Claude Monet(莫奈) was born in 1840 in Paris, France. When he was five, his family moved to a place on the coast where he spent a lot of time on the beaches. It was here that he started to understand novels(小说)．

As a boy he __21__friends and family by drawing caricatures(漫画)．They were all pleased with his paintings. But at 18 his way of painting changed when he  __22__friends with Eugene Boudin who encouraged him to paint pictures out of doors. This is when his life as a(n)  __23__began. His family was  __24__ that he refused to go to art school. Instead Monet worked with other artists in their workrooms in Paris. In 1862 he became part of a group of impressionist(印象主义的) painters. During the 1860s he sold almost  __25__paintings but this didn’t stop him painting even though he always had problems with money.

Monet married his first wife in 1870 and had two sons. His second wife Alice, who had six children with her, lived with Monet and Monet’s children. After __26__houses several times, Monet found a house to rent(租) for his large family in a small village called Giverny in 1883, about 84 kilometers from Paris. He fell in love  __27__the place and it became his home for the rest of his life.

At last Monet began to  __28__his paintings and in 1890 he bought the house at Giverny. Monet was a loving gardener and created beautiful gardens there. His gardens inspired over 500 of his greatest paintings. Monet’s large paintings of the water lilies in his water garden, painted between 1916 and 1926, are some of his most famous. Monet gave these paintings to the people of  __29__. You can see them in Paris.

Towards the end of his life, Monet started to lose his __30__. This was the worst thing that could happen to a painter. It happened slowly over 16 years and by 1923 he was nearly blind. When Monet was very old and had bad health, he kept painting until a few months before his death in December 1926. 

(　　)46.A. had    B. loved    C. kept  D. pleased

(　　)47.A. met    B. made    C. fought  D. found

(　　)48.A. writer  B. painter  C. actor  D. teacher

(　　)49.A. glad    B. helpful  C. angry  D. satisfied

(　　)50.A. no      B. all     C. little  D. any

(　　)51.A. buying  B. building  C. moving  D. repairing

(　　)52.A. with    B. in      C. around  D. at

(　　)53.A. draw    B. sell    C. watch  D. collect

(　　)54.A. France  B. Britain  C. America  D. Australia

(　　)55.A. taste  B. weight  C. money  D. eyesight

 

My husband and I had just opened up a pet sitting business earlier that year. Our customers had slowly risen from three to thirty a month. We were busy through those hot summer months, driving between visits. Our work was strictly done at the pet owner’s home. It was almost too busy for the two of us, but we were making good money!
We asked pet owners new to our business to phone two weeks ahead so we had enough time to meet the owners and pets at their homes and make any following meetings before the owner leaves.
One day, we decided to take on a new customer just two days before they would leave. We met the family, filled in a form, and spent some time with their dog, Hercules. He playfully jumped on us and touched our hands and arms using his tongue. The family laughed as he did this, showing us that he was very loving.
Two days later I appeared at the house, alone. I came up to Hercules and said hello happily. I filled up his water bowl and cleaned any messes he made. Meanwhile, he was so lovely sitting beside. I thought this would be the good picture to send to the owners as usual. After the light and “click” sound went off, Hercules rushed at me. I didn’t know what had just happened until I noticed the drops of blood. I ran out and did the only thing—calling my husband.
Then I went to neighbors for help. My husband arrived after ten minutes. The helpful neighbor and my husband led Hercules back into his pen(圈). Then my husband and I took off to the hospital.
I must have looked like I was shot when I walked into the hospital. The nurses quickly moved me to a room. I asked the doctor in a weak but playful manner, “Am I going to die?” He replied, “Finally.”
【小题1】According to the text, the author’s work was_____________ .

A．tiring and dangerous	B．easy and free
C．well paid	D．done outdoors

【小题2】What did the author often do during her work?

A．Cleaning the customers’ house.

B．Walking the pets outside.

C．Bringing the pets to her own house.

D．Sending a photo of pets to the owners.

【小题3】It can be inferred from the text that the author was attacked because___________ .

A．Hercules feared the sound and the flash

B．the author attacked Hercules first

C．Hercules was very hungry then

D．the author treated Hercules badly

【小题4】The doctor’s answer gave us a sense of____________ .

A．anger	B．humor
C．carelessness	D．patience