1 . Workers at the National Galleries of Scotland recently experienced quite a surprise after they X-rayed a painting by Vincent van Gogh. Hidden on the back of the painting Head of a Peasant Woman, which Van Gogh completed in 1885, was a self-portrait (自画像) of the Dutch painter. No one had ever found it.

The hidden self-portrait had been covered by glue and cardboard that had been attached to the back of the painting. “It was absolutely exciting,” Lesley Stevenson, the museum’s worker, said about the discovery. “We weren’t expecting much of the little painting when we performed the scans,” she said. But museum experts quickly changed their expectations when they looked at the X-rays. “We didn’t see much of the peasant woman, but we saw the lead white that Van Gogh used for his face showing up after the X-ray went through the cardboard,” she added.

Van Gogh painted Head of a Peasant Woman as part of a series of works focused on the working-class residents of Nuenen, a small farming community in the southern part of the Netherlands where he lived briefly in the 1880s. The woman in the painting is Gordina de Groot, a farm worker. She wears a white headpiece. In a letter that Van Gogh penned about the series in 1885 to Anton Kerssemakers, a friend, he described his excitement at his working-class subjects. “I’m working with great pleasure these days, for I would rather paint people than paint anything else,” he wrote.

Van Gogh also loved creating self-portraits, producing about 20 paintings of himself by the end of his life while he was living in Paris. Recreating his own image was a cheap way for him to practice portraiture as he didn’t have to spend money hiring models, according to a report.

Art historians at the National Galleries hope that the hidden self-portrait may help us understand the life of the artist. The museum is currently considering how to best remove the unwanted protective materials without harming the painting.

1. What can be learned about the self-portrait on the back of the painting?

A．It isn’t in very good condition.	B．It describes a well-known woman.
C．It wasn’t known to exist for a long time.	D．It was sold to another artist by Van Gogh.

2. What do Stevenson’s words mainly show about the discovery?

A．It was a wonderful surprise.	B．It failed to meet her expectations.
C．It was the result of her great efforts.	D．It deepened her understanding of Van Gogh’s life.

3. What did Van Gogh tell his friend in the letter?

A．He was encouraged to try different subjects.

B．He was glad to find his love for figure paintings.

C．He was attracted by the lifestyle of people in Nuenen.

D．He wanted to improve the living conditions of the farmers.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．X-rays can do harm to artworks

B．Van Gogh sent a secret message to his friend

C．Modern technology has a great influence on art

D．Van Gogh’s hidden self-portrait draws public attention

2 . Adding to the achievements of a remarkable year, Taylor Swift has been named Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2023.

Already a superstar before 2023, Swift’s career has reached new heights thanks to the beginning of her Eras Tour that brought her 3.5-hour performance to 66 shows in 23 cities across North America, Argentina and Brazil. Promoted by her tour, Swift has been named the most-streamed female artist in the history of Spotify and Apple Music. According to Billboard, the tour made about $900 million (about 6.4 billion yuan) in 2023. In addition, the tour’s movie Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour became the biggest concert movie of all time, taking more than $250 million globally.

As she was declared (宣布) a billionaire by Bloomberg in November, a hidden “Taylor Swift economy” also promoted sales for business owners across the US. From soaps to a cruise inspired by her different “eras”, interest in Swift-related products went way up.

Apart from her financial contributions, Swift made a significant cultural impact by taking back control of her music. In 2019, her old record label, Big Machine, sold the master tapes of her first six albums (专辑) to Scooter Braun. The sale meant that she didn’t have the rights to the albums. In response to this, Swift began re-recording her first six albums, tagging (加标签于) them “Taylor’s Version”. This move stressed her belief that artists deserve to own their work. “It’s all in how you deal with loss,” she told Time. “I respond to extreme pain by resisting.”

Heading into 2024, Swift will start the Eras Tour again in Japan and Australia. As USA Today noted, “Her current top has been a long time coming, but it may also be just beginning.”

1. What do we know about Taylor Swift?

A．She broke a new record on her tour.

B．She toured South America before 2023.

C．Her achievements received great recognition.

D．Her performance began with the Apple Music.

2. How did Taylor Swift benefit from her Eras Tour?

A．She proved herself to be an artist.

B．She learned to make some products.

C．She got rich and regained album rights.

D．She sold her master tapes to a company.

3. What can we learn about Taylor Swift from the last paragraph?

A．She will end her music career.

B．She will continue her Eras Tour.

C．She will reach her top in Japan.

D．She will make a record in Australia.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards Taylor Swift?

A．Admirable.	B．Uncaring.
C．Doubtful.	D．Critical.

3 . Taylor Swift showed very early promise as a singer of country songs, performing from the age of nine. She learned the guitar and persuaded her family to move to Tennessee so she could further her career. She holds numerous records for achievements in music, has been named among the top 100 most influential people on more than one occasion and was named as Woman of the Decade and Artist of the Decade in the 2010s. Swift’s musical style has evolved from country to pop and her fans number in the millions.

Taylor Swift has a firm belief that we should all be ourselves. She tempers this by saying that we must be respectful of others, honest and strong-willed. Strength of purpose will carry a person through life and see them achieve great things. Do not, she says, be average. Stand out and be the best person that you can.

Her view of life is simple. We each have one life, and we must make sure we do not waste it. Life is there to be enjoyed and to be fulfilled. Only we can control what happens in our lives, and must not allow others to judge us or create false opinions of us.

To live a life that has meaning, we must be prepared to learn from mistakes and failures and deal with them without getting discouraged or distracted from our path. No one should tell you what you can’t do, and you must not let a mistake tell you that either. When someone tries to stop you from doing something, be eager to prove them wrong. Be keen, too, to show that your mistakes won’t hold you back.

Taylor Swift puts great store in happiness. Seeking happiness is a wonderful ambition, and everyone should see it as an aim. Success without happiness is a meaningless achievement. Aiming for happiness can go along with other goals too. Swift doesn’t rest when she has achieved one goal, but picks up another and pursues that with the same vigor and determination.

1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?

A．She moved to Tennessee to get a degree.

B．She has been named among the top 100 most influential people once.

C．Her musical style is single.

D．She has had a talent in music since childhood.

2. In the following statements, which one will Taylor Swift NOT agree with ?

A．We should accept that we are only ordinary people.

B．We are masters of our life.

C．Never let mistakes block our moving-forward way.

D．Without happiness, success equals zero.

3. Which words can best describe Taylor Swift?

A．Patient and passionate	B．Positive and ambitious
C．Hard-working and optimistic	D．Intelligent and humorous

4. Which is the text mainly about?

A．A brief introduction to Taylor Swift.	B．Taylor Swift’s autobiography.
C．Taylor Swift’s influence.	D．Taylor Swift’s childhood and dream.

4 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Which date was Van Gogh born on?

A．March 30.

B．March 20.

C．March 13.

2. What did Van Gogh do when he was 15?

A．He began to learn French.

B．He decided to be an artist.

C．He started to work.

3. Which country did Van Gogh move to in 1886?

A．France.

B．Germany.

C．Britain.

4. How did Theo support Van Gogh according to the talk?

A．He made paintings for Van Gogh.

B．He sold Van Gogh’s paintings to others.

C．He bought Van Gogh’s works from others.

5 . 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。

A Great musician Brings Ancient Chinese Sounds to London

On the afternoon of the second Saturday of every second month, Cheng Yu dresses in traditional Chinese attire(服装)and takes a guqin and pipa to a special gathering she started in London 20 years ago. Cheng is a master of the two instruments who was trained at Xi’an Conservatory of Music before     1    (play)with the China National Traditional Orchestra. She later studied     2     master’s and doctoral degrees in University of London.

Cheng Yu has been active since she started educating people and performing Chinese music in the United Kingdom. To Cheng, sharing and promoting Chinese     3    (tradition) instruments and music to westerners brings her     4     greatest joy and fulfillment. The gathering she started, called yaji, is a tradition among Chinese literati(知识界)that goes back to more than 1,000 years ago, to a time    5     ancient scholars and artists got together to drink tea, write poems, appreciate art and enjoy music.

The bimonthly yaji in London     6    (organize)by the London Youlan Qin Society now and focuses on traditional Chinese music, with attendees playing music on Chinese instruments and     7    (musician)sharing their understanding of music. Over the years, the yaji gatherings in London     8    (attract)professional musicians, scholars, office workers and amateur appreciators of Chinese culture from all over the UK and sometimes from elsewhere in Europe.

Charlie Thomas from Birmingham said: “It’s not just Chinese people who come. I met a German lady who also liked guqin. People here are so welcoming and they have     9    (entire)different backgrounds but share similar interests in guqin.” Thomas has studiedguqin with Cheng for about a year. “    10    (compare)with violin, the sound of the guqin is calming,” he said, adding that playing the instrument helped him calm down and solved a sleeping problem he had.

6 . Cole (a successful actor) talked about his acting journey in a new interview with Variety. As a child star in public, he became one of the cover stars of the “Power of Young Hollywood” series. He said to Variety that if it hadn’t been for Riverdale, he might have given up acting, at least for a while. When Cole auditioned (试镜) for Riverdale, he was working in a small laboratory in Brooklyn bagging artifacts. It was the character of Jughead that brought him back to his acting life.

In the years following his days on the Disney channel, Cole joined NYU and took acting classes. Disney had offered Cole a third series following his successful series — The Suit Life of Zack and Cody and The Suite Life on Deck, but he knew he wanted to go to college. Finally, Cole found his way back to his acting life, though. While working at the lab, Cole said his manager kept on encouraging him to audition for some roles. He really wanted to say thanks to him.

Cole knew what he wanted and how to play the role well in Riverdale. He was first invited to audition for the role of Archie, but Cole said he asked for the character of the outcast (被抛弃者) instead. “I think this is a bot of my style,” he told Variety. Jughead wasn’t supposed to be an important character in the show, but Cole acted so well that he received praise and became well known.

Now, Cole’s successfully changed himself from a Disney star to a serious actor. It can help him to plan his new series — the fourth season. It’s good news that Cole decided to show his talent for acting.

1. What did Cole tell Variety in the new interview?

A．His life as an actor.

B．His experience in “Riverdale”.

C．His work in a small lab.

D．His feelings as a child star.

2. Why did Cole refuse the third series offered by Disney?

A．Because he didn’t like acting any more.

B．Because he wanted to get more education.

C．Because his manager asked him to stay in the lab.

D．Because his manager advised him to act in “Riverdale”.

3. What is the key to Cole’s success?

A．His work experience in the lab.

B．His previous work as a manager.

C．His wonderful skills in acting.

D．His experience as a serious actor.

4. Which is a suitable title for the text?

A．Cole Gave up Acting

B．Cole Was Begged to Act in “Riverdale”

C．Cole Told us How to succeed in Acting

D．Acting in “Riverdale” Led Cole to Success

7 . 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。

Liu Cong, a 34-year-old illustrator (插画师), attracted by one particular aspect of the splendid city, the hutong,     1     (live) in Beijing since 2012. She enjoys     2     (ride) a bicycle and wandering through hutong neighborhoods. These narrow alleys consisting of trees, small shops and gray-walled courtyards, or siheyuan, contribute to a sense     3     community and offer a glance of a fast-disappearing way of life.

Last year, Liu moved to a courtyard in Chaodou hutong,     4     her friend, architect Jie Xiaofeng, had stayed for many years. There, Liu started a series of illustrations. With those 23 illustrations being displayed at the Shijia Hutong Museum now, in an     5     (exhibit) titled Wandering, Liu is popular among illustrators.

“Each of the     6     (yard) hidden in the hutong, as is known to people,     7     (be) different and full of the wisdom of the enthusiastic residents, who     8     (full) use the limited space     9     (create) comfortable and convenient surroundings for their families,” says architect Jie. What she loves about living in the hutong is     10     it offers a kind of close connection with her neighbors.

8 . Do you know what you’d like to be when you grow up? It takes most people many years to find out. For the young artist Alexandra Nechita, it never really seemed to be a question. From the day she began drawing at the age of two, she was an artist. Alexandra Nechita was born in Romania in 1985 and moved to California when she was still a baby. As a little child, she loved colouring in her colouring books. Her parents hoped she could spend more time playing with other children, so they took away her colouring books. Alexandra began drawing her own pictures and colouring them in.

By the time Alexandra was seven years old, she had begun painting with oil paints. When Alexandra took a local art class, her teacher was amazed at the young artist’s unusual style of painting. Alexandra’s work was similar in some ways to the paintings by famous artists like Picasso. These artists did not use a realistic style of painting. They allowed their imaginations to play an important part in their work. The interesting thing was that little Alexandra had never seen the work of these artists. People called her “Little Picasso”. This was a great honour, but Alexandra’s style of painting was all her own.

Alexandra’s first public show was held at a Los Angeles public library when she was only eight years old. People were amazed at how young Alexandra was, but mostly they loved her imaginative artwork. It did not take long for Alexandra and her work to become famous. She appeared on television programmes and in newspapers and magazines all over the world. The sale of a single piece can earn the young artist thousands of dollars. But that is not why Alexandra creates artwork. She just cannot imagine doing anything else that would bring her such joy and satisfaction.

Today, Alexandra is a full-time artist. She also works to help support the arts in schools. Alexandra is a strong believer in the power of art as a tool of communication and a bridge to building peace throughout the world.

1. When did Alexandra begin drawing pictures?

A．At the age of eight.	B．At the age of seven.
C．At the age of two.	D．In the year of 1985.

2. Alexandra was called “Little Picasso” because           .

A．she learned to paint from Picasso

B．her style of painting was like Picasso’s

C．she was one of Picasso’s big fans

D．her style of painting was unusual

3. What can we learn from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4?

A．Only painting can make her so happy and satisfied.

B．Only money can make her so happy and satisfied.

C．Anything can make her feel happy and satisfied.

D．Nothing can make her feel happy and satisfied.

4. According to the passage, which word can best describe Alexandra?

A．Polite.

B．Generous.

C．Patient.

D．Creative.

9 . Najma Hashi (also named Nujuum) is a respected female artist, whose paintings are winning a global following. But Nujuum is not your _________ next-generation rising star. Nujuum, 26, grew up in Somalia, where new artists, especially female ones, are _________ from pursuing art.

This young artist grew up in a _________ living environment, which she has _________ to watching a horror movie: war, drought, poverty and hunger. Since Nujuum was seven, _________ Nujuum went, she felt moved to paint. As a child, on her way home from school, she would sit by the _________ and draw pictures in the sand. “I was thinking of creating my own little world, getting away from the _________. Art has always been a form of _________ for me.” As she went through school, she drew a whole city on her bedroom wall using her school pencils.

However, Nujuum was _________ that art isn’t a respected profession in her country. “Art, __________, in the Somalian community is not a good thing to do,” she says. Her mother did not share her dreams, nor did her neighbors who considered them __________.

This __________ made her give up art for a while. However, she realized that she had a __________: “Either I continue drawing and painting and create a beautiful life or I stay unhappy for the rest of my life.” Finally, Nujuum turned her __________ in art into something she could make a living from.

She __________ opening a school one day for other talented local artists, enabling them to choose art as a career too.

1.

A．strange

B．intelligent

C．ambitious

D．typical

2.

A．protected

B．discouraged

C．helped

D．kept

3.

A．peaceful

B．comfortable

C．terrible

D．civilized

4.

A．compared

B．refused

C．determined

D．failed

5.

A．somewhere

B．nowhere

C．everywhere

D．where

6.

A．shore

B．table

C．station

D．store

7.

A．imagination

B．extinction

C．reality

D．danger

8.

A．survival

B．relief

C．excellence

D．reward

9.

A．concerned

B．likely

C．optimistic

D．aware

10.

A．in general

B．in person

C．in shock

D．in secret

11.

A．normal

B．confusing

C．useful

D．strange

12.

A．pressure

B．shame

C．consequence

D．extent

13.

A．advantage

B．opportunity

C．intention

D．choice

14.

A．tendency

B．appreciation

C．interest

D．entertainment

15.

A．approves of

B．dreams of

C．consists of

D．knows of

10 . 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