1 . In 1812, the year Charles Dickens was born, there were 66 novels published in Britain. People had been writing novels for a century—most experts date the first novel to Robinson Crusoe in 1719—
but nobody wanted to do it professionally. The steam-powered printing press was still in its early stages; the literacy（识字） rate in England was under 50%. Many works of fiction appeared without the names of the authors, often with something like “By a lady.”Novels, for the most part, were looked upon as silly, immoral, or just plain bad.
In 1870, when Dickens died, the world mourned him as its first professional writer and publisher, famous and beloved, who had led an explosion in both the publication of novels and their readership and whose characters — from Oliver Twist to Tiny Tim— were held up as moral touchstones. Today Dickens’ greatness is unchallenged. Removing him from the pantheon（名人堂） of English literature would make about as much sense as the Louvre selling off the Mona Lisa.
How did Dickens get to the top? For all the feelings readers attach to stories, literature is a numbers game, and the test of time is extremely difficult to pass. Some 60,000 novels were published during the Victorian age, from 1837 to1901; today a casual reader might be able to name a half-dozen of them. It’s partly true that Dickens’ style of writing attracted audiences
from all walks of life. It’s partly that his writings rode a wave of social, political and scientific progress. But it’s also that he rewrote the culture of literature and put himself at the center. No one will ever know what mix of talent, ambition, energy and luck made Dickens such a singular writer. But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches, it is possible — and important for our own culture—to understand how he made himself a lasting one.
1. Which of the following best describes British novels in the 18th century?| A．They were difficult to understand. |
| B．They were popular among the rich. |
| C．They were seen as nearly worthless. |
| D．They were written mostly by women. |
| A．his reputation in France |
| B．his interest in modern art |
| C．his success in publication |
| D．his importance in literature |
| A．To remember a great writer. |
| B．To introduce an English novel. |
| C．To encourage studies on culture. |
| D．To promote values of the Victorian age. |
2 . Four Self-Portraits (自画像) by Famous Artists
Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino)—“Self-Portrait”, 1506
One of the beautiful self-portraits by famous artist Raphael was drawn at the age of 23. It measures around 45cm×33cm and is located at the world-famous Uffizi Gallery. The Italian painter used oil on board to draw his self-portrait, which was the clearest and the most recognizable self-portraits of Raphael himself.
Leonardo da Vinci—“Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk”, 1512
“Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk”is a self-portrait of da Vinci at the age of 60 and measures around 33.3cm×21.6cm, which is on display in Biblioteca Reale, Turin, Italy. It is drawn with red chalk on paper and represents the head of an elderly man in a three-quarter view. In the portrait, the length of the hair is uncommon in Renaissance (文艺复兴) portraits.
Rembrandt van Rijn—“Self-Portrait with Beret and Turned-up Collar”, 1659
Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn painted his self-portrait in 1659 when he was 53 years old. It shows his worried expression that clearly portrays the troubled condition of his mind at that point of his life since the year 1659 was a year of anxiety for him. This self-portrait found its place among the Benjamin Altman Collection, which has been exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 1913.
Edgar Degas—“Degas Au Porte-Fusain’”, l855
Edgar Degas made this self-portrait only when he was twenty-one years old. It was one of the most remarkable of his fifteen self-portraits. Degas was seated as seemingly without fear and anxiety. The pose in the painting was formal and academic. The painting is located in the musée d’Orsay, Paris, France.
1. Where should visitors go if they want to admire Raphael’s self-portrait in 1506?| A．Uffizi Gallery. | B．Biblioteca Reale. |
| C．The musée d’Orsay. | D．The Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
| A．The red clothing. | B．The formal pose. |
| C．The long hair. | D．The worried expression. |
| A．Raphael. | B．Edgar Degas. |
| C．Leonardo da Vinci. | D．Rembrandt van Rijn. |
3 . Benjamin West, the father of American painting, showed his talent for art when he was only six years of age. But he did not know about brushes before a visitor told him he needed one. In those days, a brush was made from camel’s hair. There were no camels nearby. Benjamin decided that cat hair would work instead. He cut some fur from the family cat to make a brush.
The brush did not last long. Soon Benjamin needed more fur. Before long, the cat began to look ragged（蓬乱）. His father said that the cat must be sick. Benjamin was forced to admit what he had been doing.
The cat’s lot was about to improve. That year, one of Benjamin’s cousins, Mr. Pennington, came to visit. He was impressed with Benjamin’s drawings. When he went home, he sent Benjamin a box of paint and some brushes. He also sent six engravings（版画） by an artist. These were the first pictures and first real paint and brushes Benjamin had ever seen. In 1747, when Benjamin was nine years old, Mr. Pennington returned for another visit. He was amazed at what Benjamin had done with his gift. He asked Benjamin’s parents if he might take the boy to Philadelphia for a visit.
In the city, Mr. Pennington gave Benjamin materials for creating oil paintings. The boy began a landscape(风景) painting. William Williams, a well-known painter, came to see him work. Williams was impressed with Benjamin and gave him two classic books on painting to take home. The books were long and dull. Benjamin could read only a little, having been a poor student. But he later said,＂Those two books were my companions by day, and under my pillow at night.＂While it is likely that he understood very little of the books, they were his introduction to classical paintings. The nine-year-old boy decided then that he would be an artist.
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．Benjamin’s visit to Philadelphia. |
| B．Williams’ influence on Benjamin. |
| C．The beginning of Benjamin’s life as an artist. |
| D．The friendship between Benjamin and Pennington. |
| A．The cat would be closely watched. |
| B．The cat would get some medical care. |
| C．Benjamin would leave his home shortly. |
| D．Benjamin would have real brushes soon. |
| A．He took him to see painting exhibitions. |
| B．He provided him with painting materials. |
| C．He sent him to a school in Philadelphia. |
| D．He taught him how to make engravings. |
| A．master the use of paints |
| B．appreciate landscape paintings |
| C．get to know other painters |
| D．make up his mind to be a painter |
4 . Cimabue, the greatest painter in medieval(中世纪的)Italy, was surprised one day when he came back from his lunch break and discovered a fly was under the nose of a character he had been working on. So he reached out to touch the insect. To his surprise, he found only wet paint. Turning around, he saw that his apprentice(学徒), Giotto di Bondone, was doing everything he could to keep from laughing. Giotto had painted the fly when Cimabue was away, and it looked so real that Cimabue had been completely fooled.
Giotto was born into a poor farming family. Legend has it that one day when Cimabue was walking around the countryside, he spotted a young shepherd(牧羊人)boy. The boy was not tending his sheep. Instead, he was drawing pictures of them, and the sheep he drew were so lifelike that Cimabue stopped to ask the boy his name. The boy replied that it was Giotto, and Cimabue immediately asked him to come to Florence so that the young shepherd could learn how to paint.
In the Middle Ages, an artist not only had to concern himself with things like design and technique, but he also had to learn how to make paints. Almost all artists were men, and they began their apprenticeships at an early age. An apprentice’s job was to copy his master as exactly as he could. The unfortunate result of this imitation(模仿)was a lack of new ideas.
In fact, art in the Middle Ages remained the same for hundreds of years. The people in paintings didn’t look like real people, and the symbolism of art was often so remote that it must have been difficult for viewers to connect with it on a personal level. Giotto used many techniques that were uncommon at the time to bring the paintings to life for viewers. He painted people the way he saw them, instead of the overly tall people that other artists painted. He created three-dimensional space by using perspective, something that had not been done since Roman times. Finally, he threw out parts of the symbolism associated with medieval painting.
1. Why does the author mention the fly event in paragraph 1?| A．To indicate Giotto drew better than Cimabue. |
| B．To indicate Giotto liked making fun of others |
| C．To show the fly painted by Giotto looked real. |
| D．To show Cimabue disliked painting flies very much. |
| A．He was taking a walk. | B．He was feeding sheep. |
| C．He was playing with a shepherd boy. | D．He was drawing pictures. |
| A．Lacking creativity. |
| B．Having an unhappy childhood. |
| C．Having a short period of apprenticeship. |
| D．Supporting themselves by making paints. |
| A．Giotto’s study on medieval painting. |
| B．The competition between medieval artists. |
| C．Giotto’s efforts to change art in the Middle Ages. |
| D．The most popular forms of painting in the Middle Ages. |
5 . Najma Hashi (also named Nujuum) is a respected female artist, whose paintings are winning a global following. But Nujuum is not your
This young artist grew up in a
However, Nujuum was
This
She
| A．strange | B．intelligent | C．ambitious | D．typical |
| A．protected | B．discouraged | C．helped | D．kept |
| A．peaceful | B．comfortable | C．terrible | D．civilized |
| A．compared | B．refused | C．determined | D．failed |
| A．somewhere | B．nowhere | C．everywhere | D．where |
| A．shore | B．table | C．station | D．store |
| A．imagination | B．extinction | C．reality | D．danger |
| A．survival | B．relief | C．excellence | D．reward |
| A．concerned | B．likely | C．optimistic | D．aware |
| A．in general | B．in person | C．in shock | D．in secret |
| A．normal | B．confusing | C．useful | D．strange |
| A．pressure | B．shame | C．consequence | D．extent |
| A．advantage | B．opportunity | C．intention | D．choice |
| A．tendency | B．appreciation | C．interest | D．entertainment |
| A．approves of | B．dreams of | C．consists of | D．knows of |
As one of the top contemporary Chinese painters
Fan Yang
After graduating from high school, Fan chose to work at the Nantong Arts and Crafts Research Institute. He applied
In 1978, Fan Yang
During his four years of college life, Fan absorbed the skills and knowledge of his predecessors (先辈)
After many years of
7 . In high school Norman Greenstein was a productive doodler(涂鸦手), and created lots of paintings. When he
After his
With the help of his son, Norman was able to start a
In 2021, an online
| A．showed | B．offered | C．conveyed | D．assigned |
| A．set | B．spit | C．sneeze | D．skip |
| A．still | B．occasionally | C．never | D．frequently |
| A．retirement | B．exhibition | C．graduation | D．marriage |
| A．support | B．remove | C．judge | D．replace |
| A．calling | B．longing | C．praying | D．waiting |
| A．unbelievable | B．dark | C．embarrassing | D．unsolved |
| A．restore | B．refresh | C．realize | D．release |
| A．project | B．request | C．competition | D．reform |
| A．spotted | B．recommended | C．developed | D．regarded |
| A．thrilling | B．plain | C．tough | D．stressful |
| A．drama | B．contest | C．programme | D．gallery |
| A．published | B．copied | C．revised | D．examined |
| A．ending with | B．working on | C．relying on | D．paying for |
| A．salary | B．reward | C．sale | D．allowance |
8 . A year after Walt Disney made history with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, its artists were struggling to find the right design for Bambi, the tale of a young deer. The film’s production team realized they needed a style that highlighted almost all of the leaves, flowers and mushrooms in their first feature-length animated(动画的)film.
Soon they got their inspiration from Tyrus Wong, whose work was on display as a new exhibit at New York City’s Museum. In 1938, the Walt Disney Studio hired him to draw the frames between the main drawings of the animators. After reading the story of Bambi, he saw an opportunity to break out of his humdrum job. He said to himself “This is all outdoor scenery. And I’m a landscape painter. This will be great!”
Inspired by Chinese landscape paintings, he used watercolor and pastels(蜡笔)to make sketches that bring the feeling of forest scenes with simple strokes of color and special attention to light and shadow. Wong’s sketches attracted Disney and became the guide for Bambi’s background artists, who were later trained to imitate his style. “His expression was a great leap forward for the medium,” writes John Lasseter, the chief creative officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios. “Where other films were literal, Bambi was expressive and emotional.” In 2001,Wong was named “Disney Legend”, and he received the recognition as the true lead artist.
He pursued art all his life and still made art during his retirement, including toy animals from recycled materials and handmade kites that he regularly flew off the Santa Monica Pier in California. “People admire his works because of Bambi, but Bambi was just a really small part of his life,” says his youngest daughter. “He considers himself not a great artist but a lucky artist, who was at the right place at the right time.”
1. Why did Walt Disney’s artists notice Tyrus Wong?| A．He was good at drawing cartoon characters. |
| B．He won a prize at a museum in New York. |
| C．His style was suitable for the animated film Bambi. |
| D．His work could be used to advertise Walt Disney’s films |
| A．They were literal and detailed. |
| B．They conveyed thoughts effectively. |
| C．They showed the legend of Walt Disney. |
| D．They displayed the progress of the medium. |
| A．He was devoted to art during his lifetime. |
| B．He had been busy his whole life. |
| C．He gave up art after retirement. |
| D．He liked to purchase toys and kites. |
| A．By analyzing cause and effect. |
| B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following time order. |
| D．By listing examples. |
Enjoying great fame at home and abroad for his excellent artistic achievements, the famous Pipa master Fang Jinlong
Indeed, like a dragon
Besides Pipa, he can play many other instruments. “My father worked in traditional Chinese opera,
As a Chinese musician, Fang Jinlong
10 . Since Kelsea Ballerini appeared on the Nashville scene in 2015, she’s been known for her cheerful songs and energetic personality. “I’ve always presented myself as a very happy-go-lucky person,” she says, “but there’s more.” Indeed, in her new poetry book Feel Your Way Through, the “Half of My Hometown” singer, 28, shows how she found strength after a difficult youth.
In her teen years Ballerini struggled with bulimia. “My Parents had just gotten divorced, and I think for me, it was a source of control,”she says of her eating disorder. After passing out several times, she finally sought help at 18. “It’s a journey, and it’s never-ending.” Life in the spotlight (聚光灯) can sometimes worsen her body-image issues, but she’s learned how to deal with them. Today she’s in a much healthier spot, and she is much more gentle with how she talks to herself.
Ballerini faced perhaps her biggest emotional challenge during her second year in high school, when she watched a friend die in a school shooting in her native Knoxville, Tenn.“There’s a moment in everyone’s life when something happens, and you go,’Life is short’, and that was mine,” Ballerini says, adding that she still suffers PTSD from the terrible event. “Fortunately, everyone close to me knows about it, and they help me.”
One of Ballerini’s biggest supporters is her husband, fellow singer Morgan Evans, 36. Because of her parents’ divorce, she says,“I made up my mind that I was never going to get married.” But with Evans, she adds,“I have a healthier idea of marriage. I don’t see it as a fairy tale. It’s work, but it’s worth it.”
1. Why is Ballerini popular?| A．Because she has a sweet voice. |
| B．Because she always has good luck. |
| C．Because her experiences are moving. |
| D．Because her songs always cheer people up. |
| A．Her difficult youth. . | B．Her parents’ divorce. |
| C．Her eating disorder. | D．Her mental challenge. |
| A．She shot her friend dead by accident. |
| B．She has forgotten the school shooting. |
| C．She was saved by her friends on the spot. |
| D．She got emotional problems after the event. |
| A．Every dog has his day. |
| B．Bad times make you strong. |
| C．Failure is the mother of success. |
| D．Nothing is difficult to a willing heart. |
