跟蹤導(dǎo)練（四）（3）

A

Why do people buy art？ To answer this question， ask yourself what your reasons are for thinking of getting a piece of art. An artwork can cost a large amount of money， but if it meets your needs， its worth every penny.

People buy art for many reasons. Many people buy an artwork simply because they like it， even if it is by an unknown artist. Art， as long as you enjoy it， is never a waste of money.

Art is for enjoyment. Art is meant to be shown. Dont ever feel pressured into buying something you wont enjoy looking at day after day， no matter what other people may say. Dont buy something that doesnt attract you just because it is trendy， or because the artist is famous， or because you have been advised that the artwork will make a good investment. If you dont like the artwork at all， dont buy it！

Art improves your environment. Have you ever noticed that all beautiful homes have art as an integral （必需的） part of the decoration？ Art lends life and color to otherwise simple and ordinary walls. A well thought-out art collection will help create a unique atmosphere in your home and make it more attractive.

Art makes a statement. The kind of art you surround yourself with says much about your personality， tastes and values. Art truly is a mirror of the soul.

Art enriches your life. Love—even the love of a work of art—contributes to healthier living and a longer lifespan （壽命）. Art should enrich your life. Otherwise， why do you spend precious time and resources on it？

Just remember to select something which will appeal to your tastes， and keep to a sensible budget （預(yù)算）. Good art neednt cost an arm or a leg.

Happy art collecting！

1. According to the author， what should you consider when buying a piece of art？

A. Whether it brings pleasure to you.

B. Whether it is fashionable at present.

C. Whether it is created by a famous artist.

D. Whether you can profit from it in the end.

2. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean？

A. A mirror has a feature similar to art.

B. A mirror can be a piece of true art.

C. Art can show what you look like.

D. Art is an expression of yourself.

3. Whats the purpose of the passage？

A. To explain the benefit of art to people.

B. To teach us how to choose works of art.

C. To advise us to buy an expensive artwork.

D. To remind us to be sensible when buying an artwork.

B

A Shoe Pattern

Harry is eighteen now. He studies in a middle school. His parents like him very much and hope he can become a famous man. So they often tell him to study hard and they do all for him. They call him at six in the morning， after breakfast his father takes him to school in a car and in the afternoon， as soon as the young man comes back， the supper is ready. Of course， he never washes his clothes or goes to buy anything in the shops.

Once Harrys father was sent to London on business. He would stay there for half a year. On leaving， he told his wife to take good care of their son. The woman had to get up earlier and did all that her husband did before. And two months later she was so tired that she was ill in bed. Now the young man got into trouble. He couldnt do any housework. He had to do as his mother told him. Even he didnt know where to get on the bus！

Yesterday Harrys mother found his shoes were worn out and told him to buy a new pair in the shop. But he didnt know how to choose. The woman had a sigh and gave him a shoe pattern and told him to buy a pair himself. Its Saturday today and Harry doesnt go to school. With a policemans help， he found a shop. The shopkeeper was friendly to him. The man brought a lot of shoes and asked him to choose. When he was trying on a pair， suddenly he remembered something and took them off. The man was surprised and asked， “Whats the matter， young man？” “Im sorry， Ive left the shoe pattern at home！”

4. Who always does some housework in the morning？

A. Harrys father. B. Harrys mother.

C. Harry. D. Harrys sister.

5. Why did Harrys parents do everything for him？

A. He was too young.

B. He was being spoiled.

C. He was in poor health.

D. He was busy with his studies.

6. Why did the woman have to look after Harry by herself？

A. Her husband wasnt at home.

B. Her husband felt very tired.

C. She was freer than her husband.

D. She was stronger than her husband.

7. What did Harry leave at home yesterday？

A. His shoes. B. His money.

C. The shoe pattern. D. The picture of his shoes.

C

Argentina in the late nineteenth century was an exciting place. Around 1870， it was experiencing an economic boom （繁榮）， and the capital， Buenos Aires， attracted many people. Farmers， as well as a flood of foreigners from Spain and Italy， came to Buenos Aires seeking jobs. These jobs didnt pay well， and the people felt lonely and disappointed with their new life in the city. As the unhappy newcomers mixed together in the poor parts of the city， the dance known as the tango （探戈舞） came into being.

At the beginning the tango was a dance of the lower classes. It was danced in the bars and streets. At that time there were many fewer women than men， so if a man didnt want to be left out， his only choice was to dance with another man so that he could attract the attention of the few available women. Gradually， the dance spread into the upper classes of Argentinean society and became more respectable.

In Europe at this time， strong interest in dance from around the world was beginning. This interest in international dance was especially evident in Paris. Every kind of dance from ballet to belly dancing could be found on the stages of the Paris theaters. After tango dancers from Argentina arrived in Europe， they began to draw the interest of the public as they performed their exciting dance in cafes. Though not everyone approved of the new dance， saying it was a little too shocking， the dance did find enough supporters to make it popular.

The popularity of the tango continued to grow in many other parts of the world. Soldiers who returned to the United States from World War I brought the tango to North America. It reached Japan in 1926， and in 2003 the Argentinean embassy in Seoul hired a local tango dancer to act as a kind of dance ambassador， and promote tango dancing throughout South Korea.

8. The origin of the tango is associated with ______.

A. belly dancers B. a Spanish city

C. American soldiers D. the capital of Argentina

9. Which of the following is TRUE about the tango？

A. People of the upper classes loved the tango most.

B. It was created by foreigners from Spain and Italy.

C. It was often danced by two males in the beginning.

D. A dancer in Seoul became the Argentinean ambassador.

10. Before World War I， the tango spread to ______.

A. South Korea B. Japan

C. France D. America

11. What can be the best title for the text？

A. How to Dance the Tango

B. The History of the Tango

C. The Modern Tango Boom

D. How to Popularize the Tango

D

It seems that great artists and scientists often suffer from mental problems. Both Einstein and Dickens had mental illness. Now scientists have started to look at whether mental illness and genius are linked.

Dr Adele Juda studied 5，000 creative people in Germany. She found there were more people with mental illness in this group than in the general population. Poets had the highest rate of mental illness， followed by musicians， with lower numbers for painters and architects.