Back in the fifteenth century, in a village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Despite the hopeless condition, two of the children, Albrecht Durer and his elder brother Albert Durer, had a dream. They both wanted to become artists. After many long discussions, the two boys finally worked out an agreement. They would toss (投掷) a coin. The loser would go down to the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy (大学). Then, when that brother completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other at the academy.

Tossing a coin, Albrecht won and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down to the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, supported his brother, whose work at the academy was excellent. By the time Albrecht graduated, he had earned a lot of money for his works of art.

When the young artist returned to his village, Albrecht thanked his brother for the years of support that enabled him to realize his dream. “ And now, Albert, it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to go for your dream, and I will take care of you.”

Tears running down his face, Albert said,” No, brother. I cannot go to Nuernberg. It is too late for me. Look…what four years in the mines has done to my hands! I have been suffering from arthritis (关节炎) so badly that I cannot even hold a wine glass. No, brother ... for me it is too late !”

Later, Albrecht Durer drew his brother’s hands. He called his drawing simply Hands, and later it was renamed The Praying Hands.

More than 500 years have passed. Among the works of Albrecht Durer, The Praying Hands, is probably the most familiar to people. Reproductions of it hang in people’s homes or offices.

Next time you see a copy of that touching painting, take a second look. Let it be your reminder — if you still need one — no one ever makes it alone!

Why did the two brothers work out the agreement?

   A. They were curious about the result.

   B. Their family couldn’t afford their attending the academy.

   C. They had to support the other sisters and brothers in the family.

   D. Neither of them wanted to study in the academy.

Why couldn’t Albert go to the academy after four years?

   A. Albrecht changed his mind and refused to support Albert.

   B. Albrecht was not able to earn enough money to support Albert.

   C. Albert didn’t have a great love for painting any more.

   D. Albert couldn’t hold a pen or brush to paint.

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. It proved that Albrecht was not good at painting.

B. Albrecht couldn’t earn any money while he was studying at the academy.

   C. Years of hard work in the mines brought great suffering to Albert.

   D. In the painting “The Praying Hands”, the hands were Albrecht’s.

What does the underlined sentence imply (暗示)?

   A. You can achieve success all on your own.

   B. Cooperation is important if you want to succeed.

   C. There is other people’s sacrifice (牺牲) behind your success.

   D. No one will succeed without working hard.

  Young visitors to museums often complain(抱怨)about having museum feet，the
tired feeling one gets after spending too much time in a museum．A case of museum feet
makes one feel like saying：“This is boring．I could have done the painting myself．
When can we sit down? What time is it?
Studies of museum behavior show that the average visitor spends about four sec．
onds looking at one object．For young visitors，the time call be even shorter．Children
are more interested in smells，sounds，and the“feel’’of a place than looking at a work of
art．If they stay in a museum too long，they will feel tired and become impatient．
To avoid museum feet，try not to have children look at too many things in one vis-．
it．It is reported that young visitors get more out of a visit if they focus on no more than
nine objects．One and a half hours is the ideal(理想的)time to keep their eyes and
minds sharp，and their feet happy.
65．When a child gets“museum  feet”,he or she feels     ．
A．bored    B．interested    C．pleased D．angry
66．To attract more children，museums should offer more    ．
A．reading materials    B．works of art
C．1ively things        D．comfortable shoes
67．Children can benefit most from a visit to a museum if they spend        .
A．1ess than 4 seconds looking at 1 object
B．a whole morning focusing on 19 objects
C．the time together with their parents
D．1.5 hours focusing on 9 objects
68．What’s the passage mainly about?
A．The cause of museum feet and how to avoid them．
B．How to build better museums for children．
C．How to prevent children from getting museum feet．
D．Why more children get museum feet than adults．

(南京市2008—2009学年度第一学期期末调研测试卷)—Is this the painting ______ you offered $1000 for on the Internet?

       —Yeah, I will give you 15% discount if you like it.

       A. when               B. which               C. as                            D. what

Only ______ the painting _______ decide whether it is worth buying.

The history of modern art begins with Impressionism, a movement started in Paris in the mid-1800’s. At that time many artists painted in a very traditional way that involved spending hours in a studio, painstakingly (辛苦地) creating paintings that were extremely detailed. These paintings were sometimes of people or landscapes or historical events. In 1863, Edouard Manet exhibited his painting “Dejeuner sur l’erbe” at the Salon des Refuses. The painting caused a commotion (骚动), thus starting the Impressionist movement. Although Edouard Manet is the declared leader and founder of the group, he was not present at the first group exhibition or any of the other eight collective Impressionist shows. The movement gained more attention in the April of 1874 when Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Jean-Frédéric Bazille formed Society of Artists, Painters, Sculptors, Engravers and began exhibiting outside of the official salon. The same year, the term Impressionism was invented by criticizing (批评的) journalist Louis Leroy to describe their paintings, who worked for the magazine Le Charivari.

The Impressionists often paint out of doors and want to show how light and shadow fall on objects at particular times of the day. Their works are sometimes described as “captured moments” and are characterized by short quick brushstrokes (笔) of colour which, when viewed up close looks quite messy and unreal. If we step back from the Impressionist paintings, the colours are blended together by our eyes and we are able to see the painters’ subjects which often show colourful landscapes, sunlight on water as well as people busy with outdoor activities.

1.Before Impressionism, the works of artists were         .

A. quite abstract                     B. very confusing

C. very detailed                D. quite controversial

2.Who first started Impressionism? ___________

A. Claude Monet.                 B. Edouard Manet.

C. Auguste Renoir.             D. Alfred Sisley.

3.The works of the Impressionists are best viewed         .

A. with imagination     B. at a distance

C. outdoors                  D. in a studio

4.The second paragraph is mainly about ______.

A. the painting style of the Impressionists

B. how to describe the Impressionist paintings

C. the influences of the Impressionist paintings

D. the subjects of the Impressionist paintings