Thomas Eakins, a painter, photographer,
Apart from his art, Eakins
Peking Opera has always had an excellent reputation as the “National Opera”. When the opera troupes of Anhui entered Beijing, they were mixed with the Kunqiang and Hubei opera troupes,
Born into a family of famous actors, Mei Lanfang’s performance style was elegant and beautiful, appearing reserved but actually full of complexity. The Mei Lanfang art school he founded
1. Why did the lady want the pianist to sing?
A.She was tired of listening to the piano. |
B.She knew he could sing well. |
C.She wanted to make him famous. |
A.After he became a famous pianist. |
B.Long before he played the piano in the bar. |
C.C. That night after his first singing. |
A.He became a well-known singer in America. |
B.He continued to play the piano in the bar. |
C.He had his own piano bar. |
A.People will succeed if they have talent. |
B.Few people have real talent. |
C.Everyone should make full use of his talent. |
4 . For those who are deaf or have hearing loss, making and enjoying music can be a challenge. However, that hasn’t stopped Dame Evelyn Glennie from achieving success.
Scottish-born Dame Evelyn Glennie is one of the world’s most recognized percussionists (打击乐器乐手). However, she started going deaf at the age of eight due to a nerve disease. At 12, she totally lost her hearing.
At first, Glennie was desperate. But her percussion teacher at school taught her to feel particular notes. For example, she had to place her hands on a wall, and he would play two notes on two timpani. He would then ask her which was the higher note and where she felt the vibration. Through trials and errors, she managed to distinguish the pitch of notes by associating where on her body she feels the sound. Thanks to her perfect pitch and the fact that she performs barefoot, Evelyn “hears” the sound. Together with her lip-reading skills, and amazing musicianship, she has conquered any troubles and inconvenience caused by her impairment.
Till now, Glennie has performed with almost all the major orchestras (管弦乐队) globally. Besides classical music, she is famous for partnerships with pop and rock artists like Sting and Bjork. Glennie’s works has earned her over 100 music awards, including two Grammys. She even led 1,000 drummers in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
At the age of 58 this year, Glennie’s mission now is to “teach the world to listen” to improve communication by encouraging everyone to discover a new way of listening. “It’s important to grab on to any opportunity that comes your way, but you also need to create your own opportunities,” says Evelyn. “It’s a personal time to reflect on the impact you might have on other people as well. I don’t know if age plays a part in it, because I feel as though I haven’t really achieved very much and there’s still so much to do!”
1. How could Glennie identify different notes as a deaf person?A.By reading her teacher’s lips. | B.By putting her hands on a wall. |
C.By applying her amazing musicianship. | D.By feeling the vibration through her body. |
A.Sorrow. | B.Mismatch. | C.Abnormality. | D.Fear. |
A.faithful and tolerant | B.cheerful and practical |
C.determined and kind | D.considerate and dutiful |
A.A Dream Pursued by Evelyn Glennie | B.A Deaf Musician Heard by the World |
C.Evelyn Glennie: Teach the World to Listen | D.Talented Percussionist: Say “No” to Age |
5 . Chopin, one of the most influential and popular pianists in the field of music, was born in Poland. He lived in a happy family. His father was a French teacher at the Warsaw Lyceum which Chopin later attended. His mother liked singing Polish folk songs very much. When Chopin was still a baby, his mother often sang songs to make him sleep. The charm of music was firmly rooted in the young Chopin’s heart and accompanied him until the end of his life.
His early training started at home, including getting piano lessons from his mother. When he was 4, his parents bought a piano at home. His mother often played the piano with him. Chopin had an unspeakable feeling for the piano. He often climbed onto the chair and beat the keys with his tender hands. “This is our son playing the piano. And it is a Polish folk song!” Chopin’s mother was surprised, and his father was very proud.
By the age of seven, Chopin had created original works, which showed his prodigious musical ability. Then his parents sent him to learn piano from Wojciech Zywny. When Chopin was sixteen, he attended the Warsaw Conservatory of Music, directed by composer Josephy Elsner. Like other young musicians during the Classical and Romantic Periods, Chopin was sent to Vienna, the center of music for that day. While he was in Vienna, Poland and Russia faced off in the beginnings of war. He returned to Warsaw to get his things for a more permanent move.
The war in Poland inspired Chopin to write many sad works expressing his grief for his motherland. Among these was the famous “Revolutionary Etude”. As the war continued in Warsaw and then reached Paris, Chopin retired to Scotland with friends. Although he was far beyond the reach of the revolution, he fell into deep depression. Besides, his health was in bad condition. Finally, he died at the age of 39, and was buried in Paris.
1. Who was Chopin’s first music teacher?A.Wojciech Zywny. | B.His mother. | C.Josephy Elsner. | D.His father. |
A.Chopin’s parents paid much attention to his education. |
B.Chopin was forced to practice the piano by his mother. |
C.His mother was his French teacher. |
D.He lacked love in his childhood. |
A.Because his health was poor. | B.Because he had special ability in music. |
C.Because he loved his homeland, Poland so much. | D.He was inspired by his friends. |
A.After first being sent to Vienna, Chopin never returned to Poland. |
B.The center of music was in Paris for that day. |
C.Chopin left Poland because he hated it. |
D.He died early because of his poor health and his deep feeling of depression. |
6 . Here is a brief introduction to the “three masters of art” of the Renaissance.
Leonardo da Vinci(1452-1519)
He was the most famous artist, sculptor and inventor of the Italian Renaissance. He was also known as “the most perfect representative of the Renaissance”. He was born in the town of Vinci, on the outskirts of Florence, and died in France. The fresco The Last Supper, the altarpiece Our Lady of the Rock and the wall painting Mona Lisa are the three masterpieces of his life.
Raphael(1483-1520)
He was an Italian painter and sculptor. His series of wall paintings of the Virgin reflected a humanism with maternal warmth, which were different from the medieval painters. Our Lady of Frio, Our Lady in the Chair and Our Lady of Alba are all his perfect works. After 1509, he was invited by Pope Julier II to paint wall paintings in the Vatican Palace. He died in Rome on April 6, 1520.
Michelangelo(1475-1564)
He was a great painter, sculptor and architect of the Italian Renaissance and a representative of the highest peak of Renaissance sculpture. From 1501 to 1504, he completed the world-famous David. From 1508, he spent more than four years completing the famous wall painting in the Sistine Chapel. He devoted his whole life to great art until his death in his studio on February 18, 1564.
1. From this passage. what is the name of the wall painting created by Leonardo da Vinci?A.The Last Supper. | B.Our Lady of the Rock. |
C.Mona Lisa. | D.The Battle of Angeli. |
A.His works reflected a humanism with maternal warmth. |
B.His works had extremely strong religious overtones. |
C.His works emphasized the aesthetic function of painting. |
D.His works emphasized the performance of subjective spirit. |
A.They all painted wall paintings. | B.They were Italian. |
C.They were born in early 15th century. | D.They were sculptors. |
While athletes were racing to realize their dreams during the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics, Ding Jiao kept
Ding, a physically challenged artist created 96 comics for the Chinese athletes in the Tokyo Summer Paralympics last year. These comics were popular, with
The 31-year-old Ding says: “I’m physically challenged, so I know how hard it is for physically challenged people
Ding recalls when she watched Chinese athletes coming into sight at the opening ceremony, tears
She spent around five hours drawing a comic piece, describing the Chinese athletes at the opening ceremony. The work
Every time she drew an athlete, she watched the athlete’s race
Ding finished 96 comics within one month. “I worked overtime, but it is worthy
Officially
Vincent Van Gogh, for
In 1886, he went to Paris
Van Gogh died in 1890. During his life he had sold one painting. Van Gogh’s finest works were produced in
9 . If you have ever seen the art of Jonathan Green, it is not likely that you will soon forget it. His paintings are bold and colorful, lively and cheerful. Green depicts a way of life that is rapidly disappearing. It is a way of life that he remembers with fondness from his childhood in the South Carolina Sea Islands.
Jonathan Green was born in 1955 in Gardens Corner, South Carolina, a region of the state known as the Low Country. The second of seven children, Green was raised by his maternal grandmother, Eloise Stewart Johnson. As he grew up, he was immersed in Gullah culture-a culture that placed great value on tradition, family, and community. Although Green had to travel to other parts of the world before he could fully appreciate his rich heritage, the basic elements of his culture eventually found their way into his unique form of artistic expression.
After Green graduated from high school, he joined the military. It seemed like a good opportunity for him to see the world and to receive an education. When he completed his military service, Green attended the Art Institute of Chicago. While he was in school, he worked part-time as a security guard at an art museum. This allowed him to study the work of the masters. He imitated their work at first, learning what made them so well respected. Then, Green found his own style and direction and began painting South Carolina’s Gullah Islands, the world he knew best.
Jonathan Green’s artwork is filled with everyday images of Gullah life as he remembered it growing up. His paintings show people hanging laundry out to dry, picking oysters, telling stories, and attending weddings and funerals. Water is found in many of his paintings because it plays an important role in the lives of people who live along the coast and on the islands.
Human beings are also found in nearly all of Green’s work, indicating the importance of family and community to the culture. The faces of the people in his paintings are usually without features. This can be interpreted as Green’s way of showing how the everyday lives and experiences of people are universal.The Gullah way of life is changing as children grow up and move away to larger towns and cities. Jonathan Green knows that his artwork cannot change what is happening to the area where he grew up. But his paintings can raise awareness of what is in danger of being lost and preserve the memories of a rich and colorful way of life.
1. What can we learn from the passage?A.Green’s way of depicting is rapidly disappearing. |
B.Joining the army broadened Green’s horizons. |
C.Green’s artwork raised the awareness of changing the area . |
D.Green imitated the masterpiece to show respect for the masters. |
A.A landscape of a beautiful village. |
B.A realistic portrait of a mother telling story. |
C.A fisherman casting a net. |
D.A cute dog biting a bone. |
A.Participate. | B.Devote. | C.Contribute. | D.Expose. |
A.a profile | B.an auto-biography | C.a review | D.an initiative |
10 . Matilda Browne (1869-1947) was a successful artist in the early 20th century. Unfortunately, few people know her name or her art today.
Matilda Browne showed promising artistic talent early in her life. Growing up in Newark, New Jersey, she got an introduction to art by watching her neighbor, painter Thomas Moran. Her parents supported their budding young artist.
Browne loved to paint animals, especially cows and other animals.
Matilda Browne quickly became a respected and successful artist. Her list of honours opened doors that would have been otherwise inaccessible for a female artist of her time. As an adult, she moved to Connecticut, where she painted in Old Lyme.
Browne was a successful artist throughout her life. She won numerous awards and exhibited in many important shows. However, very few people know about her today. This is a more common story for female artists than one might think. So, why has Browne faded into being unknown?
A.She was the only woman accepted into the male artists’ circle there. |
B.It was her artistic style that hadn’t aroused people’s interest. |
C.Her impressive skill brought her under everyone’s notice. |
D.She also painted many flowers in colorful garden landscapes. |
E.It could result from her double minority — in gender and nationality. |
F.Her mother took her to Europe for training while she was quite young. |
G.Either way, her great skill as a painter made these other artists take notice. |