V _ , an artist of tremendous energy and prodigious output. He killed himself when he was only 37, but he left behind him more than 2,000 paintings and drawings, which established his reputation in a way he would never have considered possible. Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 at Groot Zundert Province of Noord Nrabant in Dutch. He was the son of a clergyman. His first artist impressions were formed as a boy, from his uncle who was an art dealer. The motivation bore early fruit and from the age of 12 the young Vincent was drawing. The interest led to an apprenticeship in an art dealer's firm, Groupil's, in the Hague. When he was only 20, he was transferred to the firm's London office. In London Van Gogh faced his first major crisis, when he was rejected in love. After that, he turned to religion, expressed disapproval with art-dealing and neglected his work. Groupil transferred him from London to Paris but, when his work was still unsatisfactory, dismissed him in 1876. The young Van Gogh made religion a consuming interest and during the next few years travelled in Britain, Belgium and Holland, trying to establish himself as a preacher, but without success. In 1880, at the age of 27, he found himself drawn back to art. He had a job as an assistant evangelist in the mining village of Borinage in Belgium but realized an artist drive which was to motivate him unceasingly until his death 10 years later. Late in 1881, he moved to the Hague and established a relationship with a woman, Christine Hoornik, with whom he lived for a time. He broke with her in 1883, however, and never again established a significant intimate relationship with a woman. In 1886 Van Gogh left Holland forever and travelled via Antwerp to Paris, and to major changes in artistic style. Van Gogh's work became more youthful in Paris. He lived with his brother, Theo, who managed the modern department of an art dealer's. A new, more animated, painting style emerged and the impressionist tendencies of earlier work weakened somewhat. Van... What is the author's attitude towards Van Gogh? A) Critical B) Favorable C) Objective D) Ironic
B
As most people know, in the past few years, sandstorms have swept across many cities and areas of North China, polluting the air and disturbing daily lives of human beings. People look dirty and suffer many kinds of illnesses, such as breath difficulty. The sandstorm is such a serious problem that it has not only _ the industrial and agricultural development of our country but also caused a lot of trouble to the living conditions of the Chinese people. It is expected that effective measures should be taken as soon as possible through our joint efforts to limit its occurrence. So what should we do with the frightening sandstorms? Some experts put forward practical suggestions as follows: For one thing, more funs ought to be put into tree planting and forest protection so as to keep more water resources within the surface of the earth. For another, governments of all countries should make laws on environmental protection.For example, banning the use of throw-away chopsticks and punishing illegal tree cutting. Scientists should also study and find ways to cut down the degree of its destruction and to improve the whole environment. How people look forward to sunny days with little breeze touching their faces now and forever! Nevertheless, I am fully confident that the golden days can come back so long as everyone tried his best to protect natural environment from today on. How many ways do some experts put forward to fight against sandstorm? A) 5 B) 4 C) 3 D) 2
C
Q: Some recent surveys show that the health conditions of many white collar employees and office workers are rather dangerous. Death cases among white collar employees and office workers are increasing year by year and these cases are generally believed to have been caused by overwork and spending little time taking rest or doing exercise. If their offices are within the distance of half an hour's walk, some office workers now choose to go to work on foot. Ms. Deng, who works in a foreign enterprise in Beijing, has been walking to her office for more than six months now. " I usually have a tight work schedule and can't find time to do exercise. So I choose to walk to work. " As she said, if the office is not far from home, most women would like to go to work on foot. Walking is good for their health and can help them to keep good figures as well. Apart from walking to office,one can also find time to do exercise when one is at work. The simplest way is to desert the lift. Mr. Wei, who works in the Passenger Service Department at Shenzhen Airlines, is one of such men who frequently climb stairs. " I only use the lift whenever I'm with my colleagues or my boss. Otherwise, I would climb stairs instead of taking the lift. " In addition, some office workers try to find time to go to a gym at the end of a day. Ms. Sang works in a law firm in Shenzhen. She goes to the gym several times a week when she has the time. " I go to the gym every weekend. During the weekdays,I will also go there whenever I have the time. " Ms. Sang and her husband both have a gym membership card for a whole year. The cards cost them 3000 yuan. However, they think it's worth it. If a white collar employee lives one kilometer away from her office , she had better _ to keep healthy. A) walk to her office B) run and then take the stairs to her office C) take a taxi to her office D) ride a bike
A: A
(Q).
Five years ago, I was sent to a better middle school. For me, everything there was new and strange. After I had been there for two months, there was an important test in the middle of the term. It covered all my courses. In that test, I didn't get a good grade, but most of my classmates got an A. It made me upset for a long time. I felt everything in the world was changing. I thought my classmates were all better than me. During those days I was very unhappy. One day, my aunt, after talking with my teachers, talked to me. She told me to think about what I had done in the past and what I should do in the future. I was shocked by her words. I thought about what I had done during the past months, and I found I had done nothing to improve my grades. I thought I should work harder. After that, I paid more attention to the teachers' talking in the classes, and I asked my teachers or my classmates when I didn't understand something. I studied very late at night when I met with difficult problems. Most of all, I came to understand the importance of taking notes in class. As a result, I did better in some tests. About three months later, the most important test came at the end of the term. _ From then on, I have tried to do my best when I do something because I know if I want something, I should work hard for it. Which of the following studying methods helped the writer most? _ A) Asking teachers for help when in difficulty. B) Working deep into the night every day. C) Making notes in class. D) Listening to every word his teachers said.
(A).
C