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was ill in the family? A. Keep them pany B. Touch them gently. C. Play games with them. D. Look at them sadly. 5. We can infer from Paragraph 2 that Brownie . A. world eat anything when hungry B. loved playing hideandseek C. felt sorry for her mistake D. disliked the author?s dad 6. Why does the author say that Brownie was more than just a family pet? A. She was treated as a member of the family. B. She played games with anyone she liked. C. She went everywhere with the family. D. She was loved by everybody she met. 7. Some people got frightened by Brownie when she . A. barked B. smiled C. rushed to them D. tried to be funny 8. Which of the following best describes Brownie? A. Caring B. Polite C. Brave D. Shy C Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March, 1853—29 July, 1890) was a Dutch PostImpressionist artist. He is considered one of the greatest artists with great influence on the greatest artists with great influence on the 20thcentury art. Van Gogh spent his early adult life working for a firm of art dealers. After a brief period as a teacher, he became a missionary (傳教士 ) in a very poor mining region. He did not begin his career as an artist until 1880。 however, during the last ten years of his life, he produced more than 2,000 pieces, including around 900 paintings and 1,100 drawing and sketched (素描 ). He worked only with somber colours until he met Impressionism and NeoImpressionism in Paris. Van Gogh used their bright colours and style of painting in a uniquely recognizable style. Most of his bestknown works were produced during his final two years, when he was suffering from serious mental illness. In 1890, at the age of 37, van Gogh shot himself in the chest. He died two days later, with Theo, his brother and his best friend, at his side, who reported his last words as “The sadness will last forever”. It would not take long before his fame grew higher and higher. Van Gogh?s mother threw away quite a number of his paintings. The only painting he sold during his lifetime, The Red Vineyard, was created in 1888. It is now on display in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, Russia. Several paintings by van Gogh rank among the most expensive paintings in the world. On March 30, 1987 van Gogh?s painting Irises was sold for a record of $ million at Southby?s, New York. On May 15, 1990 his Portrait of Doctor Gachet was sold for $ million at Christie?s, thus setting a new price record. 9. When did van Gogh begin his career as an artist? A. At the age of 17 B. In his early adult life C. At the age of 27 D. In his early childhood 10. The underlined word “somber” in Para. 2 means . A. colourful B. different C. bright D. dark 11. What?s the right order of van Gogh?s life experience? a. worked as a teacher b. took up drawing c. worked in an art firm d. worked as a missionary A. c, a, d, b B. b, a, c, d C. b, c, a, d D. c, a, b, d 12. What can we learn from the passage? A. Irises was the most expensive among van Gogh?s paintings B. Van Gogh didn?t bee famous until he dies C. Van Gogh had bee famous as an artist when he was alive D. Van Gogh sold many paintings in his life D We can achieve knowledge either actively or passively. We achieve it actively by direct experience, by testing and proving an idea, or by reasoning. We a