Question

       Italian sculptor and painter Michelangelo was one of the most remarkable artists who ever lived. Working in Rome and Florence in the early 1500s, he produced both religious and secular art that is still marveled at today. But it appears that Michelangelo could be his own harshest (苛刻的)critic(評(píng)論家).

       Michelangelo was an old, sick man when he began carving a sculpture known as The Florence Pieta (a pieta is a sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Jesus). He worked on the sculpture only at night, and sometimes was in such pain that he could not work at all. Michelangelo intended to have the huge, almost eight feet tall sculpture as part of his own tombstone(墓碑); included in the work was the figure of an elderly suffering man. In describing the sculpture, Michelangelo’s biographer wrote of its great “beauty and sorrow”.

       But one day, after ten years of labor, the artist suddenly turned on his work. He attacked it with a sledgehammer, chopping off arms and legs. He would have destroyed the sculpture entirely if an assistant had not dragged him away. Later, the work was repaired by another assistant, but in an imperfect way.

       What prompted(促使) Michelangelo to almost destroy one of his greatest works? Did he feel he had made a mistake in the composition or the carving? Did he discover a hidden flaw(瑕疵)in the marble? Scientists have begun studying the repaired statue, taking 3-D photos of it from every angle so that they can study its structure with a computer. Perhaps someday they will have a clue as to what motivated Michelangelo.

1．Choose a good title for this passage.

       A．The lonely life of a genius                B．An artistic mystery

       C．Beauty and sorrow                   D．Using a computer to reconstruct the past

2．Michelangelo was carving the pieta for___________.

       A．his tombstone      B．a(chǎn) museum           C．a(chǎn) private client     D．a(chǎn)n Italian church

3．What conclusion can you draw from this passage?

       A．Michelangelo was an impatient, temperamental man

       B．Michelangelo worked in constant pain.

       C．Michelangelo ordered his assistant to repair the statue.

       D．Computer may help in resolving ancient puzzles.

4．The author of this passage quotes Michelangelo’s biographer in order to show that_______.

       A．the statue did not look to be flawed

       B．Michelangelo was unhappy with his work

       C．sometimes biographers don’t know what they are talking about

       D．Michelangelo could not stand to be criticized.

5．The word “secular” means__________.

       A．holy                                                 B．worldly(世俗的) 

       C．mediocre(低劣的)                   D．excellent

Answer 1

BADAB