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(风景画） much influenced(影响） by Krenkel and St. John for five years.
For some strange reason, I had been waiting until my retirement to start doing watercolors 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 favorite artist. I had looked through all the art books I had on my shelves and found his watercolors to be the closest to how I thought good watercolors should look. So I painted landscapes around Minnesota for three years and tried out many other types of painting. However, watercolors 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.”
69. What is the text mainly about?
A. Learning to paint in later life.
B. How to paint watercolors
C. An artist-turned teacher
D. Life after retirement
70. 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
71. 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 watercolors
D. started his retirement life at the age of seventy
72. 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.
答案
69.D
70.B
71.C
72.A
69．解析：这是一道主旨题。文章主要讲述作者退休后开始学习绘画的故事，表面看似乎在讲如何学习绘画。但是最后一段提到了piano playing and reading，并根据“it is wonderful to have some time ding what I want to do”可知作者的目的是讲退休后丰富的生活。
70．解析：这是一道推理题。从第一段“perhaps I was trying to recover from the loss of my father,”可知作者想从思念父亲中转移注意力，从而推理出作者十分想念父亲。
71．解析：这是一道推理题。从“…found his watercolors to be the closest to how I thought good watercolors should look”作者发现Andrew Wyeth的画是最接近作者认为最好水彩画的标准，也就是说作者认为Andrew Wyeth的水彩画最好。
72．解析：这是一道推理题。根据最后一段“There is a time for everything in my world and it is wonderfull…”可知作者很享受这种艺术生活。
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