Ⅰ.阅读理解
When I was only 3 years old, my mother taught me to memorize and recite poems.She was my first teacher of the arts, and my father was the first to appreciate my performance.Even at that young age, I had a simple understanding of how art and culture affect us human beings and how we can connect with each other through the arts, which shapes my life to this day.
When I was growing up, my parents supported my interest in taking acting classes and performing in the community theater.Their faith in me and the professional training I was getting from my theater teachers gave me a sense of purpose and a sense of selfconfidence.I learned what artistic achievement actually was and what hard work the business was.While many people saw the rosy picture of our business, I was really learning what it would require for me to become a professional.
I became an actress, but art education isn't just about preparing our young people for a job in the arts.I recently talked to some of the kids attending theater education.Some of them want to work in the theater，and some don't.They learn not only theater skills, but also about the world around them.They learn about discipline, hard work and what's required and what they have to do to bring themselves to the work.They learn how they can be of service in the world through the arts.They learn how to work with a team.By studying the arts, these students are open to worlds and lives that they might not have any other way of knowing about or any other way to connect with in their lives the way they are.
These young people are our future.We are passing the torch to them.And I think that's one of the most important reasons why we need to foster (培养)the arts.
作者以小时候学习艺术的经历为例，说明了艺术教育对自己产生的深远影响，从而建议人们应从小就重视艺术教育。
1．What does the underlined word “rosy” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A．Bright. B．Funny.
C．Terrible. D．Hopeless.
答案：A
解析：词义猜测题。分析语境“While many people saw the rosy picture of our business，I was really learning what it would require for me to become a professional.”可知，很多人只看到艺术行业美好的一面，作者自己感受到的却是成为一个专业人士需要什么。故选A。
2．What can be inferred from the second paragraph?
A．It was hard for the writer to start business.
B．It is not easy for one to succeed in the field of art.
C．Parents' faith is a must for one to be professional.
D．The writer's selfconfidence led to her artistic achievement.
答案：B
解析：推理判断题。根据第二段中的“I learned what artistic achievement actually was and what hard work the business was.”可知，作者意识到艺术成就实际上是什么，那些成就其实是通过努力奋斗来的。由此可推知，作者认为在艺术界获得成就是不容易的。
3．What is the text mainly about?
A．Where to get art education.
B．When kids should learn the arts.
C．How to improve art education.
D．Why art education counts.
答案：D
解析：主旨大意题。本文中作者以小时候学习艺术的经历为例，说明了艺术教育对自己产生的深远影响，从而建议人们应从小就重视艺术教育。D选项“Why art education counts”表示“艺术教育为什么重要”，符合全文大意，故选D。
