1 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. When did Mozart begin to compose music?

A．At the age of four.

B．At the age of five.

C．In his early teens.

2. Where was Mozart’s first major opera performed?

A．In Milan.

B．In Vienna.

C．In Salzburg.

3. What did Mozart do when he stopped performing?

A．He did business.

B．He taught for a living.

C．He composed music.

2 . During the 19th and 20th centuries, Qi Baishi (1864-1957) was one of the best-known Chinese artists. He grew up in a poor peasant family, but this did not prevent him from pursuing his interest in painting.

Qi was schooled for less than a year due to illness, and he dropped out of school. However, he was too weak to do much of the work and this was why he became a carpenter. As a carpenter, he showed his creativity. He could carve figures of animals, woodblock prints, and sniff-boxes. At the age of 20, he taught himself to paint with Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting. He met many mentors who greatly influenced his painting skills through his painting journey, among whom are the renowned artists Zhu Da and Xu Wei. When he was 28, he became a student of the famous artist Hu Qinyuan, and he began to study Chinese painting.

Qi arrived in Beijing in 1917. While he was in Beijing, he stayed devoted to painting. Most of his paintings represented Chinese tradition. Qi’s works are now found in several famous museums, including National Gallery Prague and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. His works now are the most expensive ever sold at auctions.

Qi got noticed by many institutions, one of which is the Ministry of Culture. In 1954 he was selected as the representative of the Chinese people. Also, in 1956, he was awarded the World Peace Prize by World Peace Council. A college was also named after him, the Baishi School of Art in Hunan University of Science Technology.

1. Why did Qi Baishi drop out of school?

A．He suffered from illness and was too weak.

B．He wanted to devote himself to painting.

C．He wasn’t interested in what he learned at school.

D．His family was too poor to afford his schooling fees.

2. According to the passage, which of the statements is TRUE?

A．He learned Chinese painting on his own.

B．He showed great creativity of art since childhood.

C．His works are one of the costliest ever sold at auctions.

D．At first he learned to paint from some renowned artists.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us about Qi Baishi?

A．His painting style.	B．His painting works.
C．His achievements.	D．His contributions to his hometown.

4. How does the author mainly develop the text?

A．By giving examples.	B．By using data.
C．By raising questions.	D．By following the order of time.

3 . Four Self-Portraits (自画像) by Famous Artists

Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino)—“Self-Portrait”, 1506

One of the beautiful self-portraits by famous artist Raphael was drawn at the age of 23. It measures around 45cm×33cm and is located at the world-famous Uffizi Gallery. The Italian painter used oil on board to draw his self-portrait, which was the clearest and the most recognizable self-portraits of Raphael himself.

Leonardo da Vinci—“Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk”, 1512

“Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk”is a self-portrait of da Vinci at the age of 60 and measures around 33.3cm×21.6cm, which is on display in Biblioteca Reale, Turin, Italy. It is drawn with red chalk on paper and represents the head of an elderly man in a three-quarter view. In the portrait, the length of the hair is uncommon in Renaissance (文艺复兴) portraits.

Rembrandt van Rijn—“Self-Portrait with Beret and Turned-up Collar”, 1659

Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn painted his self-portrait in 1659 when he was 53 years old. It shows his worried expression that clearly portrays the troubled condition of his mind at that point of his life since the year 1659 was a year of anxiety for him. This self-portrait found its place among the Benjamin Altman Collection, which has been exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 1913.

Edgar Degas—“Degas Au Porte-Fusain’”, l855

Edgar Degas made this self-portrait only when he was twenty-one years old. It was one of the most remarkable of his fifteen self-portraits. Degas was seated as seemingly without fear and anxiety. The pose in the painting was formal and academic. The painting is located in the musée d’Orsay, Paris, France.

1. Where should visitors go if they want to admire Raphael’s self-portrait in 1506?

A．Uffizi Gallery.	B．Biblioteca Reale.
C．The musée d’Orsay.	D．The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

2. Which aspect of Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk was special during the Renaissance?

A．The red clothing.	B．The formal pose.
C．The long hair.	D．The worried expression.

3. Which painter was the youngest when painting the above-mentioned self-portraits?

A．Raphael.	B．Edgar Degas.
C．Leonardo da Vinci.	D．Rembrandt van Rijn.

4 . Beethoven was a great musician. One evening, young Beethoven was out for a walk. As he was passing a wooden house, he ________ someone inside practicing one piece of his music. He stopped to listen, and a girl said that she wished she could hear a real ________ play it.

Beethoven went into the house, ________ the young lady at the piano was blind. A young man stood beside her. Beethoven asked ________, “Would you mind me playing for you?” ________ they didn’t know who the stranger was, the lady and the man said yes happily. Beethoven sat at the piano and began to play. He played so well that all of them lost themselves in the beautiful music. Even when the lonely candle in the room ________ and the moon shone brightly through the window, he was ________ playing!

When Beethoven left the house, the moon seemed even ________ in the night sky. He was deeply ________ by the young lady’s love for his music and was greatly encouraged by the beautiful night. He rushed back home ________ and spent the whole night writing down the music that he had played at the blind girl’s house.

This is a story of “Moonlight Sonata”, one of the classics in the history of music.

1.

A．tasted

B．heard

C．felt

D．looked

2.

A．dancer

B．teacher

C．musician

D．singer

3.

A．imagining

B．describing

C．checking

D．noticing

4.

A．politely

B．angrily

C．rudely

D．proudly

5.

A．But

B．Although

C．When

D．Because

6.

A．went over

B．went on

C．went out

D．went by

7.

A．hardly

B．almost

C．even

D．still

8.

A．brighter

B．darker

C．heavier

D．lighter

9.

A．hit

B．knocked

C．beat

D．touched

10.

A．at once

B．at last

C．at first

D．at most

5 . Best known as an author of fairy tales (童话), Hans Christian Andersen (1805—1875) wrote such children’s stories as The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, and The Emperor’s New Clothes. However, he was also an actor, a singer, and an artist. As an artist, he was particularly good at paper cutting.

Andersen had many reasons for making his paper cuttings, but the main one was to give pleasure. Andersen loved to tell his interesting stories to anyone who would listen. As he spoke, he would take out his scissors (剪刀) and make a wonderful paper cutting to help his words.

He also found that his paper cuttings helped with a better communication between himself and others. Although a shy man, he still loved to tell his stories face to face with his listeners. His stories and paper cuttings helped him to communicate when he would have otherwise felt uncomfortable.

The paper cuttings also became great gifts for friends and families. He would give his cuttings not only to children but also to grown-ups. When his writing became famous, these gifts were even more valued.

Now more than 100 years old, many of Andersen’s fine paper cuttings still exist in a museum in Denmark devoted to his works. While Andersen will always be remembered for his fairy tales, his beautiful works of art also remain for all to enjoy.

1. This passage mainly discusses Hans Christian Andersen as a(n)         .

A．singer

B．artist

C．actor

D．writer

2. It can be learned from the passage that Andersen did his fine paper cuttings in the         .

A．1500s

B．1600s

C．1700s

D．1800s

3. His paper cuttings made it much easier for Andersen to         .

A．live quite a busy life	B．become a well-known writer
C．get along well with others	D．write wonderful stories for children

4. Which of the following about Andersen is discussed in this passage?

A．Why he was fond of paper cutting.

B．Which fairy tales he had published.

C．How he became good at paper cutting.

D．When he became famous as a story-teller.