1 . During the 19th and 20th centuries, Qi Baishi (1864-1957) was one of the best-known Chinese artists. He grew up in a poor peasant family, but this did not prevent him from pursuing his interest in painting.
Qi was schooled for less than a year due to illness, and he dropped out of school. However, he was too weak to do much of the work and this was why he became a carpenter. As a carpenter, he showed his creativity. He could carve figures of animals, woodblock prints, and sniff-boxes. At the age of 20, he taught himself to paint with Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting. He met many mentors who greatly influenced his painting skills through his painting journey, among whom are the renowned artists Zhu Da and Xu Wei. When he was 28, he became a student of the famous artist Hu Qinyuan, and he began to study Chinese painting.
Qi arrived in Beijing in 1917. While he was in Beijing, he stayed devoted to painting. Most of his paintings represented Chinese tradition. Qi’s works are now found in several famous museums, including National Gallery Prague and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. His works now are the most expensive ever sold at auctions.
Qi got noticed by many institutions, one of which is the Ministry of Culture. In 1954 he was selected as the representative of the Chinese people. Also, in 1956, he was awarded the World Peace Prize by World Peace Council. A college was also named after him, the Baishi School of Art in Hunan University of Science Technology.
1. Why did Qi Baishi drop out of school?| A．He suffered from illness and was too weak. |
| B．He wanted to devote himself to painting. |
| C．He wasn’t interested in what he learned at school. |
| D．His family was too poor to afford his schooling fees. |
| A．He learned Chinese painting on his own. |
| B．He showed great creativity of art since childhood. |
| C．His works are one of the costliest ever sold at auctions. |
| D．At first he learned to paint from some renowned artists. |
| A．His painting style. | B．His painting works. |
| C．His achievements. | D．His contributions to his hometown. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By using data. |
| C．By raising questions. | D．By following the order of time. |
Astrid Poghosyan is a musician from America who now lives in China. This summer, she has been busy making preparations for a series of in-person and online music
Poghosyan said she always devotes all her energy
Having studied and worked in China for 12 years. Poghosyan has now become a real China hand, with a good knowledge of the
For Poghosyan the life she now leads is a far cry from when she first came to China in 2009
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3 . 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. |
4 . Fu Yiyao, one of China's leading ink wash painters, released her new book on December 6 in Shanghai. Fu was born in Nan jing, Jiangsu province. Her father, Fu Baoshi, who was the representative landscape painter of his time, had a great influence on her. Fu studied Chinese language in Nanjing Normal College. After graduation, she was engaged in education and took up painting. She set foot in painting circles due to. her strong passion for the art and thus became an outstanding painter worldwide. As a matter of fact, Fu's original dream was to become an actress but her father thought that literature plays an important role in one's growth, through which one can know the real meaning of life and can develop a love for what he pursues and literature is also qualification (资格) to start painting She followed the words of her father, which turned out to be a success. Fu gradually understood her father's deep love for her.
In 1979, Fu became one of the first batch of overseas students sent to Japan after the country carried out its reform and opening-up policy. She was famous for large-scale ink wash painting, and has created more works conveying Chinese traditional culture and held many exhibitions in Chin, Japan, America, Swaziland and the United Nations, helping promote Chinese painting worldwide.
After living in Japan for 40 years, Fu said she truly understands the superiority (优越性) of her motherland's culture and she will constantly promote go on to promote the art of ink wash painting. She believes that she has obeyed her father's wishes.
Speaking of her original purpose of creating her book, intention of creating her book, Fu said, "It is not a pure autobiography (自传) for I have shared my reflections on life and art in a new form. " Meanwhile, the book has three types of vision to meet the needs of different readers.
"I have got what I wanted in the process of study and creation. My love for Chinese culture can last thousands of years. I really hope to help spread Chinese traditional culture, " Fu concluded.
1. Why did Fu Yiyao want to become a painter?
| A．Because her father was a painter. | B．Because she listened to her father. |
| C．Because she was crazy about art. | D．Because she studied painting in college. |
| A．To earn more money by her paintings. |
| B．To prove she is an outstanding ink wash painter. |
| C．To show her large-scale ink wash paintings. |
| D．To make people all over the world know Chinese painting. |
| A．Fu is satisfied with her book. |
| B．Her book is only an autobiography. |
| C．Fu loves Chinese culture very much. |
| D．There are three sections in the book. |
| A．Science and Technology. | B．Culture &Art. |
| C．Great literature. | D．Campus life. |
5 . Arun Kumar Bajaj has a very unusual skill — he can paint with a sewing machine. Technically, it’s embroidering, not painting, but his artworks are so detailed that they can pass as paintings to the untrained eyes. And the fact that he does it all with a sewing machine just makes that much more impressive.
Arun was really good at drawing and painting while growing up and dreamed of becoming a famous painter, but his father died suddenly 15 years ago, which destroyed his plans and forced him to give up school in order to run the family business. His father was a tailor and he became one too, but he didn’t let the artist in him die. He started “painting” with a needle and thread, but instead of using his hands, he decided on a rather unusual tool — the sewing machine. It took him a while to master this unique art form, but today he is recognized as the world’s only sewing machine artist. His works become very popular both in India and abroad. It’s easy to see why, just by looking at them, but what really makes his embroideries special is the tool he uses.
“You need to be very careful because once you’ve stitched the cloth, there’s no way you can repair it,” Arun said. “It’s all done in a single layer to give the painting a neat look.”
Some of Arun’s most impressive works include a 4×2 feet painting of the court of Ranjit Singh which took the artist over a year to finish. Arun runs a tailoring business in the Adalat Bazar of Patiala, but he devotes a lot of his time to his artistic dream as well.
1. Why do Arun’s paintings leave a deep impression on people?| A．They have rich contents. | B．They take many years to finish. |
| C．They give people a sense of satisfaction. | D．They are finished with a sewing machine. |
| A．His father’s sudden death. | B．His families’ encouragement. |
| C．His love for drawing and painting. | D．His position in his family business. |
| A．It includes painting repair work. | B．It requires the use of special cloth. |
| C．It needs to be done with great care. | D．It involves keeping handwriting neat. |
| A．Arun’s wonderful life journey. | B．Arun’s most impressive works. |
| C．An expert good at embroidering and sewing. | D．The world’s only sewing machine painter. |
Many of Gershwin’s songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City. These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his songs have remained popular as ever. Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way—from jazz to country.
In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it. And in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him world-famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular.
In 1928, Gershwin went to Paris. He applied to study composition(作曲)with the well-known musician Nadia Boulanger, but she rejected him. She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazz-influenced style. While there, Gershwin wrote An American in Paris. When it was first performed, critics(评论家)were divided over the music. Some called it happy and full of life, to others it was silly and boring. But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States. It still remains one of his most famous works.
George Gershwin died in 1937, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirty-nine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written.
1. Many of Gershwin’s musical works were ．| A．written about New Yorkers |
| B．composed for Paul Whiteman |
| C．played mainly in the countryside |
| D．performed in various ways |
| A．He created one of his best works． |
| B．He studied with Nadia Boulanger． |
| C．He argued with French critics． |
| D．He changed his music style． |
| A．Many of Gershwin’s works were lost． |
| B．The death of Gershwin was widely reported． |
| C．A concert was held in memory of Gershwin． |
| D．Brain cancer research started after Gershwin’s death． |
| A．Talented and productive． |
| B．Serious and boring． |
| C．Popular and unhappy． |
| D．Friendly and honest． |
