1 . There’s a mural(壁画) in Winsted, Connecticut, which is 5 stories tall and 120 feet long. Artist Ellen Griesedieck came up with the idea in 1999. More than 20 years in the making, the massive artwork is now on display.
Griesedieck calls the work the American Mural Project (AMP), That’s also the name of the arts center where it’s displayed. Rather than display the portraits(肖像画) of the famous political figures in American history and the well-known great artists, Griesedieck preferred to meet people from different fields in small towns and cities all over the United States to create the mural. She took photos of them on the job. Then she painted them. There’s Pamela. She’s shown working at a Boeing aircraft factory in Everett, Washington, wiring a plane. There’s Nina, a farmer. And Edwin, a New York City police officer, and so on.
Student participation is a huge part of AMP. So far, it has worked with 15, 000 students, from preschool to high school, in 17 states. In West Virginia, fifth graders from Ceredo Elementary School worked with a glassblower to make a 42-foot picture of water on which a fishing boat is floating. In New Mexico, kids made ceramic tiles(瓷砖). They’re pieced together to form the red-and-white shirt of a mechanic named Stitch. Kathy Reddy teaches art in Fairfield, Connecticut. She and her students have been involved with AMP for more than a decade.
The AMP building is a former factory. Inside, parts are still being added to the mural. Students who go to see the mural can take art classes at AMP, which also leads programs in schools. “We’re really focusing on hands-on, open-ended creativity,” says Michelle Begley, the director of education programs. “Our school visits always get the students’ hands dirty in the excitement of great art-making.”
1. Who are the leading characters of the mural?A.Famous artists. | B.High school students. |
C.Ordinary laborers. | D.Political figures. |
A.It is long-term team efforts. | B.It is inspired by the students. |
C.It introduces local cultures. | D.It is intended for the young. |
A.Their inner desire. | B.Their academic level. |
C.Their own talent. | D.Their practical ability. |
A.Sports. | B.Travel. | C.Education. | D.Business. |
2 . Bessie Mae Kelley was an animation (动画) pioneer, yet much of her story and work was lost to history and left undocumented—until now. The incredible discovery of Kelley’s rich past was made by Mindy Johnson, who spent five years searching for evidence.
According to Mindy Johnson, Kelley was studying art at New York’s Pratt Institute, when, as a part of the first generation of cinema, she fell in love with the medium. Kelley began working in the industry doing menial jobs, but she worked her way up and she was eventually working alongside Max Fleischer, Paul Terry and Walter Lantz, animators who were household names.
Kelley hand-drew cartoons in cooperation with Paul Terry for his famed animated adaptation of Aesop’s Fables, including the mouse couple that came to be known as Milton and Mary. “Even Walt Disney publicly stated that when he began his studio in Kansas City, he wanted to make cartoons as good as Aesop’s Fables,” Johnson said.
And earlier this week, Johnson presented her discoveries at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, where she also premiered (首映) two restored short films hand-drawn and directed by Kelley. The first is a five-minute film entitled Flower Fairies, completed in 1921. The second three-minute film from 1922 is called A Merry Christmas. Previously, historians had considered Tissa David to be the earliest example of a woman who directed her own hand-drawn work Bonjour Paris in 1953. The earliest surviving animated film directed and animated by a woman would be Lotte Reiniger’s The Ornament of the Lovestruck Heart from 1919, which is far from the hand-drawn variety.
Johnson, who teaches animation history at California Institute of the Arts and Drexel University, says, “Discovering Kelley’s contribution to animation isn’t just about filling in the gaps of history. It also motivates a new generation of animators. I can see my female students standing a little taller and more confident, about their work when they learn about Kelley.”
1. What does the underlined word “menial” in paragraph 2 mean?A.Unskilled. | B.Demanding. | C.Well-paid. | D.Risk-taking. |
A.Her fondness for animals. | B.Her good teamwork spirit. |
C.Her early influence in animation. | D.Her close relationship with Walt Disney. |
A.Bonjour Paris. |
B.Flower Fairies. |
C.A Merry Christmas. |
D.The Ornament of the Lovestruck Heart. |
A.It excites students’interest in history. |
B.It is an inspiration to female animators. |
C.It helps reexamine women animators’ work. |
D.It is a reminder of the value of surviving films. |
3 . The 19th century landscape paintings in the museum looked awfully familiar to climate physicist Albright. Artist Turner’s signature way of covering his views in fog and smoke reminded Albright of her own research — tracking air pollution. After all, Turner —a forerunner of the impressionist movement — was painting as Britain’s industrial revolution gathered steam and smoke.
To find out how much realism there is in impressionism, Albright teamed up with Harvard University climatologist Peter Huybers. Their analysis of nearly 130 paintings by Turner, Paris-based impressionist Claude Monet and several others tells a tale of two modernizing cities.
Low contrast and whiter colors are typical of the impressionist style. They are also typical of air pollution. Tiny aerosols (气溶胶) can absorb or distribute light. That makes the bright parts of objects appear less bright while also shifting the entire scene’s color toward white.
Albright and Huybers distinguished art from aerosols by first using a mathematical model to analyze the contrast and color of 60 paintings that Turner made between 1796 and 1850 as well as 38 Monet works from 1864 to 1901. They then compared the findings to sulfur dioxide emissions (二氧化硫排放量) over the century and estimated from the trend in the annual amount of coal sold and burned in London and Paris. When sulfur dioxide reacted with molecules (分子) in the atmosphere, aerosols formed.
As sulfur dioxide emissions increased over time, the amount of contrast in both Turner’s and Monet’s paintings decreased. However, paintings of Paris that Monet made from 1864 to 1872 have much higher contrast than Turner’s last paintings of London made two decades earlier. They owed the difference to the much slower start of the industrial revolution in France. Paris’ air pollution level around 1870 was about what London’s was when Turner started painting in the early 1800s. It confirmed that the similar progress in their painting styles couldn’t be coincidence, but was guided by air pollution, the pair concluded.
1. What is the purpose of Albright and Huyber’s analysis?A.To distinguish between art and aerosols. |
B.To understand different schools of painting better. |
C.To figure out the effects of the real life on impressionism. |
D.To find the relationship between realists and impressionists. |
A.The comparisons of aerosols and sulfur dioxide. | B.How the researchers carried out their research. |
C.The effects of aerosols on the paintings. | D.Why aerosols formed in the atmosphere. |
A.The paintings of Turner and Monet were closely linked to air pollution. |
B.The industrial revolution in France started more slowly accordingly. |
C.There were differences in Turner’s and Monet’s painting styles. |
D.Turner’s and Monet’s painting styles were familiar to people. |
A.Entertainment. | B.Health. | C.Education. | D.Environment. |
4 . It’s a small piece — merely a square brick drawing a curly-haired Archangel Gabriel — but it may be the oldest surviving artwork by the Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci. If confirmed, this painting may show historians what da Vinci looked like as a teenager. That’s because the 1471 creation may, in fact, be a self-portrait (自画像) da Vinci made when he was just 18 years old.
However, many doubt the artwork’s authenticity (真实性). Martin Kemp, an retired professor of art history at Oxford University who is a Leonardo expert, dismissed the claim absolutely, “The chance of its being by Leonardo is less than zero,” Kemp told The Guardian. “The silly season for Leonardo never closes.”
The nearly 8-inch-by-8-inch square brick may contain clues linking it to da Vinci, according to Ernesto Solari, an art historian and da Vinci expert, and Ivana Rosa Bonfantino, a handwriting expert. Both say that a signature and date written on the angel’s jawline — which reads “Da Vinci Lionardo” with the date“1471”—closely match da Vinci’s handwriting.
Next to the 1471 date are the numbers 52 and 72. It’s possible that the 52 is a reference to 1452, Leonardo’s birth year. Meanwhile, the 7 and 2 may refer to the letters “G” and “B” (G is the seventh letter of the alphabet, and B is the second), which could stand for Gabriel. These numbers are “more than a signature, it is typical of the famous puzzles that he loved all his life,” Solari said.
When analyzing the handwriting, Bonfantino reviewed documents known to belong to da Vinci. Bonfantino noticed that the “1” in the 1471 date was shorter than the other numbers, which matched the previous examples of da Vinci’s writing.
1. What does the passage tell about the painting?A.It is higher more than eight-inch. |
B.It is a self-portrait drawn by historians. |
C.It may be the oldest artwork drawn by Leonardo da Vinci. |
D.It is only a square piece with a curly-haired male character. |
A.Authentic. | B.Skeptical. | C.Valuable. | D.Silly. |
A.It is typical of him to express love. |
B.It has an important influence on him. |
C.The numbers next to the 1471 are his birthday. |
D.The signature and date are the same as his handwriting. |
A.A Doubtful Painting from da Vinci | B.A Discussion about the Oldest Artwork |
C.An Introduction about da Vinci’s Painting | D.A Description about da Vinci’s Handwriting |
Known for his playful style of watercolor works, Qi Baishi is a well-known Chinese painter. His works usually focus
Qi Baishi was born to
His artworks mostly belong to the gongbi mode(风格), a style
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1. Why did Curbelo come to Shanghai?
A.To perform for a restaurant. |
B.To join in a student music project. |
C.To continue her studies in the field of music. |
A.Singing in her native Spanish. |
B.Sharing the stage with famous artists. |
C.Producing music for famous brands. |
A.Language learning. | B.Music tours. | C.An artist. |
7 . Michael Nesmith, the guitarist of the 1960s pop group The Monkees, died at the age of 78. The famed singer-songwriter, who composed some of the band’s catalogue, including tracks such as “Papa Gene's Blues,” “You Told Me” and “You Just May Be the One,” died of natural causes on Friday morning, according to the statement released by his family.
The Monkees member Micky Dolenz is now the only surviving member of the group. “I’m heartbroken. Dolenz said in a statement following Nesmith’s death. The Monkees television debut (首演) turned him and fellow band members Dolenz, Peter Tork and David Jones into overnight rock stars. The show, which premiered in 1966, rocketed the group to fame, scoringNo.1 hits and chart-topping albums. During the two-year run, The Monkees: won the 1967 Emmy for best comedy series.
Following the group’s breakup in 1970, Nesmith moved on to a long and creative career, not only as-a musician but as a writer, producer and director of films, author of several books, head of a media arts company and creator of a music video format that led to the creation of MTV.
Nesmith rarely rejoined the others for reunion tours, leading many to believe he disliked the band and the show, something he steadfastly denied. For the Monkees’30th anniversary he persuaded the others to reunite to record a new album, “Justus,” for which all four composed the songs and played the instruments. He also rejoined the others for a brief tour and wrote and directed their 1997 TV reunion film, “Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees.”
After fighting for creative control in The Monkees in the late 1960s, Nesmith went on to form the country rock outfit. The First National, which scored a top 25 hit in 1970 with “Joanne” according to Billboard.
1. What makes The Monkees rise to fame overnight?A.Its numerous tracks. | B.Its creative members. |
C.Its 1967 Emmy award. | D.Its first television show. |
A.Accomplished. | B.Get-it-alone. |
C.Enthusiastic. | D.Simple-minded. |
A.A fast trip. | B.A short holiday. |
C.A road show. | D.A temporary party. |
A.A band. | B.A musician. |
C.Hit shows. | D.Golden compositions. |