When Frida Kahlo's paintings were on show in London,a poet described her paintings as "a ribbon around a bomb".Such comments seem to suggest Kahlo had a big influence on the art world of her time.Sadly,she is actually _ today than she was during her time. Born in 1907 in a village near Mexico City,Kahlo suffered from polio at the age of seven.Her spine became bent as she grew older.Then,in 1925,her back was broken in several places in a schoolbus accident.Throughout the rest of her life,the artist had many operations,but nothing was able to cure the terrible pain in her back.However,the accident had an unexpected side effect.While lying in her bed recovering,Kahlo taught herself to paint. In 1929,she got married to Diego Rivera,another famous Mexican artist.Rivera's strong influence on Kahlo's style can be seen in her early works,but her later works from the 1940s,known today as her best works,show less influence from her husband. Unfortunately,her works did not attract much attention in the 1930s and 1940s,even in her home country.Her first onewoman show in Mexico was not held until 1953.For more than a decade after her death in 1954,Kahlo's works remained largely unnoticed by the world,but in the 1970s her works began to gain international fame at last. (2012*,C) What is the author's attitude toward Kahlo? A) Devotion. B) Sympathy. C) Worry. D) Encouragement.
B
The centenary of the birth of William Faulkner, one of the great modern novelists, was celebrated in September 1997. Faulkner wrote about the southern states of the United States of America where he grew up, and where his family had an important part to play in the history of that region. His work became a touchstone for insights into the troubled issues of southern American identity, race relations, and the family interrelationships of the old time southern gentry . Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi on September 25, 1897. Despite his interest in writing, he left Oxford High School, Mississippi, without graduating. After World War I, he entered the University of Mississippi as a special student, a right to study which was granted to retired soldiers, although Faulkner had only finished training with the Air Force in Canada, and not entered combat . Faulkner began to write poems, a verse play, short stories and finished his first novel Sartoris in 1928. His fiction was centered for 14 of the 19 novels published during his lifetime in a fictional region called Yoknapatawpha County. The name is said to come from the Indian Chickasaw word meaning split land. In December 1950, Faulkner was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. When he accepted it in Stockholm, his speech emphasized that he wished to continue writing, but in a positive way that affirmed the power of humanity to prevail over adverse circumstances. As he said in his speech, he still felt that, despite the threat of nuclear war then hanging over the world, the central concern of the writer should be "the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself". He wanted the tensions and problems that he had cast the spotlight on in the southern states of America to be resolved by the life-affirming attitudes and action of his characters. Like playwright Tennessee Williams, Faulkner was a major voice who spoke for the troubled heart of the southern states of America. His achievement is all the more remarkable because, as a schoolboy, he was... Which of the following statements about Tennessee William is true? A) Both Tennessee William and William Faulkner are playwrights. B) Tennessee William was a major voice who spoke for the troubled people in southern America. C) Like Faulkner, he once won Nobel Prize for literature. D) Tennessee William had to pursue his writing career through difficult times.
B
Q: What would we do without humour? How would we enjoy speaking with others if we did not use humour to invite a smile or a laugh? And how would we manage in times when we feel sad and lonely? Using humour we lighten up each day, and we find common ground with others. We build healthy relationships with others by knowing what to say and what to do. When our use of humour is successful, we build trust and cooperation. We discover that we are not alone, we learn to accept our mistakes, and we look for the good in others and in ourselves. Most importantly, we create common ground, as humour is an essential skill needed to communicate well with others. A few well-chosen words get the attention of others and make a serious point without their getting defensive . Whether we prefer to be the centre of attention or to be shy and quiet, humour can be adjusted to suit our personality. However, when we lose our sense of humour, we often get critical or defensive, and we blame others or ourselves for what was said, and how it was said. To ensure that our humour is welcomed by others, we need to combine our humour with speaking clearly and listening effectively. Have you ever noticed that successful individuals often use self-depreciating humour to humble themselves, without putting themselves down? These individuals understand that every person has strengths and weaknesses and that self-depreciating humour invites others to feel more confident and equal. In this way, humour is the shortest distance between two people. Humour is the spice of life, as it brings happiness, numbs pain and it makes us speak and listen well. With a sense of humour, _ . A) people can become good at speaking and listening B) people will become the centre of attention C) people will become more confident in themselves D) people may appear more trustworthy and cooperative
A: D
Q: Jane was running late. Jane, 25, had a lot to do at work, plus visitors on the way: her parents were coming in for Thanksgiving from her hometown. But as she hurried down the subway stairs, she started to feel uncomfortably warm. By the time she got to the platform, Jane felt weak and tired---maybe it hadn't been a good idea to give blood the night before, she thought. She rested herself against a post close to the tracks. Several yards away, Tom, 43, and his girlfriend, Jennifer, found a spot close to where the front of the train would stop. They were deep in discussion about a house they were thinking of buying. But when he heard the scream, followed by someone yelling, "Oh, my God, she fell in!" Tom didn't hesitate. He jumped down to the tracks and ran some 40 feet toward the body lying on the rails. "No! Not you!" his girlfriend screamed after him. She was right to be alarmed. By the time Tom reached Jane, he could feel the tracks shaking and see the light coming. The train was about 20 seconds from the station. It was hard to lift her. She was just out. But he managed to raise her the four feet to the platform so that bystanders could hold her by the grins and drag her away from the edge. That was where Jane briefly regained consciousness, felt herself being pulled along the ground, and saw someone else holding her purse. Jane thought she'd been robbed. A woman held her hand and a man gave his shirt to help stop the blood pouring from her head. And she tried to talk but she couldn't, and that was when she realized how much pain she was in. Police and fire officials soon arrived, and Tom told the story to an officer. Jennifer said her boyfriend was calm on their 40-minute train ride downtown-just as he had been seconds after the rescue, which made her think about her reaction at the time. "I saw the train coming and I was thinking he was going to die," she explained. When did Jane become conscious again? A) When the train was leaving. B) After she was back on the platform. C) After the police and fire officials came. D) When a man was cleaning the blood from her head.
A: B