1 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。

1. How old was Elvis Presley when he passed away?

A．35 years old.

B．42 years old.

C．77 years old.

2. When could he sing very well?

A．Two years old.

B．Eight years old.

C．Eleven years old.

3. What present did he give at the age of 17 for his mother’s birthday?

A．His first record.

B．A bicycle.

C．A guitar.

4. What do we know about the house he once lived in now?

A．It has been destroyed.

B．It was sold to a normal person.

C．It has been turned into a museum.

2 . Contemporary artist Nick Smith creates pixelated (像素化的) works with hand colour-chips, synonymous with colour swatches (色块), cleverly combining text and image to create interesting and fascinating collaged (拼贴的) works.

With a previous career in Interior Design spanning 11 years, Nick references his concept design background throughout his work, reworking the design aesthetic using unique colours watches in hand-made collages, placing his work firmly in the fine art category. From his first collage experiment back in 2011 of Warhol’s ‘Marilyn’, when he assembled a tessellation (镶嵌技术) of swatches as a challenge, this eventually inspired his career as an artist and determined his unique style he is now known for.

The multi-layered element of his work, which marries image and word, allows Nick to explore complex art-historical concepts. The text employed is often narrative, which can be read in sequence adding another element of intrigue and interest to the work. This additional element of text, placed under the empty space of each swatch,   creates either complimentary or subversive meanings. Nick deliberately leaves these word/image constructions open to viewer interpretation, sparking new debates and meanings.

Each P-series, such as Psycolourgy 2015, Purgatory 2019, explores complicatedly researched concepts, which are always the crucial starting point for each new series of work.Producing large-scale works to micro-chip collages, and multiple sell out print editions, Nick continues to develop his popular and recognisable art.

PSYCOLOURGY—January 2015 Lawrence Alkin Gallery,London

Smith’s debut solo exhibition with Lawrence Alkin Gallery in Soho, London , launched his unique visual reworking of classic paintings from the 20th Century canon. Universally known works, including David Hockney’s’ The Bigger Splash’, Andy Warhol’s Soup Cans’ and Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ were all recast, creating original collages that enquire ideas of depiction, digitalisation and recognition. A sell out show, with numerous successful subsequent print releases, Psycolourgy forged Smith’s path to a place among Britain’s notable contemporary artists.

PURGATORY-December 2019 Context，Art Miami

Purgatory is a shiny , sticky, glossy exploration of our societies attitude and approach to our excess,addictions and desires.

Excerpts from Dante’s Purgatory are woven through colourful works depicting popular covetable consumables, creating symbolic representations of the seven sins. Dante explores possible penance (悔) for our earthly suffering leading to spiritual growth. The results of these pairings offer a humorous, nostalgic and subversive opportunity to question our choices.our history and our future.

1. What made Nick launch his art career?

A．His deep love of fascinating collaged works.

B．His first collage work Warhol’s ‘Marilyn’

C．The challenge of piecing a tessellation of swatches.

D．The collage experiment dating back to 2012.

2. Which of the following statements about the text Nick uses is true?

A．His text contains concepts of art.

B．His text is usually illustrative.

C．His text can be read sequentially.

D．His text elements are very simple

3. What do we know about PSYCOLOURGY?

A．It opened Smith’s unique visual reinvention of classic 21th-century paintings.

B．David Hockney’s’Mona Lisa’ has been recreated by Lawrence Alkin Gallery.

C．The original collages affirm the ideas of depiction , digitisation and recognition.

D．It opened Smith’s path to becoming one of Britain’s leading contemporary artists.

4. What is the topic of this passage?

A．Some useful ways to create collaged works.

B．The life of contemporary artist Nick Smith.

C．Information about Psycolourgy and Purgatory.

D．The introduction to Nick Smith’s works.

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Who is the speaker probably talking to?

A．Art lovers.

B．Photographers.

C．University students.

2. What is Dr Wilson busy doing now?

A．Taking photographs for a newspaper.

B．Teaching painting in a university.

C．Writing a book about art.

3. What can be expected in Dr Wilson’s talk?

A．The influences of some major 19th century paintings on present-day art in Italy.

B．Her experiences in European countries.

C．Lifestyle in Italy in the 19th century.

4 . 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。

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”,     1     opened to the public on October 16. This unique exhibition, located in a cultural space on Hengshan Road, features the works of 20 famous contemporary (当代的) artists, including Anselm Kiefer, Ed Ruscha     2     Wang Yuyang. Many of the artworks on display have influenced Chou’s pop songs.

Apart from the artworks, there is an interactive area     3     visitors can take photos with     4     (item) related to the renowned singer.

Jay Chou expressed his goal to make art accessible and     5    (attract) for everyone,     6     (add) that curating is like starting     7     new journey, and that he fell in love with art     8     first sight.

    9     (wide) known as the king of Chinese pop, Jay Chou has been collecting for many years, with his home filled with pieces acquired from galleries. In 2019, the then 42-year-old     10     (name) as one of their “50 Art Collectors to Watch”, and it was reported that he had spent almost all of his earnings on art.

5 . Adding to the achievements of a remarkable year, Taylor Swift has been named Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2023.

Already a superstar before 2023, Swift’s career has reached new heights thanks to the beginning of her Eras Tour that brought her 3.5-hour performance to 66 shows in 23 cities across North America, Argentina and Brazil. Promoted by her tour, Swift has been named the most-streamed female artist in the history of Spotify and Apple Music. According to Billboard, the tour made about $900 million (about 6.4 billion yuan) in 2023. In addition, the tour’s movie Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour became the biggest concert movie of all time, taking more than $250 million globally.

As she was declared (宣布) a billionaire by Bloomberg in November, a hidden “Taylor Swift economy” also promoted sales for business owners across the US. From soaps to a cruise inspired by her different “eras”, interest in Swift-related products went way up.

Apart from her financial contributions, Swift made a significant cultural impact by taking back control of her music. In 2019, her old record label, Big Machine, sold the master tapes of her first six albums (专辑) to Scooter Braun. The sale meant that she didn’t have the rights to the albums. In response to this, Swift began re-recording her first six albums, tagging (加标签于) them “Taylor’s Version”. This move stressed her belief that artists deserve to own their work. “It’s all in how you deal with loss,” she told Time. “I respond to extreme pain by resisting.”

Heading into 2024, Swift will start the Eras Tour again in Japan and Australia. As USA Today noted, “Her current top has been a long time coming, but it may also be just beginning.”

1. What do we know about Taylor Swift?

A．She broke a new record on her tour.

B．She toured South America before 2023.

C．Her achievements received great recognition.

D．Her performance began with the Apple Music.

2. How did Taylor Swift benefit from her Eras Tour?

A．She proved herself to be an artist.

B．She learned to make some products.

C．She got rich and regained album rights.

D．She sold her master tapes to a company.

3. What can we learn about Taylor Swift from the last paragraph?

A．She will end her music career.

B．She will continue her Eras Tour.

C．She will reach her top in Japan.

D．She will make a record in Australia.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards Taylor Swift?

A．Admirable.	B．Uncaring.
C．Doubtful.	D．Critical.

6 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What’s the main topic of the talk?

A．A famous singer and actor.

B．The music of rock and roll.

C．Many famous people around the world.

2. How long was Elvis’s music career?

A．For about thirty years.

B．For about twenty years.

C．For about fifty years.

3. Why was Elvis extremely popular according to the speaker?

A．He wrote many songs himself.

B．He performed well in movies.

C．He had an energetic dance style on stage.

7 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. When did the magician first perform professionally?

A．In 1964.

B．In 1968.

C．In 1972.

2. What made the magician world famous?

A．His TV show.

B．His global tours.

C．His teaching job.

3. Which does the magician think is his greatest achievement?

A．Project Magic.

B．Box office records.

C．The Magic of ABC.

4. How is the magician different from other magicians?

A．He practises hard.

B．He believes in wonder.

C．He started his career early.

8 . Taylor Swift showed very early promise as a singer of country songs, performing from the age of nine. She learned the guitar and persuaded her family to move to Tennessee so she could further her career. She holds numerous records for achievements in music, has been named among the top 100 most influential people on more than one occasion and was named as Woman of the Decade and Artist of the Decade in the 2010s. Swift’s musical style has evolved from country to pop and her fans number in the millions.

Taylor Swift has a firm belief that we should all be ourselves. She tempers this by saying that we must be respectful of others, honest and strong-willed. Strength of purpose will carry a person through life and see them achieve great things. Do not, she says, be average. Stand out and be the best person that you can.

Her view of life is simple. We each have one life, and we must make sure we do not waste it. Life is there to be enjoyed and to be fulfilled. Only we can control what happens in our lives, and must not allow others to judge us or create false opinions of us.

To live a life that has meaning, we must be prepared to learn from mistakes and failures and deal with them without getting discouraged or distracted from our path. No one should tell you what you can’t do, and you must not let a mistake tell you that either. When someone tries to stop you from doing something, be eager to prove them wrong. Be keen, too, to show that your mistakes won’t hold you back.

Taylor Swift puts great store in happiness. Seeking happiness is a wonderful ambition, and everyone should see it as an aim. Success without happiness is a meaningless achievement. Aiming for happiness can go along with other goals too. Swift doesn’t rest when she has achieved one goal, but picks up another and pursues that with the same vigor and determination.

1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?

A．She moved to Tennessee to get a degree.

B．She has been named among the top 100 most influential people once.

C．Her musical style is single.

D．She has had a talent in music since childhood.

2. In the following statements, which one will Taylor Swift NOT agree with ?

A．We should accept that we are only ordinary people.

B．We are masters of our life.

C．Never let mistakes block our moving-forward way.

D．Without happiness, success equals zero.

3. Which words can best describe Taylor Swift?

A．Patient and passionate	B．Positive and ambitious
C．Hard-working and optimistic	D．Intelligent and humorous

4. Which is the text mainly about?

A．A brief introduction to Taylor Swift.	B．Taylor Swift’s autobiography.
C．Taylor Swift’s influence.	D．Taylor Swift’s childhood and dream.

9 . 听下面一段对话，请根据题目要求，从所听到的内容中获取必要的信息，每个小题仅写一个词。这段对话你将听两遍。

The Man’s Biography
Time	Event
1	Left school.
In 1960	Wrote his first novel Rag Doll.
In 1961	Went to Indonesia and stayed there for     2    .
In 1965	Met his wife.
In 1970	3     in the west of England.
In 1973	Started making     4    .
5	His second novel came out.

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. At what time did Yuja become internationally famous?

A．When she was 21 years old.

B．When she studied in Canada as a teenager.

C．When she was a young child.

2. How does Yuja like to dress?

A．Casually.

B．Traditionally.

C．Fashionably.

3. What happens at the end of Yuja’s concerts?

A．She leaves the stage right away.

B．She is asked to play more by the audience.

C．She feels free when the performance is over.