1 . “He is a giant of the 20th-century art, but that doesn’t mean he only did big paintings, said Lynn Miller, director of Rochester Central Gallery, in an interview last Thursday.
Entitled “Picasso and His Drafts”, a special exhibit marking 50 years since the death of Pablo Picasso is held at the gallery this month. Instead of his paintings, the notebooks on which the Spanish legendary artist drew drafts are shown to the public for the first time.
Matchbox covers, postcards, restaurant napkins all served as drafting notes for the artist at moments of inspiration. It is important to know that each of the 14 notebooks presented reflects what was going on in his life.
For example, a tiny notebook whose size is just 3 by 5 inches stands out among the exhibits. Inside the little book was a self-portrait of the artist finished roughly in pencil, with deep and thoughtful eyes. It was done in 1918 and Picasso, then in his mid-30s, had just got married. He produced big-sized artworks but he also kept this tiny notebook around, filling it with scenes of his wife, their friends, the beach and the town, and drafts of upcoming paintings. Actually, many of the draft drawings are early versions of famed paintings like Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) and Dora Maar in an Armchair (1939).
“He is a great artist of the modern period, and we see practice and determination in his notebooks,” said Lynn Miller, referring to Picasso’s efforts in improving his skills through copious drawing. Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, a grandson of Picasso’s, remembered him always drafting until the last piece of paper available. “My grandpa was permanently drawing something,” Ruiz-Picasso said.
In a documentary film shown at the gallery, Picasso, shirtless and in shorts, was standing on a ladder to reach the top of his canvas (画布). It reminds visitors of the real size of his masterworks.
1. What are the key features of the recent exhibit at the gallery?| A．Notebooks for sale. | B．Picasso’s artworks. |
| C．Priceless artistic drafts. | D．Masterpieces of the 20th century. |
| A．His life experience. | B．The love for his country. |
| C．The content of his books. | D．His education background. |
| A．Creative. | B．Diligent. | C．Optimistic. | D．Humorous. |
| A．Picasso used to mind his appearance. | B．The gallery exhibits real masterworks. |
| C．The documentary movie is worth seeing. | D．Picasso’s artworks are actually of great size. |
2 . Top Piano Players in the World
Martha ArgerichMartha Argerich could be considered the next Beethoven, as she is one of the most outstanding pianists ever to play. Argerich preferred being on stage with others instead of performing solo; therefore, she has been performing in a concerto format since the 1980s. Argerich was not one for the spotlight, as she often avoided public appearances such as interviews; however, her great talent was all the publicity she needed, standing out during concertos and sonatas.
Leif Ove AndsnesKnown for his appealing performances of Edvard Grieg’s works, Andsnes has won praise for his performances at some of the world’s most famous concert halls. Andsnes has certainly made his mark in Norway, as he is the founding director of Norway’s Rosendal Chamber Music Festival. Because of his unique voice and interesting approach, he was praised by The New York Times as a “pianist of authoritative elegance, power, and insight.”
Alfred BrendelKnown for his beautiful interpretations of Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert and Mozart, Alfred Brendel was considered one of the greats. He played in various concertos throughout his career and became known for his interpretive coldness in recreating these works. Brendel was considered one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, as he made his mark in the classical music industry. Brendel was self-taught and learned his love of piano at an early age.
Arthur RubinsteinArthur Rubinstein was certainly one of the greats. His career began in the early 20th century when he began to come into contact with some of the world’s most important composers, such as Maurice Ravel, Paul Dukas, and Jacques Thibaud. He made various trips worldwide and visited nearly every continent, where crowds met him with great praise and encouragement.
1. What does the female pianist focus on in her career?| A．Skills in hosting concertos and sonatas. | B．Cooperation with other musicians. |
| C．Close relationships with the media. | D．Unique ways to interpret music. |
| A．Martha Argerich. | B．Leif Ove Andsnes. |
| C．Alfred Brendel. | D．Arthur Rubinstein. |
| A．He was the director of a Norwegian festival. |
| B．He made a difference in classical music. |
| C．He was the best musician of the 20th century. |
| D．He got in touch with some famous composers. |
Charlie Chaplin, the master of comedy, was an iconic figure in the history of film. His unique brand of physical comedy and
His work continued to gain
Chaplin’s unique style of comedy has a constant influence on today’s comedians,
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 . 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. |
| A．Impressed. | B．Hesitant. | C．Doubtful. | D．Amused. |
| A．Vivid colors. | B．Classic skills. |
| C．Original composition. | D．Lifelike quality. |
| 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. |
6 . 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. |
| A．He is pretty stylish. | B．He likes cartoon films. |
| C．He is a driving enthusiast. | D．He has starred in two films. |
| A．It’s encouraging. | B．It’s worth seeing. |
| C．There’s no film worse than it. | D．There’s room for improvement. |
7 . Xu Beihong was born in 1895 in Yixing, Jiangsu province. When he was only six, he began to learn the Chinese classic works and calligraphy under the direction of his father, who was a local portrait painter. At the age of nine, his father taught him art. His family was poor and at the age of eleven, young Xu had to leave home with his father and sell paintings to make a living. After several years, Xu achieved local success and recognition, but his father developed a serious illness and died shortly afterwards. Xu's early experiences of hardship and loss became the basis of the realism in his artistic creations.
In 1917, he went to Japan and studied art in Tokyo, and later, he was able to spend eight years studying art in Europe. He then returned to China to teach. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Xu became president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and chairman of the Chinese Artists' Association.
Xu was primarily known for his Chinese ink paintings of horses and birds. However, his experiences in Europe drove his desire to create a new form of national art that combined the traditional Chinese paintings techniques with Western perspective and methods of composition to reflect a modern China. His talent and hard work led to the development of a new style of Chinese painting and an approach to art that is still taken by art institutions across China.
1. What has shaped Xu Beihong's realistic artistic creations?| A．His overseas study. | B．His talent in art. |
| C．His boyhood experiences. | D．His father's instructions. |
| A．The traditional Chinese style of painting. |
| B．Reflecting Chinese theme in traditonal national style. |
| C．Painting horses in the Western painting techniques. |
| D．Joining Chinese art techniques with Western skills. |
| A．Determined. | B．Creative. |
| C．Old-fashioned. | D．Imaginative. |
| A．A biography. | B．A news report. |
| C．A book review. | D．A short story. |
