阅读理解

　　Today, the paintings by Vincent van Gogh(梵高)are world-famous and worth millions of dollars but while he was alive, Vincent van Gogh sold only one painting．He was a lonely, unhappy man suffering from mental illness, and he died at 37．

　　Vincent van Gogh was born in Holland in 1853．His first connection with paintings came in 1869, when he got a job in the Goupil Gallery．He worked for this art dealer(经销商)in London and Paris for four years before he became a teacher in England for a short time．He moved back to France in 1877 and soon began to paint．

　　Gogh was influenced by the famous artists that he met in Paris, where he returned to live in 1886．He did not stay long in the French capital．He was attracted by the vivid(鲜艳的)colors of the countryside and, in 1888, he moved to Aries, a small town in the south of France．There, he painted his most famous paintings, using strong brush strokes(画笔的笔触)and bright colors．Vincent van Gogh mainly painted landscapes(风景画), but he also produced portraits(肖像)of local people, such as the doctor and the postman．

　　It was around this time that Vincent van Gogh began to show signs of mental illness．In 1889, following an argument with another artist, he cut off his own ear．For a time, he lived in a mental hospital in Saint Remy．In 1890, Vincent van Gogh moved to a town called Auvers．For two months, he painted feverishly(狂热地)．Then, one day, he went into the fields with a revolver(左轮手枪)and shot himself．He died from his wounds the next day．

完形填空

　　Two men, both seriously ill, lived in the same hospital room．One man was allowed to 　　1　　 in his bed for an hour each afternoon for treatment．His 　　2　　 was next to the room's only window．The other man 　　3　　 spend all his time flat on his back．Every 　　4　　 when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he 　　5　　 pass the time by describing to his 　　6　　 all the things he could see outside the window．The window overlooked a 　　7　　 with a lovely lake．Ducks and swans played on the water while children 　　8　　 their model boats．Young lovers walked 　　9　　 among flowers．As the man by the window described all this beautifully, the other man would close his eyes and 　　10　　 the scene．

　　One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the 　　11　　 body of the man by the window, who had died 　　12　　 in his sleep．She was saddened and 　　13　　 the hospital attendants(服务员)to take the body away．　　14　　 it seemed appropriate(合适的), the other man asked if he could 　　15　　 next to the window．The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after 　　16　　 he was comfortable, she left him alone．Slowly and painfully, he sat up to take his 　　17　　 look at the world outside．Finally, he would have the 　　18　　 of seeing it for himself．He strained(紧张地)to slowly turn to 　　19　　 the window beside the bed．It faced a blank wall!

　　The man asked the nurse what could have forced his dead roommate to 　　20　　 those wonderful things outside this window．The nurse answered that the man was blind and could not even see the wall．She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you．”

完形填空

　　Though pyramids are found in Egypt, the word “pyramid” comes from the Greek language 　　1　　 the Greeks first arrived in Egypt long ago, they found many grand stone 　　2　　 which they named “pyramids”．The Greeks wondered 　　3　　 the Egyptians had built the great pyramids, but they could not find the 　　4　　, and even now we still don’t know exactly how．

　　It is 　　5　　 in many ancient books written in Arabic and found in Egypt that the Egyptians 　　6　　 life after death．When a person 　　7　　, his family or friends placed the things near his body which they thought he might need．Emperors or kings had great 　　8　　, so their bodies were kept inside the great pyramids, and they had had them built for many years even while they were 　　9　　．

　　The Great Pyramid, which was 482 feet high and 　　10　　 two square kilometers of land, was built for King Khufu with 2 300 000 blocks of large stones, the smallest of which even 　　11　　 over 2500 kilograms, as 　　12　　 as a car．

　　How the ancient Egyptians 　　13　　, moved and lifted such heavy stones without modern machines has always remained a great 　　14　　 to present scholars．Perhaps these stones were taken across the Nile in boats at 　　15　　 time．Maybe they were moved on rollers(滚筒)using slipper Nile mud on land and 　　16　　 up along sloping(倾斜的)roads to the sides of the pyramids．It is still a great 　　17　　 that the stones 　　18　　 together so well that even a straight knife cannot be pushed between them．

　　Century after century, strong winds have been 　　19　　 yellow sand around the pyramids．Different rulers have come and gone．Everything seems to 　　20　　 except the pyramids．They have remained a 5000 year old mystery in silence．

完形填空

　　Though pyramids are found in Egypt, the word “pyramid” comes from the Greek language 　　1　　 the Greeks first arrived in Egypt long ago, they found many grand stone 　　2　　 which they named “pyramids”．The Greeks wondered 　　3　　 the Egyptians had built the great pyramids, but they could not find the 　　4　　 ,and even now we still don’t know exactly how．

　　It is 　　5　　 in many ancient books written in Arabic and found in Egypt that the Egyptians 　　6　　 life after death．When a person 　　7　　, his family or friends placed the things near his body which they thought he might need．Emperors or kings had great 　　8　　, so their bodies were kept inside the great pyramids, and they had had them built for many years even while they were 　　9　　．

　　The Great Pyramid, which was 482 feet high and 　　10　　 two square kilometers of land, was built for King Khufu with 2 300 000 blocks of large stones, the smallest of which even 　　11　　 over 2500 kilograms, as 　　12　　 as a car．

　　How the ancient Egyptians 　　13　　, moved and lifted such heavy stones without modern machines has always remained a great 　　14　　 to present scholars．Perhaps these stones were taken across the Nile in boats at 　　15　　 time．Maybe they were moved on rollers(滚筒)using slipper Nile mud on land and 　　16　　 up along sloping(倾斜的)roads to the sides of the pyramids．It is still a great 　　17　　 that the stones 　　18　　 together so well that even a straight knife cannot be pushed between them．

　　Century after century, strong winds have been 　　19　　 yellow sand around the pyramids．Different rulers have come and gone．Everything seems to 　　20　　 except the pyramids．They have remained a 5000-year-old mystery in silence．

完形填空

　　Though pyramids are found in Egypt, the word “pyramid” comes from the Greek language 　　1　　 the Greeks first arrived in Egypt long ago, they found many grand stone 　　2　　 which they named “pyramids”．The Greeks wondered 　　3　　 the Egyptians had built the great pyramids, but they could not find the 　　4　　, and even now we still don’t know exactly how．

　　It is 　　5　　 in many ancient books written in Arabic and found in Egypt that the Egyptians 　　6　　 life after death．When a person 　　7　　, his family or friends placed the things near his body which they thought he might need．Emperors or kings had great 　　8　　, so their bodies were kept inside the great pyramids, and they had had them built for many years even while they were 　　9　　．

　　The Great Pyramid, which was 482 feet high and 　　10　　 two square kilometers of land, was built for King Khufu with 2 300 000 blocks of large stones, the smallest of which even 　　11　　 over 2500 kilograms, as 　　12　　 as a car．

　　How the ancient Egyptians 　　13　　, moved and lifted such heavy stones without modern machines has always remained a great 　　14　　 to present scholars．Perhaps these stones were taken across the Nile in boats at 　　15　　 time．Maybe they were moved on rollers(滚筒)using slipper Nile mud on land and 　　16　　 up along sloping(倾斜的)roads to the sides of the pyramids．It is still a great 　　17　　 that the stones 　　18　　 together so well that even a straight knife cannot be pushed between them．

　　Century after century, strong winds have been 　　19　　 yellow sand around the pyramids．Different rulers have come and gone．Everything seems to 　　20　　 except the pyramids．They have remained a 5000-year-old mystery in silence．