1 . Stories behind Masterpieces

Great paintings inspire feelings of awe and wonder centuries after they were created. Often the inspiration for a masterpiece came from something very specific: a person the artist knew, a personal experience or a well-known story.

Mona Lisa

There have been many doubts about who the woman in the Mona Lisa is, due in part to her mysterious smile. Most scholars nowadays believe the woman as Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a wealthy silk merchant (商人). Her husband most likely made the painting to celebrate the birth of their second son.

Whistler’s Mother       

James Abbott McNeill Whistler originally planned to use a model for this painting and to have her standing. The model did not show up for the appointment, so he asked his mother to stand in. Since she found standing for so long uncomfortable, he changed plans and painted her sitting. He originally titled the painting Arrangement in Grey and Black-Portrait of the Painter’s Mother, following the model used by composers to name pieces of music. But over time, people began to shorten the painting’s name, so now it is usually called Whistler’s Mother.

The Starry Night       

Vincent van Gogh was a talented artist who struggled with mental health problems throughout his short life. Arguably his most famous painting, The Starry Night describes a view from his window in an asylum(精神病院) where he stayed because of these mental health issues. Van Gogh painted 21 versions of this view. He may have been surprised to learn that The Starry Night was the one destined(注定) for fame. He wrote to his brother that he did not think this painting was one of his better works.

Portrait of Dr. Gachet

Van Gogh was eventually released from the asylum, so he needed a new place to stay. His brother connected him with Dr. Gachet, who took Van Gogh in. At first, the artist was skeptical of the doctor’s ability to help him because Dr. Gachet also struggled with mental illness. But just two days after expressing these doubts to his brother, Van Gogh wrote to his sister that he considered the doctor a true friend. Van Gogh finally painted Portrait of Dr. Gachet in honor of his friend.             

These paintings resonate even with people who do not know the stories behind them, but the stories make them even more meaningful.

1. Which masterpiece is different from others in content?

A．Mona Lisa	B．Whistler’s Mother
C． The Starry Night	D．Portrait of Dr. Gachet

2. Which one of the following statements is wrong?

A．Mona Lisa was painted due to a newly-born baby.

B．James Whistler’s mother was the appointed model originally.

C．The Starry Night was not positively thought of by Van Gogh.

D．Portrait of Dr. Gachet expressed Van Gogh’s appreciation to his doctor.

3. Which of the following books is the text most likely selected from?

A．How Maps Tell Stories of the World	B．A short History of Famous Artists
C．A history of the World 100 Objects	D．How Art Works Tell Stories

2 . There are many famous athletes at home and abroad, one of whom is Michael Jordan. He became     1     (know) as “Air Jordan”, for he changed basketball with his graceful moves and jumps. Jordan’s skills were impressive, but the mental     2     (strong) that he showed made him unique. Jordan says that the secret to success is learning from his failures.     3     (lose) games taught him to practice harder and never give up. In life, Jordan has learnt to share his success     4     others. The Boys and Girls Club     5     he started in Chicago has been helping young people since 1996.

B

In the 1950s, the Egyptian government wanted to build a new dam across the Nile. However, the proposal led to protests. So a committee was established     6     (prevent) the loss of cultural relics. After investigating the issue and conducting several tests, experts made a proposal for how the relics could     7     (save). Finally, the project was considered     8     great success and the countries taking part found     9     possible for them to work together to build a better tomorrow. If a problem seems too difficult for a single nation, the     10     (globe) community can sometimes provide a solution.

3 . 查阅旅游手册后， 他了解了更多关于旅游景点的信息。
After __________________the travel brochure, he found out more about the tourist attractions.

4 . 别丧失信心。还会有更多展示自己的机会。
Don’t __________________. There’ll be more chances for showing yourself.

5 . I was excited to join the Empire State Ride, a 500-mile cycling adventure that raises money for cancer research. It was a weeklong ________ from New York City to Niagara Falls, and we set a ________ for the amount of money raised, but that wasn’t all that made the 2021 event ________.

I suffered from cancer back then, and had to ________ medicine to manage my pain. I carried my pill case(药盒) safe in my pocket for ________. Groups of us, all travelling at different speeds, often ________ for a meal at rest stops along the way. The weather was ________ until Friday when it became rainy and cold. After lunch, I decided to take the ________ off. I put my bike onto the bus to the campground where I was ________ to stay overnight. When I emptied my ________ to change into dry clothes, I realized my pill case was missing. I’d have to ________ the great pain on my own. What should I do?

At ________ , someone sat down next to me. “Is this yours?” he asked, ________ my pill case. “A guy ________ it at one of the rest stops. He knew I’d run into you before he did.” Out of 230________, the perfect two had teamed up for me. That had to be some kind of record.

1.

A．walk

B．ride

C．visit

D．race

2.

A．date

B．goal

C．limit

D．record

3.

A．national

B．special

C．creative

D．formal

4.

A．take

B．sell

C．study

D．produce

5.

A．company

B．pleasure

C．businesses

D．emergencies

6.

A．paid

B．waited

C．stopped

D．hoped

7.

A．wet

B．terrible

C．perfect

D．stormy

8.

A．afternoon

B．evening

C．week

D．year

9.

A．forced

B．invited

C．scheduled

D．demanded

10.

A．bag

B．pocket

C．camp

D．room

11.

A．hide

B．forget

C．examine

D．survive

12.

A．breakfast

B．lunch

C．dinner

D．teatime

13.

A．holding out

B．picking out

C．throwing away

D．putting away

14.

A．made

B．found

C．reserved

D．packed

15.

A．riders

B．guides

C．friends

D．teams

6 . Healthy friendships can protect against anxiety and increase happiness. While many people believe it’s the number of friends that matters, research shows that quality is more important—and having even a small group of close friends is a stronger sign of happiness than having lots of general connections.     1    

● Continuously spend time.

    2     Research suggests that it takes about 90 hours to become regular friends and more than 200 hours to form a best friendship. If you find you haven’t put much time and effort into your friendships, add a section for connect ion to your daily to-do list.

● Get vulnerable (脆弱的).

Another key is allowing yourself to be vulnerable. Start by sharing small opinions, like what you think about your book club’s latest choice.     3     Being vulnerable shows that you like your friends and trust them, which brings people closer together.

●Mix in several creativity.

It might be time to put new energy into your most familiar (熟悉的) friendships. That goes for both conversations and activities.     4     And think about new adventures you can carry on together, like traveling to a new destination or joining a football team.

●     5    

Every friendship will surely arrive at key moments: the highs and lows in life that certainly affect how we feel about our friendships. Was your friend there when you got promoted or became seriously ill? The answer determines how much we’ll value that friendship.

A．Turn to your friends.

B．Show up for the important moments.

C．Here are some useful ways to build up friendships.

D．Making time for whom we care about can deepen friendships.

E．Go deeper by telling your friends what you’re now struggling with.

F．Arrange moments of conversation where you can do something different.

G．If you’re in low spirits, be open about how you’re feeling and deal with it.

7 . In many adults, learning and thinking begin to decline (衰退) as early as age 30 and become worse in their mid-60s, which is shown in tests of cognitive(认知的) abilities.

These changes are often considered as the result of normal aging. But they may instead show something more like the “summer slide” that some schoolchildren experience in study process during summer break. After formal education and job training end, many adults experience years of reduced chances of learning.

However, a three-month study Rachel Wu and her partners designed suggests that this decline can be addressed. In this study, they provided an encouraging learning environment for 24 older adults between 58 and 86 years of age. Before and after, they tested the cognitive abilities. The older adults signed up for at least three classes that met weekly to learn new skills, such as drawing, iPad using and Spanish-language learning. During this period, the adults’ cognitive scores for memory improved greatly, and their cognitive abilities after one year were similar to those of adults 50 years younger.

The team is still investigating why their cognitive scores continued to climb after the program’s end, but one possibility is that the experience encouraged these adults to continue learning and practice new skills. To be clear, the researchers do not think that formal education is the only or most important way to support learning. Their idea is to instead create encouraging environments for older adults, so they can increase both real-world skills and cognitive abilities over the long term.

“Use it or lose it,” the saying goes. Let’s change the conversation about adults from avoiding loss and decline, or keeping what people have, to learning and growing.

1. What leads to the decline in cognitive abilities?

A．Age-related diseases.	B．Slower processing speed.
C．Too many holiday breaks.	D．Fewer learning experiences.

2. How did Rachel Wu and her partners conduct their research?

A．By doing surveys.	B．By arranging interviews.
C．By searching documents.	D．By making comparisons.

3. What can we learn from Paragraph 4?

A．Learning contributes to physical improvement.

B．Taking classes is key to cognitive development.

C．Positive learning environments should be created.

D．Older adults need to practice their language skills.

4. What’s the author’s attitude toward the study?

A．Unclear.

B．Supportive.

C．Doubtful.

D．Worried.

8 . Different people enjoy different amounts (数量) of human contact. While some adore making lots of friends, others prefer plenty of time on their own. However, is there such a thing as too much time alone? And how does isolation (孤独) affect humans?

In April, a Spanish athlete named Beatriz Flamini came out of a cave where she had spent 500 days as part of a study on social isolation. During her time 70 metres underground, Flamini had no human contact at all. However, she did record videos of herself and was monitored continually by scientists.

Doctors measuring the effects of isolation are building up a picture of how it can change the way people experience the passing of time, and how it affects the body’s natural clock. Flamini first entered the cave on 20 November 2021, but she lost track of time 65 days later. During her time underground, she sometimes experienced auditory hallucinations, which means that she was hearing noises that weren’t there. The isolation affected her balance when she came out of the cave, and she also had to get used to being in sunlight.

Isolation studies are important for planning for long-lasting space tasks. Although astronauts (宇航员) often work with other members, the teams are small and their living quarters are small, too. For example, the astronaut Kjell Lindgren spent 141 days on board the International Space Station with never more than five teammates for company. This summer, four volunteers will start a year of living inside a big box, as part of NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog. The aim of this experiment is to find out how astronauts will manage extreme isolation and stay healthy while living on Mars.

1. What does the underlined word “adore” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Avoid.

B．Allow.

C．Love.

D．Stop.

2. What did Beatriz Flamini do underground?

A．She watched videos every day.	B．She stayed alone for over a year.
C．She explored the cave’s secrets.	D．She talked with scientists sometimes.

3. What did Beatriz Flamini suffer in the study?

A．Disorder of body clock.	B．Poor eyesight.
C．Complete loss of balance.	D．Sudden deafness.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Extreme Isolation	B．Power of Human Contact
C．Underground Experiences	D．Astronauts’ Health Experiments

9 . Not long ago when I had a dinner party, a guest noticed the gravy boat (船形酱汁壶) — a piece of china, “Is it a heirloom (传家宝)?” The boat is very old, matches nothing else, and has a V-shaped cut on it. But it is the one I will keep forever.

Our history together began fifty years ago when I was seven. That December the river started to rise. We worked hard against the disaster and even kept a rowboat downstairs. My mother carefully packed the china in the study upstairs because it’d been her mother’s and was valuable to her. She told me, “You must treasure the things people you love have treasured. It keeps you in touch with them.” But then I didn’t really understand her concern.

The water rose higher. One night, the floor of the study fell through and the china was on the first floor under the rising river. The loss really broke her heart. That night she sat on the top of the stairs and cried.

The next morning I could tell how bad she still felt. Suddenly I saw the rowboat —yes, I could fish for the china. I put a hook (钩) onto a line, let it down until I felt it hit bottom and slowly moved the rowboat back and forth, pulling my line, but time after time I pulled the line up empty.

When we had to leave as the water poured in, I tried for the last time. Suddenly I felt something and raised my catch. The gravy boat! The moment I took it out in front of my mother, she was in tears of joy.

It was just then that I realized how deeply that old gravy boat connected me to the people and places of my past, tying me to my mother as well as her life, her joy and her love.

1. What can we learn about the gravy boat?

A．It is fifty years old.	B．It means much to “my” family.
C．It is old but perfect.	D．It matches the furniture well.

2. What made the author’s mother cry that night?

A．Pain of the injury.	B．Rise of the river.
C．Damage of the study.	D．Loss of the treasure.

3. Which of the following can best describe “I”?

A．Caring.

B．Honest.

C．Confident.

D．Responsible.

4. What does the author want to express in the text?

A．Stay calm in face of a disaster.

B．“Heirlooms” connect generations.

C．Suffering improves the parent-child tie.

D．Mother’s love promotes her child’s growth.

10 . Firstsite, an arts gallery (艺术馆) in Colchester, opens all year for free with a variety of paintings, films, learning activities and events, alongside a cafe and a shop! Here’s some information to help you plan your visit.

Opening times

Monday: Closed Tuesday-Wednesday:10 a. m.-5 p. m.

Thursday-Saturday:10 a. m.-10 p. m. Sunday: 10 a. m.-5 p. m.

Where to find us

Firstsite, Lewis Gardens, High Street, Colchester, Essex, CO11JH

Getting here

By bike

You can ride your bikes to Firstsite. To view the Colchester cycle map and find out more information about cycling in Colchester, visit   www. cyclecolchester.co.uk/cycle-network/

By bus

Queen Street Stop Jc, just by the Curzon Cinema, is our nearest bus stop. This is served by bus routes 64,64A and 65. Firstsite is just a 10-minute walk from Colchester’s bus station on Osborne Street. For bus times, check   www.arrivabus.co.uk/herts-and-essexorphone 01206877620.

By train

Journey time from London Liverpool Street to Colchester is about 50 minutes with trains running every hour. To find out about live train times to and from this station along with specific directions from the station to Firstsite, visit   www.thetrainline.comorcall 01206713700.

●Enjoying art

Chatting is encouraged at Firstsite —it’s OK to talk and make some noise! We also welcome photos with no flash in the gallery. Relax in our colourful cafr with outdoor seating and find beautiful products in our shop. There are also no “right answers” in art—you don’t have to “get it” to enjoy it; just come in, take it in and explore your reactions.

1. Which day would you choose if visiting Firstsite at 6 p. m.

A．Monday.

B．Tuesday.

C．Friday.

D．Sunday.

2. What can visitors do to learn more about ways to Firstsite?

A．Call the local station.	B．View the bus map.
C．Visit the given websites.	D．Check the train schedule.

3. What is encouraged during the visit to Firstsite?

A．Communicating with others	B．Taking photos with flash.
C．Sharing beautiful products.	D．Looking for right answers in art.