高中英语阅读理解题12篇及答案

高中英语阅读理解题12篇及答案 A. are still a must on certain occasions B. are certain to return sooner or later 1 C. are still being taught by parents at home When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions dating back to D. can help improve personal relationships grandma's generation. Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver, and the dress code will be Sunday best. 2 But in many other homes, this china-and-silver elegance has given way to a stoneware (粗 陶) and stainless informality, with dresses assuming an equally casual-Friday look. For hosts and When Johnny Cash sings, people listen. His big, deep voice rumbles out of radios and juke- guests, the change means greater simplicity and comfort. For makers of fine china in Britain, it boxes across North America. His records sell by the million. Country-music fans everywhere, know spells economic hard times. his big hits. They love songs like "Hey Porter", "Ring of Fire", and "Folsom Prison Blue". Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in Stoke-on-Trent, announced that it is eliminating Johnny Cash sings about a hundred concerts a year. People like what they hear--and what 1,000 jobs -- one-fifth of its total workforce. That brings to more than 4, 000 the number they see, too. Rugged and big-shouldered, the singer stands six-two without his black boots on. of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery (陶瓷) region. Wedgwood and other pottery factories He's a two-hundred-pound package of muscle and talent. And that scar(疤痕)on his cheek? It's made cuts earlier. a bullet(子弹)hole, of course! Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs in In the minds of most people, Johnny Cash is "Mr Tough( violent) Guy". He's an ex-drug Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social shifts. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the addict (上瘾者)who was once put in prison. His grandmother was an Indian. To keep from starving company "has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend" toward casual dining. Families eat together he once had to live on wild rabbits killed from forty feet away with a knife. Some people say he less often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or they eat in even killed a man. front of television. In fact, most of the Johnny Cash story is just that--a story. True, years ago he had a "drug Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone casual. In a time of long work hours and habit "for a short time. He "popped" pills. But he never used heroin or other "hard "drugs. Some- demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it's better to share a takeout pizza times he'd go wild and get locked up for a few hours . But he never served a prison sentence. on paper plates in the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a "real" dinner party. There's no Indian blood in his veins. He's been a killer only in song. As for the "bullet hole", Too often, the perfect moment never comes. Iron a fine-patterned tablecloth? Forget it. Polish the it's an old scar left by a doctor who opened a cyst(囊肿). silver? Who has time? People who know Johnny Cash well say he's a "gentle guy", a "generous guy'--anything but Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of etiquette (礼节) that children a "tough guy". How did the stories get started? Some of them, like the story about the "Indian might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents grandmother", he made up long ago to add excitement to his career. Others , like the "bullet (" Chew with your mouth closed." "Keep your elbows off the table. ") must be picked up else- hole" , simply got started. Now there's little the singer can do to change people's minds. "They where. Some companies now offer etiquette seminars for employees who may be able professionally just want to believe it," he says. but inexperienced socially. 56. Johnny Cash is a favorite of many . 72. Why do people tend to follow the trend to casual dining? A. opera lovers B. country music fans A. Family members need more time to relax. C. hard-rock fans D. jazz music lovers B. Busy schedules leave people no time for formality. 57. In truth, Johnny Cash . C. People prefer to live a comfortable life. A. invented the "Indian grandmother" D. Young people won't follow the etiquette of the older generation. B. used to kill rabbits for a living 73. It can be learned from the passage that 'Royal Doulton is . C. had a bullet hole on his cheek A. a seller of stainless steel tableware B. a dealer in stoneware D. served a long prison sentence C. a pottery chain store D. a producer of fine China 58. In his private life, Johnny Cash is, . 74. The main cause of the layoffs in the pottery industry is . A. much wilder than he looks A. the increased value of the pound B. the worsening economy in Asia B. much smaller than he is on stage C. the change in people's way of life D. the fierce competition at home and abroad C. much tougher than he is in public 75. Formal table manners, though less popular than before in current Social life, . D. much more gentle than most people suppose 59. The passage shows us that many people believe . C. The border collie is world-famous for recognizing objects. A. only what they see B. what they are sure is true D. Rico is born to understand its owner's commands. C. only what they hear D. what they find interesting 63. What does the writer want to tell us? A. To train your dog. B. To talk to your dog. B C. To be friendly to your dog. D. To be careful with your dog. 3 4 Do dogs understand us? Be careful what you say around your dog. It might understand more than you think. Paynes Prairie(used) A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany. The Have you ever heard of Paynes Prairie? It is one of the most important natural and historical areas in dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child. Its word-learning skills are as good Florida. Paynes Prairie is located near Gainesville. It is large, 21 000 acres. This protected land is called a as those of a parrot or chimpanzee(黑猩猩). preserve. The Florida Park Service manage the preserve. In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into The Paynes Prairie basin was formed when limestone dissolved and the ground settled. It is covered by 20 groups of 10 objects. Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back. In four marsh(沼泽)and wet prairie vegetation. There are areas of open water. During brief periods it has flooded enough tests, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right. As the dog couldn't see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe to be considered a lake. Except for that, the basin has changed little through time. Rico must understand the meanings of certain words. Man has lived on Paynes Prairie a very long time. He lived there as far back as 10000 B. C. At one time, In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room the Seminoles lived there. The prairie is thought to have been named after King Payne, a Seminole chief. During with seven toys whose names the dog already knew. The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the late 1600s, the largest cattle ranch in Florida was on Paynes Prairie. Today, Paynes Prairie is preserved land . the dog had never heard before. It is occupied by visitors and Florida Park Service employees. The correct object was chosen in seven out of l0 tests, suggesting that the dog had worked Willam Bartram visited Paynes Praire. Bartram was the first person who portrayed (described)nature out the answer by process of elimination(排除法). A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which through personal experience as well as scientific observation. He lived 200 years ago. He visited Paynes Prairie in is even more impressive. 1774. At that time he described it. He called Paynes Prairie the "great Alachua Savannah." Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog. For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed (品 Most of the animal life, which Bartram described, is still here. A large number of sandhill cranes, hawks 种)known for its mental abilities. In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names and waterfowl are here in winter. The animal diversity is increased by the presence of pine flatwoods, hammock, since the age of nine months. swamps and ponds. It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can't The Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is open year round. The Florida Park Service works hard so that talk back. Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then. You might just get a big, wet kiss in the park will appear as it did in the past. It offers many opportunities for recreation. At the park you can camp and return! picnic. You can hike and bike. You can boat and fish. You can ride on horse trails. And you can see lots of nature 60. From paragraph 2 we know that __ . and wildlife. You can see Florida as it was in the early days. A. animals are as clever as human beings Paynes Prairie is a part of our Florida history. It is an example of our Florida natural resources. It is a B. dogs are smarter than parrots and chimpanzees place for recreation. Paynes Prairie is an important experience of the Real Florida. C. chimpanzees have very good word-learning skills 64. How was the Paynes Prairie basin formed? D. dogs have similar 'learning abilities as 3-year-old children A. By the Seminole Indians. 61. Both experiments show that . B. By the Florida Park Service. A. Rico is smart enough to get all commands right C. From dissolved limestone and the ground settling. B. Rico can recognize different things including toys D. From lots of flooding and wet prairie vegetation. C. Rico has developed the ability of learning mathematics 65. The underlined word "diversity" means “ .” D. Rico won't forget the names of objects once recognizing them A. variety B. society C. population D. area 62. Which of the following statements is true? 66. All of the following are true EXCEPT that __ . A. The purpose of the experiments is to show the border collie's mental abilities. A. Paynes Prairie has changed little through time B. Rico has a better memory partly because of its proper early training. B. Paynes Prairie is covered by wet prairie grasses C. there used to be a big cattle farm on Paynes Prairie A. people doubt the effects of the pills D. William Bartram was the first person~ to visit Paynes Prairie B. the pill will stop people's bad experiences 67. The purpose of the passage is to . C. taking the pill will do harm to people's health A. call on people to protect widlife D. the pill has probably been produced in America B. attract people to this preserved park 71. Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with? C. show you the formation of Paynes Prairie A. Some memories can ruin people's lives. D. introduce the recorded history of Paynes Prairie B. People want to get rid of bad memories. C. Experiencing bad events makes us different from others. D. The pill will reduce people's sufferings from bad memories. 5 NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. 6 Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares. What's your dream vacation? Watching wildlife in Kenya? Boating down the Amazon? Sunbathing in Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget Malaysia? New chances are opening up all the time to explore the world. So we visit travel agents, compare bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it packages and prices ,and pay our money. might reduce ,or possibly erase(抹去),the effect of painful memories. We know what our vacation costs us. But do we know what it might cost someone else? It's true that In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body many poorer countries now depend on tourism for foreign income. Unfortunately, though, tourism often releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the harms the local people more than it helps them. emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased. It might cost their homes and lands. In Myanmar, 5,200 people were forced to leave their homes The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, While others support among the pagodas(佛塔)in Bagan so that tourists could visit the pagodas. it. Tourism might also cost the local people their livelihood and dignity. Local workers often find only Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. menial(卑微的)jobs in the tourist industry. And most of the profits do not help the local economy. Instead, They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories. profits return to the tour operators in wealthier countries, When the Maasai people in Tanzania were driven "Some memories can ruin people's lives . They come back to you when you don't want to have them from their lands, some moved to city slums. Others now make a little money selling souvenirs or posing for in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor photos. of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that suffering." Problems like these were Observed more that 20 years ago. But now some non-government But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because organizations, tour operators and local governments are working together to begin correcting them. Tourists, memories give us our identity (特质). They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past. too, are putting on the pressure. "All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. The result is responsible tourism, or “ethical tourism.” Ethical tourism has people at its heart. New I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out, "said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist. international agreements and codes of conduct can help protect the people's lands, homes, economies and 68. The passage is mainly about . cultures. The beginnings are small, though, and the problems are complex. A. a new medical invention But take heart. The good news is that everyone, including us, can play a part to help the local people B. a new research on the pill in the places we visit. Tour operators and companies can help by making sure that local people work in good C. a way of erasing painful memories conditions and earn reasonable wages. D. an argument about the research on the pill They can make it a point to use only locally owned hotel, restaurants and guide services. They can 69. The drug tested on people can . share profits fairly to help the local economy. And they can involve the local people in planning and A. cause the brain to fix memories managing tourism. B. stop people remembering bad experiences What can tourists do? First, we can ask tour companies to provide information about the conditions C. prevent body producing certain chemicals of local citizens. We can then make our choices and tell them why. And while we're abroad, we can: D. Wipe out the emotional effects of memories Buy local foods and products, not imported ones. 70. We can infer from the passage that . Pay a fair price for goods and services and not bargain for the cheapest price. C. into a poor family D. into a middle class family Avoid flaunting wealth. 58. Owen's experiment in the United States failed because _______. Ask before taking photographs of people. A. he lost all his money They are not just part of the landscape! B. he did not buy enough land Let's enjoy our vacation and make sure others do, too. C. people who visited it were not impressed 72. What is probably the best title for the article? D. it was too far away for him to organize it properly A. Tourism Causes Bad Effects. B. Tourism Calls for Good Behavior. 59. We may infer form the passage that no children in Britain could enjoy free education until ____. C. Vacations Bring a Lot of Fun. D. Vacations Cost More Than You Think A. 1771 B. 1816 C. 1825 D. 1860 73. Which of the following is not mentioned? A. Local people were well paid to leave their lands. 8 B. Tourists may stay in hotels opened by local people. C. Local people are mainly provided with low-paying work. Do you want to improve the way you study? Do you feel nervous before a test? Many students say that a lack D. Tourists could bargain with local people for a reasonable price. of concentration (注意力) is their biggest problem. It seriously affects their ability to study, so do their test 74. The underlined phrase "take heart" means" ". results. A. pay attention B. take care C. cheer up D. calm down If so, use these tips to help you. Study Techniques 75. According to the passage, the writer thinks . , You should always study in the same place. You shouldn’t sit in a position that you use for A. tourism is not a promising industry another purpose. For example, when you sit on a sofa to study, your brain will think it is time to relax. Don’t B. dream vacations should be spent abroad watch TV while you are studying. Experts warn that your concentration may be reduced by 50 percent if you C. the problems caused by tourism are easy to settle attempt to study in this way. Always try to have a white wall in front of you, so there is nothing to distract (make D. tourists should respect local customs and culture less concentrated) you. Before sitting down to study, gather together all the equipment you need. Apart from your 7 textbooks, pens, pencils and knives, make sure you have a dictionary. If your study desk or table is needed when Robert Owen was born in Wales in 1771. At the age of ten he went to work. His employer had a large private you are not studying, store all your equipment in a box beside it. library so Owen was able to educate himself. He read a lot in his spare time and at nineteen he was given the job , Your eyes will become tired if you try to read a text which is on a flat surface. Position your of superintendent(监工) at a Manchester cotton mill. He was so successful there that he persuaded his employer book at an angle of 30 degrees. to buy the New Lanark mill in Scotland. , Be realistic and don’t try to complete too much in one study period. Finish one thing before When he arrived at New Lanark it was a dirty little town with a population of 2,000 people. Nobody paid beginning another. If you need a break, get up and walk around for a few minutes, but try not to telephone a any attention to the workers' houses or their children's education. The conditions in the factories were very bad. friend or have something to eat. There was a lot of crime and the men spent most of their wages on alcoholic drinks. Test-taking Skills Owen improved the houses. He encouraged people to be clean and save money. He opened a shop and sold , All your hard work will be for nothing if you are too nervous to take your test. Getting plenty of the workers cheap, well-made goods to help them. He limited the sale of alcoholic drinks. Above all, he fixed his rest is very important. This means do not study all night before your test! It is a better idea to have a long-term mind on the children's education. In 1816 he opened the first free primary school in Britain. study plan. Try to make a timetable for your study which lasts for a few months. People came from all over the country to visit Owen's factory. They saw that the workers were healthier and , Exercise is a great way to reduce pressure. Doing some form of exercise every day will also more efficient than in other towns. Their children were better fed and better educated. Owen tried the same improve your concentration. Eat healthy food too. experiment in the United States. He bought some land there in 1825,but the community was too far away. He , When you arrive in the examination room, find your seat and sit down. Breathe slowly and could not keep it under control and lost most of his money. deeply. Check the time on the clock during the test, but not too often. Above all, take no notice of everyone else Owen never stopped fighting for his idea. Above all he believed that people are not born good or bad. He and give the test paper your undivided attention. was a practical man and his ideas were practical. "If you give people good working conditions," he thought, "they 65. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage? will work well and, the most important thing of all, if you give them the chance to learn, they will be better A. You should study in a different place every day, so you don’t get bored. people." B. Your concentration will improve if you study and watch TV at the same time. 56. For Owen, his greatest achievement in New Lanark was _____________. C. Check the time during the exam at a certain time. A. improving worker's houses B. helping people to save money D. Staying up all night and studying is tiring, but you will learn a lot using this method. C. preventing men from getting drunk D. providing the children with a good education 66. What does the underlined word “it” refer to? 57. From the passage we may infer that Owen was born ___________. A. Your study desk or table. B. Your textbook. A. into a rich family B. into a noble family C. Your dictionary. D. The equipment you need. 67. What can be inferred from the passage? A. You shouldn’t look at everyone else during the test. lunchtime, you’ll probably buy more than you plan to. Unfortunately, however, just this advice isn’t enough for B. You will have enough energy to deal with your study and exams by eating healthy diet. consumers these days. Modern shoppers need an education in how and how not to buy things at the store. First, C. You’ll concentrate more if there is nothing to distract you. you check the weekly newspaper ads. Find out the items that are on sale and decide if you really need these things. D. If you feel tired during study, you can walk around for a few minutes. In other words, don’t buy anything just because it’s cheaper than usual! “New and Improved!” or “All Natural” 9 on the front of a package influence you. Instead, read the list of ingredients(contents) on the back. Third, compare prices: that is, you should examine the prices of both different brands and different sizes of the same brand. On June 17, 1774, the officials from Maryland and Virginia held a talk with the Indians of the Six Nations. Another suggestion for consumers is to buy ordinary items instead of famous brands. Ordinary items in The Indians were invited to send boys to William and Mary College. In a letter the next day they refused the offer supermarkets come in plain packages. These products are cheaper because producers don’t spend much money on as follows: packing or advertising. The quality, however, is usually as good as the quality of well-known name brands. In the We know that you have a high opinion of the kind of learning taught in your colleges, and that the costs of same way, in buying clothes, you can often find high quality and low prices in brands that are not famous. living of our young men, while with you, would be very expensive to you. We are convinced that you mean to do Shopping in discount clothing stores can help you save a lot of money. Although these stores aren’t very attractive, us good by your proposal; and we thank you heartily. But you must know that different nations have different and they usually do not have individual dressing rooms, not only are the prices low, but you can often find the ways of looking at things, and you will therefore not be offended if our ideas of this kind of education happen not same famous brands that you find in high-priced department stores. to be the same as yours. We have had some experience of it. Several of our young people were formerly brought Wise consumers read magazine ads and watch TV commercials, but they do this with one advantage: up at the college of the northern provinces: they were taught all your sciences; but when they came back to us, knowledge of the psychology behind the ads. In other words, well-informed consumers watch for information and they were bad manners, ignorant of every means of living in the woods – they were totally good for nothing. check for misinformation. They ask themselves questions: Is the advertiser hiding something in small print at the We are, however, not the less obliged by your kind offer, though we refuse to accept it; and, to show our bottom of the page? Is there any real information in the commercial, or is the advertiser simply showing an grateful sense of it, if the gentlemen of Virginia will send us a dozen of their sons, we will take care of their attractive image? With the answers to these questions, consumers can make a wise choice. education, teach them all we know, and make men of them. 72. All the following statements are true about the phrase “ordinary items” in Paragraph 2 except ____. 68. The passage is about ____. A. ordinary items never say “New and Improved” or “All Natural” A. the talk between the Indians and the officials B. ordinary products are usually cheaper than famous brands B. the colleges of the northern provinces C. producers spend less money on packaging of ordinary items C. the educational values of the Indians D. the quality of ordinary items is usually as good as that of famous brands D. the problems of the Americans in the mid-eighteen century 73. What does the writer think about ads? 69. The Indian chief’s purpose of writing the letter seems to be to ____. A. They are believable. A. politely refuse a friendly offer B. They are attractive. B. express their opinions on equal treatment C. They are full of misinformation. C. show their pride D. They are helpful to consumers. D. describe Indian customs 74. One of the author’s suggestions to consumers is ____. 70. According to the letter, the Indians believed that ____. A. to make use of ads A. it would be better for their boys to receive some schooling B. not to buy items with words like “New and Improved” or “All Natural” B. they were being insulted by the offer C. to buy high quality items such as famous brands after lunch C. they knew more about science than the officials D. to buy any ordinary items instead of famous brands D. they had better way of educating young men 75. The author implies that ____. 71. Different from the officials’ view of education, the Indians thought ____. A. going into the supermarket hungry, you may buy more than you plan to A. young women should also be educated B. the quality of ordinary items is usually high and the prices are relatively low B. they had different goals of education C. discount clothing stores are good places to go to C. they taught different branches of science D. ads sometimes don’t tell the truth D. they should teach the sons of the officials first 11 Language learning begins with listening. Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and later starters are often long listeners .Most children will “obey” spoken instructions some time before they can speak, 10 though the word “obey” is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child .Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises. Any attempt to study the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties. Never go into a supermarket hungry! This is a good piece of advice. If you go shopping for food before It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight, pain, friendliness, and so on. But since these can’t be said to show the baby’s intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for flowers, fruit, and cheese. His brother Rembrandt studied under his father and painted portraits of many noted enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new words to their store. This self-imitation（模仿）leads on to deliberate（有people, including one of George Washington. Another brother, Rubens Peale, painted mostly landscapes and 意的）imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech. portraits. It is a problem we need to get out teeth into. The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means by it in a James Peale, the brother of Charles Willson Peale, specialized in miniatures (小画像). His daughter Sarah particular situation and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the world .Thus the Miriam Peale was probably the first professional female portrait painter in America. use at seven months of “mama” as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaningless sound simply because he also uses 71. What is the main topic of the passage? it at other times for his father, his dog, or anything else he likes. Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say A. The life of Charles Willson Peale. B. Portraits in the 18th century. continues after the child has begun to speak for himself, I doubt, however whether anything is gained when parents take advantage of this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds. C. The Peale Museum. D. A family of artists. 51. Before children start speaking________. 72. The author mentions in Paragraph 1 that Washington tipped his hat to the figures in the painting to show that A. they need equal amount of listening ________. B. they need different amounts of listening A. Charles Willson Peale’s painting was very lifelike C. they are all eager to cooperate with the adults by obeying spoken instructions D. they can’t understand and obey the adult’s oral instructions B. Washington respected Charles Willson Peale’s work 52. Children who start speaking late ________. C. Washington was friendly with Raphaelle and Titian Peale A. may have problems with their listening D. the painting of the two brothers was very large B. probably do not hear enough language spoken around them 73. The underlined word “unearthed” is closest in meaning to“ ______”. C. usually pay close attention to what they hear D. often take a long time in learning to listen properly A. showed B. dug up C. invented D. looked over 53. A baby’s first noises are ________. 74. Which of the following is NOT the child of Charles Willson Peale? A. an expression of his moods and feelings A. Titian Peale. B. Rubens Peale. C. Raphaelle Peale. D. Sarah Miriam Peale. B. an early form of language 75. The author’s attitude toward the Peales is in general _______. C. a sign that he means to tell you something D. an imitation of the speech of adults A. puzzled B. excited C. admiring D. disappointed 54. The problem of deciding at what point a baby’s imitations can be considered as speech________. A. is important because words have different meanings for different people B. is not especially important because the changeover takes place gradually C. is one that should be properly understood because the meaning of words changes with age D. is one that should be completely ignored（忽略）because children’s use of words is often meaningless 55. The speaker implies________. A. parents can never hope to teach their children new sounds B. children no longer imitate people after they begin to speak C. children who are good at imitating learn new words more quickly D. even after they have learnt to speak, children still enjoy imitating 12 The Peales were a famous family of American artists. Charles Willson Peale is best remembered for his portraits of leading figures of the American Revolution. He painted portraits of Franklin and Jefferson and over a dozen of George Washington. His life-size portrait of his sons Raphaelle and Titian was so realistic that George Washington reportedly once tipped his hat to the figures in the picture. Charles Willson Peale gave up painting in his middle age and devoted his life to the Peale museum, which he founded in Philadelphia. The world’s first popular museum of art and natural science mainly covered paintings by Peale and his family as well as displays of animals in their natural settings. Peale found the animals himself and found a method to make the exhibits more lifelike. The museum’s most popular display was the skeleton (骷髅) of a huge, extinct elephant, which Peale unearthed on a New York farm in 1801. Three of Peale’s seventeen children were also famous artists. Paphaelle Peale often painted still lives of