Question

  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.

Answer 1

1. D 細節理解題。文章第一句“Since my retirement(退休) from teaching music in 2001,I have spent a good deal of time painting as an artist. ”講述作者退休后的生活，最后一段還提及“ piano playing and reading. ”以及作者的感受，故D正確。

2. B推理判斷題。從文中第一段第二句“…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. ”可推知B正確。

3. C推理判斷題。從文中第一段最后一句可知A項錯誤;從第二段第三句判斷B項錯誤；從第二段第二句可知 C項正確；D項文中沒有提及。

4. A