Rembrandt was an extraordinary Dutch painter. He was most well-known for his brushwork and the way in which he connected with the human soul. His life, however, was not happy. He was born on July 15,1606 in Leiden, the Netherlands. His father wanted him to have a real, learned profession but Rembrandt left the University of Leiden after becoming bored. He began studying art under a local teacher but soon left and studied in Amsterdam where he mastered all his lessons in six months! At the age of 22, he moved back to Leiden and began to get his own students. One of his students was the famous artist Gerrit Dou. In 1631 he returned to Amsterdam where he became the most popular portrait painter in Holland. Rembrandt met Saskia and married her in 1634. She was a cousin of a very successful art dealer and she helped him to meet wealhy people who commissioned many paintings from him. He used her as a model in many of his paintings. Rembrandt's private life, however, was very unfortunate. He had four children with Saskia but only one, Titus, survived. Saskia died in 1642 at the age of only 30. In 1649, his housekeeper became his second wife and was also a model for many of his paintings. Even though Rembrandt was very successful as an artist, art dealer and teacher, he lived in a careless way and had to declare bankruptcy in 1656. He even had to sell his whole art collection and his house to pay off his debts. His unfortunate life, however, didn't affect his art. He painted many great paintings during that time. His new love, Hendrickje, died in 1663 and his 27-year-old son, Titus, died in 1668. Eleven months later, on October 4, 1669, Rembrandt died in Amsterdam. He produced more than 600 paintings and over 2,000 drawings! From the passage we learn that Rembrandt _ . A) graduated from the University of Leiden B) began his teaching career in 1628 C) married Saskia when he was 22 years old D) was good at drawing animals and flowers
B
I ran into quite a few language problems while vacationing with my family last summer. The most embarrassing was when my Mom apologized to the people we were staying with because her "pants were dirty". They looked at her in amazement, not knowing how to react. You see, Mom had fallen over and gotten mud on her jeans. But in Britain, "pants" means underpants or knickers, not trousers as it does back home. Katie -- From America I went to stay with a friend on the west coast last summer. Her flat was on the first floor of a high-rise building so I got the lift up. Then I wandered round for ages looking for her flat but couldn't find it. Fed up and tired, I finally had to go out to find a phone box. She explained that her flat was on the first floor, which for me meant the ground floor. David -- From Britain When I asked for the "restroom" in a big department store, people kept directing me to a room with seats where I could sit and "rest". It took me years to get through to someone that I only wanted the toilet! Tom -- From America Last summer we went on a two-week family touring holiday, so Dad hired a car over the Internet. This was an old vehicle and there turned out to be lots of things wrong with it. When he phoned the hire company and tried to explain that the lock on the boot was broken, they thought he was talking about footwear! He had no idea their word for "boot" was "trunk". In the end we went to a _ and just solved the problem. Mary -- From Britain David went out to find a phone box to _ . A) phone the police for help B) phone his friend for help C) tell his friends he couldn't go to visit her D) apologize for his being late
B
Q: Life is filled with challenges. As we get older we come to realize that those challenges are the very things that shape us and make us who we are,it is the same with the challenges that come withfriendship.When we are faced with a challenge,we usually have two choices. We can try to beat it off, or we can decide that the thing presenting the challenge isn't worth the trouble and call it quits.Although there are certainly times when calling it quits is the right thing to do,in most cases all that is needed is commitment and communication. When we are _ to something, it means that no matter how painful or howuncomfortable something is,we will always choose to face it through instead of running away from it.Communication is making a space for discussion and talking about how you feel as opposed to just saying what the other person did wrong. If you can say to a friend,"I got my feelings hurt." rather than"You hurt my feelings."you are going to be able to solve the problem much faster. In dealing with many challenges that friendship will bring to you, try to see them for what they are:small hurdles you need to jump or get through on your way through life.Nothing is so big that it is impossible to get over, and hurt only serves to make us stronger.It is all part of growing up,it happens to everyone,and some day you will look back on all of this and say,"Hard as it was,it made me who I am today.And that is a good thing." The writer suggests that _ when faced with a challenge. A) one should call it quits B) one should temporarily run away from it C) one should be committed and communicable D) one should lay it a side for a while
A: C
*Question*
Nate suffered a devastating blow when he lost his job. His boss had spoken rudely, "Your services are no longer needed." Nate left the building filled with despair . By the time he reached home, he was in a deep depression. When he entered his house, he blurted out to his wife Sophia, "I lost my job. I am a complete, utter failure." A tense silence followed. Then a smile crept across Sophia's face. "What great news!" she responded. "Now you can write the book you have always wanted to write.""But I have no job and no prospect (hope) of a job," he objected , completely without hope . "If I struggle to be an author, then what will we live on? Where will the money come from?" Sophia took her husband by the hand and led him to the kitchen, opening a drawer; she took out a box that was full of cash . "Where on earth did you get this?" Nate gasped. "To whom does it belong?" "It's ours!" Sophia replied . "I always knew that one day you would become a great writer if only you were given the chance. From the money you gave me for housekeeping every week, I have saved as much as I could so you would have your chance. Now there is enough to last us a whole year." What a surprise! What encouragement! What a wife! The unemployed husband did concentrate on writing that year, and the novel he wrote became a literary masterpiece . The book is The Scarlet Letter. Sophia had an even greater achievement, and she turned Nathaniel Hawthorne from a poor clerk into a world famous master. From the passage we can know that Sophia was_. A) kind and brave B) careful and encouraging C) helpful and warm-hearted D) clever and determined
**Answer**
B