1 . 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.     1    And it paid off. Matilda Browne participated in her first major exhibition when she was just twelve years old.

Browne loved to paint animals, especially cows and other animals.     2     Her bold brushwork gave her paintings a live appearance. Her style is best described as Impressionism.

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.     3    She even had the honor of painting a door of their workshop. Some sources say that her good sense of humor helped her fit in with the boys, while others claim that her seriousness is what won them over.     4    

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?     5    She was American, while books about American Impressionists tend to focus on the male artists.

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.

2 . This painting Spring Bouquet has a precise structure. The flowers spill over into the lower left-hand corner, with an imbalance as free and as wild as nature. But at once the artist responds to this unbalance. To the right of the vase, Renoir has developed a heavy shadow area, rich in purples and sharply contrasted with the light below it. The placing of the straight line in the lower right side is necessary. If the reader covers this line, he will see that the composition becomes unbalanced.

The Impressionist technique had not yet developed when Renoir painted this picture. Yet the painting with light and color indicates Impressionism is around the corner; there is something of that school in the feeling of the out-of-doors that Renoir has acquired. The texture (纹理) of the flowers is described. Above all, one can’t help saying the very nice smell of the flowers is there, too.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born in 1841. He began working as a young painter of porcelain and textiles. At age 21, Renoir entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and went on to study under the instructions of painter Charles Gleyre’s. Even though his paintings had been initially rejected by the Academy and the public, with time he became one of the most admired artists of his generation.

Unfortunately, in 1899, he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (风湿性关节炎). It is a disease that causes a lot of pain. In addition, the person affected by it may also have deformities (畸形). Consequently, his movements became very limited and each movement was a big and certainly painful effort.

His son, Jean Renoir, writes in the book Renoir, My Father after his father passed away, the reaction of the people to the painting of the father, after seeing his hands:

Visitors who were unprepared for this could not take their eyes off his deformity. Though they did not dare to mention it, their reaction would be expressed by some such phrase as “It isn’t possible!” With hands like that, how can he paint those pictures? There’s some mystery somewhere.

1. What can readers see in the painting?

A．A vase in the left corner.	B．A shadow to the vase’s right.
C．A straight line at the bottom.	D．A natural light in the middle.

2. What seems quite special about this picture when people appreciate it?

A．The painting material.	B．The color choice.
C．The smelly flower taste.	D．The impressive feeling.

3. What does the underlined word “this” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Renoir, My Father.	B．Spring Bouquet.
C．Rheumatoid arthritis.	D．Renoir’s bravery.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Patience Is a Lifetime Practice	B．Pain Passes, but Beauty Remains
C．Impressionism Is a Unique Technique	D．Work hard, and You Will Catch Up

3 . Four Most Famous Paintings in the World

The Starry Night

Artist: Vincent Willem van Gogh

Where to see it: the Museum of Modern Art (New York, US)

Being treated for mental illness in hospital and inspired by the view from the window of his room, Van Gogh painted The Starry Night. The painting is famous for Van Gogh’s creative use of thick brushstrokes (笔画). The painting’s striking blues and yellows and the dreamy atmosphere have attracted art lovers for decades.

The Scream

Artist: Edvard Munch

Where to see it: the National Museum and the Munch Museum (Oslo, Norway)

The Scream is not a single work of art. According to a British museum’s blog, there are two paintings, two pastels (彩粉画) and a number of prints, The paintings are in the National Museum and the Munch Museum, and in 2012, one of the pastels was sold for almost 120 million.

Mona Lisa

Artist: Leonardo da Vinci

Where to see it: the Louvre Museum (Paris. France)

It should come as no surprise that one of the most famous paintings in the world is a woman with a mysterious smile. It is the earliest known Italian painting to focus closely on the sitter in a half-length portrait (像) , according to the Louvre, where it was first exhibited in 1804.

The Last Supper

Artist: Leonardo da Vinci

Where to see it: Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan, Italy)

Leonardo is the only artist to appear on this list twice. The Last Supper is about the last time Jesus had dinner with his followers. The painting is actually a huge wall painting-4. 6 meters high and 8. 8 meters wide, which makes for a memorable viewing experience.

1. Where is The Starry Night exhibited?

A．In the Louvre Museum.

B．In the Munch Museum.

C．In the Museum of Modern Art.

D．In Santa Maria delle Grazie.

2. What is special about The Scream?

A．It is exhibited in three museums.

B．It includes a series of works of art.

C．It is famous for a smile in the painting.

D．It was painted in a mental hospital.

3. What do Mona Lisa and The Last Supper have in common?

A．They feature religious figures.

B．They both belong to wall paintings.

C．They are exhibited in the National Museum.

D．They were painted by Leonardo da Vinci.

4 . “The arrow shot is so straight that it hits the bull’s eye, the young people will have good luck…” Dargye sang as he worked on his handmade bag.

Dargye, 56, an artist who excels at traditional craftsmanship and Tibetan folk music in Drinba village in Dragyib district, Nyingchi, Tibet autonomous region, remembers many folk songs he learned from his father and uncle. Now, it’s his turn to pass them on.

“I have liked traditional songs and dances since I was a child,” said Dargye, who has four apprentices (学徒).“The songs tell the histories of our ancestors and carry our unique culture, and-it’s always a lot of fun to perform these traditional songs and dances at various gatherings.” The song topics vary from archery, love, to labor and praise for the land. In addition to teaching these songs to/his family members and apprentices, he also uses social media platforms such as WeChat to teach songs.

His daughter, Chok Butri, also admires the folk culture. After posting a video of her daughter, Tsering Kyi, dancing on Douyin, she gained a lot of new fans on the popular short-video platform. “We are modern people living in a modern era, so it’s important and our responsibility that we use modern tools to pass on our traditional culture to make it last forever.” said Chok Butri, adding that she often posts songs and dances on WeChat and Douyin.

Dargye and his fellow villagers also recreate songs, adding modern elements such as aircraft and trains to the lyrics. Besides singing and dancing, Dargye makes handicrafts decorated with Tibetan cultural elements, including various hide and hair ropes, bags made of leather and cloth, and knife sheaths.

The local government encourages villagers to inherit (继承) and develop folk songs and other forms of traditional culture. Dargye’s efforts to preserve folk culture have been acknowledged by the government. In 2014, he was chosen as a county-level intangible (无形的) cultural inheritor and receives funds every year.

1. Why does Dargye want to pass the culture on?

A．He wants to satisfy his interest.	B．He wants to learn from the seniors.
C．He wants to bring people fun.	D．He wants to inherit and develop it.

2. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning Dargye’s daughter?

A．To show folk music’s effect on her.	B．To stress Dargye’s influence on her.
C．To emphasize her love for folk culture.	D．To reveal the popularity of folk culture online.

3. Which of the following best describes Dargye?

A．Ambitious and honest.	B．Talented and curious.
C．Devoted and creative.	D．Generous and determined.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．All efforts to preserve culture pay off

B．Craftsman carries tunes to preserve culture

C．An artist prefers traditional songs and dances

D．Tibetan culture is being protected and passed on

5 . 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。

Angela Mia De la Vega breathes a realistic beauty into each of her lifelike sculptures. For De la Vega, sculpting is an opportunity to catch     1     is happening around her, a way to share her most important thoughts    2    the public before they disappear. Most of her work is about youthful figures engaged in     3     (energy) and playful activities. She expertly employs light and shadow to inspire an emotional connection between her work     4    her audience, so that one may see a reflection of life within each     5     (finish) work.

Whenever possible, De la Vega works with life models to accurately capture (捕捉) the little details that make her final     6     (product) so unbelievably natural. For this reason, she chooses her     7       (models) faces carefully. She seeks faces which are able to show their complex feelings. As a very serious artist, De la Vega    8     (close) follows the entire process from the beginning to the end. As each sculpture     9     (come) into shape, she begins to slow down and focus on     10     (perfect) the details that allow her final pieces to have a spirit and a natural sense of movement.

6 . “In the future, everybody will be famous for 15 minutes,” said US artist Andy Warhol (1928—1987). And he is quite right. Now it seems that anybody can become an instant online celebrity.

Warhol is best noted for his paintings that represent celebrity faces and US consumer goods, like Coca-Cola bottles or Campbel’s soup cans. As a great influence on the twentieth century pop art movement, Andy Warhol rose to become a cornerstone in the contemporary art world, devoted to bringing his views on materialism, politics and economics to the art. Actually, the visual world Warhol created is directly connected to his background.

In the mid-1950s, the working class gathered a great deal of fortune. They wanted to achieve a higher status in society. The consumer goods and Hollywood faces are a “working-class-coded iconography (肖像；意象) that is often misinterpreted as generally ‘American’.” Anthony E. Grudin, author of Warhol’s Working Class commented. Reproducing these themes in his work meant that people outside of the art world could immediately connect with Warhol’s pictures. Considered “a creature of transformation”, Warhol constantly explored with different forms of media to evoke resonance among people.

For example, in addition to being a painter, Warhol was, in the words of UK writer Peter Wollen: “A filmmaker, a writer, a photographer, a TV soap opera producer.” Warhol, in short, was what we might call a ‘Renaissance (文艺复兴) man’, even though he was a leader in pop or perhaps post-modern art.”

In his later years, he founded Interview Magazine and wrote several books, including The Philosophy of Andy Warhol. But UK artist Gillian Wearing said, “Warhol left his mark in many more ways than his actual work.” Warhol’s works are all about “America, money, fame and death”, UK writer Jon Savage remarked. “He summed up, defined and in many ways symbolized the world in which we now live.

1. What’s Andy Warhol’s purpose of creating his paintings?

A．To highlight Renaissance style.	B．To attain fame and higher status.
C．To combine art with materialism.	D．To challenge traditional art forms.

2. What do Andy Warhol’s paintings focus on?

A．Popular drinks.	B．Average people.
C．Commercial products.	D．Living scenes of working class.

3. What does the underlined phrase “evoke resonance” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Inspire connection.	B．Receive recognition.
C．Raise inspiration.	D．Gain sympathy.

4. What kind of person is Andy Warhol according to the text?

A．Creative and critical.	B．Conservative and realistic.
C．Optimistic and encouraging.	D．Constructive and multi-talented.

7 . According to Michael Gelb, the author of ‘Think Like Da Vinci’, any living person can bring out their inner Da Vinci by committing themselves to several ‘Da Vincian’ principles.

According to Gelb, although not everyone is born with the gifts and the abilities of Leonardo Da Vinci, it is possible for any person to use the fundamentals of Da Vinci’s approach to learning to guide us to toward the realization of our own full potential.     1    

Leonardo possessed an intense curiosity about the world around him. It was this undiscouraged curiosity that began in childhood and continued throughout his life that drove Leonardo into becoming one of the greatest thinker’s humanity.     2     Quite the contrary, Leonardo was a man of action, possessing an unstoppable determination in pursuit of knowledge.

The young Leonardo loved nature. Leonardo would wonder around the Tuscany countryside asking questions he did not himself yet understand. Questions such as: Why shells exist on the tops of mountains alongside seaweed usually found in the sea. Why lightning is visible whereas thunder is not and takes a longer time to travel.     3     His questions took him under the water (he designed a snorkel as well as diving equipment and even a submarine) and into the sky (he also invented flying machines and a parachute).     4     Gelb recommends a series of exercises which include:

Keeping a journal or notebook – Leonardo always carried a notebook with him so that he could jot down ideas, thoughts, impressions and observations as they occurred.

Asking questions - Making a list of a hundred questions in your notebook on any given topic that comes into your head.

Be willing to make lots of mistakes – Leonardo was not afraid to make mistakes and appear foolish.

    5    

A．Curiosity can be developed.

B．Why so many important families live in Tuscany.

C．But don’t think Leonardo was a man of thought alone.

D．Here, we are going to look at one key principle: curiosity.

E．Leonardo relied only on himself to answer his own questions.

F．Actually, Leonardo embraced the feelings of unfamiliarity and foolishness.

G．But do not be fooled into thinking that Leonardo did not make any mistakes.

8 . Pop art, which emerged in the '50s and rose in popularity throughout the '60s, sought to challenge the idea of fine art.

Andy Warhol (1928-1987)

Andy Warhol is probably the most influential figure of Pop Art. He became a famous celebrity himself. Understanding ‘star-culture’, advertisement and the effect of the media, he made these the core of his work. His screenprinted images of Marilyn Monroe, Soup cans, and sensational newspaper stories, quickly became synonymous(同义词) with Pop art.

Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997)

Roy Lichtenstein is one of the fathers of the Pop Art movement. In November 2015, Christie’s sold Lichtenstein’s ‘Nurse’ for a record $95.4 million. In this piece, as well as in other works, we can see how the enlarged imagery of adverts and comics with recognisable characters, highlights the ironic(讽刺好笑的) images and situations in every-day life.

Mimmo Rotella (1918-2006)

Italian artist Mimmo Rotella, was one of the most important figures of post-war European art. He combined pieces of adverts and posters in his works. For this technique he used a series of torn posters, gathering them to create a tremendously expressive and powerful aesthetic(美学). His works Sempre lei Marilyn (2002) and Viva America(1963) are easy to recognize.

James Rosenquist (1933-2017)

James Rosenquist can be considered one of the strongest and most influential modern Pop Art artists. His work dived deep into cinematography and advertising. He employed techniques which are conventionally used to create Commercial Art. His works appear as an overwhelming mixture of fragmented(成碎片的) images of current celebrities, everyday objects and popular foods - giant lipsticks or spaghetti. If you go to Centre Pompidou, Paris, you can see his work President-Elect.

1. What artwork will you turn to if you are interested in Andy Warhol?

A．Marilyn Monroe.	B．Nurse.
C．Viva America.	D．President-Elect.

2. Which artist creates his works by putting together cut and torn posters?

A．Andy Warhol.	B．Roy Lichtenstein.
C．Mimmo Rotella.	D．James Rosenquist.

3. What do the four pop art artists’ works have in common?

A．They are typical fine art.

B．They show ironic everyday life.

C．They employ traditional techniques.

D．They are somewhat related to commercials.

9 . Cimabue, the greatest painter of a Middle Ages in Italy, was surprised one day after his lunch break to discover that a fly had seated itself under the nose of a character that he had been working on. He swatted (重拍) at the fly, but it did not move. He reached out to touch the insect, only to find it was only wet paint. Turning around, he saw that his apprentice (学徒), Giotto, was laughing. Giotto had painted the fly when Cimabue was away, and it looked so real that Cimabue had been completely fooled.

Giotto di Bondone was born into a poor family in a village. Legend has it that one day, when Cimabue was wandering around the countryside, he spotted a young shepherd boy drawing pictures of his sheep, which were so vivid that Cimabue immediately asked him to come to Florence and learn how to paint. That was how Giotto’s story began in Florence, where the young student flourished under Cimabue’s instruction and soon surpassed his master in skill.

At that time, people in paintings didn’t look real, and the symbolism of art was difficult for viewers to connect with it. Innovation (创新) was not stressed, so art had remained the same for hundreds of years.

However, Giotto thought art should be something more connected with people in a more realistic way. His masterpieces included the forty major frescoes (壁画) for the Arena Chapel. Adopting many techniques that were uncommon then, he painted people the way he saw them, instead of the overly tall and boxy people that other artists painted. He created three-dimensional space by using perspective, something that had not been done since Roman times.

In addition to painting, Giotto wrote poetry and drew architectural plans. When Giotto was in his sixties, he painted the Ognissanti Madonna, another famous work of art. He continued working until the age of seventy. The ideas Giotto brought to painting throughout his life revolutionized the art world and made him one of the greatest painters ever.

1. What does the anecdote in paragraph 1 tell us about Giotto?

A．His humor.

B．His talent.

C．His courage.

D．His determination.

2. How did Cimabue feel about Giotto’s painting when they first met?

A．Impressed.

B．Hesitant.

C．Doubtful.

D．Amused.

3. What made Giotto’s works distinguished at that time?

A．Vivid colors.	B．Classic skills.
C．Original composition.	D．Lifelike quality.

4. Which of the following best summarizes Giotto’s story?

A．Great minds think alike.

B．Innovation is the vitality of art.

C．Constant dripping wears away a stone.

D．A slow sparrow should make an early start.

10 . Claude Monet spent the winters of 1899, 1900 and 1901 freezing on a balcony of London’s Savoy Hotel, painting a series of famous images of Waterloo Bridge and Charing Cross Bridge.

Now, scientists at Birmingham University have used solar geometry and historical weather data to figure out exactly which balcony Monet was standing on, and what time of day he was likely working.

“We know that Monet, in the mornings, used to work on the sun rising over Waterloo Bridge,” John Thornes says. “By midday, the sun would be shining directly along the Thames, and Monet usually moved on to Charing Cross Bridge, before finishing the day watching the sun set over the Houses of Parliament.”

The sun occupies the same position in the sky today as it did in 1900 and 1901, which helped Thornes figure out the time of day. Monet also included another London landmark, the obelisk (方尖纪念碑) known as Cleopatra’s Needle, in some of his paintings of Charing Cross Bridge. Thornes says that examining the position of the needle relative to the bridge helped him determine that Monet stayed in rooms 610 and 611 at the Savoy during the winter of 1899, and one floor down at 510 and 511 a year later.

“The Savoy Hotel actually advertises theMonet Suite, which they sell to the public,” Thornes says. “And they in fact use the suite farther down from where Monet actually was.”

But the hotel is upgrading, and when it reopens, it will have the correct rooms as the Monet Suite —thanks in part to his research.

Monet’s images of London aren’t just great art. Thornes says they also provide an accurate record of the city’s fogs, which were common in the days before clean-air law was passed in the 1950s.

“That’s one of the things we’re very interested in,” he says, “Maybe, the visibility (能见度) in Monet’s painting will help me to study how the air quality has improved since those days.”

1. What has helped the researchers to determine Monet’s rooms?

A．The hotel’s historical documents.	B．The weather records about London.
C．The signatures in some of the paintings.	D．The visibility in Claude Monet’s paintings.

2. Which building is most probably in the image painted in the morning?

A．Waterloo Bridge.	B．Cleopatra’s Needle.
C．Charing Cross Bridge.	D．the Houses of Parliament.

3. What can be inferred about the new Monet Suite?

A．It is open for the public now.

B．Claude Monet didn’t stay in it.

C．It consists of more than four rooms.

D．It should be on the sixth or fifth floor.

4. What was the purpose of the research?

A．To help the Savoy Hotel redesign the Monet Suite.

B．To study the effects of the clean-air law passed in the 1950s.

C．To find out when and where Claude Monet worked on some of his paintings.

D．To analyze if Claude Monet honestly recorded the air quality in London.