高考英语二轮复习专项限时训练阅读理解（四十一）ASince my retirement(退休) from teaching music in 2001, I have spent a good deal of time painting as an artist. I actually began drawing again in the summer of 1995 when my father died, so perhaps I was trying to recover from the loss of my father, or maybe it was just that it brought back memories of him. In any case, I drew pen and ink animals and landscapes(风景画) much influenced(影响) by Krenkel and St. John for five years. For some strange reason, I had been waiting until my retirement to start doing watercolors again, but as soon as I walked out of the school door for the last time I picked up my brushes and rediscovered Andrew Wyeth, who quickly became my favorite artist. I had looked through all the art books I had on my shelves and found his watercolors to be the closest to how I thought good watercolors should look. So I painted landscapes around Minnesota for three years and tried out many other types of painting. However, watercolors remained my first choice, and I think I did my best work there, showing my paintings at a number of art exhibitions.Art is now together with my piano playing and reading. There is a time for everything in my world, and it is wonderful to have some time doing what I want to do. As Confucious once said, “At seventy I can follow my hearts desire.”1. What is the text mainly about?A. Learning to paint in later life. B. How to paint watercolorsC. An artist-turned teacher D. Life after retirement2. The author started drawing again in 1995 because_.A. he hoped to draw a picture of his fatherB. he couldnt stop missing his fatherC. he had more time after retirement D. he liked animals and landscapes3. We can infer from the text that the author_.A. had been taught by Krenkel and St. JohnB. painted landscapes in Minnesota for 5 yearsC. believed Wyeth to be the best in watercolorsD. started his retirement life at the age of severty4. How does the author probably feel about his life as an artist?A. Very enjoyable. B. A bit regretful C. Rather busy. D. Fairly dull.BPhillip Island Penguins(企鹅)The Little Penguin has called Phillip Island home for untold generations. Get to Phillip Island in plenty of time to watch s summer sunset at Summerland Beach the stage is attractively set to see the little Penguin leave water and step onto land.Leave Melbourne at 5:30 pm for a direct journey to Phillip Island.See the Gippsland area Guinness Book of Records place for the worlds longest earthworm(蚯蚓)Journey along the coastal highway around the Bay with French Island and Churchill Island in the distance Cross the bridge at San Remo to enter Phillip Island natural home for Little Penguins and many animalsTake your place in special viewing stands(看台) to watch the daily evening performance of the wild Little PenguinsUltimate Penguins (+U)Join a group of up to 15. This guided tour goes to an attractive, quiet beach to see Little Penguins. You can see penguins at night by wearing a special pair of glasses.Adult(成人) $60.00 Child $30.00Viewing Platform Penguin Plus (+V)More personalized wildlife viewing limited to 130 people providing closer viewing of the penguin arrival than the main viewing stands.Adult $25.00 Child $12.50Penguin Skybox (+S)Join a group of only 5 in the comfort of a special, higher-up viewing tower. Gain an excellent overview of Summerland Beach.Adult 16yrs+$505. What kind of people is the text mainly written for?A. Scientists. B. Students C. Tourists. D. Artists.6. We can learn from the text that Little Penguins_.A. have been on Phillip Island for yearsB. keep a Guinness record for their sizeC. are trained to practice diving for visitorsD. live in large groups to protect themselves 7. How much would a couple with one child pay for a closer viewing tour?A. $37.50. B. $62.50. C. $180.00. D. $150.00.CA device that stops drivers form falling asleep at the wheel is about to undergo testing at Department of Transport laboratories and could go on sale within 12 months.The system, called Driver Alert, aims to reduce deadly road accidents by 20% - 40% that are caused by tiredness. Airline pilots can also use it to reduce the 30% of all pilot-error accidents that are related to fatigue.Driver Alert is based on a computerized wristband. The device, worn by drivers or pilots, gives out a sound about every four minutes during a car journey. After each sound the driver must respond by squeezing the steering wheel (方向盘). A sensor in the wristband detects this pressing action and measures the time between the sound the drivers response.Tiredness is directly related to a drivers response time. Usually, a watchful driver would take about 400 milliseconds to respond, but once that falls to more than 500 millis