French artist Henri Matisse(1869-1954) was described as “a man ahead of his time” . In honor of the artist, an exhibition titled “Matisse by Matisse” will be held in China this year. It follows Matisse’s works across sixty years.
Originally, Matisse aimed to become a lawyer. He attended law school and worked as a law worker until he came down with a disease in1889. To help him kill time on the road to recovery, Matisse’s mother bought him painting tools. His feeling for color was waken up and he decided to become an artist.
Matisse wanted to create his own style. Instead of painting realistic objects people saw he preferred to express his emotions and feelings toward these objects. One way he achieved this was through using bold(大胆的) colors. In his eyes, colors had more meanings than people would usually think of.
Yet his style was so unusual that Matisse was called the “father of Fauvism(野兽派)” . Even so, Matisse never gave up digging out more for art. Matisse once wrote in the book Jazz that “an artist should never be a prisoner of himself”. In the later years of his life when he suffered from cancer and couldn’t paint, he tried a new kind of art: paper cut-outs. He took brightly painted papers, cut them into shapes, and arranged them in designs. That’s what Matisse called “painting with scissors”.
With great creativity, Matisse’s works have been welcomed and used in many forms of popular art. For example, Yves Saint Laurent, an influential European fashion designer, showed a section of his 1981 autumn-winter collection in honor of Matisse’s works. Now his cut-out patterns and stylish colors are still seen on album covers, T-shirts and in ads.
1. What inspired Matisse’s feeling for color?| A．The disease. | B．His career as a lawyer. |
| C．Some painting tools. | D．His mother’s encouragement. |
| A．Showing his feelings toward objects. |
| B．Realizing his dream to be an artist. |
| C．Drawing objects in real life. |
| D．Looking for his own painting style. |
| A．He was tired of painting. |
| B．Cut-outs were becoming popular. |
| C．His poor health stopped him continuing painting. |
| D．He was asked to create a new art form. |
| A．Expensive. | B．Popular. | C．Ordinary. | D．Traditional. |
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【推荐1】I left England for Sydney in September. It was a career move for my husband, and our 20-year-old daughter was feeling adventurous and decided to come, too. However, just before leaving England, my 79-year-old mother suffered a stroke(中风).Being strong and independent, she continued to live at home with the help of social services. But she couldn’t look after the garden. 1 thought how wonderful it would be if then, was an organisation offering volunteer help. Friends asked me what I planned to do in Australia, and I told them I would he looking for a volunteer position witch a gardening charitable organisation. Imagine my surprise when I found just the organisation I had been looking for——Easy Care Gardening (ECG)!
There are several reason Why I volunteer for ECG. Firstly, as a newcomer to Australia I meet many great people who, like me, volunteer some of their time. We cover a large age range, but all love gardens and helping others.
Secondly,through working with ECG I have been lucky enough to explore Sydney’s North Shore that I might not have had the chance to visit otherwise.
Finally, there are all those wonderful people we call clients (客户) ”,but are more like friends when we visit them often and tend their gardens. What great people I have met, and the stories they have to tell—the family histories, where they come from and the reasons for immigrating to Australia! I find it a privilege to have access to private gardens which, in many cases, have been the joy of their owners for many years. Each one is individual and reflects the character, needs and the history of each family. Indeed, the gardens reflect the multicultural and historical background of Sydney.
1. Why did the author move to Sydney?| A．Her husband would work there. |
| B．She planned to volunteer there. |
| C．She was very keen on adventures. |
| D．She had to look after her sick mother. |
| A．The popularity of ECG . |
| B．The tips of her friends. |
| C．Her own experience. |
| D．Her gardening skills. |
| A．They make friends with their clients. |
| B．They like to explore Sydney’s North Shore. |
| C．They are of similar ages and back grounds. |
| D．They are kind-hearted with the same interest. |
| A．Client. | B．Garden. |
| C．Reason. | D．Joy. |
【推荐2】The Free Books Campaign was set up in July 2020 by Sofia Akel, a race equality researcher, when she decided to launch a fundraiser to get as many books as possible by authors of color to people that can’t afford them across the UK and Ireland. So far over 1, 700 books have been sent by the Campaign to people who can’t afford them, and it has even caught the attention of the footballer Marcus Rashford who donated 400 copies of his children’s book You Are a Champion.
Some of the beneficiaries of the campaign include children from working class backgrounds who have not been exposed to literature from Black or Brown authors at school or at home. “I’ve had emails from parents who weren’t aware of just how many amazing authors of color there are, and who have said how much their child lit up seeing a book that reflected them,” Sofia says.
Explaining the need for the campaign, Sofia says: “Sadly, reading has become a luxury in today’s world. If you’re working two jobs just to put food on the table, having that time to sit down and read can be difficult. So, there is an element of celebration when it comes to even just finding the time to read. On top of that, the typical adult hardback book might cost you upwards of £ 15, which could put food on the table for a week if you were counting every penny.”
This is where the campaign hopes to step in. It operates on a trust basis, whereby the campaign doesn’t exist to police people’s financial circumstances. “No one has to prove that they’ve not got money — even if some people volunteer personal information, we never ask for it. Everyone deserves to read books that they love,” Sofia adds.
1. Who is the Free Books Campaign intended for?| A．Footballers keen on charity. | B．People under employment. |
| C．People with financial problems. | D．Parents with children at school. |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Amazed. | C．Delighted. | D．Surprised. |
| A．By joining a fundraiser. | B．By proving their poverty. |
| C．By showing love for reading. | D．By providing personal documents. |
| A．It costs nothing to read today. | B．People on the job are poor readers. |
| C．People save every coin to buy books. | D．The campaign somehow activates reading. |
【推荐3】For Canaan Elementary’s second grade in Patchogue, N.Y., today is speech day, and right now it’s Chris Palaez’s turn. The 8-year-old is the joker of the class. With shining dark eyes, he seems like the kid who would enjoy public speaking.
But he’s, nervous. “I’m here to tell you today why you should … should…” Chris trips on the“-ld”, a pronunciation difficulty for many non-native English speakers. His teacher, Thomas Whaley, is next to him, whispering support “…Vote for …me …”. Except for some stumbles, Chris is doing amazingly well. When he brings his speech to a nice conclusion, Whaley invites the rest of the class to praise him.
A son of immigrants, Chris started learning English a little over three years ago. Whaley recalls (回想起) how at the beginning of the year, when called upon to read, Chris would excuse himself to go to the bathroom.
Learning English as a second language can be a painful experience. What you need is a great teacher who lets you make mistakes. “It takes a lot for any student,” Whaley explains, “especially for a student who is learning English as their new language, to feel confident enough to say, ‘I don’t know, but I want to know.’”
Whaley got the idea of this second-grade presidential campaign project when he asked the children one day to raise their hands if they thought they could never be a president. The answer broke his heart. Whaley says the project is about more than just learning to read and speak in public. He wants these kids to learn to boast (夸耀) about themselves.
“Boasting about yourself, and your best qualities,” Whaley says, “is very difficult for a child who came into the classroom not feeling confident.”
1. What made Chris nervous?| A．Telling a story. | B．Making a speech. |
| C．Taking a test. | D．Answering a question. |
| A．Improper pauses. | B．Bad manners. |
| C．Spelling mistakes. | D．Silly jokes. |
| A．Brings his speech | B．ask others for help |
| C．read fluently | D．make an excuse to go out |
| A．help students see their own strengths | B．assess students’ public speaking skills |
| C．prepare students for their future jobs | D．inspire students’ love for politics |
| A．Humorous. | B．Ambitious. |
| C．Caring. | D．Demanding |
【推荐1】Liu Xiang, an athlete, born in 1983
Liu Xiang made his name by winning the 110-meter hurdles gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. This was the first time an athlete of non-African descent (血统) had gone under 13 seconds for the event. In the same year, Liu set a new 110-meter hurdling world record at the Super Grand Prix in Lausanne, with a time of 12.88 seconds.
Lang Lang, a pianist, born in 1982
Lang Lang began piano lessons at age three. His father quit his job to accompany his boy to Beijing. At 11, Lang Lang was awarded first prize for his outstanding performance at the Fourth International Young Pianists Competition in Germany. In 1995, at 13, he won first place at the Tchaikovsky International Young Musicians’ Competition in Japan. At 17, Lang Lang made his breakthrough in the West and has performed with many of the world’s major orchestras since then.
Li Yuchun, a singer, born in 1984
Born into a middle-class family, Li was not encouraged by her parents to pursue a career in entertainment. The turning point came when she entered the Super Girl contest in 2005. This competition drew the largest audiences in Chinese television history. She rose above 120,000 applicants with her tomboy style and Latin-flavored performance. Her win came as a surprise to many people because she didn’t fit the stereotype of female singers. She has millions of fans of all ages all over the country. Her haircut and manners have been copied by tens of thousands of girls. Her first album sold more than 430,000 copies in the first month.
Ding Junhui, a snooker player, born in 1987
Ding quit school at 13, after his father insisted he concentrate on snooker. His parents then sold their house to help Ding kick-start his career. In March 2005, he celebrated his 18th birthday by reaching the final of the China Open in Beijing, along the way beating world top-16 ranked players Peter Ebdon, Marco Fu and Ken Doherty. In the final, he defeated the world No.3, Stephen Hendry, ranking first in the tournament. After shooting to fame, questions were raised over the father’s decision for Ding to quit school.
(China Daily10/31/2012)
1. Who is the passage intended for?| A．Readers of all ages. | B．Children born after the 1980s. |
| C．Students at school. | D．The young crazy fans. |
| A．Lang Lang. | B．Liu Xiang. | C．Ding Junhui. | D．Li Yuchun. |
| A．Lang Lang’s. | B．Liu Xiang’s. | C．Ding Junhui’s. | D．Li Yuchun’s. |
| A．National News. | B．Business. | C．Personalities. | D．Sports. |
【推荐2】Pablo Picasso, born in Spain in 1881, was one of the most famous artists of the 20th century. Picasso began painting when he was a small child and took advanced art courses when he was only fifteen. Between 1904 and 1947 Picasso lived in Paris. In 1947 he moved to Riviera, in the south of France.
Many people thought Picasso’s works were strange and unpleasant. Still, he had a great influence on artists in every country. Today, Picasso is regarded as a genius, and his paintings are in the museums all over the world.
In 1912, Picasso actually invented a new type of art. He painted a picture, and then he pasted bits of paper and something else on the picture. This picture of art is called collage(拼贴艺术).
Picasso was not only a painter, but also a sculptor (雕刻家) and a designer of scenery for plays. There are even some photographs of “light paintings” that he created. These paintings were produced by moving a light pencil, or a small flashlight in the air. Although the images could be seen only by people watching them happen, the camera was able to catch the images as they occurred.
By the time he died in France in April of 1973, he had created 22, 000 works of art.
When he was asked how someone could become an artist, Picasso would reply, “If you want to draw, you must shut your eyes and sing.”
1. After reading the text, we can learn that Picasso was a(n) .| A．French artist |
| B．Spanish artist |
| C．English artist |
| D．Australian artist |
| A．stuck | B．struck |
| C．drew | D．mixed |
| A．Although Picasso was a great artist, he was not clever at all. |
| B．Picasso didn’t leave Paris until he was 23 years old. |
| C．People didn’t like Picasso’s works at first. |
| D．Picasso was only good at collage. |
| A．How to Become a Great Artist |
| B．A Genius |
| C．Pablo Picasso:More Than Just a Painter |
| D．Picasso’s Life in France |
【推荐3】Every so often, someone so young does something so amazing that you can't help but wonder how he manages it. That's what happened the first time we heard Matthew Whitaker play the piano. Matthew is a jazz pianist who is blind, and since the age of 11, he's been performing around the world.
Matthew Whitaker was born 16 weeks earlier. He weighed 1 pound and 11 ounces. His parents were told he had less than a 50 % chance of survival. One of the many complications（并发症）he faced was a disease which led to blindness.
No one in Matthew's family was a musician, but his grandfather bought him his first keyboard when he was 3 years old. It didn't take long for Matthew to show that he had a gift. So the Whitakers decided to get Matthew a teacher, which proved to be difficult. “At the time, we got a lot of answers that he's too young and they don't know how to teach a blind child,” Moses Whitaker said. “He was 3 years old at the time.”
Finally, Dalia Sakas agreed to meet Matthew. Dalia is the director of music studies at a music school in New York City, a school for the visually impaired. To her surprise, Matthew could listen to a piece of music once and then play it. “Because it is rare to meet someone of this talent. He's obviously, you know, got something to offer to the world and so you want to make that possible.”
She did. Matthew has played in more than 200 clubs and concert halls around the world. His love of music has never been in doubt. Matthew's latest album is called Now Hear This. One critic noted that it sounded like Matthew was playing with six hands.
1. Which word best describes Matthew as a pianist?| A．Fruitless. | B．Ordinary. | C．Ambitious. | D．Remarkable. |
| A．A disease running in his family. | B．His low weight. |
| C．His low chance of survival. | D．His premature birth. |
| A．His family background. | B．His lack of talent. |
| C．His age and disability. | D．His character. |
| A．Because she sympathized with Matthew for his experience. |
| B．Because she was struck by Matthew's talent for music. |
| C．Because she gave in to the insistence of Matthew's grandfather. |
| D．Because she knew how to teach a blind student well. |
