1 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. When did Albert Bierstadt move to America?

A．In 1830.

B．In 1831.

C．In 1832.

2. What did Albert Bierstadt do in 1854?

A．He focused on improving his drawing skills.

B．He held exhibitions in different countries.

C．He started to work as an art teacher.

3. Why did Albert Bierstadt go to the Bahamas yearly in his old age?

A．To visit his sick family member.

B．To get inspiration for his paintings.

C．To engage in environmental protection.

2 . 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式。

Wei Chunrong has built a reputation as a leading actress of Kunqu Opera,     1     oldest traditional Chinese opera with a history of about 600 years, which, performed in the Suzhou dialect,     2     (know) for graceful body movements, rhythmic singing and exquisite costumes.

She started learning at 10 and     3     (perform) with the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre since she was 16. Wei performed at UNESCO headquarters in Paris in 2001     4     the organization listed it as one of the masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity (人类口头和非物质遗产). Now in her 50s, Wei has found a new role. In the     5     (origin) Kunqu Opera production, titled Guo Feng, Wei plays the role of Lady Xu Mu,who was the first female poet     6     (record) in Chinese history.

“I played different roles during the past four decades. For Lady Xu Mu, I have to put aside all my experiences and start afresh     7     (comprehend) and perform the role,” said Wei,     8     (sit) in the dressing room of Tianqiao Theatre a day before the show started on June 19.

“The role, Lady Xu Mu, was written for Wei Chunrong     9     particular. Though she has played many classic roles, she needs one which could represent her     10     (specific) and take her career to the next level,” says Luo, the playwright (剧作家).

3 . Art museums allow you to see some of the greatest paintings in the world. Viewing art can be inspirational for adults but children who are used to more hands-on activities can be easily bored with this passive experience.

That’s why the Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is partnering with Pokémon in Japan to teach children about this Netherland’s most renowned (有名的) artist. “This collaboration will allow the next generation to get to know Vincent Van Gogh’s art and life story in a refreshing way. The Van Gogh Museum and the Pokémon Company intend to create a special experience for children,” said Emilie Gordenker, general director of the Van Gogh Museum.

Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch impressionist painter who lived from 1853 to 1890. This productive artist created over 2,100 artworks including 860 oil paintings. The museum that bears his name contains some of his most famous paintings as well as works by Van Gogh’s contemporary artists.

While a collaboration between a Dutch museum and the Pokémon Company seems strange, the artist admired Japanese art with its strong colors, use of everyday objects, as well as the detailed depictions of nature. Japanese art inspired Van Gogh and this connection is stressed in the educational materials created for the special program.

In their collaboration, artists made new art inspired by Van Gogh’s famous paintings, incorporating Pikachu into a version of Self-portrait with Grey Felt Hat and hiding Pokémon Sunflora within a variant of Sunflowers.

There are also hands-on activities for kids aged 6 and up, which include teaching the young visitors how to draw Pikachu. Other activities include a treasure hunt and once a child has completed all the activities, they’ll get a Pokémon collection with a special Van Gogh Museum card.

Art offers so many benefits for children including stimulating creativity, enhancing problem-solving skills, helps fine motor skills, as well as visual-spacing development. The new collaboration at the Van Gogh Museum will encourage kids to grow and to appreciate fine art at the same time. And that is a win-win.

1. Why are the Van Gogh Museum and Pokémon collaborating?

A．To showcase Van Gogh’s art.	B．To teach children about Pokémon.
C．To offer engaging education for kids.	D．To promote fine motor skills through art.

2. How did Japanese art influence Vincent Van Gogh’s work?

A．It led to a focus on European landscapes.

B．It strengthened his connection with nature.

C．It encouraged the creation of over 2,100 artworks.

D．It inspired his use of strong colors and everyday objects.

3. What do kids aged 6 and up get after completing all the activities?

A．A Pokémon collection.	B．A treasure hunt map.
C．A Pikachu drawing lesson.	D．The Pokémon Sunflora.

4. Which is not the advantage that art provides for children?

A．Increasing creativity.	B．Promoting kids’ growth.
C．Developing motor driving skill.	D．Improving problem-solving ability.

4 . As a physically fit 89-year-old big band singer, Tony Bennett performed timeless ballads (民歌，情歌) perfectly. He was an exception to the belief of aging and decline.

However, the trouble with his _______ concerned Bennett, especially since it might impact his ability to put on his signature fine-tuned show. Eventually, Bennett was _______ with Alzheimer’s disease in 2017.

After receiving the diagnosis, Bennett insisted on continuing to perform. “Tony has always had a very _______ attitude,” his wife Benedetto says. “He was going to keep going straight ahead _______ he always has.”

As one of only a few artists to produce chart-topping records every decade since the 1950s — _______ more than 60 albums — Bennett is an American icon (偶像). His _______ “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” and “Rags to Riches”, among many others — have earned him 19 Grammy Awards.

_______ the disease, Bennett’s desire to help others connect through music remained strong. He felt it _______ to make people feel good.

In February 2021, Bennett _______ shared that he was living with Alzheimer’s in an interview. Shortly after the news, the ________ from the public was overwhelmingly supportive. In October, Bennett and Lady Gaga released ________ is billed as Bennett’s final studio album, “Love for Sale.” Upon its release, Bennett earned the Guinness World Records ________ for the oldest artist to release an album of new material.

As the disease ________, music has a renewed importance in Bennett’s life. Over seven decades, Bennett’s brave and ________ voice is helping people find joy among life’s hardships. “He gives people courage and hope. And he is ________.”

1.

A．memory

B．appearance

C．finance

D．origin

2.

A．charged

B．assigned

C．diagnosed

D．choked

3.

A．negative

B．positive

C．professional

D．confident

4.

A．as

B．like

C．except

D．if

5.

A．adopting

B．discounting

C．packing

D．totaling

6.

A．beats

B．instances

C．plots

D．hits

7.

A．Though

B．Unless

C．Despite

D．Unlike

8.

A．incredible

B．honorable

C．convincing

D．dynamic

9.

A．publicly

B．secretly

C．instantly

D．critically

10.

A．response

B．priority

C．influence

D．resolution

11.

A．how

B．why

C．when

D．what

12.

A．topic

B．title

C．theme

D．model

13.

A．spreads

B．exposes

C．progresses

D．explodes

14.

A．hopeful

B．original

C．faithful

D．merciful

15.

A．moving the goalposts

B．walking on air

C．taking no notice

D．leading the way

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。

Vincent van Gogh was one of the most gifted artists of his generation. He began working in     1     art gallery when he was 16 years old. However, it was not until more than a decade later that he started to     2     (serious) consider being an artist himself.

In 1880, he took up painting, from which he     3     (draw) much comfort. As he began to display a talent     4     painting, he realized that art was his true calling. He     5     (impress) by the artworks of the master painter Rembrandt when he laid eyes on them. In 1886, he moved to Paris to live with his brother,     6     introduced him to some Impressionist artists. He began to form his own style,     7     (employ) thick, unmixed paint. This resulted in vivid colours, similar to     8     in the Impressionist paintings. However, Van Gogh’s     9     (work) had strong lines, as opposed to the softer edges of Impressionism. He made friends with Paul Gauguin and they became     10     (know) as Post-Impressionists.

6 . “Do what you love, not what others tell you is right,” says Georgia Lines of New Zealand.

I spoke with the 24-year-old singer-songwriter earlier this month about her rise to fame. In 2022, Lines was named breakthrough artist of the year at the annual Aotearoa music awards ceremony. Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand, an island country in the Pacific Ocean that is home to more than 5.1 million people.

Lines makes success look easy, but she has worked hard to perfect her skills. “I love what I do,” she told me. “I love it when I get lost in music, and everything works together.”

Already, Lines has opened for pop singer George Ezra. She hopes “to open for Harry Styles one day,” she added.

Lines has written more than 20 songs and worked together with several top artists, including Jack Burton, Alex James and Cassie Henderson. “I love working with other people and cooperating,” Lines said. “I find I work better when I’m with others, because we can exchange ideas with each other.”

When asked about her musical ambition growing up, Lines smiled. “I was never a musical genius as a child,”she said. “But I always loved singing and music.”

In recent years, Lines has drawn enthusiastic crowds for her concerts. The video for her hit song, “No One Knows”, won best music video of the year in New Zealand in 2021.

As for her future goals, Lines said that she wants “to have a promising career and to keep doing what I love.” That means focusing on her own career and artistic achievements. “Comparison is the robber of success, “she said. “If I had stopped to compare myself with others, I wouldn’t have made it as far as I have.”

1. What is the main topic of the author’s conversation with Lines?

A．Her childhood.	B．Her family.
C．Her style of music.	D．Her way to success.

2. What do we know about Lines from paragraph 5?

A．She likes teamwork.	B．She respects top artists most.
C．She has a gift for music.	D．She always loves music.

3. What is Lines trying to avoid doing?

A．Valuing money too much.	B．Ignoring her future career.
C．Comparing herself with others.	D．Taking others’ suggestions.

4. Which word best describes Lines?

A．Honest.

B．Knowledgeable.

C．Hard-working.

D．Kind-hearted.

7 . The Malaysian actress, Michelle Yeoh, 60, shared some wisdom with the American Film Institute’s newest graduating class in a speech as she accepted an honorary doctorate of fine arts at the class of 2022 graduation ceremony.

She recalled her early years in the industry. After an injury dashed her dreams of going into ballet, Yeoh bounced back at a gym where several stuntmen   (特技替身演员)   trained and ended up learning some tricks of the trade from them.

“The first thing they taught me what to do was to tuck and roll, then how to fall on my side, and then how to fall on my back. And after a while, it dawned on me that they were teaching me how to fall,” she recalled. “And they said to me, ‘How are you going to go up if you don’t know how to come down?’” “That lesson sticks with me to this day. I had to learn how to fall. Well, you could say I learned it in my bones, literally,” Yeoh added.

The actress mentioned jumping off a 20-foot highway overpass for one stunt, in which she over-rotated (旋转), causing her back to fold in half and a stunt went wrong. “I didn’t land properly, but I completed the scene,” she said.

“These moments taught me perseverance, courage and humility,” she said. “They also taught me to hone my skills and eventually progress to the point where I was running on rooftops and jumping onto moving trains. I’m not asking you all to do that, okay? What I want to share with you today is that our slips and stumbles(绊跌)are the secrets to our flight. Trust me, that’s part of the deal. Success without failure is called luck. It cannot really be repeated or relied upon. It is from failure that we learn and grow,” Yeoh continued.

The Crazy Rich Asians star concluded her speech: “Be courageous, take chances, break barriers, be proud of what makes you unique.” “And most importantly, don’t be afraid to fall, for you are learning to fly,” Yeoh said.

1. What can we learn about Michelle Yeoh from the first two paragraphs?

A．She was tricked by several stuntmen.

B．She was passionate about working out in a gym.

C．She won a doctor’s degree in fine arts despite her old age.

D．She was terribly defeated by an injury and discouraged in her early years.

2. What lesson did Michelle Yeoh learn from the stuntmen?

A．God helps those who help themselves.

B．Misfortune might be a blessing in disguise.

C．Successful people are learning experiences with others.

D．The greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

3. What does the underlined word “hone”in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Believe.

B．Sharpen.

C．Restore.

D．Dominate.

4. What are the keys to our success according to the text?

A．Mistakes and failure.	B．Luck and humility.
C．Courage and pride.	D．Opportunities and skills.

8 . Do you know what you’d like to be when you grow up? It takes most people many years to find out. For the young artist Alexandra Nechita, it never really seemed to be a question. From the day she began drawing at the age of two, she was an artist. Alexandra Nechita was born in Romania in 1985 and moved to California when she was still a baby. As a little child, she loved colouring in her colouring books. Her parents hoped she could spend more time playing with other children, so they took away her colouring books. Alexandra began drawing her own pictures and colouring them in.

By the time Alexandra was seven years old, she had begun painting with oil paints. When Alexandra took a local art class, her teacher was amazed at the young artist’s unusual style of painting. Alexandra’s work was similar in some ways to the paintings by famous artists like Picasso. These artists did not use a realistic style of painting. They allowed their imaginations to play an important part in their work. The interesting thing was that little Alexandra had never seen the work of these artists. People called her “Little Picasso”. This was a great honour, but Alexandra’s style of painting was all her own.

Alexandra’s first public show was held at a Los Angeles public library when she was only eight years old. People were amazed at how young Alexandra was, but mostly they loved her imaginative artwork. It did not take long for Alexandra and her work to become famous. She appeared on television programmes and in newspapers and magazines all over the world. The sale of a single piece can earn the young artist thousands of dollars. But that is not why Alexandra creates artwork. She just cannot imagine doing anything else that would bring her such joy and satisfaction.

Today, Alexandra is a full-time artist. She also works to help support the arts in schools. Alexandra is a strong believer in the power of art as a tool of communication and a bridge to building peace throughout the world.

1. When did Alexandra begin drawing pictures?

A．At the age of eight.	B．At the age of seven.
C．At the age of two.	D．In the year of 1985.

2. Alexandra was called “Little Picasso” because           .

A．she learned to paint from Picasso

B．her style of painting was like Picasso’s

C．she was one of Picasso’s big fans

D．her style of painting was unusual

3. What can we learn from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4?

A．Only painting can make her so happy and satisfied.

B．Only money can make her so happy and satisfied.

C．Anything can make her feel happy and satisfied.

D．Nothing can make her feel happy and satisfied.

4. According to the passage, which word can best describe Alexandra?

A．Polite.

B．Generous.

C．Patient.

D．Creative.

9 . Great painter Salvador Dali once said, “A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.” These words perfectly describe V Umapathy, an art teacher from Puducherry, India, who instills (灌输) the seeds of creativity in his students through arts and crafts.

Umapathy makes beautiful crafts out of biodegradable materials like bamboo, dried leaves, seeds, roots, branches, vegetable waste, and so on. In this way he promotes sustainability in his creations, leaving an everlasting impact on his students.

While growing up, Umapathy was inspired by his father, a teacher and expert weaver (编织者).

“He spent most of his evenings engaging in weaving. I would observe him and eventually developed an interest in design, colour, and the art,” recalls Umapathy.

In 2010, Umapathy joined a high school in Puducherry as their art teacher. It took him some time to excite the interest of the students. He experimented with different arts and crafts using a variety of materials. “One day I suddenly realized that most of the students at my school weren’t able to afford the materials or equipment to create craftwork. So I decided to opt for natural materials, which are as good as non-biodegradable materials and easy to find,” he says.

This move made the students more interested in the craft than before. Under his guidance, the students were convinced that they could make wonders even out of waste materials. Now the school exhibits over 300 pieces of artwork on its walls, all created by the students over the years.

Currently, over 20 students have chosen fine arts for their bachelors and are pursuing a career in it. Muruga, who currently works as a designer, says, “When I expressed my wish to pursue arts after college, Mr. Umapathy guided me. It was his encouragement and guidance that helped me throughout. Now he still helps me by referring to my name, whenever there is work or a project.”

1. Which of the following can best describe Umapathy’s craftwork?

A．Abstract.

B．Eco-friendly.

C．Traditional.

D．Fashionable.

2. What did Umapathy often do as a child?

A．He assisted his father in weaving.	B．He learned weaving techniques.
C．He collected weaving materials.	D．He watched his father weaving.

3. Why did Umapathy choose natural materials?

A．They are freely available.

B．They are perfect for crafts.

C．They can fire students’ imagination.

D．They can raise students’ awareness of recycling.

4. What can be learned from the last paragraph?

A．Muruga is very grateful for Mr. Umapathy’s help.

B．Umapathy is proud of his students’ achievements.

C．Muruga is more famous in the field than his teacher.

D．Umapathy often works with his students in big projects.

10 . 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。

On a table at his home in Rosetta, a port city in     1     (north) Egypt, self-taught artist Ibrahim Bilal displayed a variety of his signature mini sculptures     2     (make) with pencil tips.

With about 80 works     3     (feature) landmarks and famous people in Egypt and beyond,     4     30-year-old artist said he     5     (inspire) four years ago to thoroughly grasp the art form after watching videos of a Chinese artist carving pencil lead(铅笔芯) into sculptures.

Fond of ancient Egyptian icons(图标), Bilal dedicated one of his earliest works to the world-famous Rosetta Stone, an ancient Egyptian relic     6     (accidental) discovered in his city and has been kept in the British Museum.

Bilal uses a microscope for an enlarged view, a set of pen cutters or carving detail     7     (knife), and quality pencils     8     are mostly made in Germany or China while working. Through his hands, landmarks across the globe, including the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, appear on the pencil tips. The size of each sculpture is no more     9     6 mm unless it is a tower. And each takes an average of 10 hours     10     (finish).