1 . Passing the Cities through the Lens (镜头) of Women, a solo exhibition by Swiss artist Catherine Gfeller, is being held at the Swiss embassy in Beijing.

Between 2016 and 2019, Swiss artist Catherine Gfeller embarked on a journey to a number of Chinese cities, weaving a narrative as she engaged with the stories of women from different backgrounds. Her vision of the women, the challenges they confront, and their distinctive spirit are the focuses of the artist’s subsequent explorations.

In the bustling streets of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Hong Kong, Beijing and Kunming in Yunnan province, Gfeller found a means of exploring the essence of these urban landscapes by focusing her lens on women. On Saturday, the Swiss embassy in Beijing launched a solo exhibition, Passing the Cities through the Lens of Women, which spotlights the perspectives and voices of women with photographs, texts, and videos. Through her lens, Gfeller skillfully establishes a dialogue and builds a bridge between the narratives of the women and the liveliness of the cities they inhabit.

For Gfeller, women’s voices are very important in modern Chinese society. During shooting, she learned how the women perceive the new ways of life and how they find an anchor in their cities. “The moment I pressed the shutter, I felt like I became part of the city,” Gfeller says.

Ambassador of Switzerland to China Jurg Burri said at the opening ceremony, “Ms Gfeller cares very much about people, especially women in cities. Women’s issues are a global topic and I hope that more women’s voices will be heard.”

The exhibition is open to the public until the end of March. The 58-year-old artist is known for her focus on landscape photography. Using techniques like montage, collage, and superimposition, she creates unique photographic artworks.

1. Where is the passage probably taken from?

A．A leaflet.

B．A newspaper.

C．A brochure.

D．A research paper.

2. What does Catherine Gfeller’s exhibition focus on?

A．Chinese women’s viewpoints.	B．Chinese urban landscapes.
C．Chinese traditional roles of women.	D．Chinese women’s status in society.

3. Why does the author cite Jurg Burri’s words?

A．Jurg Burri is the Ambassador of Switzerland to China.

B．The theme of Catherine Gfeller exhibition is a global topic.

C．Jurg Burri is in favor of Catherine Gfeller’s means of exploring cities.

D．Catherine Gfeller attaches great importance to women’s perspectives.

4. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To introduce an exhibition.	B．To educate readers.
C．To persuade readers.	D．To advertise an exhibition.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Following his recent four sold-out concerts in Shanghai, Jay Chou has taken on a new role as the curator (馆长) of an art exhibition titled “Art Encounters with Jay”,     1     opened to the public on October 16. This unique exhibition, located in a cultural space on Hengshan Road, features the works of 20 famous contemporary (当代的) artists, including Anselm Kiefer, Ed Ruscha     2     Wang Yuyang. Many of the artworks on display have influenced Chou’s pop songs.

Apart from the artworks, there is an interactive area     3     visitors can take photos with     4     (item) related to the renowned singer.

Jay Chou expressed his goal to make art accessible and     5    (attract) for everyone,     6     (add) that curating is like starting     7     new journey, and that he fell in love with art     8     first sight.

    9     (wide) known as the king of Chinese pop, Jay Chou has been collecting for many years, with his home filled with pieces acquired from galleries. In 2019, the then 42-year-old     10     (name) as one of their “50 Art Collectors to Watch”, and it was reported that he had spent almost all of his earnings on art.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

What a fantastic horse! Even after more than a thousand years     1    (pass), we can still feel the power within its burning eyes and kicking hooves(马蹄). Night-Shining White is regarded as one of the     2    (important) horse paintings in the history of Chinese art.

Its artist, Han Gan, was born into a poor family in the early Tang Dynasty. His talent was discovered by the poet Wang Wei, who sponsored him to study painting. Due to Han Gan’s natural talent and years of hard work, he     3    (choose) to serve Emperor Xuanzong in the royal palace.

The Tang emperors were fond of horses,     4     meant that the animal was a frequent subject for artists. At that time, the most common way to study horse painting was by copying the works of other painters. Han Gan’s method,     5    , was different. He moved to live in the horse stable (马厩) and watched the animal itself. The horses,     6     resting or on the move, offered him plenty of inspiration. The more time he spent     7    (watch) these animals, the more his understanding grew. It is said that when Han Gan was asked to take a master of horse painting     8     his teacher, he replied, “All the horses are my teachers.”

Those who saw Han Gan’s horse paintings all expressed their     9    (admire) for him, saying that the horses     10     (paint) by Han Gan are real.

4 . Artemisia Gentileschi (1593—1653)

As the daughter of a painter, Artemisia Gentileschi was afforded access to the art world at a young age. Early on, she was in her father’s workshop mixing paints and he supported her career when he noticed that she was gifted. As a famous painter of the Italian Baroque period, Artemisia Gentileschi did not let her gender hold her back from her subject matter. She painted Biblical and mythological (神话的) paintings, just like male painters.

Angelica Kauffman (1741—1807)

Born in Switzerland, Angelica Kauffman was the daughter of the artist Johann Joseph Kauffman. She received artistic training while acting as her father’s assistant from a very young age and copying the works of old masters as they traveled for commissions (委托). As a young woman, she also trained in Italy, where her historical paintings and portraits were well received.

Rosa Bonheur (1822—1899)

Like many female artists at the time, Rosa Bonheur’s father was a painter. The French Realist painter is considered one of the most famous female artists of the 19th century, known for her large-format paintings that featured animals. She showed her works regularly at the famous Paris salon and found success abroad in both the United States and Britain.

Berthe Morisot (1841—1895)

Considered one of the great female Impressionists, Berthe Morisot had art running through her veins. Born into a noble French family, she was the great-niece of celebrated Rococo painter Jean-Honore Fragonard. Her art often focused on family scenes, and she preferred working with pastels (粉彩), watercolor, and charcoal (木炭).

1. What artistic style do Artemisia Gentileschi’s paintings belong to?

A．Rococo.

B．Baroque.

C．Realism.

D．Impressionism.

2. Who is famous for painting animals?

A．Artemisia Gentileschi.	B．Angelica Kauffman.
C．Rosa Bonheur.	D．Berthe Morisot.

3. What do these four female painters have in common?

A．They all learned painting from their fathers.

B．They all loved copying classic paintings.

C．They were all born into a noble family.

D．They all grew up in an artistic environment.

5 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement     1     the 80th Venice Film Festival on Sept 2. He made history as the first Chinese actor     2     (win) the award.

The news created much     3    (excite) in the film industry and across social media. It reflected the global     4    (recognize) of Hong Kong cinema,     5     has been an important force in the film world.

    6     62-year-old actor said he wanted to share the award with all who have helped him during his 40-year acting career. The lifetime award recognizes the actor’s rich collection of famous works. Since he became an actor in the early 1980s, Leung     7    (become) famous globally for his performances in director Wong Kar-wai’s award-winning films.

Famous director Ang Lee described Leung     8     “a director’s dream”,     9    (say)Leung can show complicated emotions simply through his eyes. “He can say more in one look than many actors can with a full monologue (独白),” Lee added.

Leung’s next film, Silent Friend, will start filming in April 2024. Leung will play a scientist and work with a top film     10     (produce)to show a story across different countries. The world’s audience is looking forward to another fresh and touching performance by Leung.

6 . Top Piano Players in the World

Martha Argerich

Martha Argerich could be considered the next Beethoven, as she is one of the most outstanding pianists ever to play. Argerich preferred being on stage with others instead of performing solo; therefore, she has been performing in a concerto format since the 1980s. Argerich was not one for the spotlight, as she often avoided public appearances such as interviews; however, her great talent was all the publicity she needed, standing out during concertos and sonatas.

Leif Ove Andsnes

Known for his appealing performances of Edvard Grieg’s works, Andsnes has won praise for his performances at some of the world’s most famous concert halls. Andsnes has certainly made his mark in Norway, as he is the founding director of Norway’s Rosendal Chamber Music Festival. Because of his unique voice and interesting approach, he was praised by The New York Times as a “pianist of authoritative elegance, power, and insight.”

Alfred Brendel

Known for his beautiful interpretations of Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert and Mozart, Alfred Brendel was considered one of the greats. He played in various concertos throughout his career and became known for his interpretive coldness in recreating these works. Brendel was considered one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, as he made his mark in the classical music industry. Brendel was self-taught and learned his love of piano at an early age.

Arthur Rubinstein

Arthur Rubinstein was certainly one of the greats. His career began in the early 20th century when he began to come into contact with some of the world’s most important composers, such as Maurice Ravel, Paul Dukas, and Jacques Thibaud. He made various trips worldwide and visited nearly every continent, where crowds met him with great praise and encouragement.

1. What does the female pianist focus on in her career?

A．Skills in hosting concertos and sonatas.	B．Cooperation with other musicians.
C．Close relationships with the media.	D．Unique ways to interpret music.

2. Who learned music by himself or herself?

A．Martha Argerich.	B．Leif Ove Andsnes.
C．Alfred Brendel.	D．Arthur Rubinstein.

3. How is Arthur Rubinstein different from the other pianists?

A．He was the director of a Norwegian festival.

B．He made a difference in classical music.

C．He was the best musician of the 20th century.

D．He got in touch with some famous composers.

7 . In 1867, Caroline Shawk Brooks and her husband, Samuel, had a farm in Arkansas. Life on the farm was not easy. From sunrise to sunset, Caroline and Samuel milked cows, gardened, and picked cotton. This left Caroline no time for her dream of becoming an artist.

Time was not the only problem. Money was a worry too. The cotton crops were failing. What could Caroline and Samuel do?

Caroline decided to make butter (黄油) from their cows’milk and sell it at market. But other farms also made and sold butter. How would Caroline set her butter apart from the rest? This is where Caroline’s artistic talent came in. To draw attention to her butter, she began making small butter sculptures (雕塑). She used many different tools, such as butter paddles (搅拌器的浆叶), broom straws, and tree sticks. She also put the butter in a shallow tin pan, which sat in a larger tin pan filled with ice to stop the butter sculpture from melting.

Caroline’s butter sculptures were a hit. Before long, she was displaying them at fairs and exhibitions. One of her largest butter sculptures was a life-size statue called A Study in Butter. It was transported all the way to Paris for the 1878 world’s fair.

Caroline also made sculptures using marble (大理石). She eventually opened a studio in New York City where she created many marble sculptures, some of which were shown at the 1893 world’s fair in Chicago.

But Caroline never stopped making butter art. She considered butter a superior material to work with. At the 1893 fair, she also displayed her butter techniques with a sculpture of Christopher Columbus.

Caroline Shawk Brooks died in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1913. She is remembered as the first known American butter sculptor.

1. Why did Caroline make butter sculptures?

A．To realize her dream.	B．To make her butter stand out.
C．To make her farm famous.	D．To display her sculptures at the fair.

2. What do we know about Caroline and her sculptures?

A．Caroline made her art works all by machine.

B．The sculptures were all made from cow's milk.

C．Ice was used to keep the butter sculptures in shape.

D．Caroline stopped making sculptures after being world-famous.

3. Which words best describe Caroline?

A．Talented and successful.	B．Confident and caring.
C．Creative and rich.	D．Brave and famous.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．A Farming Pioneer.	B．A Great Sculptor.
C．The Butter Sculptures.	D．The Butter Artist.

8 . Do you have a hobby that you have loved for a long time? Carlos Santana does! Carlos Santana has loved music from a young age. Music has been his passion. At age 5, he started playing the violin. At age 8, he began playing the guitar. Santana worked hard to develop his musical talent, especially on the guitar. He became one of the most famous Mexican American musicians in history.

Santana grew up in Tijuana, Mexico, playing music in many bands. Even though his family moved to San Francisco in the 1960s, he visited Mexico often. He was inspired by Mexican blues music as well as American rock music. He combined many different types of music to create a unique style.

He got his big break in 1969 at the Woodstock music festival.Woodstock was a huge music festival that around 400,000 people attended. Many people did not know who Santana was before his performance. But they knew who he was after it! Many people said Santana was one of the highlights of the three-day festival. They said his guitar playing was incredible! It was full of passion and soul.

Santana and his band began producing hit after hit, including “Oye Como Va” and “Evil Ways”. The band’s songs show off a unique musical style, combining Latin and rock rhythms. Santana has won 10 Grammy Awards throughout his career. He has had or contributed to many great songs and impressive performances.

Carlos Santana wanted children to have the opportunity to discover their passions, like he did. He and his family created the Milagro Foundation, which helps children succeed by giving money to the arts, education, and health. Today, Carlo s Santana continues sharing his musical talent with people all over the United States and beyond.

1. Carlos Santana’s career began to take off after __________.

A．his family moved to San Francisco	B．the Woodstock music festival
C．he started to play the violin	D．he began playing the guitar

2. What can you infer from the underlined part?

A．The band’s songs became very popular.

B．The band went through a lot of failures.

C．It took the band much time to produce songs.

D．The band’s performances were different from others.

3. What is the main purpose of the Milagro Foundation created by Carlos Santana and his family?

A．To support children to succeed in education.

B．To help children explore their hobbies.

C．To share his musical talent with others.

D．To raise money for organizing music festivals.

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Music: A Lifelong and Important Hobby

B．The Unique Musical Journey of a Guitar Legend

C．The Rise of Mexican American Music Talents

D．Milagro Foundation: Inspiring the Next Generation

9 . The music world lost a rock and roll superstar this week when guitarist Eddie Van Halen passed away. He was only 65 years old.

Eddie Van Halen was a founding member of the band Van Halen. He formed the group in 1974 with his brother Alex, who played the drums. Van Halen released (发行) its most popular single, the song Jump, in 1983. Jump rose to the top of Billboard Magazine’s list of Hot 100 songs and stayed there for five weeks. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio lists Jump among its “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll”. Eddie Van Halen released at least 15 record albums with his band over the years, selling more than 80 million around the world. In 2007, Van Halen entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Van Halen brothers were born in the Netherlands. Their father was a professional musician. Their mother was from Indonesia. In the 1950s, some Netherlanders did not support the mixed-race (混种族) marriage, so the family moved to the United States. They settled in southern California. Eddie and Alex Van Halen had to learn English in their new land. Both brothers studied piano for years before getting interested in rock and roll.

As a child, Eddie was considered musically gifted. Eddie told a reporter he did not learn to read music. He said he would watch his teacher play and memorize his moves. He also said that he never took a class on playing the guitar, although he studied under Eric Clapton for a time. His father was among the first to recognize Eddie’s guitar skill. “You’ve got it, kid,” Eddie’s father said to him early on.

Eddie’s guitar playing was hard and fast. He was energetic while performing, often jumping like an acrobat (杂技演员) as he played. He was known for the way he tapped on the guitar strings with both hands. It influenced many musicians that followed.

1. What’s paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．Eddie’s band.	B．Eddie’s Jump.
C．Eddie’s life story.	D．Eddie’s achievements.

2. Why did the Van Halen family move to the USA?

A．To make a good living.	B．To escape racial prejudice.
C．To receive better education.	D．To experience different cultures.

3. What’s the author’s purpose of writing the text?

A．To remember a famous musician.

B．To express sadness for a superstar’s death.

C．To praise Eddie Van Halen for his contributions.

D．To show the excellence of Eddie Van Halen.

10 . How Did Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Die?

On November 20th, 1791, Mozart suddenly came down with fever and was wracked with pain. His arms and legs were severely swollen. In the following days his health significantly deteriorated. He died on December 5 after lapsing into a coma. The death certificate states he died of “severe miliary fever”. Exactly which disease led to Mozart’s death has been a mystery for the last 200 years.

Speculations

Many myths —some more plausible than others — entwine (缠绕) Mozart’s early demise. One of the most popular myths — that Mozart was poisoned by his rival Antonio Salieri — rose to prominence due to the popularity of the film Amadeus. This theory is supported by the fact that Mozart had been living through a phase of depression before his death, suffering from paranoia and existential fear. Mozart himself suspected that the cause of his deteriorating health was being poisoned over a long time. However, it is highly likely that this was just his subjective view of reality.

Many other speculations circulate. Syphilis and trichinellosis are frequently mentioned. In 1905, a French physician assumed uric acid poisoning due to a never fully healed nephritis. In 1961, lead poisoning was suggested as a possible cause of death.

Scientific attempts to explain Mozart’s death

In 2000, a group of American scientists proposed rheumatic fever caused by a strep infection after conducting meticulous detective work. The symptoms stated in literature and the reports of Mozart’s contemporaries yielded the clues. Without antibiotics, such an infection would inevitably lead to death. Rheumatic fever causes a weakening of the heart, which could explain Mozart’s swollen limbs.

In 2009, the Dutch scientist Richard Zegers extensively studied surviving documents and concluded that Mozart had been suffering from pharyngitis, a throat infection with symptoms including cramps, fever, rashes and a swollen neck. Mozart’s sister-in-law Sophie Haibel had described these symptoms. The death registry of Vienna for winter 1791 lists several deaths caused by this disease.

Whatever the cause of Mozart’s death, it came far too early. Let us thank him for his manic urge to create art and remember him on December 5th!

1. Which of the following is similar in meaning to the underlined word “deteriorate” (Paragraph 1)?

A．To become worse.	B．To change greatly.
C．To recover quickly.	D．To be harmed rapidly.

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．It is generally believed that Mozart was poisoned by his friend.

B．Mozart’s depression paranoia and existential fear led to his death.

C．Mozart had been poisoned sustainably for a long time before he died.

D．Mozart once got a nephritis and it was never healed.

3. What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A．Mozart’s disease was recorded in contemporary literature and reports.

B．Antibiotics were not discovered at that time.

C．Rheumatic fever can only be caused by strep infection.

D．Mozart’s illness cannot be cured even today.

4. What is the author’s purpose mentioning Mozart’s sister-in-law’s words?

A．To back up the Dutchman’s study.

B．To prove they were common symptoms causing death in 1791.

C．To prove Mozart did have such symptoms before his death.

D．To emphasize her special identify as a witness to Mozart’s death.