2 . Van Gogh painted sunflowers for the first time in the summer of 1886. Two years later, his interest appeared again after he settled in Arles. After he had invited the French artist Paul Gauguin, whom he admired, to join his Studio of the South, he began painting sunflowers to brighten up the whitewashed walls of the yellow house he was living in, not far from the town’s railway station.

Gauguin accepted Van Gogh’s invitation. When he began dragging his heels, Van Gogh painted the last two of the four original Sunflowers for the modest bedroom where his guest would sleep following his arrival that autumn. “Van Gogh saw the Sunflowers for Gauguin’s bedroom as a way of attracting his friend to come from Brittany,” says Bailey.

According to Martin Gayford, “Gauguin was very surprised by the Sunflowers, which he repeatedly praised and asked for as a gift. Years later, Gauguin himself painted some sunflower pictures.”

Van Gogh’s Sunflowers stand for his relationship with Gauguin. “I think he painted them for the joy of it,” says Jansen. “Van Gogh was at the height of his powers in the summer of 1888,” explains Bailey. “He painted the Sunflowers quickly and with great energy and confidence.” Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo in late August, “I’m painting quickly now, which won’t surprise you when it’s a question of painting large Sunflowers.”

Van Gogh recognized at once that he had created something important and that his sunflowers were so different. As he told Theo in January 1889, while other artists were known for painting other flowers, “The sunflower is mine.” This, in fact, explains the reason for the popularity of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers today.

1. Van Gogh painted sunflowers in 1888 in order to ________.

A．give them to Gauguin	B．make his living
C．decorate his house	D．show his artistic talent to others

2. Where were the last two Sunflowers placed by Van Gogh? ________.

A．In the British museum	B．In Gauguin’s bedroom
C．In the town’s railway station	D．In a rich businessman’s house

3. What does “dragging his heels” in paragraph 2 mean in the passage?

A．Putting up his paintings.	B．Packing up his baggage.
C．Preparing for his departure.	D．delaying his coming.

4. From the last two paragraphs we can learn that ________.

A．Van Gogh was not good at painting large Sunflowers

B．Van Gogh had much trouble in painting the Sunflowers

C．Van Gogh didn’t like his Sunflowers at all at that time

D．Van Gogh realized the Sunflowers would make him known

3 . How do we make good things out of bad? How do we look at ourselves? Can there be a _______ side even in our pain?

There was an elderly woman who needed to walk down to the river every morning to _______ water for drinking, cooking and cleaning. She _______ two buckets, filled them up on the riverbank and walked back with them to her rural _______.

One of the buckets was newer, perfectly sealed (密封) and _______ its water completely. The second bucket was older and contained a few thin cracks that would _______ water as the elderly woman walked. By the time she arrived home, _______ about one third of the water in the second bucket was left.

One day, on the walk down to the river, the cracked bucket that had always felt like it wasn’t as good as the other bucket said to the elderly woman, ‘‘I want you to know that water has been _______ out every morning for the past several years. I’m so sorry for being cracked and making your life more _______. I understand if you need to ________ me with a better bucket.” The elderly woman ________, ‘‘do you really think I haven’t known about your cracks this whole time? Look at all the beautiful flowers that grow on the ________ from my cottage to the river. I ________ their seeds, but every morning it was you who ________ them.”

We all have a few cracks, but choose to see how it’s exactly those ________ that make us good enough.

1.

A．riper

B．wiser

C．broader

D．brighter

2.

A．order

B．fetch

C．drop

D．boil

3.

A．carried

B．repaired

C．searched

D．lost

4.

A．store

B．school

C．cottage

D．farm

5.

A．purified

B．held

C．hid

D．heated

6.

A．leak

B．absorb

C．pollute

D．empty

7.

A．reasonably

B．suddenly

C．amazingly

D．typically

8.

A．running

B．escaping

C．spilling

D．climbing

9.

A．ordinary

B．comfortable

C．boring

D．difficult

10.

A．mark

B．replace

C．reward

D．combine

11.

A．smiled

B．sighed

C．shouted

D．defended

12.

A．wall

B．tree

C．path

D．border

13.

A．abandoned

B．saved

C．booked

D．planted

14.

A．picked

B．watered

C．removed

D．spread

15.

A．characteristics

B．buckets

C．cracks

D．strengths

4 . 根据句意和括号内提示词，在空白处填入正确形式，每个空白处不多于3个词。

In the 12th century, the Southern Song Dynasty moved its capital to Lin’an. Near Lin’an, on the banks of Lake Tai is the city of Suzhou. Given its location near the capital and its     1     (nature) beauty, Suzhou became a preferred place     2     (live). Thus, there were over 300 gardens     3     (build) here, and more than 60 are still in existence. Among these gardens, the Humble Administrator’s Garden (Zhuozheng Yuan) is the largest and the most famous, and water pools take up a third of its area.     4     (surround) the water pools is a luxuriant (繁茂的) group of flowers, plants, and trees, all carefully chosen according to the way their seasonal colors reflect off the sparkling water below. As is typical     5     Suzhou gardens, this garden     6     (separate) into different sections, offering     7     (vary) kinds of spaces in diverse shapes and sizes that represent different moods and feelings.

Since it is such a large garden, no simple     8     (describe) of the garden will do.     9     you have to do is walk among the water and plants, enjoy every moment,     10     find your own treasures depending on your mood that day.

5 . Which does the woman probably like best?

A．Volleyball.

B．Basketball.

C．Baseball.

6 . What are the speakers probably talking about?

A．A drawing.

B．A novel.

C．A photo.

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入适当内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Peking Opera is     1     form of traditional Chinese theatre which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in the late 18th century and became     2     (full) developed and recognized by the mid­19th century. The form was extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty court and has come to be regarded as one of the     3     (culture) treasures of China. Major performance troupes (剧团)     4       (base) in Beijing and Tianjin in the north, and Shanghai in the south. It has also spread to other countries such as the United States and Japan.

Peking Opera comes     5    four local operas, Hui Opera in Anhui, Han Opera in Hubei, Kun Opera in Jiangsu and Qingqiang in Shaanxi. It has drawn the merits of these local operas and created its own style.

Speech, song, dance and combat     6     (be) the four classic performing arts in Peking Opera, which are also the basic     7     (skill) for performers and is usually trained since the performers are very young. There are many roles in Peking Opera, mainly Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Chou, each of     8     has its own costume and mask­paintings. Masks with different colors have different meanings, which is used     9    (represent) the character of the roles and illustrate their emotional state.

No China trip is complete without     10     (watch) the classic Peking Opera! Enjoy the fantastic Peking Opera!

8 . 语法填空

All over the world millions of people take part in different     1     (kind) of sports, such as surfing, football, running, skipping, plank and so on. As a representative of     2     most popular kinds of sports, Football doesn’t need expensive     3     (equip), which is the basis of its popularity. Kids can     4     (see) playing to their hearts’ content with a ball     5     (make) of plastic bags. Besides, it is the best way     6     (communicate) with each other and much more than just a sport. Running as a popular sport can not only improve lung function but also help treat asthma,     7     deals with stress and     8     (anxious), making people relaxed and energetic, so it is loved by everybody.

    9     a word, we can benefit a lot from doing exercises. If your friends do not like sports, do persuade him/her into     10     (take) part in it.

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Many people while they are at home alone imagine having the opportunity     1     (sing) together with others,     2     was realized as a virtual choir. Anyone can take part in it from anywhere. It has proved to be a positive influence     3     the lives of many people. Award-winning composer and     4     (conduct) Eric Whitacre came up with the idea of a virtual choir, who began studying music in 1988.     5     (move) by Mozart’s classical music, he received     6    master’s degree in     7     (music) composition in 1997. In 2009, his first virtual choir received     8     (million) of views on the Internet and     9     (become) a worldwide phenomenon   since then. In 2014, he     10     (form)the Virtual Youth Choir for UNICEF, and 2,292 young people from 80 countries sang his song “What If”. The virtual choir is a wonderful way for people around the world to sing with one voice and thus make the world a better place.

10 . How to save money to visit Shanghai Disneyland?

The “happiest place on earth” is a top destination on many families’ bucket lists. But taking a vacation to Disney World can be difficult to do on a budget. There are some considerations that you can make to reduce the cost of your Disney World vacation.

1. Buy Souvenirs in Advance

Disney has influenced practically every industry, which makes it easy to find Disney items anywhere, from Walmart, Target, and your local grocery store to department stores and Amazon. You can save a lot of money by purchasing items before your trip at these less-expensive places than at Disneyland.

2. Make an Autograph Book

An autograph book is seen as a must-have by many Disneyland enthusiasts and is a memory you can take home with you. These books can cost anywhere from $7.95 to $19.95 at the Disney Store and up to $30 for the latest-and-greatest autograph book at Disneyland, such as the park’s 60th anniversary edition. Other choices can get the job done for under $5.For example, you can buy a small photo album, cute pads or notebooks.

3. Eat Breakfast before You Arrive

Breakfast is almost as pricey (昂贵的) as lunch or dinner if you eat inside the Disneyland parks. If you have a hotel with a free breakfast, take advantage of it. If you want to eat out, eat at a local restaurant that is inexpensive or has a kids’ menu, such as McDonald’s which is close to the park.

4.Take Advantage of Discounts Offered to Special Groups

Disney offers a wide variety of discounts, including for military service members, college students, teachers, and youth groups. If you think you might qualify for a special discount or group rate, call the Disneyland Resort to book tickets.

1. It may take you more money to buy souvenirs at 　　　.

A．Disneyland

B．Department stores

C．Walmart

D．Amazon

2. How much do you pay for the park’s 60th anniversary edition?

A．$7.95.

B．$19.95.

C．$5.

D．$30.

3. What is one piece of the author’s advice on breakfast?

A．You had better eat at Disneyland.	B．You can eat at a local restaurant.
C．You should prepare it well at home.	D．You can ask the hotel to supply it for free.