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.

Back in the fifteenth century in Nuremberg lived a family with eighteen children. They were so poor that two children, who wanted to pursue their talent for  26 knew their father would never be   27  able to send  either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.
So they tossed (掷) a coin. Albrecht Durer, the younger, 28   the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous  29  and for the next four years, financed his brother, who did so well that his works were even better than those of most of his  30 . By the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn  31  fees by drawing for wealthy people. When the young artist returned home, at dinner he drank a  32 to his beloved brother for the years of  33 that had enabled him to fulfill his  34 .He said, “Albert, my blessed brother, now it is your 35 to go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you.”
With tears in his eyes, Albert held his hands close to his right cheek and said, “No, brother, I cannot go. Look... look what four years in the mines have done to my  36  !The bones in every finger have been  37 at least once. Lately I have been suffering from arthritis (关节炎) so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a  38  to return your toast, much less make delicate （细腻的）lines with a pen or a brush. No, brother..., for me it is too  39  .”
Deeply moved, Albrecht painstakingly drew his brother’s  40  hands with palms（手掌） together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing  41 “Hands”, to which the entire world  immediately opened their hearts and later they  42 it “ the Praying Hands”.                                  
The next time when you see a copy of that  43  creation, take a second look. Let it be your  44  , if you still need one, that no one ever makes it  45  !

Back in the fifteenth century in Nuremberg lived a family with eighteen children. They were so poor that two children, who wanted to pursue their talent for  26 knew their father would never be   27  able to send  either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.

So they tossed (掷) a coin. Albrecht Durer, the younger, 28   the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous  29  and for the next four years, financed his brother, who did so well that his works were even better than those of most of his  30 . By the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn  31  fees by drawing for wealthy people. When the young artist returned home, at dinner he drank a  32 to his beloved brother for the years of  33 that had enabled him to fulfill his  34 .He said, “Albert, my blessed brother, now it is your 35 to go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you.”

With tears in his eyes, Albert held his hands close to his right cheek and said, “No, brother, I cannot go. Look... look what four years in the mines have done to my  36  !The bones in every finger have been  37 at least once. Lately I have been suffering from arthritis (关节炎) so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a  38  to return your toast, much less make delicate （细腻的）lines with a pen or a brush. No, brother..., for me it is too  39  .”

Deeply moved, Albrecht painstakingly drew his brother’s  40  hands with palms（手掌） together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing  41 “Hands”, to which the entire world  immediately opened their hearts and later they  42 it “ the Praying Hands”.                                  

The next time when you see a copy of that  43  creation, take a second look. Let it be your  44  , if you still need one, that no one ever makes it  45  !

1.                A．assistance       B．art             C．science   D．dreaming

2.                A．fundamentally   B．frequently       C．financially D．flexibly

3.                A．won           B．lost            C．ended    D．started

4.                A．mountains      B．oceans         C．deserts   D．mines

5.                A．classmates      B．colleagues       C．professors D．brothers

6.                A．convenient      B．considerable     C．considerate   D．confident

7.                A．beer           B．drink           C．drop D．toast

8.                A．selfish donation  B．no education     C．hard work D．rich experience

9.                A．attempt        B．ambition        C．appointment   D．assessment

10.               A．turn           B．dream         C．kindness   D．hope

11.               A．health         B．body           C．mind D．hands

12.               A．injured         B．strengthened    C．sharpened D．used

13.               A．knife          B．spoon          C．glass  D．pen

14.               A．urgent         B．unnecessary     C．messy D．late

15.               A．overused       B．dark           C．wide  D．fragile,

16.               A．seriously       B．simply          C．carefully   D．gently

17.               A．sold           B．bought         C．found D．renamed

18.               A．longing         B．touching        C．challenging D．disturbing

19.               A．reminder       B．aid            C．guide D．coach

20.               A．along          B．aside          C．alone D．aware

Back in the 15th century, in a tiny village in Germany, lived a family with eighteen children.Eighteen! In order1to keep food on the table, the father, a goldsmith by2, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade.Despite their seemingly3condition, two of the eldest children had a dream.They both wanted to pursue their talent for art,4they knew well that their father would never be able to5either of them to study at the Academy.
After many long discussions at night in their6bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact.They would toss (掷) a coin.The 7would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings,8his winning brother for the academy.Then, in four years, he would support the Other one.Then Albrecht Durer won the toss and9to Nuremberg.Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years,10his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation.By the time he graduated, he was beginning to11considerable fees for himself.
When the young artist12home and said to his brother, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your13. Now you can go to the Academy to pursue your dream, and I will14you."
Albert rose and wiped the15from his cheeks."No, brother.I cannot go to Nuremberg.It is too16for me.Look…look what four years in the mines have done to my17! I cannot even hold a glass, much less make delicate lines on canvas18a pen or a brush."
More than 450 years have19.By now, among Albrecht Durer's hundreds of masterful portraits, "The Praying Hands" is one20creation that can catch the world's hearts.

1. 1.
   1. A.
      merely
   2. B.
      fully
   3. C.
      completely
   4. D.
      entirely
2. 2.
   1. A.
      heart
   2. B.
      method
   3. C.
      profession
   4. D.
      words
3. 3.
   1. A.
      demanding
   2. B.
      promising
   3. C.
      hopeless
   4. D.
      careless
4. 4.
   1. A.
      so
   2. B.
      and
   3. C.
      however
   4. D.
      but
5. 5.
   1. A.
      study
   2. B.
      send
   3. C.
      give
   4. D.
      offer
6. 6.
   1. A.
      separated
   2. B.
      crowded
   3. C.
      new
   4. D.
      unusual
7. 7.
   1. A.
      winner
   2. B.
      loser
   3. C.
      old
   4. D.
      younger
8. 8.
   1. A.
      support
   2. B.
      advertise
   3. C.
      expect
   4. D.
      require
9. 9.
   1. A.
      flew away
   2. B.
      went off
   3. C.
      set aside
   4. D.
      left behind
10. 10.
    1. A.
       deserved
    2. B.
       desired
    3. C.
       financed
    4. D.
       envied
11. 11.
    1. A.
       spend
    2. B.
       save
    3. C.
       draw
    4. D.
       earn
12. 12.
    1. A.
       arrived
    2. B.
       regained
    3. C.
       returned
    4. D.
       got
13. 13.
    1. A.
       turn
    2. B.
       time
    3. C.
       top
    4. D.
       fate
14. 14.
    1. A.
       take charge of
    2. B.
       make up for
    3. C.
       make use of
    4. D.
       take care of
15. 15.
    1. A.
       smiles
    2. B.
       sweats
    3. C.
       tears
    4. D.
       hints
16. 16.
    1. A.
       late
    2. B.
       nervous
    3. C.
       tiring
    4. D.
       tense
17. 17.
    1. A.
       eyes
    2. B.
       hands
    3. C.
       pictures
    4. D.
       mines
18. 18.
    1. A.
       in
    2. B.
       of
    3. C.
       upon
    4. D.
       with
19. 19.
    1. A.
       passed
    2. B.
       kept
    3. C.
       remembered
    4. D.
       changed
20. 20.
    1. A.
       strange
    2. B.
       touching
    3. C.
       wonderful
    4. D.
       mysterious

Back in the fifteenth century in Nuremberg lived a family with eighteen children. They were so poor that two children, who wanted to pursue their talent for1knew their father would never be 2 able to send  either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.
So they tossed (掷) a coin. Albrecht Durer, the younger, 3 the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous 4 and for the next four years, financed his brother, who did so well that his works were even better than those of most of his 5. By the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn6 fees by drawing for wealthy people. When the young artist returned home, at dinner he drank a 7to his beloved brother for the years of8that had enabled him to fulfill his 9.He said, “Albert, my blessed brother, now it is your10to go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you.”
With tears in his eyes, Albert held his hands close to his right cheek and said, “No, brother, I cannot go. Look... look what four years in the mines have done to my11 !The bones in every finger have been12at least once. Lately I have been suffering from arthritis (关节炎) so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a 13 to return your toast, much less make delicate （细腻的）lines with a pen or a brush. No, brother..., for me it is too 14 .”
Deeply moved, Albrecht painstakingly drew his brother’s15 hands with palms（手掌） together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing16“Hands”, to which the entire world  immediately opened their hearts and later they17it “ the Praying Hands”.                                  
The next time when you see a copy of that18 creation, take a second look. Let it be your 19 , if you still need one, that no one ever makes it 20 !

1. 1.
   1. A.
      assistance
   2. B.
      art
   3. C.
      science
   4. D.
      dreaming
2. 2.
   1. A.
      fundamentally
   2. B.
      frequently
   3. C.
      financially
   4. D.
      flexibly
3. 3.
   1. A.
      won
   2. B.
      lost
   3. C.
      ended
   4. D.
      started
4. 4.
   1. A.
      mountains
   2. B.
      oceans
   3. C.
      deserts
   4. D.
      mines
5. 5.
   1. A.
      classmates
   2. B.
      colleagues
   3. C.
      professors
   4. D.
      brothers
6. 6.
   1. A.
      convenient
   2. B.
      considerable
   3. C.
      considerate
   4. D.
      confident
7. 7.
   1. A.
      beer
   2. B.
      drink
   3. C.
      drop
   4. D.
      toast
8. 8.
   1. A.
      selfish donation
   2. B.
      no education
   3. C.
      hard work
   4. D.
      rich experience
9. 9.
   1. A.
      attempt
   2. B.
      ambition
   3. C.
      appointment
   4. D.
      assessment
10. 10.
    1. A.
       turn
    2. B.
       dream
    3. C.
       kindness
    4. D.
       hope
11. 11.
    1. A.
       health
    2. B.
       body
    3. C.
       mind
    4. D.
       hands
12. 12.
    1. A.
       injured
    2. B.
       strengthened
    3. C.
       sharpened
    4. D.
       used
13. 13.
    1. A.
       knife
    2. B.
       spoon
    3. C.
       glass
    4. D.
       pen
14. 14.
    1. A.
       urgent
    2. B.
       unnecessary
    3. C.
       messy
    4. D.
       late
15. 15.
    1. A.
       overused
    2. B.
       dark
    3. C.
       wide
    4. D.
       fragile,
16. 16.
    1. A.
       seriously
    2. B.
       simply
    3. C.
       carefully
    4. D.
       gently
17. 17.
    1. A.
       sold
    2. B.
       bought
    3. C.
       found
    4. D.
       renamed
18. 18.
    1. A.
       longing
    2. B.
       touching
    3. C.
       challenging
    4. D.
       disturbing
19. 19.
    1. A.
       reminder
    2. B.
       aid
    3. C.
       guide
    4. D.
       coach
20. 20.
    1. A.
       along
    2. B.
       aside
    3. C.
       alone
    4. D.
       aware