Millions of New Yorkers and visitors ride the city’s subway and other trains each day. The public transportation system offers more than just a trip, however. It also has one of the most extensive public art collections in the world, with much of it under city streets. Some people call it New York’s “underground art museum.” It includes more than 250 works of art. They are meant to brighten everyone’s ride around the city.

Sandra Bloodworth has directed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s arts program since it began in 1985. “But actually, it really began much earlier,” she said. “When the subway was founded in 1904, a percentage, if you will, of money was set aside to create a special decoration within the system, in order to make the place this very special place that people would want to use.”

For the past 30 years, artists have been asked to make works that relate to city life or to the neighborhood around a train station. There are coastal scenes at stations near the Atlantic Ocean. Native plants and flowers can be found in a garden scene in Brooklyn. Wildlife mosaics greet visitors arriving at the subway station next to the American Museum of Natural History. Sculptor Tom Otterness created the small, rounded, metal creatures that populate another station.

“When I’m stressed, I look at the subway art. I love the colors. Where I live, they have a mosaic of a man and a woman, like, floating across the water, and it’s beautiful. It’s just beautiful to have art everywhere.” Alejandra Acosta is from Colombia. She stopped at Times Square to take a picture of a colorful glass wall painting by the former artist Jacob Lawrence. “I think it’s nice when you see these kinds of things that catch your eye when you’re walking in spaces like the subway stations that seem a little bit dull. They don’t have a lot of decoration.”

Even on cloudy winter days, the piece brings life into the dark passages. The same could be said, in fact, about all the works in New York’s underground art museum. 

1.What is mainly talked about in the passage?

A Millions of New Yorkers ride the subway and other trains every day.

B Passengers of New York’s subway and trains admire works of art around them.

C People feel relaxed when they ride New York’s subway and other trains.

D People have bright journeys when riding New York’s subway and other trains.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据文章第一段Some people call it New York’s “underground art museum可知，本文将主要介绍地下艺术博物馆的情况。

2.What is the purpose of setting up the underground art museum?

A In order to make people’s journey on the subway bright.

B In order to bring city life and neighborhood into the subway.

C In order to bring life to the dark journey of passengers.

D In order to make the subway a special place for people.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据文章第二段in order to make the place this very special place that people would want to use可知，市政府在纽约地铁站进行艺术装饰，目的是让人们感到纽约地铁的特殊性。

3.What can be seen from the works of art in the subway stations?

A Flowers, city life, neighborhood and coastal scenes.

B City life, neighborhood, colors, people floating on the coast.

C Sculptors of garden scenes, city life, coast and water.

D Metal sculptures, city life, garden scenes and coastal life.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据文章第三段可知，艺术家们在地铁站描绘了城市生活，社区景象，花园景色，海滩美景等主题，还用大量雕塑作品装饰了地铁站，故选D。

4.What can we infer from the passage?

A The underground art museum makes people’s trips pleasant.

B Passengers often feel stressed after taking the subway trips.

C Passengers can stop anywhere they like to enjoy the art works.

D Art works make people’s life colorful and hopeful.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据文章第四段It’s just beautiful to have art everywhere及I think it’s nice可以判断，地下艺术博物馆为人们的旅途带来了快乐。

5.In which column of a newspaper can you read this passage?

A Transportation.

B Art.

C Environment.

D Education.

解析：选B。B 推理判断题。本文介绍了纽约的地下艺术博物馆，是对地铁系统的艺术装饰，因此属于“艺术”主题，故选B。