1 . The question of whether it is possible to dissociate the artist from their work has been debated for a long time. Even though positive critical reviews about an artist’s behavior can improve their artistic accomplishments, people should treat artists as individuals who have lived apart from their work.

One of the reasons is that even artists have shortcomings. Like any other human being, an artist can err, and we cannot be severely judgmental of every person that falls into error. Cancel culture with endless criticism is concerned more with how we should disregard the artists when they make mistakes than with how their weaknesses can be used by the artists to create art that is unique.

Perhaps Kevin Hart’s words support this thought. He asks, “When did we get to a point where life was supposed to be perfect? Where people were supposed to operate perfectly all the time?” When people start seeing artists as human beings, they’ll see them for who they are and review their behavior not on the basis of their art but on the basis of their humanity.

It should be also noted that there are works of art that are inspired by the artist’s experience. For example, the themes in the Harry Potter books are so connected with J. K. Rowling’s wicked worldview that it is virtually impossible to distinguish the two from each other. Since canceling artists based on their worldview would mean the reception to their art will suffer, artists become tense and unwilling to express themselves, which will kill creativity, eventually leading to the death of art. Comedians, singers or painters who should be integrating contemporary issues with their works become boring, and art stops functioning as the social mirror it ought to be.

An artist who makes mistakes still has art with intrinsic (内在的) value, benefiting entire communities or cultures. For instance, when Kendrick Lamar launched his album and frequently used the F-slur in one of his songs, there was much-heated discussion. He was entirely mistaken in using the F-slur, but as an artist, he still had a wide-reaching impact on society. Similarly, one can respect the late Michael Jackson because of how he impacted pop music and the inclusion of black musicians in mainstream media despite his personal weaknesses, opinions, worldviews and associations.

While these artists may engage in their terrible behavior, the art they produce today may serve as an example for others to produce outstanding work in the future. Some would refer to this process as a cycle. Good art should, therefore, be judged due to its value and not the value of the artist.

1. Which would Kevin Hart probably agree with?

A．People should perform perfectly all the time.

B．Artists’ shortcomings might be their inspiration.

C．If artists have weaknesses, we’d better cancel them.

D．Artists should be evaluated based on their humanity.

2. Why will “cancel culture” lead to the death of art?

A．Artists will be unwilling to create any artwork.

B．Artists will stop concerning with contemporary issues.

C．Artists will lose their desire for expression and creativity.

D．Artworks are unavoidably inspired by artists’ experiences.

3. How can an artist with mistakes benefit others?

A．The artist may make some new words popular.

B．The artist’s opinions may provoke heated discussion.

C．The artist will benefit entire communities or cultures.

D．The artist’s art may give others ideas of artistic creation.

4. Which would be the best title of the passage?

A．Judge Art Due to Its Value

B．Separate the Art From the Artist

C．Regard Artists as Human Beings

D．Stop Criticizing Artists’ Behavior

2 . 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.

2. What does the underlined word “impairment” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Sorrow.

B．Mismatch.

C．Abnormality.

D．Fear.

3. Which of the following best describes Glennie’s character?

A．faithful and tolerant	B．cheerful and practical
C．determined and kind	D．considerate and dutiful

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

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

3 . Eeva Simons shows us that a physical disability doesn’t necessarily bar one from dancing on the stage. With skillful handling, she can make her wheelchair do graceful moves and win applause worldwide. The 34-year-old is among a group of four Finnish performers with different physical disabilities.

Simons has been bound to a wheelchair since jumping from a roof in a suicide attempt that ended her dancing career 16 years ago. She said that for a long time she had been depressed, with no idea how to adapt to her changed conditions. “The incident had a big effect on me,” she said. “I had never thought what it would be like to be a wheelchair user. It was difficult.”

But positive changes came several years later when she met a group of disabled people at a community centre. Their interest in alternative ways of movement lighted her love for dance and life again.

Simons joined the PAA troupe, which experimented with new approaches to performing. In 2000, the group put on their first show. Although many professional dance moves are not possible, the show has been running more than 10 countries in Europe and won the “Theatre Event of the Year 2000” award in Finland.

Simons said her part required the upper part of her body to be strong, especially her arms, which had to perform everything from hand gestures to powering the wheelchair. “It is a challenge. We use our creativity to think of alternative ways to find beauty,” she said.

In one moving scene about her post-accident mental condition, the frustrated Simons sits on the floor, before crawling to a wheelchair and accepting her new tool. Director Paasonen said the dancers were sharing their life experiences, feelings, states and thoughts with audience and that the show was very personal.

“They are people with bodies that have stories to tell,” he said. “The show is about transformation, and how people deal with change, including how to deal with the transformation of our own body after it becomes disabled.”

1. The underlined word “bar” in the first paragraph means ________.

A．save

B．protect

C．encourage

D．prevent

2. From the passage we can infer that Eeva Simons _________.

A．became disabled accidentally.

B．once lost her hope for life.

C．learned how to dance after the incident.

D．wanted to kill herself to end her dancing career.

3. What can we learn about the performers in the PPA troupe?

A．They are creative dancers.

B．Most of them are young.

C．They are able to do all professional dance moves.

D．They are discouraged by their disability.

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

A．A Special Troupe.

B．Disabled Dancers.

C．New Approaches to Dancing.

D．A Wonder in a Wheelchair.

4 . Without arms and legs, artist Adama Traore of Abidjan finds a unique way to make his art. He has been ________ a paintbrush in his mouth for years, line by line, color by color.

Missing limbs (四肢) since ________, he was sent to a center for ________ youth at nine. He ________ skills to paint and even drew with markers (记号笔). He was ________ by a lady named Mario Deal in the center. Thanks to the kind and friendly woman, there were more than 100 disabled men in the center. Yet the lady suffered from diseases and passed away. Traore was very sad, ending up ________.

Just getting around was ________ possible for him. ________ he had no money, none of taxi drivers would pick up a person with such serious disability. But he kept painting colorful landscapes and portraits (肖像), ________ gaining the public’s acceptance. Traore slowly built up ________ from his artwork and used them to ________ a small art studio. He got married and now goes to ________ by taxi. The driver ________ by the artist’s courage now gives him both a ride and a bit of a ________ on the fare. Every day he picks up Traore and ________ him off and the next day again. Honestly, money doesn’t matter, but it’s ________.

Traore says, “If I didn’t ________, I don’t know what I would do. I can’t be a carpenter or a builder. If I’m just sitting here, people would say the man is a beggar. But when they see me painting, they regard me as a ________ man.” Traore gets about 84 dollars for each painting. Traore says painting is medicine and lifts ________. Indeed, painting ________ Traore Adama.

1.

A．dragging

B．building

C．planting

D．holding

2.

A．adoption

B．interview

C．birth

D．adulthood

3.

A．addicted

B．disabled

C．deserted

D．depressed

4.

A．learned

B．created

C．experimented

D．acknowledged

5.

A．brought out

B．brought back

C．brought up

D．brought about

6.

A．selfless

B．homeless

C．unaware

D．uncertain

7.

A．hardly

B．extremely

C．undoubtedly

D．absolutely

8.

A．Discussing

B．Forgetting

C．Thinking

D．Planning

9.

A．exactly

B．finally

C．suddenly

D．generally

10.

A．ways

B．materials

C．wishes

D．savings

11.

A．open

B．visit

C．decorate

D．design

12.

A．pray

B．wander

C．work

D．practice

13.

A．caught

B．impressed

C．guided

D．controlled

14.

A．suggestion

B．reminder

C．problem

D．discount

15.

A．drops

B．pushes

C．rushes

D．skips

16.

A．health

B．determination

C．luck

D．popularity

17.

A．cheat

B．lose

C．drive

D．paint

18.

A．useful

B．wise

C．poor

D．perfect

19.

A．education

B．experience

C．levels

D．spirits

20.

A．leaves

B．arranges

C．makes

D．greets

5 . Quick Talk

In the exciting thriller Baby Driver, the actor and DJ, Ansel Elgort, 23, plays a music-obsessed (对音乐着迷的) getaway driver trying to escape from a life of crime.

Your character gets turned on to new music from iPods he finds in stolen cars. Who has influenced your taste?

Eve Beglarian, a composer (作曲家) and friend of my mother’s, made me my first iPod (playlist). One of the songs was Easy by the Commodores. The auditions (试演) for Baby Driver weren’t going well, and director Edgar Wright said, “Do you know any songs that you know every word to?” I remembered Easy. He said, “When you’re ready, I want you to sing it.” He told me that that was what got me the role. I guess I have to thank Eve.

At times the movie plays like a very complex music video.

They filmed very rhythmically. If I wasn’t wearing earphones, I was wearing an earwig — like a radio, but it’s tiny and you can hear things in your ear. Whatever the audience hears, we heard while filming.

How much did you get to drive?

They only let me drive when no one else was in the car, so that wasn’t often. They didn’t want me to kill Jamie Foxx.

You’re known for your brave and confident fashion choices. When did you start caring about style?

I must have been in the sixth grade. I wore the same red Adidas sweatpants every day, a white T-shirt and blue shoes. I was like a cartoon character.

After young-adult films like The Fault in Our Stars and Divergent, were you eager to be in a more adult film?

I don’t look at The Fault in Our Stars as a teenage movie. I looked at it like, this is a great script (剧本) and a good character, and I was excited to do it. But of course I was looking forward to being part of a “real” movie. If it meant working with Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm, sign me up.

1. What helped Ansel get the role in Baby Driver?

A．Edgar’s suggestion.	B．Eve’s recommendation.
C．His excellence in driving.	D．His performance of a song.

2. What do we know about Ansel?

A．He is pretty stylish.	B．He likes cartoon films.
C．He is a driving enthusiast.	D．He has starred in two films.

3. How does Ansel find the movie The Fault in Our Stars?

A．It’s encouraging.	B．It’s worth seeing.
C．There’s no film worse than it.	D．There’s room for improvement.

6 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was born     1     Germany. He started his musical training when he was five     2    (year) old, and his teachers worked him so hard that he often cried. He started writing music when he was nineteen, and two years later he moved to Vienna    3    (study) music and perform. Beethoven first became famous as     4     pianist. However by 1800, his musical works were so popular that he was     5    (think) of by many as the most important composer of his generation. During this same period, he     6    (slow) became deaf. Even though he could not hear with his ears, he could still write music because he could hear music in his head. Most of his     7    (great) musical works were completed after he became deaf. In the later part of his life, he had many     8    (healthy) and money issues. He was also lonely because the woman he loved and wanted to marry     9    (leave) him. His friends tried to help him through his dark times,     10     his life became marked by sadness. He died after a long illness in 1827.

7 . 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。

Dean Stanton has been making art his entire life. A 1990 graduate of Alberta University of the Arts, Stanton has a huge following in Canada. His work is     1    (easy)recognizable and brings a smile     2     everyone who sees it.

I recently interviewed the     3    (art)in his studio in Calgary, Alberta. On the walls are reminders of his many colorful projects, including colorful murals (壁画)for schools, hospitals, and other public spaces. “Art     4    (be)magic,” he says.

Actually,     5     number of Stanton’s, murals begin with pre-outlined wood panels (板)that several individuals (个人)paint. The panels are then assembled (组合)into large murals. The goal of such projects is to get the community involved in art, allowing everyone     6    (work)together to create something     7    (amaze)and beautiful.

“Art can bring people together,” Stanton says, “by     8    (help)them to be able to express     9     they feel.”

Without Stanton’s brightly-colored murals in the heart of Calgary, the city would be gray. Stanton’s work can     10    (see)not just in Calgary, but also across Canada, as well as in the United States, Europe, and Australia.

“Everyone in the whole world can appreciate art,” Stanton says. “It’s free and easy to carry out.”