1 . Elito Circa is a Filipino artist who rose to fame for using his own blood to create canvas (油画布) paintings, which has attracted both praise and criticism over the years.

Born in a poor family that couldn’t afford to buy proper art supplies, Elito Circa experimented with a variety of unusual mediums as a child, including tomatoes, but it was when he accidentally scraped (刮破) his hand that he discovered the art medium that would mark his artistic career—his own blood. He quickly realized that the blood was not only harder to erase from the canvas, but it also made his artworks his own in a way that he had never imagined before.

Every time he scraped his body, young Elito used the blood as paint, but as he grew older he realized that his “paint” needed to be supplied stably, so he started visiting a clinic in Manila to have it drawn periodically. Nowadays, he stops by the clinic about once every three months. He then stores his blood in a freezer in his studio.

Although Elito has been criticized for his use of blood as paint in the past few years, the Filipino artist has always made it clear that he wants to change people’s view of blood through his art. “People are afraid of blood, because in their minds, blood means death,” Elito said in an interview. “But I want to twist that belief. That’s why I’m addressing its use because I want people to think that it’s not death, but love and life.”

It’s unclear how much of his own blood Elito Circa has stored in his art studio, but it must be a lot, because he has announced a plan to create the largest ever “blood painting” on a 100-meter canvas next year, expecting to set a new world record.

1. Why did Elito Circa become well-known?

A．Great details were reflected in his artworks.

B．He used a special art medium in his artworks.

C．He showed extraordinary skills in his artworks.

D．Unique thoughts were expressed in his artworks.

2. What made Elito Circa paint with blood?

A．His family’s economic conditions.	B．His great interest in experiments.
C．His strong desire to stand out.	D．His rich artistic imaginations.

3. How did Elito achieve a stable supply of “paint”?

A．By keeping himself in shape.	B．By scraping his body periodically.
C．By having his blood drawn regularly.	D．By collecting blood from a local clinic.

4. Which of the following proverbs can best describe Elito Circa’s story?

A．Practice makes perfect.

B．He who laughs last laughs best.

C．God helps those who help themselves.

D．Go your own way regardless of what people say.

2 . 阅读下面课内节选文本，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出一个或多个正确的选项。

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer. He is regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of music. In his twenties, he had been very famous for his skills on the piano, but then he began to lose his hearing. Beethoven thought about giving up, but in the end he continued to write music. Inspired by his struggles with deafness, the composer produced some amazing pieces, including his Symphony No.9 in D minor, whose debut(首次演出)was conducted by Beethoven himself.

Before the performance, the backstage atmosphere at a very famous theatre in Vienna was tense. Beethoven was afraid that the performance would be a disaster. After all, what use is a conductor who could not hear his orchestra-even if he is a musical genius?

The audience didn’t hesitate to applaud as the famous composer walked onto the stage for the first time in 12 years. Despite being deaf, Beethoven energetically conducted the orchestra, together with the musical director, Michael Umlauf. To his surprise, the symphony was so successful that all the audience couldn’t help clapping and cheering.The audience was equally shocked to learn that the composer was deaf and still able to create such amazing music.

1. What was the inspiration for Beethoven’s works according to the text?

A．His great skills on the piano.

B．The recognition from others.

C．The atmosphere in Germany.

D．His struggles with hearing loss.

2. How did Beethoven feel before the performance?

A．Excited.

B．Worried.

C．Unconfident.

D．Disappointed.

3 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1 个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Toby Mott was just an ordinary person working as an artist. But then, at the age of 36, he had an idea that made him famous. It started when he wanted     1     (earn) some money for the holidays one year. His product was simple­­­ a short message of five words     2     a T­shirt.

He took the T­shirts   to a clothing store and they sold 40 in a week.     3     (immediate), he decided to start     4     (he) own business. The product was good. In the past 12 months, he has sold 60,000 T­shirts worldwide.

The     5     (phrase) for the T­shirts come from things he thinks of during the day and from conversations with friends at dinner. His customers,     6     (include) the rich and the famous, enjoy his imaginative phrases. They include things like I will spend your money, and I do things I shouldn’t.Mott says, “I’m successful,     7     it hasn’t changed my     8     (person) life. I still     work at home on the same small desk. My friends, whom I     9     (know) for more than 20 years, are still my friends. In fact, they’re as     10     (surprise) about my success as I am.”