1 . In 1867, Caroline Shawk Brooks and her husband, Samuel, had a farm in Arkansas. Life on the farm was not easy. From sunrise to sunset, Caroline and Samuel milked cows, gardened, and picked cotton. This left Caroline no time for her dream of becoming an artist.

Time was not the only problem. Money was a worry too. The cotton crops were failing. What could Caroline and Samuel do?

Caroline decided to make butter (黄油) from their cows’milk and sell it at market. But other farms also made and sold butter. How would Caroline set her butter apart from the rest? This is where Caroline’s artistic talent came in. To draw attention to her butter, she began making small butter sculptures (雕塑). She used many different tools, such as butter paddles (搅拌器的浆叶), broom straws, and tree sticks. She also put the butter in a shallow tin pan, which sat in a larger tin pan filled with ice to stop the butter sculpture from melting.

Caroline’s butter sculptures were a hit. Before long, she was displaying them at fairs and exhibitions. One of her largest butter sculptures was a life-size statue called A Study in Butter. It was transported all the way to Paris for the 1878 world’s fair.

Caroline also made sculptures using marble (大理石). She eventually opened a studio in New York City where she created many marble sculptures, some of which were shown at the 1893 world’s fair in Chicago.

But Caroline never stopped making butter art. She considered butter a superior material to work with. At the 1893 fair, she also displayed her butter techniques with a sculpture of Christopher Columbus.

Caroline Shawk Brooks died in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1913. She is remembered as the first known American butter sculptor.

1. Why did Caroline make butter sculptures?

A．To realize her dream.	B．To make her butter stand out.
C．To make her farm famous.	D．To display her sculptures at the fair.

2. What do we know about Caroline and her sculptures?

A．Caroline made her art works all by machine.

B．The sculptures were all made from cow's milk.

C．Ice was used to keep the butter sculptures in shape.

D．Caroline stopped making sculptures after being world-famous.

3. Which words best describe Caroline?

A．Talented and successful.	B．Confident and caring.
C．Creative and rich.	D．Brave and famous.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．A Farming Pioneer.	B．A Great Sculptor.
C．The Butter Sculptures.	D．The Butter Artist.

2 . 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

3 . 阅读下面短文，在在答题纸1相应空白处填入一个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Wearing a traditional Chinese qipao, conductor Nucrbana Yiming’s     1     (perform) has received thunderous applause from the audience at the Chinese Lunar New Year concert in Urumqi. A 35-year-old performer from Xinjiang, often known as Bana, is the only female conductor at the Xinjiang Art Theater so far. Her passion     2     music came from her family: her father was a clarinetist (单簧管手).     3     (influence) by her father, she started her violin and piano training at the age of eight.

In 2004, she     4     (admit) into the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan to study as a conductor. “Every day I     5     (carry) thousands of pages of music sheets from my dorm to the classroom. I needed to memorize them     6     a really short time,” she recalled. “Sometimes I questioned myself and wondered     7     it was better for me to be a street vendor (街头小贩).”     8     (fortunate), all her efforts paid     9     in the end.

Before her graduation in 2009, she received an offer from the Xinjiang Art Theater. Bana has a deep understanding of her role in the theater: she considers herself as a bridge     10     connects professions, Xinjiang folk music, modern instruments and the world. “My job is to integrate the music knowledge and the concepts I’ve learned abroad into each show of our folk orchestra,” she said.

4 . Giorgio Morandi was one of the greatest artists in the history of Italy. He was the eldest of five children born into a middle-class family in Bologna, Italy. His early love of art upset his father, who wanted his son to work with him in his export business. Morandi attempted the business unsuccessfully in 1906.

After that, Morandi entered the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts in 1907. He continued his study with the support of his mother when his father suddenly passed away in 1908, forcing him to support his mother and younger sisters. During that time, he was introduced to Cubism and Futurism, which influenced his early work.

After he graduated from the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts in 1913, Morandi continued his study by traveling around Italy, especially to the Venice Biennale. Those tours would finally prove important, as Morandi seldom traveled overseas after the 1920s, and much of his future exposure (接触) to painters came from published art works. He was especially interested in the work of Impressionists like Claude Monet, as well as following greats such as Georges Seurat and Paul Cezanne. He also traveled within Italy, especially to see galleries and exhibitions, and was far more well-traveled than some historical sources show him to be.

After Morandi finished his traveling, he returned home and lived with his family. For many years, Morandi kept a peaceful daily routine. And he did most of his work in his workshop, a small room in a flat he shared with his mother and sisters.

Life wasn’t easy for him at first, but he quickly established himself as an important modern artist. His skills of color, light and arrangement began to gain notice, shining in the face of current painting in the manner of abstraction (抽象). And he was named “one of the greatest painters living” by Roberto Longhi in 1934.

1. What did Morandi’s father think of his love of art?

A．He was against it.	B．He showed a great interest.
C．He had mixed feelings about it.	D．He was neither for nor against it.

2. Why did Morandi travel around Italy after graduation?

A．He needed to make money in this way.

B．He wanted to learn more about painting.

C．He chose to relax after studying for years.

D．He was looking for works of Impressionists.

3. What did Morandi like doing after returning to live with his family?

A．Learning different skills.	B．Keeping himself very busy.
C．Working quietly in his workshop.	D．Thinking for hours in his workshop.

4. What can we learn about Morandi from the last paragraph?

A．He was an important modern artist at first.

B．He didn’t like creating works of abstraction.

C．He was good at color, light and arrangement.

D．He didn’t become known until after his death.

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。

Zhang Xuehua is     1     artist of paper cutting, who works attentively in her workshop in Ma’anshan city, east China’s Anhui Province. As she turns the paper, her scissors fly and a paper-cut work is “born”.

    2     (normal), paper cutting craftsmen first draw patterns on paper and then cut them into outlines, but Zhang has a special     3    (capable) to cut without sketching (画素描) patterns ahead of time. She can turn a piece of paper the size of a handkerchief     4     a lifelike paper cutting work in less than one minute. Her works show a mixture of paper cutting styles in northern and southern China.

Zhang     5    (learn) the craft from her grandmother. “In the beginning, I was not able to cut well, but in time I could create little frogs, butterflies, flowers and other works,” Zhang said. “Paper cutting created countless beautiful childhood     6    (memory) for me. ”

The walls of Zhang’s studio are covered with work, large and small, with subjects     7    (range) from the twelve zodiac signs to daily items. The work Zhang remains proudest of is the Folk Girl series,     8     now sits in the National Art Museum of China’s permanent collection.     9    (carry) forward the traditional craft of paper cutting, Zhang often offers paper cutting classes for free at residential communities, schools and museums, well     10    (recognize) by young people who want to understand the living heritage.

6 . Many visual artists have a signature style, as unique and identifiable as a fingerprint. For Amoako Boafo, who often paints with his fingers, this seems doubly true. His distinctive paint strokes (笔画) combine the complex skin tones of his chosen subjects, many of whom are, like himself, Africans with global life experiences.

Boafo, whose first solo museum exhibition runs at the Seattle Art Museum, was born and raised in Accra, Ghana, and moved to Vienna, Austria, in 2014, where he ran into difficulties, with gallerists unwilling to show his works due to his focus on Black figures. He continued making an effort to create self-portraits (自画像) and people he knew or admired-African people and Black people who have African ancestry, painting a community of sorts during a time of hardship. He also developed his standout approach to figurative painting, which combines areas of bright and noticeable color with his soft and deep fingerpainting.

He began posting his art online and caught the attention of artists like Kehinde Wiley, the celebrated American artist. The word started to spread.

Boafo is now a global art star, with numerous shows at galleries and art fairs, working with fashion house Dior, and several paintings selling for over a million dollars. In 2021, with three of his paintings being launched into space by Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ Kent-based spaceflight company, you might even say Boafo has rocketed to success.

And yet a recent phone conversation with the artist from his studio in Accra, which is once again his home base, revealed a well-mannered person who appreciated his success while pointing out all of the luck and preparation that led to it. Seeing so many of his paintings -created from 2016 to 2022-gathered together in an exhibition has helped him remember that “I did not ‘just happen. ‘I did not expect this success but I was hopeful and ready for it.”

1. What makes Boafo’s paintings different from other artists’ works?

A．His finger strokes.	B．His home country. ss-ess
C．His life experiences.	D．His traditional style.

2. How did Boafo deal with the difficult situation in Austria?

A．By turning to celebrated artists for help.	B．By developing a unique painting style.
C．By running his art exhibition at home.	D．By working with local art galleries.

3. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning the spaceflight company?

A．To indicate the price of space travel.	B．To show the value of Boafo’s works.
C．To introduce an international brand.	D．To tell us the advances in technology.

4. What can we learn about Boafo?

A．He is talkative.

B．He is patient.

C．He is determined.

D．He is humorous.

7 . 阅读短文，并按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

A man in black clothes jumps high into the air. Before he lands, he strikes a pose. Sometimes, he carries a red fan. With long white sleeves(袖子), he spreads his arms like wings. His dance is eye-catching, often attracting crowds.

He is Chinese dancer Ma Jiaolong. Since 2020, he’s made short videos of himself dancing in London. He has performed at the city’s parks and iconic landmarks like Tower Bridge. The 35-year-old has nearly 5 million followers on Douyin, where he shares his videos.

Classical Chinese dance combines martial arts movements with those of traditional Chinese opera. He started to learn it at 12. “I was attracted by the dancers who play ancient heroes through the movements of classical Chinese dance,” said Ma.

Later, Ma studied at the Beijing Dance Academy. Since 2019, he has been teaching classical Chinese dance at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Two years ago, Ma had to give online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his small home, he could only make small moves. One day, he took his wife’s suggestion and danced at Greenwich Park, a popular tourist spot. She recorded Ma. He then edited the video, added music and sent it to friends. “Surprisingly, they loved it, which inspired me to share it online,” said Ma.

Later, Ma made more short videos. He combines his dance moves with dazzling action. People are often curious about his performances. So, while dancing, he likes to interact with them. As his videos went viral, he received messages from people around the world.

“Now, making and sharing short videos has become a part of my life, and, most importantly, a great way to introduce classical Chinese dance to more people, especially overseas viewers,” said Ma.

1. What is Ma Jiaolong’s style of dance? (No more than 5 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Where does Ma Jiaolong usually make videos in the UK? (No more than 15 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. How do people feel about Ma’s dances ?(No more than 1 0 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4. What does the underlined phrases “went viral” mean? (No more than 5 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5. What do you think of Mr. Ma as an influence r online? Please give your reasons. (No more than 25words)
_______________________________________________________________________________________

8 . When Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s paintings were put on display in a gallery in London, it attracted much attention. A poet and essayist described her paintings as “a ribbon around a bomb”-a quote that went on to provide the title for a documentary about her life. Such a/an _________ comment about her work seems to _________ Kahlo had a big impact on the art world of her time. Sadly, this was not the _________.

Kahlo, born in 1907 in a suburb of Mexico City, was greatly affected by two terrible events early in her life. At the age of 7, she _________ polio. The disease _________ her foot so that it always pointed out, and caused her right leg to grow to a shorter length than her left leg._________, Kahlo’s spine and pelvis became twisted as she grew older. Then in 1925, she was riding in a school bus that was _________ in a traffic accident; her pelvis and back were broken in several places. Throughout the rest of her life, the artist underwent more than 30 _________, but nothing was able to cure the severe _________ in her back and leg. However, the accident did have an __________ side effect: it led Kahlo to begin painting. While lying in her bed recovering in her parents’ home, Kahlo taught herself to paint and created her first self-portrait.

Despite the tragic events in her life, Kahlo had a __________ for inspiring excitement, happiness, and drama wherever she went. She often wore elaborate native jewelry and bright clothing, making her a highly __________ student at school. She also __________ wore her hair tied up on top of her head with bright ribbons in the style of the native people of Oaxaca, Mexico. Her preferred fashion and hairstyle are __________ in the various self-portraits she painted.

Kahlo died in 1954 in her parents’ home. The final words in Kahlo’s diary were, “I hope the __________ is joyful-and I hope never to come back.”

1.

A．ordinary

B．plain

C．reasonable

D．extraordinary

2.

A．approve

B．prove

C．suggest

D．impress

3.

A．point

B．case

C．time

D．issue

4.

A．suffered from

B．escaped from

C．prevented from

D．recovered from

5.

A．bent

B．twisted

C．ruined

D．destroyed

6.

A．Above all

B．In addition

C．In conclusion

D．As a result

7.

A．introduced

B．informed

C．involved

D．reported

8.

A．consultations

B．operations

C．scans

D．emergencies

9.

A．symptom

B．depression

C．pain

D．syndrome

10.

A．unprepared

B．unsolved

C．unexpected

D．unhurt

11.

A．dignity

B．honor

C．prestige

D．reputation

12.

A．sensible

B．visible

C．audible

D．edible

13.

A．casually

B．unintentionally

C．typically

D．absolutely

14.

A．crafted

B．exhibited

C．structured

D．inspired

15.

A．exit

B．entrance

C．benchmark

D．milestone

9 . John Myatt is an artist. He may not be the greatest artist in the world, but he is possibly the world’s greatest forger (伪造者). He is able to paint pictures in the style of famous artists like Monet and Matisse.

    1     This unusual skill got Myatt into a lot of trouble in the 1990s. For many years he taught art at a secondary school, but then he got divorced (离婚) and he gave up his job to spend more time with his children. In order to make some money he started painting pictures in the style of famous artists and selling them.

    2     He was honest about his work—he wrote his name on the back, and he sold them for ￡150 each. However, one of his customers, John Drewe, started to resell Myatt’s paintings as genuine, original works. Drewe had sold one of Myatt’s paintings for￡25,000. He contacted Myatt and suggested that they go into business together. Myatt agreed. He continued to paint and Drewe sold his paintings to art collectors around the world.     3    

The amazing thing is that Myatt painted his pictures with decorator’s paint.     4     But it soon came to an end. Drewe was divorced too, and his ex-wife found out about the forgeries. She went to the police and they arrested Dewe and Myatt. At their trial Drewe was sent to prison for six years and Myatt for less than one year.

    5     When he came out he started to produce pictures in the style of famous artists again. But he put his name on the back, as he’d done before he met Drewe. Myatt is now famous and instead of charging￡150 for a painting, he can charge￡40-50,000.

A．It wasn’t illegal.

B．Then he decided to stop copying famous paintings.

C．It was the same paint that people use to paint houses!

D．Myatt only spent four months in prison for good behavior.

E．That’s more than Drewe gave him for his ‘genuine’ paintings!

F．His pictures are so good that experts can’t tell that they are not originals.

G．Between 1986 and 1994 they sold about 200 paintings and made over a million pounds.

10 . Joao Carlos Martins is a famous pianist and conductor. However, his career has been ________ and his life has taken him in many different ________.

As a teenager Martins began to perform in concerts. But in his late twenties, he had to ________ after badly breaking his arm. It was really a terrible time. He couldn’t look at a piano or ________ listen to music. ________, he decided to become the manager of a boxer, who won the world championship later. This ________ Martins to take up the piano and practise much harder. Six years later, he gave his first concert at the Carnegie Hall, which was the most ________ moment of his life. He performed in concerts for years before he had to quit because of the unbearable ________ in his hands caused by too much ________.

Martins, in his forties, became a politician. However, he couldn’t stand this ________, so once again, he went back to the piano. All was going well until something unexpected ________ while leaving a concert. He ________ a serious brain injury and lost all the movement in his right hand. Again, with great ________ he played just with his left hand. Years later he lost the use of the left hand and ________ himself a conductor. Now, in his late seventies, Martins is still taking ________ to work and has conducted over a thousand concerts.

1.

A．smooth

B．tough

C．flexible

D．interesting

2.

A．cultures

B．forms

C．directions

D．levels

3.

A．give up

B．set out

C．turn up

D．hold out

4.

A．still

B．just

C．ever

D．even

5.

A．Generally

B．Ultimately

C．Occasionally

D．Naturally

6.

A．forced

B．promised

C．motivated

D．forbade

7.

A．realistic

B．emotiona1

C．struggling

D．striking

8.

A．pain

B．cuts

C．tension

D．sensitivities

9.

A．conducting

B．playing

C．instruction

D．competition

10.

A．career

B．popularity

C．condition

D．behavior

11.

A．existed

B．remained

C．occurred

D．continued

12.

A．found

B．suffered

C．cured

D．nursed

13.

A．patience

B．care

C．pleasure

D．determination

14.

A．fancied

B．considered

C．made

D．chose

15.

A．measures

B．chances

C．courage

D．trouble