It was just after sunrise on a June morning. “Nicolo,” whose real name cannot be 41 to the public because of Italy’s privacy laws, 42 working the whole night at a factory in Turin. As he often did, he stopped by the “after work auction(拍卖)” 43 by the Italian police where things 44 on the trains were sold to the highest bidder. There, among many other things, Nicolo spotted two paintings he thought would look 45 above his dining room table. Nicolo and another bidder 46 until Nicolo finally won the paintings for $32.
When Nicolo retired and went to live in Sicily, he 47 the paintings with him. He hung them above the same table he had 48 from Turin. His son, age 15, who had 49 an art appreciation class, thought that there was something 50 about the one with a young girl sitting on a garden chair. It was signed(签名) “Bonnato” or so he thought, but when he 51 it, he only found “Bonnard," a French 52 he had never heard of. He bought a book and was 53 to find a picture of the artist Pierre Bonnard sitting on the same chair in the same 54 as his father’s painting.
"That’s the garden in our picture,"Nicolo’s son told his father. They 55 learned that the painting they 56 was called "The Girl with Two Chairs." They 57 the other painting and learned that it was 58 Paul Gauguin’s “Still Life of Fruit on a Table with a Small Dog." The 59 called the Italian Culture Ministry; the official confirmed that the paintings were 60 and worth as much as $50 million.
41. A. attached B. allocated C. exposed D. submitted
42. A. finished B. delayed C. considered D. tried
43. A. attended B. reserved C. cancelled D. run
44. A. shown B. found C. kept D. hidden
45. A. nice B. familiar C. useful D. real
46. A. battled B. debated C. discussed D. bargain
47. A. held B. left C. registered D. brought
48. A. chosen B. received C. ordered D. moved
49. A. missed B. failed C. taken D. led
50. A. concrete B. unusual C. unappealing D. natual
51. A. appreciated B. touched C. researched D. witnessed
52. A. painter B. designer C. author D. actor
53. A. expected B. surprised C. anxious D. ready
54. A. room B. kitchen C. hall D. garden
55. A. apparently B. confidently C. eventually D. temporarily
56. A. owned B. borrowed C. sold D. stole
57. A. collected B. cleaned C. framed D. studied
58. A. suitably B. actually C. rightly D. specifically
59. A. girl B. artist C. family D. police
60. A. copies B. originals C. models D. presents
41—45 CADBA 46—50 ADDCB 51—55 CABDC 56—60 ADBCB
I first went to hear a live rock concert when I was eight years old. My brother and his friends were all ___36____ of a heavy metal group called Black Wednesday. When they ___37____ that Black Wednesday were going to perform at our local theatre, they all bought ____38___ for performance. However, at the last minute, one of the friends couldn’t go, so my brother __39_____ me the ticket. I was really ___40____!
I remember the buzz (嘈杂声) of excitement inside the theatre as we all found our __41____ . After a few minutes, the lights went down and everybody became ___42____. I could barely make out the stage in the ___43____. We waited. Then there was a roar from the crowd, like an explosion, as the first members of the band ___44____ the stage. My brother leaned over and shouted something in my ear, but I couldn’t ____45___ what he was saying. The first song was already starting and the music was as ____46___ a jet engine. I could ___47____ the drum beats and bass notes in my stomach.
I can’t recall any of the songs that the band played. I just __48_ that I really enjoyed the show and didn’t want it to _ 49_. But in the end, after three encores (加演), the show finished. We left the 50_ and walked unsteadily out onto the pavement. I felt a little dizzy, as if I had just 51_from a long sleep. My ears were still 52_with the beat of the last song.
After the 53 , I became a Black Wednesday fan too for a few years before getting into other kinds of music. Once in a while, 54_, I listen to one of their songs and 55_I’m back at that first show.
40. A. relaxed B. embarrassed C. excited D. encouraged
41. A. seats B. entrance C. spots D. space
42. A. comfortable B. quite C. serious D. nervous
43. A. silence B. noise C. darkness D. smoke
44. A. fell upon B. got through C. broke into D. stepped onto
45. A. forget B. hear C. repeat D. bear
46. A. loud B. heard C. sweet D. fast
47. A. feel B. touch C. enjoy D. digest
48. A. realize B. understand C. believe D. remember
49. A. continue B. delay C. finish D. change
50. A. party B. theatre C. opera D. stage
51. A. escaped B. traveled C. benefited D. woken
52. A. aching B. burning C. ringing D. rolling
53. A. competition B. performance C. interview D. celebration
54. A. though B. otherwise C. instead D. besides
55. A. decide B. regret C. conclude D. imagine