中考英语真题阅读（12）
中考英语真题阅读（12）
This painting is called The Fighting Temeraire. Temeraire is the name of the big, old sailing ship that you can see on the left of the picture. People chose this picture to be the greatest painting in Britain.
J. M. W. Turner painted it in 1839. It shows the old sailing ship, the Temeraire, on the River Thames near London. There’s a small tugboat pulling the old ship. It’s in fact taking the Temeraire on its last journey. The old ship is going to the breaker’s yard. In the background we can see the sun setting.
The picture, however, is more than just a painting of two boats in the evening. The artist wanted to show the end of an era(时代). The time of the beautiful, old sailing ships is coming to an end. That’s why we see this happening at sunset. In the little, brown tugboat we can see the new industrial era starting. The tugboat is small and dark and it’s making a lot of smoke, but it’s very strong, because it’s pulling the much bigger ship.
The painting shows a real event. Turner watched the Temeraire taking its last journey up the Thames, but he changed some of the details. He painted the old ship white and gold so that it looks like a ghost. In fact, the real ship was black and yellow. We also see the sun setting behind the ship, but in fact, the ship travelled towards the sunset. However, Turner wanted to show the sun setting on the time of the beautiful old sailing ships.
Turner painted The Fighting Temeraire when he was quite old, so perhaps he wanted to show the sun setting on his own life, too. He loved the painting and he never sold it. You can see it today in the National Gallery in London. 

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1.The Fighting Temeraire _______.

A is the name of a big sailing ship

B was thought the best painting in Britain

C shows two nice new ships

D was painted by a famous young artist

解析：选B。细节理解题。根据短文第一段中This painting is called The Fighting Temeraire…. People chose this picture to be the greatest painting in Britain.可知，人们认为Fighting Temeraire这幅画是英国最伟大的画作。故选B。

2.The old ship was pulled to the yard ______.

A to be painted new

B to be repaired

C to be broken up

D to be sold

解析：选C。推理判断题。根据短文第二段There’s a small tugboat pulling the old ship. It’s in fact taking the Temeraire on its last journey. The old ship is going to the breaker’s yard.可知，这艘船结束了最后一次航行，将驶进破船场。故选C。

3.What does the tugboat stand for according to the passage?

A The new industrial era.

B The beautiful old era.

C The painter’s own life.

D The white and gold ghost.

解析：选A。推理判断题。根据短文第三段The artist wanted to show the end of an era(时代). The time of the beautiful, old sailing ships is coming to an end…. In the little, brown tugboat we can see the new industrial era starting. The tugboat is small and dark and it’s making a lot of smoke, but it’s very strong, because it’s pulling the much bigger ship.可知，拖船很小、很黑，冒着很大的烟，但是它很结实，它拖着更大的船，它是新工业时代的象征。故选A。

4.What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?

A The color of the real sailing ship was white and gold.

B In the painting the sailing ship was going towards the sunset.

C Finally Turner sold this painting because he didn’t like it.

D Today the painting is kept in the National Gallery in London.

解析：选D。细节理解题。根据第四段He painted the old ship white and gold so that it looks like a ghost. In fact, the real ship was black and yellow.可知A不对；根据第四段We also see the sun setting behind the ship, but in fact, the ship travelled towards the sunset.可知B不对；根据最后一段He loved the painting and he never sold it.可知C不对。根据文章最后一句You can see it today in the National Gallery in London.可知，现在这幅画保存在伦敦国家美术馆，由此可知D选项符合文意，故选D。