewhere you stand now.   61   we get further along in the book, we’ll be dealing in some detail with specific processes for developing and strengthening   62   skills.

　　However, to begin with, you should   63   to examine your present strengths and weaknesses in three areas that are critical to your success or failure in school: your   64   , your reading and communication skills, and your study habits.

50.    A. improvement   B. victory           C. failure             D. achievement

51.    A. Out of             B. Of                   C. To                   D. Into

52.    A. able               B. eager             C. sure                D. ready

53.    A. bring about             B. hold back               C. put up with              D. stand for

54.    A. guilty               B. resistant          C. inevitable         D. capable

55.    A. reluctant         B. willing        C. potential          D. moderate

56.    A. Possessing             B. Processing             C. Handling               D. Involving

57.    A. consequently   B. obviously         C. frequently        D. occasionally

58.    A. draw                B. sew                  C. cut                   D. score

59.    A. employ            B. overcome        C. challenge      D. suspect

60.    A. assess            B. negotiate         C. access                    D. stimulate

61.    A. As                   B. Till                   C. Unless                    D. So

62.    A. examining        B. working            C. learning          D. achieving

63.    A. continue          B. intend                     C. wait                       D. pause

64.    A. intelligence     B. work                C. attitude           D. weakness

 (07·重庆E篇)

Throughout the history of the arts, the nature of creativity has remained constant to artists. No matter what objects they select, artists are to bring forth new forces and forms that cause change-to find poetry where no one has ever seen or experienced it before.

Landscape(风景) is another unchanging element of art. It can be found from ancient times through the 17th-century Dutch painters to the 19th-century romanticists and impressionists. In the 1970s Alfred Leslie, one of the new American realists, continued this practice. Leslie sought out the same place where Thomas Cole, a romanticist, had produced paintings of the same scene a century and a half before. Unlike Cole who insists on a feeling of loneliness and the idea of finding peace in nature, Leslie paints what he actually sees. In his paintings, there is no particular change in emotion, and he includes ordinary things like the highway in the background. He also takes advantage of the latest developments of color photography(摄影术) to help both the eye and the memory when he improves his painting back in his workroom.

Besides, all art begs the age-old question: What is real? Each generation of artists has shown their understanding of reality in one form or another. The impressionists saw reality in brief emotional effects, the realists in everyday subjects and in forest scenes, and the Cro-Magnon cave people in their naturalistic drawings of the animals in the ancient forests. To sum up, understanding reality is a necessary struggle for artists of all periods.

Over thousands of years the function of the arts has remained relatively constant. Past or present, Eastern or Western, the arts are a basic part of our immediate experience. Many and different are the faces of art, and together they express the basic need and hope of human beings.

71. The underlined word “poetry” most probably means __________.

A. an object for artistic creation                          B. a　collection of poems

C. an unusual quality                                          D. a natural scene

72. Leslie's paintings are extraordinary because .

A. they are close in style to works in ancient times

B. they look like works by 19th-century painters

C. they draw attention to common things in life

D. they depend heavily on color photography

73. What is the author's opinion of artistic reality?

A. It will not be found in future works of art.

B. It does not have a long-lasting standard.

C. It is expressed in a fixed artistic form.

D. It is lacking in modern works of art.

74. What does the author suggest about the arts in the last paragraph?

A. They express people's curiosity about the past.

B. They make people interested in everyday experience.

C. They are considered important for variety in form.

D. They are regarded as a mirror of the human situation.

75. Which of the following is the main topic of the passage?

A. History of the arts.                                 B. Basic questions of the arts.

C. New developments in the arts.                 D. Use of modern technology in the arts.