阅读理解

　　Every artist knows in his heart that he is saying something to the public. Not only does he want to say it well, but he wants it to be something which has not been said before. He hopes the public will listen and understand he wants to teach them, and he wants them to learn from him.

　　What visual artists like painters want to teach is easy to make out but difficult to explain, because painters translate their experiences into shapes and colors, not words. They seem to feel that a certain selection of shapes and colors, out of the countless billions possible, is exceptionally interesting for them and worth showing to us. Without their work we should never have noticed these particular shapes and colors, or have felt the delight which they brought to the artist.

　　Most artists take their shapes and colors from the world of nature and from human bodies in motion and repose (运动与静止); their choices show that these aspects of the world are worth looking at, that they contain beautiful sights. Contemporary artists might say that they merely choose subjects that provide an interesting pattern, that there is nothing more in it. Yet even they do not choose entirely without reference to the character of their subjects.

　　If one painter chooses to paint a gangrenous (坏疽的) leg and another a lake in moonlight, each of them is directing our attention to a certain aspect of the world. Each painter in telling us something, showing us something, emphasizing something, means that, consciously (有意识地) or unconsciously, he is trying to teach us.

1．An artist hopes that the public will ________.

[　　]

A．understand him and learn from him

B．notice only shapes and colors in his work

C．teach him something

D．believe what he says in his work

2．It is hard to explain what a painter is saying, because ________.

[　　]

A．most painters do not express themselves well

B．a painter uses unusual words and phrases

C．a painter uses shapes and colors instead of words

D．many painters do not say anything

3．A painter chooses certain shapes and colors because he feels that they ________.

[　　]

A．have been used frequently in the past

B．are easy to work with

C．are worth showing to the public

D．will be most attractive to the public

4．Without the artist's work, the public might not ________.

[　　]

A．notice particular shapes or colors

B．see the shapes and colors that express his experience

C．feel his delight in shapes and colors

D．all of the above

阅读下面的短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题后所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中选出最佳选项。

　　I was born and brought up in the town of Pineville， which I left at the age of sixteen．Twenty years 　　1　　 I found myself back on a visit．I went to see my old friend Tom Clark，who， 　　2　　 as ever，was chairman of the local（本地的） club．He was busy preparing to welcome 　　3　　 writer，who had been 　　4　　 to come to give a talk on modern literature （文学） at the public library 　　5　　 evening．Since I happened to have 　　6　　 a book or two by the famous writer，when Tom invited me to go with him I 　　7　　 accepted．

　　Tom was going to 　　8　　 the speaker to the audience（听众）．So we went to the library a little early to greet him．As the speaker had not yet 　　9　　 ， I left Tom and went into the main reading room 　　10　　 a large crowd had already gathered．I was 　　11　　 to find that I knew nobody there．So I found a seat in the corner and 　　12　　 patiently waiting．

　　When it was just about time for the 　　13　　 to begin．I saw Tom standing at the doorway making a sign for me to come out．He looked 　　14　　 about something， so I got up and went out to him．He 　　15　　 that he had just had a telephone call from the writer．Our speaker had 　　16　　 his flight（航班） and would not be arriving！While we were thinking about the problem．Tom suddenly asked me 　　17　　 mind filling in as speaker．I 　　18　　 had time to think about the matter when suddenly I found I was being 　　19　　 back into the reading room to make a speech to the 　　20　　 audience！

1．A．ago

B．later

C．earlier

D．before

2．A．active

B．lazy

C．brave

D．shy

3．A．a well-known

B．an unknown

C．the well-known

D．the unknown

4．A．noticed

B．invited

C．refused

D．made

5．A．last

B．some other

C．the other

D．that very

6．A．interested

B．written

C．mentioned

D．read

7．A．gladly

B．sadly

C．had

D．was

8．A．direct

B．move

C．describe

D．introduce

9．A．spoken

B．arrived

C．rested

D．eaten

10．A．where

B．although

C．after

D．there

11．A．expected

B．disappointed

C．unexpected

D．disappointing

12．A．sat

B．stood

C．lay

D．hid

13．A．party

B．show

C．talk

D．dinner

14．A．pleased

B．worried

C．frightened

D．satisfied

15．A．suggested

B．explained

C．apologized

D．insisted

16．A．taken

B．made

C．missed

D．lost

17．A．whether to

B．not to

C．that I should

D．if I would

18．A．sent

B．driven

C．carried

D．led

19．A．hardly

B．still

C．already

D．quickly

20．A．familiar

B．waiting

C．shouting

D．ready