I had worked long a nd hard on this project.Knowing that it was finally complete gave me great satisfaction.“Perfect!”I said.“Now，all I have to do is to keep the dogs off of it.” I went about setting up barriers(障碍)using old fence，broken chairs，flowerpots，and anything I could find so as to avoid footprints both on the oil paint and our carpet.It worked perfectly.

　　Just before retur ning to the house and to a much needed shower，I took one last look at this fine work of art.“What is that?”I said.“Where did that come from?”21·cn·jy·com

　　Clearly marked and e venly spaced across the entire area，I found tiny marks running in straight lines.I carefully stepped to our flower garden.It was there I found several of the small markings.Now，almost frozen in place by this stunning(令人震惊的)discovery，I remained in position so as to prevent further damaging my work.Just then，off to my left，it appeared.A chipmunk(花栗鼠).He was as stunned as I was.We stood there face to face looking at each other，wondering who would make the first move.

　　The warm，wet air w as now getting the best of me.Sweat now ran freely over my head，and in poor timing(适时)into my eyes.I reached up to rub them and when I opened my eyes he was gone.

　　My only satisfactio n was in thinking that when he returned home he tracked oily footprints into his own home.And，hoping he was married，his wife would not let him live it down for the rest of his life.I stood up，shook my head，and laughing about it all walked into my house.

　　Yes，I tracked o il on the carpet.I am married.My wife will not let me live it down for the rest of my life.

　　1.What was the project the author completed in the passage?

　　A.A painting. B.A carpet.

　　C.A fence. D.A flower garden.

　　2.We can know from the passage that the chipmunk

　　________.

　　A.made fun of the author

　　B.stole something important in the house

　　C.destroyed the author's work

　　D.came for some food

　　3.What did the author do to the chipmunk?

　　A.He caught it and gave it some punishment.

　　B.He frightened it away.

　　C.He tried to catch it but failed.

　　D.He didn't do any harm to it.

　　4.What kind of fee ling did the author intend to express in the passage?

　　A.Satisfaction and pleasure.

　　B.Regret and disappointment.

　　C.Love and appreciation.

　　D.Understanding and sympathy.

　　Arthur Miller (1915- 2005)is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century.Miller's father had moved to the USA from Austria­Hungary，drawn like so many others by the “Great American Dream”.However，he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early 1930s.

　　Miller' s most famous play，Death of a Salesman，is a powerful attack on the American system，with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth.In Willy Loman，the hero of the play，we see a man who has got into trouble with this system.Willy is “burnt out” and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment：if he can't do the work，then he is no good to his employer，the Wagner Company，and he must go.Willy is painfully aware of this，and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success.He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.

　　When it was f irst staged in 1949，the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and it won the Tony Award for Best Play，the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award，and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.

　　Miller died of hear t failure at his home in Roxbury，Connecticut, on the evening of February 10,2005，the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.

　　5.Why did Arthur Miller's father move to the USA?

　　A.He suffered from severe hunger in his home country.

　　B.He was attracted by the “Great American Dream”.

　　C.He hoped to make his son a dramatist.

　　D.His family business failed.

　　6.The play Death of a Salesman ________.

　　A.exposes the cruelty of the American business world

　　B.discusses the ways to get promoted in a company

　　C.talks about the business career of Arthur Miller

　　D.focuses on the skills in doing business

　　7.After it was first staged，Death of a Salesman ________.

　　A.achieved huge success

　　B.won the first Tony Award

　　C.was warmly welcomed by salesmen

　　D.was severely attacked by dramatists

　　8. What is the text mainly about?

　　A.Arthur Miller and his family.

　　B.The awards Arthur Miller won.

　　C.The hardship Arthur Miller experienced.

　　D.Arthur Miller and his best­known play.

　　1.A细节理解题。由文章第一段倒数第二句可知，作者完成的是一幅油画作品。

　　2.C　推理判断题。由文章第三段可知，油画上留下了花栗鼠的足印，油画被毁。

　　3.D　细节理解题。由文章第三段最后一句及第四段最后一句可知，作者并没有伤害它，当他揉眼睛时，花栗鼠溜走了。

　　4.D　推理判断题。由文章倒数第二段可知，作者想到花栗鼠可能也有家庭，并没有生气，而是笑了，故文章表达的是理解和同情。

　　语篇解读：本文主要介绍了20世纪美国最伟大的剧作家之一Arthur Miller及其最著名的剧作Death of a Salesman。

　　5.B　 事实细节题。由第一段第二句Miller's father had moved to the USA from Austria­Hungary，drawn like so many others by the“Great American Dream”.可知，他父亲搬家的原因是drawn like so many others by the “Great American Dream”，从而找到答案。

　　6.A　推理判断题。根据第二段中“Death of a Salesman，is a powerful attack on the American system，with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth.”以及剧中主人公以自杀方式结束生命的悲惨遭遇，可推断出这部剧作揭露了美国商业界的残酷。

　　7.A　推理判断题。由第三段内容可知，这是一部首次获得三项大奖的剧作，所以选项A正确。B不全面;C、D没有提及。

　　38.D　主旨大意题。总览全文叙述的是Arthur Miller和他最著名的剧作Death of a Salesman，A、B、C三个选项都不能概括这一主旨。

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