1 . “The arrow shot is so straight that it hits the bull’s eye, the young people will have good luck…” Dargye sang as he worked on his handmade bag.
Dargye, 56, an artist who excels at traditional craftsmanship and Tibetan folk music in Drinba village in Dragyib district, Nyingchi, Tibet autonomous region, remembers many folk songs he learned from his father and uncle. Now, it’s his turn to pass them on.
“I have liked traditional songs and dances since I was a child,” said Dargye, who has four apprentices (学徒).“The songs tell the histories of our ancestors and carry our unique culture, and-it’s always a lot of fun to perform these traditional songs and dances at various gatherings.” The song topics vary from archery, love, to labor and praise for the land. In addition to teaching these songs to/his family members and apprentices, he also uses social media platforms such as WeChat to teach songs.
His daughter, Chok Butri, also admires the folk culture. After posting a video of her daughter, Tsering Kyi, dancing on Douyin, she gained a lot of new fans on the popular short-video platform. “We are modern people living in a modern era, so it’s important and our responsibility that we use modern tools to pass on our traditional culture to make it last forever.” said Chok Butri, adding that she often posts songs and dances on WeChat and Douyin.
Dargye and his fellow villagers also recreate songs, adding modern elements such as aircraft and trains to the lyrics. Besides singing and dancing, Dargye makes handicrafts decorated with Tibetan cultural elements, including various hide and hair ropes, bags made of leather and cloth, and knife sheaths.
The local government encourages villagers to inherit (继承) and develop folk songs and other forms of traditional culture. Dargye’s efforts to preserve folk culture have been acknowledged by the government. In 2014, he was chosen as a county-level intangible (无形的) cultural inheritor and receives funds every year.
1. Why does Dargye want to pass the culture on?| A．He wants to satisfy his interest. | B．He wants to learn from the seniors. |
| C．He wants to bring people fun. | D．He wants to inherit and develop it. |
| A．To show folk music’s effect on her. | B．To stress Dargye’s influence on her. |
| C．To emphasize her love for folk culture. | D．To reveal the popularity of folk culture online. |
| A．Ambitious and honest. | B．Talented and curious. |
| C．Devoted and creative. | D．Generous and determined. |
| A．All efforts to preserve culture pay off |
| B．Craftsman carries tunes to preserve culture |
| C．An artist prefers traditional songs and dances |
| D．Tibetan culture is being protected and passed on |
2 . “In the future, everybody will be famous for 15 minutes,” said US artist Andy Warhol (1928—1987). And he is quite right. Now it seems that anybody can become an instant online celebrity.
Warhol is best noted for his paintings that represent celebrity faces and US consumer goods, like Coca-Cola bottles or Campbel’s soup cans. As a great influence on the twentieth century pop art movement, Andy Warhol rose to become a cornerstone in the contemporary art world, devoted to bringing his views on materialism, politics and economics to the art. Actually, the visual world Warhol created is directly connected to his background.
In the mid-1950s, the working class gathered a great deal of fortune. They wanted to achieve a higher status in society. The consumer goods and Hollywood faces are a “working-class-coded iconography (肖像；意象) that is often misinterpreted as generally ‘American’.” Anthony E. Grudin, author of Warhol’s Working Class commented. Reproducing these themes in his work meant that people outside of the art world could immediately connect with Warhol’s pictures. Considered “a creature of transformation”, Warhol constantly explored with different forms of media to evoke resonance among people.
For example, in addition to being a painter, Warhol was, in the words of UK writer Peter Wollen: “A filmmaker, a writer, a photographer, a TV soap opera producer.” Warhol, in short, was what we might call a ‘Renaissance (文艺复兴) man’, even though he was a leader in pop or perhaps post-modern art.”
In his later years, he founded Interview Magazine and wrote several books, including The Philosophy of Andy Warhol. But UK artist Gillian Wearing said, “Warhol left his mark in many more ways than his actual work.” Warhol’s works are all about “America, money, fame and death”, UK writer Jon Savage remarked. “He summed up, defined and in many ways symbolized the world in which we now live.
1. What’s Andy Warhol’s purpose of creating his paintings?| A．To highlight Renaissance style. | B．To attain fame and higher status. |
| C．To combine art with materialism. | D．To challenge traditional art forms. |
| A．Popular drinks. | B．Average people. |
| C．Commercial products. | D．Living scenes of working class. |
| A．Inspire connection. | B．Receive recognition. |
| C．Raise inspiration. | D．Gain sympathy. |
| A．Creative and critical. | B．Conservative and realistic. |
| C．Optimistic and encouraging. | D．Constructive and multi-talented. |
