C. Working as a symbol of a good work.

D. Delivering the message of a story or a thought.

39. What do you need if you want to combine painting and poetry?

A. Great Creativity.   B. The knowledge of poetry.

C. Life experiences. D. Skills of art.

40. It can be inferred from the text that 　　  .

A. any opposite things can be united through efforts

B. poems can inspire us to paint but not the opposite

C. painting and poems are recently combined together

D. the author hasn’t combined poems and painting before

B

The word “cancer” seems to leave most people at a loss for words. I found this out first hand 16 months ago. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and left the doctor’s office in the dark. Upon arriving home, I gave my husband the medical certificate (诊断书). He had very little to say about it.

During the period before my surgery, my husband would only talk about it if pressed into a conversation. I felt alone, very depressed, and unloved. I didn’t think he really cared for me and showed me moral support of some form or another.

On the morning of my surgery, we were at the hospital early. We just made small talk as we awaited my appointed hour. When the nurse came to wheel me away to operation, she said my husband could accompany us as far as the waiting area.

There were several people already in the waiting area, and right in front of the nurse and the other people, my husband bent down and kissed me and said, “I love you.” This is something that the nurse had probably heard quite often, but you need to realize that for my husband did this in public. At that point, I finally realized that he did care.

I felt fine after the surgery. However, I was concerned about my “appearance” and how my husband would accept all this. I looked at myself in the mirror, biting my lip to keep from crying. Just then, he hugged me and said it didn’t matter to him that I’d had both breasts removed and it mattered that I got well.

I had always felt close to my husband and had always considered him a friend. But at that moment in the bathroom, I suddenly knew what the words “best friend” and “soul mate” meant.

41. Why did the author think her husband was not concerned about her?

A. Because her husband didn’t even know her state of illness.

B. Because the author went to see the doctor alone.

C. Because her husband didn’t say much about her illness.

D. Because the author felt alone and unloved.

42. When her husband kissed her in public, the author was probably 　　  .

A. surprised B. heartbroken C. ashamed D. shy

43. When did the author first realize her husband cared for her?

A. After her husband comforted her in the bathroom.

B. As her husband accompanied her to the surgery.

C. When her husband said, “I love you” in public.

D. After her husband accepted her appearance.

44. We can learn from the text that after the surgery, the author 　　  .

A. felt very satisfied

B. was very sad about her appearance

C. lost confidence in her husband

D. cared little about what her husband thought of her

45. According to the author, “best friend” and “soul mate” refer to those who 　　  .

A. accept what you are and care for you

B. support you whenever you are in low spirits

C. share your sadness and happiness whenever it is

D. help you out if you have some emotional problems

C

Once upon a time, a doting mother asked Albert Einstein what she should read to her son to help him grow up as brilliant and intelligent as the famous scientist.

“Fairy-tales,” he said, wisely nodding his head.

Why? Why would Albert Einstein — the Nobel Prizes winning physicist recommend reading fairy-tales? Was he joking? All the evidence suggests he was deadly serious. He also said, “When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.”

Childhood is one of the factors that blur (使变模糊) the distinctions between the self and other objects. Thus fantasy stories appeal to children and appear to make sense to them.