A famously strange statue in the city of Oxford, England recently received official protection as a historic landmark. But, Magnus Hanson-Heine, the son of the man who built the artwork, is not happy about the special recognition. 

But first, about that statue: It is a 7.6 meter tall model of a shark. The strange part is in the sculpture’s positioning up on the top of the Hanson-Heine house. It appears from the street as if the huge fish dove straight through the home’s roof. Magnus Hanson-Heine’s father, Bill Heine, put up the sculpture in 1986 as a protest against war and nuclear weapons. He worked on the art project with his friend, sculptor John Buckley.

Bill Heine was an American who studied law at the University of Oxford and made the town his home. He got the idea for the sculpture after he heard American warplanes fly over his house one night in April 1986. The next morning, he learned that the planes had been on their way to bomb Tripoli, Libya. The men put the sculpture on display on August 9 to mark the 41st anniversary of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, Japan.

The image of a shark crashing through the home captured the shock civilians must feel when bombs smash into their homes, Magnus Hanson-Heine said.

Magnus Hanson-Heine calls the local government’s declaration about the sculpture “absurd”. His father, he explained, never sought nor accepted permission to put up the shark. In fact, he strongly believed, his son said, that the government should not decide what art the public should see. And, Hanson-Heine noted, the same local council that has declared the shark historic and protected, had spent years seeking its removal.

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1.Why was the shark statue officially protected?

A Because it’s a historical remain of war.

B Because the owner was a historical figure.

C Because it’s the symbol of the city of Oxford.

D Because an artwork on top of it has historical value.

解析：选D。D推理判断题。根据第二段“Magnus Hanson-Heine’s father, Bill Heine, put up the sculpture in 1986 as a protest against war and nuclear weapons.”可知马格努斯·汉森·海涅的父亲比尔·海涅于1986年建造了该雕塑以抗议战争和核武器。可推知该雕塑受到保护是具有历史价值，故选D。

2.The following are all introduced about the statue in the first two paragraphs EXCEPT ________.

A its height

B its location

C its building time

D its construction process

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第一、二段可知，它是一个7.6米高的鲨鱼雕塑。位于英国牛津汉森·海涅的房屋的顶部。汉森·海涅的父亲比尔和他的雕塑家朋友一起于1986年建造了这座雕塑。文中并未提及雕塑的建造过程。故选D。

3.Which event inspired Bill Heine to build the statue?

A Bill’s study at the University of Oxford.

B American warplanes bombing Tripoli, Libya.

C The atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, Japan.

D Bill’s working on an art project with his friend.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据第三段“He got the idea for the sculpture after he heard American warplanes fly over his house one night in April 1986. The next morning, he learned that the planes had been on their way to bomb Tripoli, Libya.”可知，1986年4月的一个晚上，当比尔听到美国战机从他家上空飞过时(去轰炸利比亚黎波里的途中)，他产生了建造这座雕塑的想法。故选B。

4.Which word has the closest meaning of the underlined word “absurd”?

A Serious.

B Ridiculous.

C Meaningful.

D Reasonable.

解析：选B。B词义猜测题。根据第五段可知，汉森·海涅说他父亲从未寻求或接受过建造这座鲨鱼雕塑的许可。他坚信政府不应该决定公众应该看什么艺术。而宣布这座鲨鱼雕塑具有历史意义并受到保护的同一个地方市政委员会花了多年时间试图将其去除。由此可知，在汉森·海涅看来，地方委员会的决定是滑稽可笑的，ridiculous与之同义，故选B。