6. My studies were devoted almost entirely to        (當代的) literature.

5. I wouldn’t tell lies to you; that’s not my s        .

4. She seemed more a and looked forward to getting up in the morning.

3. Our company has a       the most advanced techniques to increase the

production.

2. The artist p         a vase of flowers against a dark background.

1. I took a strong d        to him as soon as I saw him.

  Since my retirement(退休)   from teaching music in 2001，I have spent a good deal of time painting as an artist. I actually began drawing again in the summer of 1995 when my father died,so perhaps I was trying to recover from the loss of my father,or maybe it was just that it brought back memories of him. In any case，I drew pen and ink animals and landscapes(風景畫)   much influenced by Krenkel and St. John for five years.

For some strange reason，I had been waiting until my retirement to start doing watercolours again,but as soon as I walked out of the school door for the last time I picked up my brushes and rediscovered Andrew Wyeth,who quickly became my favourite artist. I had looked through all the art books I had on my shelves and found his watercolours to be the closest to how I thought good watercolours should look. So I painted landscapes around Minnesota for three years and tried out many other types of painting. However,watercolours remained my first choice，and I think I did my best work there,showing my paintings at a number of art exhibitions.

Art is now together with my piano playing and reading. There is a time for everything in my world，and it is wonderful to have some time doing what

I want to do. As Confucius once said, “At seventy I can follow my heart’s desire.”

1. What is the text mainly about?

   A. Learning to paint in later life.

   B.  How to paint watercolours.

   C.  An artist-turned teacher.

   D.  Life after retirement.

2. The author started drawing again in 1995 because      .

   A. he hoped to draw a picture of his father

   B.  he couldn’t stop missing his father

   C.  he had more time after retirement

   D.  he liked animals and landscapes

3. We can infer from the text that the author       .

   A. had been taught by Krenkel and St. John

   B.  painted landscapes in Minnesota for 5 years

   C.  believed Wyeth to be the best in watercolours

   D.  started his retirement life at the age of seventy

4. How does the author probably feel about his life as an artist?

   A. Very enjoyable.

   B.  A bit regretful.

   C.  Rather busy.

   D.  Fairly dull.

 選詞填空

1.       the traffic jam in which I had been caught,I was late for the meeting.

2. With the electricity       ，all the machines stopped.

3. The artists started an important art movement that       show the

21st century’s city life.

4. He couldn’t stand       .

5. As is known to the world,the Chinese in many places       the old tradition.

5. With frequent storm disasters affecting all       of human life,it is evident that global warming becomes a big threat to mankind.

4. The kind-hearted couple decided to       the little boy whose parents had been killed in the flood.