备战2020年中考阅读话题练习：文学与艺术(含答案)

中考备考阅读话题练习：文学与艺术一、阅读理解（共20小题；共40分）AOnce Effendi had a joke with the Prime Minister(宰相), He said that the Minister would die the next day. The next day, the Minister fell to the ground from the horse and really died, when the king learned this, he got angry and sent his men to catch Effendi at once.When Effendi was brought to him, the king shouted angrily, "Effendi, since(既然) you knew when my Minister would die, you must know the date of your own death(死), say it out, or you'll die today."Effendi looked at the king for a while, Then he answered, "But how can I know? I'll die two days earlier than you." The king was afraid that if he killed Effendi, he himself would die after that. He thought he must keep Effendi alive(活着) as long as possible, so he let Effendi go.1. This story tells us .A. how Effendi fool(愚弄) the kingB. when the king would dieC. why the Minister diedD. Effendi knew the dates of everyone's death2. The prime Minister died because .A. Effendi killed himB. Effendi said he would dieC. he was badly illD. he fell of the horse3. Why did the king ask Effendi to tell him the date of Effendi's own death?A. Because the king wanted to know when he himself would die.B. Because the wanted to find an excuse to kill Effendi.C. Because he himself had known the date of Effendi's death.D. Because he wanted to know when Effendi would die.4. The king let Effendi go because .A. he hoped to live a long lifeB. he was afraid of EffendiC. he didn't believe(相信) Effendi's wordsD. he knew he would die two days later5. Which of the following is not true?A. Effendi played a joke on the Minister.B. The king was afraid of death.C. Effendi didn't know when the king would die.D. If the king killed Effendi, he himself would die two days later.BLike most teenagers in the world, Joso Montanaro, a teen artist in Brazil, likes reading and drawing cartoons. But he is special—his drawings get published(出版).Montanaro is now drawing cartoons for Folha. Folha is Brazil's largest newspaper and is known for its cartoons. Montanaro has already been working at Folha for two years. Each week he draws two, three or four cartoons and sends them to the paper. From those editors choose one for the next day's page.Montanaro draws about the news of the day. Recently he worked on The Wave—a drawing of the tsunami(海啸) that hit Japan. Montanaro also likes to draw cartoons about the funny things that happen in Brazilian politics(政治)."I like doing political drawings because you can joke about somebody bigger than you." Montanaro says.Folha's art director, Mario Kanno, says editors saw something new and different in Montanaro's work. "We brought him in with this idea to show that, yes, young people also read newspapers and can show their ideas on politics," Kanno says.Montanaro's love for cartoons began when be was only 7 or 8 years old. His dad bought him comics. Montanaro says these books gave him the ideas that got him drawing. "I think those great works have really helped me," he says. "They remind me that I should draw something in my book every day."6. What is Montanaro doing for Folha now?A. He is publishing story books.B. He is drawing cartoons.C. He is sending newspapers.D. He is writing articles.7. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?A. Folha is famous for its cartoons.B. Folha is the largest newspaper in Brazil.C. Montanaro draws one cartoon for Folha every week.D. Montanaro began to work for Folha two years ago.8. Why does Montanaro like drawing political cartoons?A. Because he can show his ideas on politics.B. Because he is very interested in political jobs.C. Because he thinks it's easier to draw political cartoons.D. Because he can make fun of some important people.9. What made Montanaro draw and helped him a lot in his drawings?A. The comics his dad bought him.B. His interest in cartoon films.C. The fun of drawing cartoons.D. His dad's ideas about cartoons.10. What's the best title for this passage?A. Folha's Art DirectorB. Brazil's Largest NewspaperC. Teen Artist in BrazilD. Montanaro's Great FatherCWhat do you see when you look at abstract(抽象) art? Does it make sense to you? Does it look like anything? Is it supposed to?Abstract art became popular in the early 20th century. Artists did not want to paint, draw, or sculpt things exactly(确切地) like they looked. They didn't want their art to be realistic. They were more interested in basic shapes and colours.Picasso is probably the most famous of these artists. He painted and drew in many, many styles. Sometimes he used a lot of blue colours (his "blue period"). Later, he used more red and pink colours (his "rose period"). Many of his other paintings are called "cubist(立体画派)" because they are made of painted squares.After a long time, Picasso's paintings became more and more abstract. He painted people and things using strange shapes. His work was so original; many of his fellow artists didn't understand it. Kandinsky, another famous artist, used lines, shapes, and patterns to paint his subjects. His paintings also used strong colours to express feelings.Other artists like the surrealists(超现实主义者), were interested in subconscious(潜意识). Painters like Breton and Magritte used many symbol in their work. The meaning or subject of their work wasn't always clear. Dali, another surrealist artist, painted pictures that look like dreams.There are still many abstract artists around the world. That's the way many artists prefer. They want each person to look at art and find their own meaning in it.11. Which would be most like abstract art?A. A painting of a house.B. A sculpture of a car.C. A drawing of two people in a coffee house.D. A red and blue painting, with no clear subject.12. What happened to Picasso's work after a long time?A. It became more abstract.B. It became less original.C. He went from using red colours to using blue colours.D. He only painted with coloured squares.13. How did Kandinsky express feelings?A. By using colours and shapes.B. By painting realistic people.C. By painting with a lot of symbols.D. By painting in red and pink colours.14. Who is probably the most famous abstract artist?A. Breton.B. Dali.C. Picasso.D. Magritte.15. Which of the following is NOT true?A. Picasso painted in many different styles.B. Dali was interested in dreams.C. Abstract artists feel each work of art only has one meaning.D. Magritte's art was full of symbols.DWhat's this? If you're looking at this tree in the shape of a butterfly, it's a topiary.A topiary is a tree or bush that is trained into a shape.A topiary gardener should make a drawing first. The drawing shows the "final shape that the gardener likes. The gardener then chooses a bush for the topiary. It may be one that just planted or one that is already in place.In June of the plant's first year, the gardener looks for new leaves. When the leaves grow, it's time to shape the bottom of the bush. It needs about five years. The top is not trimmed during this time. In the fifth year, the bush grows tall enough for shaping. Then the gardener begins to shape the whole bush.Once a topiary has been started, it needs care all year. In summer it must be cut many times to keep its shape. This cutting also helps the bush grow. In winter the bushes don't grow. The gardeners have to brush snow off the plants, or snow may hurt some parts of them.Topiary gardening is a very old art. The Romans did it in the first century. In the sixteenth century, people in Europe liked topiaries too. By the late 1600s, topiaries were also grown in America. Today it's popular in many parts of the world.16. Put the following in the right order according to the passage.a. The gardener chooses a bush for the topiary.b. The whole bush grows tall enough for shaping.c. The gardener begins to shape the bottom of the bush.d. The gardener draws the shape of a topiary.A. d-a-b-c.B. b-c-a-d.C. a-d-c-b.D. d-a-c-b.17. What does the underlined word "trimmed" in the third paragraph mean?A. shakenB. cutC. cleanedD. collected18. Why must we cut a topiary many times in the summer?A. Because the bush can be in good shape.B. Because it will make the bush grow slowly.C. Because it can change the bush into another one.D. Because it helps the bush grow tall enough.19. Growing a topiary garden take both skills and .A. moodB. luckC. moneyD. time20. The last paragraph mainly tells us that .A. topiary gardening has a long historyB. topiary gardening is too difficult an art to learnC. topiary gardening plays a great role in our lifeD. topiary gardening will be more popular in the future二、阅读与表达(表格式)（共5小题；共5分）I have many storybooks, but my favourite is The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. I have had it for five years. My parents gave it to me as a birthday gift. I have read it many times since then. It's really interesting.Nils is a 14-year-old farm boy and he is very lazy and naughty. In his free time, he likes hurting the animals on his family farm. When his parents leave him home alone, an elf(小精灵) punishes him by turning him into a midget(小矮人). Nils must improve in order to change back to his normal size. My favourite scene in the book is when Nils and a white goose(鹅) on his family farm join a group of wild geese(大雁). The wild geese are not pleased at all to be joined by a boy and a farm goose. The farm goose has to prove he can fly like the wild geese and Nils has to prove that he is useful. During the trip, Nils learns that the elf might be glad to change him back if he proves he has changed for the better.The themes of the book have to do with children growing up and peace among all living things. Although the story is very simple, the writer made it a wonderful book to read with amazing skills. Come on—read it, I know you'll enjoy it, too.根据短文内容，完成表格。