Vincent van Gogh was born in 1853 in Zundert in the south of the Netherlands. He was unlucky to live only for 37 years and to discover his love for art at the age of 27. Therefore, he worked as an artist for only 10 years of his life.
During the Enlightenment Age (启蒙时代), emphasis on literature, philosophy, science, fine arts and music became more widespread especially with the growing middle class. This means that Vincent van Gogh had lived in a flourishing artistic movement, which was supposed to help him succeed as an artist and become rich. On the contrary, he did not win reputation as an artist. Although Vincent painted 900 paintings and more than 1,100 drawings, his works remained unknown and unsold and his brother Theo supported him financially during his lifetime.
Perhaps one of the reasons for his failure as an artist is his clumsy behavior when he suffered from mental illness. Another reason is his short-tempered nature and rudeness which most of the time brought him bloody fights with his fellow Gauguin (高更) that ended up with cutting off Vincent’s ears. Moreover, he was always dirty and not well-dressed, which made people avoid dealing with him and buying his artistic works. Furthermore, his poor health gave more blows to his life and caused an early death to such a great artist. But now in our age, his magnificent painting (Portrait of Dr. Gachet加谢医生的肖像) is sold around 150 million dollars at auction (拍卖). Vincent van Gogh is just an example of the talented people who failed in their pursuit of glory.
1. What can we learn about Vincent before he was 27?| A．He showed no love for art. | B．He enjoyed staying alone. |
| C．He had a great interest in art. | D．He spent much time painting. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．He was in a mess. | B．He became angry easily. |
| C．He didn’t have fine works | D．He often fought with others. |
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【推荐1】At a medical laboratory clinic in Waterloo, Ontario, an elderly woman sat on the edge of a waiting room chair belting out the Celine Dion tune My Heart Will Go On. With little effort, she was able to send her sweet, high-pitched voice exploding into every corner of the clinic. I had fun watching how people reacted. There was a lot of shifting in seats, but mainly they awkwardly turned away their eyes and tried to pretend there was nothing out of the ordinary going on.
I was there with my father, who was getting a routine blood test when the woman arrived. She settled into the seat directly across from my dad. I was concerned about how my dad would react to the possible interact on his space. He was 77 at the time and had been living with Alzheimer’s for several years. He was a brilliant, introverted man. When he was healthy, he considered it wholly bad mannered to bring more attention to oneself.
Her singing began gently, like a quiet hum. I glanced over at Dad. His smile was gone, and he was staring right at her. It seemed to be something like confusion. This wasn’t an unusual state for him, and I wondered whether he was actually seeing her at all or if he was lost somewhere deep in his mind, not really aware of her presence at that point.
Her singing slowly got louder. By the time she got to the chorus — “near, far, wherever you are…”, Dad looked a little stunned. Still, I watched for any sign of an irritated outburst. Instead, his face softened, and the tension eased in his brow. He no longer looked confused.
People say that Alzheimer’s is a thief, that it steals your loved ones slowly, day by day. There is so much heartbreaking truth in that statement. But certain experiences with my dad have allowed me to see a side of him that I never knew existed. That’s what happened for me that day in the clinic. When her song ended, the woman opened her eyes. My dad was still looking directly at her. “That was beautiful,” he said. And she smiled and said, “Thank you.”
1. How did people react to the elderly woman’s singing at the medical laboratory clinic?| A．They mainly looked away and ignored her. |
| B．They politely signaled to her to stop singing. |
| C．They enjoyed her singing and sang with her. |
| D．They felt quite annoyed and changed their seats immediately. |
| A．He was a shy man before getting Alzheimer’s. |
| B．He became annoyed on hearing the song. |
| C．He would like to sing with the woman. |
| D．He was getting a pre-operative test in the hospital. |
| A．I got to know that my father liked music. |
| B．Alzheimer’s steals many things from old people. |
| C．This song helped me understand more about my father. |
| D．Everyone with Alzheimer’s has experienced some bad moments. |
| A．Singing for patients with Alzheimer’s. |
| B．Some heartbreaking truths about Alzheimer’s. |
| C．Dad’s reaction to a woman’s singing at the clinic. |
| D．An elderly woman’s beautiful singing at the clinic. |
【推荐2】Recently, one of my best friends, whom I’ve shared just about everything with since the first day of kindergarten, spent the weekend with me. Since I moved to a new town several years ago, we’ve both always looked forward to the few times a year when we can see each other.
Over the weekend, we spent hours and hours, staying up late into the night, talking about the people she was hanging around with. She started telling me stories about her new boyfriend, about how he experimented with drugs and was into other self-destructive behavior. I was blown away! She told me how she had been lying to her parents about where she was going and even stealing out to see this guy because they didn’t want her around him. No matter how hard I tried to tell her that she deserved better, she didn’t believe me. Her self-respect seemed to have disappeared.
I tried to convince her that she was ruining her future and heading for big trouble. I felt like I was getting nowhere. I just couldn’t believe that she really thought it was acceptable to hang with a bunch of losers, especially her boyfriend.
By the time she left, I was really worried about her and exhausted by the experience. It had been so frustrating, I had come close to telling her several times during the weekend that maybe we had just grown too far apart to continue our friendship，but I didn’t. I put the power of friendship to the ultimate test. We’d been friends for far too long. I had to hope that she valued me enough to know that I was trying to save her from hurting herself. I wanted to believe that our friendship could conquer anything.
A few days later, she called to say that she had thought long and hard about our conversation, and then she told me that she had broken up with her boyfriend. I just listened on the other end of the phone with tears of joy running down my face. It was one of the truly rewarding moments in my life. Never had I been so proud of a friend.
1. In the writer’s opinion, her friend ________.| A．was a girl with no self-respect | B．could find a better boyfriend |
| C．was brave enough to stick to her own choice | D．didn’t value the writer’s suggestion |
| A．She would lose the friendship with her. |
| B．Her friend’s parents would be worried about their daughter. |
| C．Her friend would get into great trouble with the boy. |
| D．Her friend’s boyfriend would be in great trouble. |
| A．didn’t want to go anywhere else |
| B．hated her friend’s hanging with her boyfriend |
| C．couldn’t believe that her friend’s choice was acceptable |
| D．doubted whether she could in any way help her friend |
| A．Friendship starting from childhood is not reliable. | B．Friendship is a cure for any injury in life. |
| C．Friendship should be everlasting once begun. | D．Friendship can have magical power in life. |
【推荐3】Paul Durietz is a 76-year-old social studies teacher from Illinois. On September 1, he set a Guinness World Record for the world’s longest teaching career. Mr. Durietz has been teaching for 53 years—since he was 23 years old.
Mr. Durietz has known since he was young that he wanted to be a social studies teacher. Social studies is the study of history, and how people, countries, and cultures are connected. He became interested in history after hearing stories from his father, who fought in World War II. On his mother’s side of the family, he had connections to a famous person from English history.
Mr. Durietz got his first teaching job at Woodland-Middle School in Gurnee, Illinois in 1970. Ever since then, he’s been teaching social studies at the same school. He says he loves sharing his knowledge of history with students. “Teaching is never boring,” he says. “Every day is different.”
Things have changed a lot since he began all those years ago. When he started, the only way to make copies was with a “ditto machine”, which used a stinky, purple ink. Mr. Durietz wrote on a blackboard with chalk, and the students used paper textbooks. These days, he and the students use computers and digital whiteboards.
Though technology has changed a lot since he began teaching, Mr. Durietz says the students are still pretty much the same— except that now they have cell phones.
With or without technology, Mr. Durietz has used creative activities to help his students learn. For example, he has organized virtual field trips, geography contests, and special days about the US Civil War. He has even organized fake(假的)elections at school to help his students learn about politics. He says these activities are some of the ones that he and his students enjoyed most.
Mr. Durietz says people who want to be teachers should make sure they are patient with their students. He also encourages them to choose subjects that they care deeply about.
1. What stimulated Paul Durietz’s interest in history?| A．The cruelty of wars. | B．Stories told by his father. |
| C．His mother’s encouragement. | D．The influence of his teacher. |
| A．By showing his sense of humour. |
| B．By lecturing about historical events. |
| C．By taking advantage of creative activities. |
| D．By using technology extensively in the classroom. |
| A．Strong organizational abilities. |
| B．Excellent technological skills. |
| C．Patience and a passion for their subject. |
| D．The ability to multitask and communicate. |
| A．A Teacher Sets a Record by Teaching for 53 Years |
| B．Paul Durietz: a Devoted and Responsible Teacher |
| C．Mr. Durietz Uses Technology to Attract Students |
| D．Creative Activities: New Ways to Help Students Learn |
【推荐1】Monet: The Immersive Experience
Monet: The Immersive (沉浸式) Experience in Liège invites you to step into the world of the French painter Claude Monet, one of the greatest artistic geniuses of the nineteenth century!
Explore some of the most breathtaking paintings by Claude Monet with the help of a digital 360-degree presentation. The unique exhibition concept is staged with state-of-the-art multimedia technology, which shows very large images of Monet’s paintings on the walls and floors of the building. It has music, the smell of flowers, and voice-over in several languages to make the paintings come alive in a way never seen before.
To fully get into the world of the French painter, visitors are guided through three experience rooms. Each room is a highlight on its own and provides visitors not only with an insight, but also with new experiences and new viewpoints on Monet’s life, his work and his masterpieces.
Practical info·Date: from March 2024
·Opening hours:
Wednesday, Thursday: 10: 00 am-7: 00 pm
Friday: 10: 00 am-8: 00 pm
Saturday: 9: 00 am-8: 00 pm
Sunday: 9: 00 am-7: 00 pm
Monday and Tuesday: Closed
·Duration: the visit will take around 60 to 75 minutes
·Location: Eglise Saint-Pholien, Rue Saint-Pholien, 4020 Liège
·Please consult the FAQs of this experience here
1. How does the exhibition help visitors explore Monet’s paintings?| A．It offers stages to visitors. | B．It gives lectures on art. |
| C．It uses digital technology. | D．It provides language services. |
| A．A unique journey to Monet’s world. |
| B．An introductory tour of painters. |
| C．An exploration on French art. |
| D．An encounter with Monet-inspired artworks. |
| A．11: 30 am (Wed, Feb 21). | B．4: 00 pm (Sun, Apr 7). |
| C．8: 30 am (Thur, Mar 28). | D．10: 00 am (Tue, Mar 19). |
Who Was E. B. White? Today, most people remember E. B. White as the beloved children’s book author who gave us Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, but did you know that most of his career was spent writing for famous magazines like The New Yorker? His lifelong dream to write a children’s book about a mouse would take years to get published. A few years later, White would publish yet another children’s book inspired by a pig he had raised. Who Was Levi Strauss? As a young working-class German immigrant, Levi Strauss left his family’s dry goods business in New York City to journey out west for the California Gold Rush. Only Levi wasn’t looking for gold— he wanted to provide the miners (矿工) with strong clothes to wear, His solution? Blue jeans — which have become one of the most beloved and fashionable clothing items in the world. Who Was Charles Schulz? Charles Schulz always loved drawing from the time he was a young child, and as he grew older, he turned this passion into a successful career. His early doodles (涂鸦) of his naughty dog and of a shy boy inspired two of his most familiar and beloved characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Who Was Johnny Cash? Find out in this biography that takes us from Cash’s childhood to his most famous years as a country music legend and icon of American songwriting. Due to his wide range of musical talent, Johnny Cash has been inducted into the Country, Rock and Roll, Rockabilly, and Gospel Halls of Fame. He also won 18 Grammys and 9 Country Music Association Awards. |
| A．Writing articles. | B．Raising animals. |
| C．Writing books for children. | D．Drawing pictures for magazines. |
| A．To look for gold. | B．To seek a good job. |
| C．To help miners find gold. | D．To make clothes for miners. |
| A．E. | B．White’s. B. Levi Strauss’s. |
| C．Charles Schulz’s. | D．Johnny Cash’s. |
【推荐3】Nigerian-American musician Davido has announced he will offer more than $600,000 to orphanages (孤儿院) across Nigeria, after hosting an online call that initially caused amusement and confusion from his fans.
“If you know I've given you a hit song…send me money,” the singer wrote on Twitter earlier this week.
Known for his songs “Dami Duro” and “Fall”, Davido has been one of Africa's most famous artists over the last ten years and is the African artist with the highest number of followers on Instagram.
He launched his fundraiser Wednesday, posting his bank details online and asking friends and followers to send money, saying his aim was to raise 100 million naira ($243,000) to clear his Rolls-Royce from a port.
Soon he had already raised $17,000—and on Saturday he announced the full amount he received from fans and friends totaled over $485,000 and would be used for charitable (慈善的) purposes.
The musician, whose real name is David Adeleke, will turn 29 on November 21. He said his aim was now “to do this fundraising every year to celebrate my birthday and give back to people in need.”
Davido posted regular fundraising updates throughout Wednesday and Thursday, and several of his friends also jumped on the bandwagon. Nigerian rapper M.I Abaga said he had sent 1 million naira and wrote, “I want my own hit song with Davido.”
It's not the first charitable move from the singer Davido, who donated the earnings from his music video “Dolce & Gabbana” to pandemic (流行病) relief efforts in April 2020, as well as more than 6,000 bags of rice across his home state of Osun. Earlier this year, he was also noticed giving a free concert to children who surrounded a beach house.
1. What do we know about Davido?| A．He wrote a hit song. | B．He did well in music. |
| C．He liked making money. | D．He disappointed his fans. |
| A．Giving fans a hit song. | B．Becoming more famous. |
| C．Hosting an online concert. | D．Helping people in need. |
| A．increased | B．received | C．gave | D．reported |
| A．People. | B．Health. | C．Education. | D．Business. |
