Ⅰ.阅读理解
Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907, in Mexico City. Kahlo suffered from ill health as a child after catching polio (小儿麻痹症) at age 6, which made her right leg shorter and thinner than the left.
Before her painting career, she aimed for a career in natural sciences, but her dreams were ruined by a serious accident, which caused her pain and illness for the rest of her life. She was paralyzed (瘫痪) for three months, alone and lonely.
Armed with a few brushes, a range of oil paints and a special easel (画架) that allowed her to paint while still in bed, she created some beautiful pieces. Her artwork is sought after by fans and art collectors for high prices, the highest being eight million.
Kahlo married Diego Rivera, a famous Mexican artist. They once divorced in 1939, but remarried in 1940.
Frida Kahlo once said, “I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.” This perfectly describes her painting style, one drawn from her personal pain and tragedies. She is a selftaught artist known for her selfportraits (自画像)．
Mexican culture and tradition was something very important to her, evident in many of her paintings. Aside from her strong sense of Mexican pride, various references to religion were also included.
Frida Kahlo's selfportrait, Girl with Necklace, has resurfaced after 60 years of it being hidden from the public eye. This discovery of Kahlo's painting is significant, as only ten percent of her work is available in America due to complex and strict export laws in Mexico. Her works are declared as “artistic monuments” by the Mexican president and any works painted in Mexico must remain in Mexico. These strict laws have produced many fakes of Kahlo's work.
Frida Kahlo's legacy lives on till this day, for being not only a wellknown female artist of color, but also a breaker of cultural and societal barriers.
语篇解读本文是一篇记叙文。文章介绍了墨西哥最受欢迎的现代女画家弗里达·卡洛。
1．What caused Kahlo to begin painting?
A．Her love for painting.
B．Her love of natural scenery.
C．Her pain and loneliness in bed.
D．Her desire to make more money.
解析：选C 推理判断题。结合文章第二、三段中的“She was paralyzed (瘫痪) for three months, alone and lonely”和“Armed with a few brushes ... that allowed her to paint while still in bed, she created some beautiful pieces”可以推断，弗里达在病床上用绘画来转移注意力。
2．What style are Kahlo's paintings?
A．Realistic. B．Romantic.
C．Abstract. D．Impressionistic.
解析：选A 细节理解题。根据第五段中弗里达所说的话“I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality”以及作者对此的评论“This perfectly describes her painting style”可知，弗里达的绘画属于现实主义流派。
3．Why is the discovery of Girl with Necklace important?
A．There are a lot of fakes.
B．It is the only portrait of Kahlo.
C．Kahlo's paintings are rare in America.
D．It is regarded as the “artistic monument”．
解析：选C 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中的“This discovery of Kahlo's painting is significant, as only ten percent of her work is available in America”可知弗里达的绘画作品在美国留存的数量很少，因此Girl with Necklace的发现非常重要。
4．Which of the following best describes Kahlo?
A．Talented but unlucky.
B．Brave but selfcentered.
C．Optimistic and conservative.
D．Ambitious and sensitive.
解析：选A 推理判断题。弗里达一生深受病痛的折磨，但她靠自学成为墨西哥最受欢迎的女画家，由此可见，弗里达是一个有天赋但不幸的人。
