Beryl Cook taught herself to paint in her forties and became one of Britain’s best-known painters. She died peacefully earlier today at the age of 81.
She is best-known for creating a colorful and funny world of fat women. The comedian（喜剧演员） Victoria Wood once described her as “Rubens with jokes”. Describing her own work she once said, “I don’t know how my pictures happen; they just do.”
Her pictures gained a lot of fans for her. Her fans had long been angry with the major art galleries for failing to notice her works, which sell for only ￡40,000. In 2008 they started a fight against Tate Modern for not buying Cook’s paintings. But towards the end of her life she enjoyed wider praise, with a major exhibition last year at the Baltic gallery in Gateshead. Jess Wilder, co-owner of London’s Portal Gallery, had shown her paintings for more than 30 years.
One of four sisters, Cook left school at 14 and in 1943 moved to London and became a showgirl (歌舞女演员) in a singing hall. In 1946 she married her childhood friend John, with whom she ran a bar for a short time. Their son, also named John, was born in 1950, and they moved to Southern Rhodesia in 1951 — a move said to be a turning point for Cook. After picking up some paints belonging to her son, she began creating pictures on wood. The family later moved to Plymouth, where in the summer months they ran a hotel.
A local exhibition in the mid-1970s attracted many people, followed by a cover in the Sunday Times magazine and Cook’s first London exhibition. In 1979 Melvyn Bragg made a film about Cook.
66. Which of the following can best describe the style of Cook’s paintings?
A. Funny. B. Real. C. Particular. D. Common.
67. What can we know about Beryl Cook’s works?
A. They were all bought by all kinds of art galleries.
B. They helped bring children a lot of happiness.
C. They were mainly about fat women.
D. They were all finished when she was young.
68. In the opinion of Beryl Cook’s fans, ______.
A. Beryl Cook’s works were too expensive to buy
B. Beryl Cook’s works were so ordinary that no gallery noticed them
C. Tate Modern refused Cook’s paintings for their being of no value
D. Tate Modern should buy Cook’s paintings
69. It can be inferred that on her way to being an artist, Beryl Cook ______.
A. got a lot of help from her son
B. began a different life after moving to Southern Rhodesia
C. made a film to support her life as an artist
D. began her life as an artist after moving to Plymouth
70. Which of the following is the right order of Beryl Cook’s experiences?
a. moved to Southern Rhodesia b. became a showgirl in a singing hall c. married John
d. ran a bar e. began creating pictures on wood f. moved to Plymouth
A. b-d-f-e-a-c B. a-d-e-f-b-c C. b-c-d-a-e-f D. d-e-a-b-c-f