2016届高考英语阅读题提升 艺术殿堂
Additionally，visual artists sometimes refer to themselves as fine artists，as opposed to commercial artists.But some commercial art is really wonderful—“fine” I would say.It would really simplify matters if we could all just stick with visual，auditory，performance or literary—when we speak of the arts—and remove “fine” altogether.
Notes：
craftsmanship n.技艺 ②auditory adj.听觉的
长短句分析：It would really simplify matters if we could all just stick with visual，auditory，performance or literary—when we speak of the arts—and remove “fine” altogether.
句法点睛：这是个主从复合句，It would really simplify matters为主句，if引导的是条件状语从句，其中含有一个时间状语从句when we speak of the arts。
句意：艺术将真得让事情简单化，如果我们只局限于视觉、听觉、表演或文学——当我们谈到艺术的`时候——并且彻底将“精细”划分从我们的观念中清除。
【语篇解读】 本文为说明文。全文主要介绍了何谓“视觉艺术”，其包括哪些艺术形式等。
1.The concept of the visual arts contains the following EXCEPT ________.
A.painting B.sculpture
C.geometry D.architecture
答案 C [细节理解题。从文章开头“The visual arts are those creations we can look at，such as a drawing or a painting，sculpture，architecture and photography，etc.”一句可知C为正确答案。]
2.During the Middle Ages，the arts ________.
A.were more than seven in number
B.only referred to the fine arts
C.contained the fine arts and the useful arts
D.were studied by common people
答案 B [细节理解题。从第二段可知，在中世纪时，艺术仅局限于被称为fine arts的七种艺术形式。]
3.Why do the visual artists call themselves fine artists?
A.They think visual artists are more respectable.
B.They think their arts are more impressive than other arts.
C.They want to emphasize they differ from commercial artists. D.They think arts should be commercialized.
答案 C [细节理解题。从最后一段第一句可知，视觉艺术家自称为fine artists是为了和所谓的commercial artists区分开来。]
4.According to the author，the fine arts ________.
A.are better than other art forms
B.is a proper concept to refer to arts
C.is not an accurate term to classify arts
D.are often admired by visual artists
答案 C [细节理解题。从倒数第二段最后一句和最后一段可知，作者认为fine arts的定义并不准确，且给艺术的分类带来不便。]
维D 根据短文内容，从下框的A～F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余项。(每题2分，满分10分)
Smoking's bad for your health，but exactly how does quitting make life better?
1.
Stopping smoking has been found to slow facial ageing and delay the appearance of wrinkles.The skin of a nonsmoker gets more nutrients，including oxygen，and can reverse the sallow，lined complexion that smokers often have.
2.
People breathe more easily and cough less when they give up smoking because their lung capacity improves by up to 10% within nine months.In your 20s and 30s，the effect of smoking on your lung capacity may not be noticeable until you go for a run，but lung capacity naturally diminishes with age.In later years，having maximum lung capacity can mean the difference between having an active，healthy old age and wheezing when going for a walk or climbing the stairs.
3.
Half of all longterm smokers die early from smokingrelated diseases，including heart disease，lung cancer and chronic bronchitis.Men who quit smoking by 30 add 10 years to their life.People who kick the habit at 60 add three years to their life.In other words，it's never too late to benefit from stopping.Quitting not only adds years to your life，but it also greatly improves the chance of a diseasefree，mobile，happier old age.
4.
Scientific studies show that people's stress levels are lower after they stop smoking.Nicotine addiction makes smokers stressed from the “withdrawal” between cigarettes.The pleasant feeling of satisfying that craving is only temporary and is not a real cure for stress.Also，the improved levels of oxygen in the body mean that exsmokers can concentrate better and have increased mental wellbeing.
5.
Within 2 to 12 weeks of stopping smoking，the circulation improves.This makes all physical activity，including walking and running，much easier.Quitting boosts the immune system，making it easier to fight off colds and flu.The increase in oxygen in the body makes exsmokers less tired and less likely to have headaches.So people will become more energetic.
答案 1.F 2.D 3.A 4.C 5.B