1 . Vincent Van Gogh, for whom color was the most important form of expression, was born in Holland in 1853. Brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere, Van Gogh was highly emotional and lacked self-confidence. Between 1860 and 1880, when he finally decided to become an artist, Van Gogh had worked unsuccessfully as a clerk in a bookstore and an art salesman. He remained in Belgium to study art, determined to give happiness by creating beauty. One of his famous paintings is The Potato Eaters (1885)．
In 1886, he went to Paris to join his brother Théo. In Paris, Van Gogh studied with Cormon, later met Pissarro, Monet, and Gauguin, and began to lighten his very dark palette(调色板)．His nervous temperament made him a difficult companion and night-long discussions combined with painting all day undermined his health. He decided to go south to Arles where he hoped his friends would join him and help found a school of art. Gauguin did join him but with bad results. Near the end of 1888, an incident led Gauguin to finally leave Arles. Van Gogh ran after him with an open razor, was stopped by Gauguin, but ended up cutting a part of his own ear off. Van Gogh then was sent to a mental (精神的) hospital for treatment.
In May of 1890, he seemed much better and went to live in Auvers-sur-Oise under the watchful eye of Dr Cachet. Two months later he was dead, having shot himself “for the good of all”．During his brief career he had sold one painting. Van Goghˈs finest works were produced in less than three years. His great fusion (融合) of form and content is powerful, dramatic and emotional, for the artist was completely absorbed in the effort to explain either his struggle against madness or his comprehension of the spiritual essence (精华) of man and nature.
1. Gauguin finally decided to leave Van Gogh probably because ________.| A．Van Gogh didnˈt like Gauguin at all |
| B．something was wrong with Van Gogh |
| C．Gauguin cut off one of Van Goghˈs ears |
| D．Gauguin hated to be a teacher at the school |
| A．he couldnˈt do his work well |
| B．he was confident about himself |
| C．he did a good job in a bookstore |
| D．he was one of the successful artists |
| A．harmed | B．improved |
| C．challenged | D．punished |
| A．His pride and kindness. |
| B．His cruelty and failure. |
| C．His honesty and strength. |
| D．His struggle and viewpoints. |
2 . Saving the giant panda from extinction isn't just good for the bears-it's good for the bottom line too,a new analysis by an international team of scientist shows.
The results,published in the journal Current Biology,highlight the economic benefits that they say go hand in hand with environmental conservation. In order to protect giant pandas,the government must protect their forests,which provide a host of often-under appreciated services to the communities that live in and around them. For example,forests allow for the growing of crops and the grazing(放牧）of animals,store clean fresh water and supply firewood,lumber(木材）and many useful plants.They manage storm runoff and help prevent erosion(侵蚀）。
The pandas themselves also hold enormous cultural value that has risen rapidly in recent decades among Chinese residents,the study also points out. "From 1980 to 2010,the cultural values of pandas and their reserves almost doubled,largely driven by tourism use,rising 500-fold from 1980 to 2010, "they said.
Taking all of these factors into account,the scientists calculated a total economic value of Approximately $2. 6 billion in 2010 in China. Keep in mind,the costs of preserving panda habitat at current levels come to about$255 million. The study authors said that including the global cultural Value of the animals would increase the total economic value to $6. 9 billion per year-or about 27 times the cost of habitat preservation.
The researchers also noted that the investment in panda habitat has improved the living conditions of local residents. They pointed to data from the Chinese Statistical Yearbook showing that the annual income in Sichuan, Shanxi and Gansu provinces,which sit next to panda reserves,rose by an average of 56%from 2000 to 2010. Farmers in counties within these provinces that were next to the panda reserves saw their annual incomes rise by 64%,on average.
The findings provide a promising example of how conservation efforts can pay off,and they could be applied to many other threatened and endangered species,the study authors said.
1. What does the underlined words "bottom line"refer lo in the first paragraph?| A．Moral standard. | B．Economic profits. |
| C．Overall development. | D．Environmental conservation. |
| A．Less farmland. | B．More foreign trade. |
| C．More forest fires. | D．Better farming conditions, |
| A．26. | B．10. |
| C．4. | D．3. |
| A．Protecting pandas takes great efforts. |
| B．Pandas are a major tourism attraction in China. |
| C．Conservation of pandas is economically rewarding. |
| D．Pandas make great contributions to the environment. |
3 . I was 16 when my father finally decided he would send me to wilderness camp for several months. He had threatened to do it many times before, but my mother had always managed to prevent him from doing so. This time he insisted on doing it.
The latest incident was the last straw. Impulsively （(冲动地）,I had pushed Mr. Ford, my math teacher, down a flight of steps at school. He broke his arm in two places. Anyway , he had agreed not to accuse me as a favor to my dad, who was in the middle of a tight race for sheriff （执法官）in our town. But my reckless behavior had my dad's closest advisor talking." John? he's your son and he's a kid, but he is dragging you down." his advisor said. "If you can't make your son obey the rules, how can you make the law obeyed in this town?"
So, off to Pisgah National Forest I went. I imagined hours of untold abuse at the hands of some strong officer. I was determined not to be broken. I was who I was.
Nearly every day for six months, a small group of other troubled teens and I carried our 30-pound backpacks on a difficult journey covering about 10 miles.
Our sergeants were firm but kind 9 not frightening as I had imagined. We learned how to make a fire without matches. We learned which plants were safe to eat out in the wild. I felt myself change. I was calm and often reflective. My old, impulsive self was gone.
One morning, six months later, my dad came to pick me up. I ran to hug him and saw happiness and love in his eyes.
"So what's it like being sheriff?" I asked on the ride home.
"I lost the race, Danny,” he said.
"I'm sorry, Dad.” I knew my behavior probably had a lot to do with the defeat.
Dad squeezed my shoulder and brought me close. “As long as I don't ever lose you, I'm okay. ”
1. The author was finally sent to wilderness because .| A．he could learn how to survive in the wild |
| B．his teacher insisted on giving him a lesson |
| C．he pushed his math teacher down the stairs |
| D．his mother feared that he would be accused |
| A．proud | B．rude |
| C．careless | D．reasonable |
| A．He changed a lot after the camp. |
| B．He was not satisfied with his life in the camp. |
| C．He was abused by the officer. |
| D．He made enemies with other troubled teens at the camp. |
| A．Anxious. | B．Astonished. |
| C．Disappointed. | D．Relieved. |
