1 . 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.

2. What does the writer suggest in this passage?

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.

3. What can we assume according to the passage?

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.

4. Why does the author write this passage?

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.

2 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

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     1     poverty endured by Charlie Chaplin while growing up in the slums (贫民窟) of Victorian London    2    him to stealing and being scolded by the woman who took care of him, according to an interview with one of his childhood friends that has remained unheard in the British Film Institute for almost 40 years.

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     3     characters.

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    4     in those days, no free milk, no children’s     5    , nothing. You never starved and yet you were on the breadline.”

“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     6    by Kevin Brownlow, one of Britain’s leading experts in silent films after researching Unknown Chaplin, the acclaimed three-part 1983 documentary series that he made with David Gill. It has been stored in the British Film Institute’s archive (档案) ever since.

Chaplin’s parents were music-hall performers and his mother was abandoned by her husband. His mother was then    7    to an asylum (精神病院).

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    8    , she said to my aunt, ‘If I had to go away, you wouldn’t let my lovely sons go into an orphanage?’ My aunt said, ‘No, I’ll look after them, don’t you worry’. My aunt looked after them, fed them and clothed them.”

Chaplin never forgot that. Wisdom paid     9    to his generosity towards her after finding success in America: “He used to send my aunt so much money because she used to look after him.”He also wrote to her.

Chaplin, with his derby hat (圆顶窄边礼帽)，toothbrush moustache and impossibly large boots, was the protagonist in such    10    as City Lights, The Great Dictator and Limelight.

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

3 . Mary Poppins held on to her famous black umbrella while floating overhead and singing “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” The audience watched in amazement, and many sang along! Poppins floated for a bit and eventually landed in the midst of the excited crowd before getting on stage. No, this wasn’t a scene from a Disney movie.     1    His background helps explain his passion for music. The world-renowned violinist and conductor was born into a musical family in October 1949 in Maastricht, Netherlands. He began learning to play the violin at age five and immediately fell in love with the instrument!

    2     He started by creating a small ensemble (乐团). Then in 1978, Rieu established the Maastricht Salon Orchestra, from which he later developed the Johann Strauss Orchestra.

They had limited success until 1995 when Rieu was asked to provide entertainment for a soccer game. He got the entire stadium to sing along to a popular waltz.     3    

Today Rieu is the best-selling classical artist worldwide. He has sold in the ballpark of an astonishing 40 million records. He is the biggest male solo touring artist on the planet. His concerts sell more tickets than Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen!

Many classical concerts are serious events, but Rieu’s are the opposite. He’s been nicknamed “The King of the Waltz” because he loves waltzes.     4     Rieu says, “I love Johann Strauss, but I am also fascinated by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Bruce Springsteen.”

His shows are attended by people of all ages and always include surprises, like the delightful appearance by Mary Poppins. As Rieu says, “I only play music that touched my heart. And I know when it touches my heart, it will touch your heart.” During his performances, many audience members are visibly moved. They often clap, sing, dance, laugh, weep or hug one another. Rieu promises his audience, “You will have an evening that you will never forget.”And he is true to his word.

A．Afterward, he sold over 200,000 CDs and his popularity rising.

B．Rather, it was part of one of André Rieu’s amazing concerts.

C．As a result, Rieu became a house-hold name and won great popularity.

D．Yet his shows consist of an extensive variety of musical genres and performances.

E．Then, Rieu continued his style until he got his nickname.

F．From early on, Rieu knew what he wanted - his own orchestra.

4 . 语法填空

Undercurrent, a twenty-foot-tall stainless-steel sculpture by Beijing-based artist Zheng Lu, is    1    display until August 2024 in the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza,     2     is just outside the United Nations complex (建筑群) in New York. The sculpture,     3     (weigh) nearly 2.5 tons, was more than two years in the making. Zheng is the first Chinese artist     4     (have) his work exhibited there.

The public art project, initiated by Sundaram Tagore, is supported by the World Council of Peoples for the United Nations, a nonprofit organization     5     (found) in Europe after World War II, which is dedicated to facilitating international partnerships that promote awareness and implementation of UN goals.

The sculpture is created     6     (specific) for the site and relates to the United Nations’ recent action initiatives on clean water and climate change. Part of the     7     (artist) acclaimed Water in Dripping series, Undercurrent emphasizes the     8     (significant) of water. As a student of Chinese philosophy, Zheng views water as symbolic of change, the passage of time     9     self-reflection.

Zheng Lu’s sculptures     10     (exhibit) around the world in the past few years, including, most recently, in Summoning Memories: Art Beyond Chinese Traditions at the Asia Society Texas.

5 . 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.

2. What does the underlined word “leg” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Part.

B．Performance.

C．Stage.

D．Impact.

3. What effect has Taylor Swift’s tour had on Singapore?

A．Putting an end to the pandemic.	B．Restoring its tourism reputation.
C．Reshaping its entertainment image.	D．Boosting its pre-pandemic economy.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

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

6 . 听下面一段短文，回答以下小题。
1. Where was Open Tchaikovsky Competition held in 1986?

A．In Moscow.

B．In Chelyabinsk.

C．In Berlin.

2. What does Maxim say about the competition he attended at 10?

A．It inspired many young musicians.

B．It was the music event of his dreams.

C．It was a life-changing experience.

3. Which kind of music are the young players required to play?

A．Rock music.

B．Pop music.

C．Classical music.

4. What does Maxim value most in young players’ performance?

A．Expressiveness.

B．Smoothness.

C．Completeness.

7 . Workers at the National Galleries of Scotland recently experienced quite a surprise after they X-rayed a painting by Vincent van Gogh. Hidden on the back of the painting Head of a Peasant Woman, which Van Gogh completed in 1885, was a self-portrait (自画像) of the Dutch painter. No one had ever found it.

The hidden self-portrait had been covered by glue and cardboard that had been attached to the back of the painting. “It was absolutely exciting,” Lesley Stevenson, the museum’s worker, said about the discovery. “We weren’t expecting much of the little painting when we performed the scans,” she said. But museum experts quickly changed their expectations when they looked at the X-rays. “We didn’t see much of the peasant woman, but we saw the lead white that Van Gogh used for his face showing up after the X-ray went through the cardboard,” she added.

Van Gogh painted Head of a Peasant Woman as part of a series of works focused on the working-class residents of Nuenen, a small farming community in the southern part of the Netherlands where he lived briefly in the 1880s. The woman in the painting is Gordina de Groot, a farm worker. She wears a white headpiece. In a letter that Van Gogh penned about the series in 1885 to Anton Kerssemakers, a friend, he described his excitement at his working-class subjects. “I’m working with great pleasure these days, for I would rather paint people than paint anything else,” he wrote.

Van Gogh also loved creating self-portraits, producing about 20 paintings of himself by the end of his life while he was living in Paris. Recreating his own image was a cheap way for him to practice portraiture as he didn’t have to spend money hiring models, according to a report.

Art historians at the National Galleries hope that the hidden self-portrait may help us understand the life of the artist. The museum is currently considering how to best remove the unwanted protective materials without harming the painting.

1. What can be learned about the self-portrait on the back of the painting?

A．It isn’t in very good condition.	B．It describes a well-known woman.
C．It wasn’t known to exist for a long time.	D．It was sold to another artist by Van Gogh.

2. What do Stevenson’s words mainly show about the discovery?

A．It was a wonderful surprise.	B．It failed to meet her expectations.
C．It was the result of her great efforts.	D．It deepened her understanding of Van Gogh’s life.

3. What did Van Gogh tell his friend in the letter?

A．He was encouraged to try different subjects.

B．He was glad to find his love for figure paintings.

C．He was attracted by the lifestyle of people in Nuenen.

D．He wanted to improve the living conditions of the farmers.

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

A．X-rays can do harm to artworks

B．Van Gogh sent a secret message to his friend

C．Modern technology has a great influence on art

D．Van Gogh’s hidden self-portrait draws public attention

8 . Norman Rockwell didn’t create his celebrated images using only brush and paint. They often took shape first as scenes that Rockwell literally acted out, not only for his editors at the Saturday Evening Post, but for his real-life models, too. “It was difficult,” he once explained, “but I felt it was the best way to get across my meaning.” And so he would enthusiastically play out his visions and ideas, a one-man show packed with just the right expressions, giving enough details of each character in the scene to inspire his models and more importantly, get his editors to buy his ideas.

Now, more than 30 years after his death, Rockwell is still acknowledged for skillfully documenting the best of 20th century American life with drawings of simple emotions inspired by everyday people. To create his detailed recollections of everyday American life, Rockwell worked much like a film director, not just acting out the scenes in his imagination, but looking for locations, casting everyday people from his town for particular parts.

The recognition he received strongly proves Rockwell’s superior skills as a storyteller and is the subject of another kind of one-man show: the upcoming exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., titled Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. The exhibit, gathered together from the private collections of these two popular film directors, will feature rarely viewed pieces of Rockwell’s artworks.

That concentration of information as well as emotion is something essential in Rockwell’s art. Emotion certainly spoke to Steven Spielberg when he first saw one of his favorite Rockwell paintings, High Dive, the August 16, 1947 Post cover that describes a boy at the top of what must be a towering diving board. He crouches (蹲伏) high above a swimming pool, too afraid to either jump or climb back down. The painting hangs in Spielberg’s office at Amblin Entertainment because it holds a great deal of meaning for the filmmaker.

1. How did Norman Rockwell successfully influence his editors?

A．By performing his ideas.	B．By hiring more models.
C．By donating his paintings.	D．By drawing actual events.

2. What were the subjects of Rockwell’s works?

A．Film directors.	B．Folk storytellers.
C．Natural landscapes.	D．Ordinary citizens.

3. What may the boy in the painting High Dive inspire the viewers to do?

A．Develop artistic skills.	B．Learn how to act out.
C．Appreciate nature.	D．learn to swim.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To introduce an exhibit.	B．To recommend a painting.
C．To remember an artist.	D．To explain a cultural phenomenon.

9 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the talk mainly about?

A．Making money.

B．Becoming successful.

C．Choosing a good job.

2. How old was Albert Einstein when he learned how to read?

A．Four years old.

B．Five years old.

C．Seven years old.

3. Who was told that he had no good ideas?

A．Walt Disney.

B．Thomas Edison.

C．Vincent van Gogh.

4. What difficulty did Michael Jordan have to overcome?

A．He did not get paid for his work.

B．He could not speak until he was four.

C．He was not good enough to play basketball in high school.

10 . Frederick Phiri, known as the junk-art king of Zambia, set out on a remarkable journey at the age of 22 when he began earning an international reputation for being able to make complex and elegant sculptures from deserted metal found in his community.

Phiri’s path to artistic recognition was filled with challenges. His childhood was marked by the loss of his father and his mother leaving him behind, making him under the care of his grandfather. While his grandfather provided for his basic education, Phiri faced financial struggles when he entered secondary school, forcing him to take on various jobs to fund his studies. Yet, despite these obstacles, his passion for art remained growing, and he dedicated his free time to drawing and crafting in the classroom.

Upon completing his education, Phiri sought to support himself by creating wire animal sculptures (雕塑品), which he sold to tourists. It was during this period that his exceptional talent caught the attention of Karen Beattie, the director of Project Luangwa, a nonprofit organization committed to education and economic development in central Africa.

Teaming up with local welder (焊接工) Moses Mbewe in 2017, Phiri contributed to the creation of a complex set of doors for Project Luangwa during the rainy season. Impressed by his work, Beattie presented Phiri with a challenge: to create art from abandoned waste metal. Undiscouraged, Phiri embraced the opportunity, transforming forgotten keys, broken bike chains, and old metal bottles into attracting abstract animal sculptures, including elephants, cranes, giraffes, and monkeys.

Today, Phiri’s artistic pursuits continue to flourish as he transforms deserted junk into striking sculptures showcased at the Project Luangwa headquarters. His talent has earned recognition and admiration from the community, fueling his dreams of pursuing formal art education at the Evelyn Hone College in Lusaka and creating even more magnificent sculptures in the future. Through creativity and determination, Phiri has turned adversity (逆境) into artistic success, leaving a lasting impact on Zambia’s art scene.

1. What is Phiri distinguished for?

A．Serving his community.	B．Collecting works of art.
C．Being the king of Zambia.	D．Turning trash into treasure.

2. What aspect of Phiri’s childhood shaped his early life?

A．His struggle to pay for primary schooling by himself.

B．The loss of his father and abandonment by his mother.

C．His dedication to part-time jobs while attending school.

D．His responsibility to support his grandfather financially.

3. What challenge did Karen Beattie present to Phiri?

A．To create sculptures from wire.

B．To sell his sculptures internationally.

C．To create art from deserted waste metal.

D．To design a complex set of doors for Project Luangwa.

4. What attitude does Phiri exhibit towards his future?

A．Uncertain.

B．Confident.

C．Depressed.

D．Confused.