A 13-year project has finally come to a close. British artist Kirstie Macleod came up with The Red Dress idea
After passing through the hands of 343 artists across 46
The artists were encouraged to create
“Initially the project
2 . Inside the low lighting of Gather East Rock, the smell of coffee beans swirls (打旋) through the air. Art adorns (装点) the blue walls, but one painting stands out among the others. The painting’s name is “Mother Divine”, by the artist Sarahi Zacatelco. The mother in question is a green woman, with colorful plants adorning her head and water dripping (滴下) down her neck. In every brushstroke, Zacatelco pays homage to the man who taught her how to paint: her grandfather Agustin.
Born in 1982, Zacatelco learned how to create art from her grandfather in Oaxaca. At the time, her grandfather lived with her while her mother worked. Together, the two spent hours going out to the central plaza in Juchitán, where she let her senses take over. “You can see the food, you can smell it, you can see the lady selling flowers, and you can see everything,” she recalled excitedly. When she was six years old, her grandfather gave her a piece of paper and watercolors and showed her how to put the colors on it. She hasn’t stopped making art since.
Zacatelco’s grandparents made chess pieces out of rocks and wood to sell. They also made Talavera pottery (陶器) pieces, which Zacatelco described as “a Baroque tradition” that one might see in old colonial (殖民地的) homes. She no longer has any of her grandparent’s Talavera —“the tradition was lost due to being poorly paid and a lot of effort going into each piece.”
In the 1990s, Zacatelco’s mother decided to move her family to give them a better life. She moved her children to Mexico City, then to the Bronx, and then to the Brownsville neighborhood in Eastern Brooklyn. The family moved to Fair Haven, where Zacatelco still lives, in 2001. She called it the perfect place to raise two boys and two girls. Her family did not keep any of her grandfather’s old art before he died. But his artistic spirit did not die with him. Zacatelco carries on his legacy today with her art.
1. How is paragraph 1 developed?A.By testing an assumption. | B.By giving a description. |
C.By making a comparison. | D.By analyzing a phenomenon. |
A.He instructed her in watercolor painting. |
B.He introduced sensory experiences to her. |
C.He taught her to make chess pieces out of rocks. |
D.He asked her to observe his creation of pottery pieces. |
A.She wanted them to live a better life. |
B.She needed to change jobs frequently. |
C.She found their house was too small for them. |
D.She wanted to relieve the pain of losing a loved one. |
A.Art: comfort for imperfect lives |
B.Baroque tradition: a dying art form |
C.An artist’s first teacher: her grandfather |
D.An artist’s moving experiences: sources of inspiration |
3 . Famous American performer Chita Rivera died on January 30 in New York. She was 91 years old. The famed dancer, singer and actor won many awards and honors in her long career on Broadway and beyond.
Rivera first gained wide notice in 1957 as Anita in the original production of the musical play West Side Story. She was still dancing on New York’s Broadway stages a half century later in 2015’s The Visit.
“I wouldn’t know what to do if I wasn’t moving or telling a story to you or singing a song,” she said at the time. “That’s the spirit of my life, and I’m really so lucky to be able to do what I love, even at this time in my life.”
Rivera was born on January 23, 1933, in Washington, D.C. Her father was a musician. He died when Rivera was seven. Her mother was of Scottish and Italian ancestry(血统).
Rivera studied dance as a young girl and was accepted into a highly respected school for ballet. She was 17 when she won her first part in a musical.
She won two Tonys, the highest award for live theater in the United States. Her first came in1984 with the production of The Rink. She won again in 1993 for the play Kiss of the Spider Woman.
The second Tony was an especially sweet victory for the star. Just five years earlier, Rivera had been in a serious car accident that broke her right leg. It could have ended her career. After months of physical treatment to regain her dancing skills, she returned to the stage singing and dancing as energetically as ever. She said, “It never entered my mind that I wouldn’t dance again.”
When accepting a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018, Rivera said, “I wouldn’t trade my life in the theater for anything, because theater is life.”
1. Why does the author mention the two plays West Side Story and The Visit?A.To show respect for late Rivera. | B.To stress Rivera’s long art career. |
C.To indicate why Rivera won honors. | D.To introduce the plays Rivera performed. |
A.Art is everything to her. | B.She was sorry for her old age. |
C.Art lifts her spirits when she’s in trouble. | D.She received good training in art. |
A.Her leg. | B.The musical. | C.The accident. | D.Her award. |
A.Independent and thoughtful. | B.Caring and curious. |
C.Determined and talented. | D.Proud and confident. |
Spanish pianist Alonso Herrero has been appointed as ambassador in the promotion of Shanghai as an international tourist destination. Having lived in the city for more than seven years, he believes Shanghai is the perfect home for
In the role, he witnessed China’s first
“After a week in Shanghai I felt like I belonged here,” he says, and owes that to the
Alonso notes that, in the past decade, new performing halls
1. What happened to Stevie Wonder shortly after his birth?
A.He broke his arm. |
B.He was unable to see. |
C.He couldn’t hear anything. |
A.As a child. | B.As an adult. | C.As a teenager. |
A.In the 1960s. | B.In the 1970s. | C.In the 1980s. |
6 . Pablo Picasso was probably the most famous artist and one of the greatest creative minds of the 20th century. This great artist lived more artistic lifetimes than any of his peers. During his 75-year career, he produced thousands of works, not only paintings but also sculptures, prints, and ceramics, using a wide variety of materials. He almost single-handedly created modern art, changing art more profoundly than any other artist of his century.
Born in 1881, in Spain, Picasso was a child with great talents, completing the one-month qualifying examination for the Academy of Fine Arts in Barcelona in one day at the age of 14. After finishing his studies in Barcelona, the artist continued his training in Madrid but later returned to Barcelona. There began his “blue period”, so named for the dominant blue tones in the artist’s paintings. During this time, he moved frequently between Barcelona and Paris. In Paris, he spent his days studying the masterworks at the Louvre and his nights with other artists at night clubs, during which time he became fascinated with the circus world’s acrobats and wandering performers. This marked a radical change in color and mood for the artist. He began painting in subtle pinks and grays, often highlighted with brighter tones. This was known as his “rose period”.
The peak of Picasso’s creativity is evidenced in his pioneering role in Cubism. In 1907, he painted Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, a Cubist painting which changed 20th century art completely. In it, the artist and viewer look at the subjects from many different angles at the same time. Picasso and French painter Georges Braque were the leading figures of the Cubist movement. For Picasso, the 1920s were years of rich artistic exploration and great productivity. He designed theater sets and painted in Cubist, Classical styles. In the last decades of his life, he still experimented with new methods of printing and painted a series of variations of old master paintings. He died in France in 1973, at the age of 91. His powers of creativity and execution continue to astonish artists all over the world.
1. How are Picasso’s early paintings categorized?A.According to their subject matter. |
B.According to where he lived and worked. |
C.According to the colors he used. |
D.According to the trainings he got. |
A.Picasso was accomplished in a number of media. |
B.Picasso was primarily an accomplished painter and illustrator. |
C.Picasso was an artist who was known for a limited number of works. |
D.Picasso was an artist who had the longest life span. |
A.Picasso’s reputation exceeded other artists of the period. |
B.Picasso was a solitary genius, unconnected to others of the period. |
C.Picasso’s genius failed him in the later years of his life. |
D.Picasso’s genius astonished artists all over the world after his death. |
A.To explain the reasons for Picasso’s creativity. |
B.To describe the major periods that marked Picasso’s artistry. |
C.To compare Picasso with other painters and styles of the period. |
D.To stimulate modern artists to learn from Picasso. |
A.breakdown B.masterpieces C.committed D. reduced E.extreme F.allowances G.memorable H.security I. attribute J.tribute K.conducted |
The little thief: How Charlie Chaplin survived his hungry childhood
A recently unearthed interview with an old friend recalls how the actor was looked after by a kindly ‘foster mother’ who made sure he did the right thing.
The
Effie Wisdom, whose aunt gave him a home from home when he needed it most, lamented that Chaplin “had a terrible life” as a child, “always hungry”, dressed in “ragged”, filthy clothes - no doubt later inspiring the comic genius who created the Tramp, society’s eternal victim and one of cinema’s most
In 1983, aged 92, Wisdom gave an interview in which she recalled first meeting Chaplin when he was five and she was seven, with her aunt becoming his “foster mother”, as he used to tell her.
She recalled: “My aunt used to feed him because there was no social
“He used to go up Lambeth Walk and pinch . He’d come home with four eggs one day in his pocket. He came home with a pair of boots one day he’d nicked.”
Her aunt scolded him: “Do you want me to get the police? If you go on doing this, you’ll be locked up. You realize that, don’t you?”
The interview was
Chaplin’s parents were music-hall performers and his mother was abandoned by her husband. His mother was then
After Chaplin’s death in 1977, Wisdom had written to his widow (遗孀), with memories of his mother’s desperate concern for her sons, Charlie and Sydney “I told Lady Chaplin I knew Charlie when he was a little boy. I used to play with him out in the street. When his mother had a nervous
Chaplin never forgot that. Wisdom paid
Chaplin, with his derby hat (圆顶窄边礼帽),toothbrush moustache and impossibly large boots, was the protagonist in such
Wisdom, who left school at 13 and worked in a London pub into her 80s, recalled his natural comedic talent, “He was always falling about being funny. He’d get an old table out in the yard, and he’d get all the kids in there, and get up there, put an old pair of trousers on, an old coat and a stick when he was 12. The kids loved that, he used to fall off the table, then he’d get up.” But she joked: “I never thought he’d get to where he got.”
She remembered him writing to her aunt from America, telling her that he would visit on his return to England: “He said, I’m not like when I left England with nothing. I’m going on to be a rich man.”
She added that Chaplin stayed at the Ritz (一家豪华酒店) and turned up at his aunt’s home in-a chauffeur (私人司机)-driven Rolls-Royce: “He invited my aunt and my uncle and me to the Ritz. My aunt says to me, ‘Of course I’d never been in a place like that’.”
From the Gardian
8 . In the complicated network of global economics, one figure has emerged at a highly influential level over the past couple years: Taylor Swift. The pop singer’s impact has extended far beyond her award-winning songs and into the international business stage, with what’s been referred to as “swiftonomics”.
Many believe that the start of Swift’s ongoing world tour, named “The Eres Tour,” was the beginning of exceptionally high economic impact across the United States. Ticketing giants like Ticketmaster and Seat Geek saw impressive sales as fans packed stadiums nationwide, earning an amazing $ 554 million. Globally, the tour raked in an estimated $ 1.04 billion in ticket sales-the first tour in history to hit the billion-dollar milestone.
Swiftonomics go beyond just ticket sales. As the singer added more dates in different countries to her tour, hotels, restaurants, and transportation services of each location’s economy experienced a notable rise. So far, Swift has generated $ 4.6 billion in consumer spending in the United States alone, and this number is expected to exceed $ 5 billion overall. With the Asia leg of her tour kicking off yesterday- starting in Japan-experts have predicted that similar economic boosts will ensue. According to Tokyo City University lecturer Mitsumasa Etou, Swift is expected to generate up to 34.1 billion yen. Etou named the tour Japan’s “biggest ever musical event in terms of predicted economic impact.”
For countries like Singapore, swiftonomics present an opportunity to boost more than just their economy; according to Singapore University Associate Professor Lau Kong Cheen. the Eras Tour concerts breathes new life into the country s reputation in terms of tourism. Cheen said the ripple effect of the tour makes them look “modern, open-minded, and vibrant” Experts say the country’s tourism levels are rising, reaching about 80% of pre-pandemic levels.
The level of spending, engagement, viewership and overall impact that Taylor Swift ha generated continues to reach unexplored heights, and it’s clear that many corporations and countries have profited off her global appeal.
1. Why does the author include so many figures in Paragraphs 2- 3?A.To discuss Taylor Swift’s musical achievements. |
B.To highlight the global popularity of Taylor Swift. |
C.To showcase the diversity of Taylor Swift’s fanbase. |
D.To emphasize the economic impact of Taylor Swift’s tour. |
A.Part. | B.Performance. | C.Stage. | D.Impact. |
A.Putting an end to the pandemic. | B.Restoring its tourism reputation. |
C.Reshaping its entertainment image. | D.Boosting its pre-pandemic economy. |
A.Taylor Swift: An award-winning Musician |
B.The Eras Tour: An influential Global Concert . |
C.Swiftonomics: The Global Impact of Taylor Swift |
D.Swift Impact: Transforming Singapore’s Tourism Reputation |
Tobias Le Compte, a 35-year-old Belgian musician, has become a
A.wrestler | B.influencer | C.actor | D.conductor |
A.was capable of | B.was moved by | C.was impressed by | D.was eager for |
A.local people | B.native speakers | C.descendants | D.foreign residents |
A.joined to | B.limited to | C.addicted to | D.devoted to |
A.inspired | B.scared | C.discouraged | D.awarded |
Following his recent four sold-out concerts in Shanghai, Jay Chou has taken on a new role as the curator (馆长) of an art exhibition titled “Art Encounters with Jay”,
Apart from the artworks, there is an interactive area
Jay Chou expressed his goal to make art accessible and