1 . Artist Susan Shepherd is best known for her flower paintings, and the large garden that surrounds her house is the source of many of her subjects. It is full of her favourite flowers, most especially vancties of tulips and poppies. Some of the plants are unruly and seed themselves all over the garden. There is a harmony of colour, shape and structure in the two long flower borders that line the paved path which crosses the garden from east to west. Much of this is due to the previous owners who were keen gardeners, and who left plants that appealed to Susan. She also inherited the gardener, Danny. “In fact, it was really his garden,” she says. “We got on very well. At first he would say, “Oh, it’s not worth it” to some of the things I wanted to put in, but when I said I wanted to paint them, he recognized what I had in mind.”
Susan prefers to focus on detailed studies of individual plants rather than on the garden as a whole, though she will occasionally paint a group of plants where they are. More usually, she picks them and then takes them up to her studio. “I don’t set the whole thing up at once,” she says. “I take one flower up at once,” she says. “I take one flower out and paint it, which might take a few days, and then I bring in another one and build up the painting that way. Sometimes it takes a couple of years to finish.”
Her busiest time of year is spring and early summer, when the tulips are out, followed by the poppies. “They all come out together, and you’re so busy,” she says. But the gradual decaying process is also part of the fascination for her. With tulips, for example, “you bring them in and put them in water, then leave them for perhaps a day and they each form themselves into different shapes. They open out and are fantastic. When you first put them in a vase, you think they are boring, but they change all the time with twists and turns.”
1. In the first paragraph, the author describes Susan’s garden as ________.| A．being only partly finished |
| B．having a path lined with flowers |
| C．having caused problems for the previous owners |
| D．needing a lot of work to keep it looking attractive |
| A．He felt she was interfering in his work. |
| B．He immediately understood her feelings. |
| C．He was recommended by the previous owners. |
| D．He was slow to see the point of some of her ideas. |
| A．She creates her paintings in several stages. |
| B．She spends all day painting an individual flower. |
| C．She likes to do research on a plant before she paints it. |
| D．She will wait until a flower is ready to be picked before painting it. |
| A．look best some time after they have been cut. |
| B．should be kept in the house for as long as possible. |
| C．are not easy to paint because they change so quickly. |
| D．are more colourful and better shaped than other flowers. |
2 . The question of whether it is possible to dissociate the artist from their work has been debated for a long time. Even though positive critical reviews about an artist’s behavior can improve their artistic accomplishments, people should treat artists as individuals who have lived apart from their work.
One of the reasons is that even artists have shortcomings. Like any other human being, an artist can err, and we cannot be severely judgmental of every person that falls into error. Cancel culture with endless criticism is concerned more with how we should disregard the artists when they make mistakes than with how their weaknesses can be used by the artists to create art that is unique.
Perhaps Kevin Hart’s words support this thought. He asks, “When did we get to a point where life was supposed to be perfect? Where people were supposed to operate perfectly all the time?” When people start seeing artists as human beings, they’ll see them for who they are and review their behavior not on the basis of their art but on the basis of their humanity.
It should be also noted that there are works of art that are inspired by the artist’s experience. For example, the themes in the Harry Potter books are so connected with J. K. Rowling’s wicked worldview that it is virtually impossible to distinguish the two from each other. Since canceling artists based on their worldview would mean the reception to their art will suffer, artists become tense and unwilling to express themselves, which will kill creativity, eventually leading to the death of art. Comedians, singers or painters who should be integrating contemporary issues with their works become boring, and art stops functioning as the social mirror it ought to be.
An artist who makes mistakes still has art with intrinsic (内在的) value, benefiting entire communities or cultures. For instance, when Kendrick Lamar launched his album and frequently used the F-slur in one of his songs, there was much-heated discussion. He was entirely mistaken in using the F-slur, but as an artist, he still had a wide-reaching impact on society. Similarly, one can respect the late Michael Jackson because of how he impacted pop music and the inclusion of black musicians in mainstream media despite his personal weaknesses, opinions, worldviews and associations.
While these artists may engage in their terrible behavior, the art they produce today may serve as an example for others to produce outstanding work in the future. Some would refer to this process as a cycle. Good art should, therefore, be judged due to its value and not the value of the artist.
1. Which would Kevin Hart probably agree with?| A．People should perform perfectly all the time. |
| B．Artists’ shortcomings might be their inspiration. |
| C．If artists have weaknesses, we’d better cancel them. |
| D．Artists should be evaluated based on their humanity. |
| A．Artists will be unwilling to create any artwork. |
| B．Artists will stop concerning with contemporary issues. |
| C．Artists will lose their desire for expression and creativity. |
| D．Artworks are unavoidably inspired by artists’ experiences. |
| A．The artist may make some new words popular. |
| B．The artist’s opinions may provoke heated discussion. |
| C．The artist will benefit entire communities or cultures. |
| D．The artist’s art may give others ideas of artistic creation. |
| A．Judge Art Due to Its Value |
| B．Separate the Art From the Artist |
| C．Regard Artists as Human Beings |
| D．Stop Criticizing Artists’ Behavior |
3 . Ask an art historian about 15th-century Italian art and they’ll probably bring up Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera, Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper or the early career works of Michelangelo. Meanwhile, assessments of the Florentine sculptor Donatello often pale in comparison with praise of his superstar contemporaries. Donatello deserves better, argues an ambitious new exhibition. On view through July 31 at two museums in Florence, Italy, “Donatello: The Renaissance” tries to place the sculptor at the center of the era, writes reporter Elisabetta Povoledo for The NewYork Times.
“This is an extremely unusual exhibit, since Donatello is a father of the Renaissance,” Donatello scholar Francesco Caglioti tells The Times. Arturo Galansino, director of the Palazzo Strozzi, takes the argument one step further, telling The Wall Street Journal’s J. S. Marcus that the exhibition identifies Donatello as “the inventor of the Renaissance.”
Donatello’s masterpieces we repaired with works by Filippo Brunelleschi, Giovanni Bellini, Michelangelo and Raphael to showcase his significant impact on generations of Italian artists. “Some exhibitions are once in a lifetime, but this show is the first time in history,” said Galansino earlier this month.
While some people think of Michelangelo’s marble (大理石) David (1501―1504) as an incomparable work, Donatello actually sculpted one of the statue’s key inspirations: a bronze (青铜) David. Created between 1435 and 1450, likely for the Medici family, the sculpture was conceived (构思) independently of any architectural surroundings. Scholars, therefore, consider Donatello’s David the first of such a style in Renaissance history.
Besides, Donatello’s Madonna influenced similar works by Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi. Just as Donatello has been relatively overlooked in favor of his contemporaries, Gentileschi and a handful of other Renaissance women artists are just starting to get their due—a trend evidenced by a recent exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
“Donatello: The Renaissanc” follows the artist’s life and work, moving through his early years in his native city and a long-term residency in Padua. By the end of his life, Donatello’s work was primarily financed by the powerful Medici family.
1. What does the new exhibition intend to do?| A．Restress Leonardo da Vinci’s achievements. |
| B．Retell the stories of artists in the Renaissance. |
| C．Rediscover Italian art in the contemporary context. |
| D．Rethink the key role Donatello played in his time. |
| A．It is historically significant. | B．It is more comprehensive than others. |
| C．It has met with lots of criticism. | D．It has presented a completely new art form. |
| A．It disappointed the Medici family. | B．It was a copy of the marble David |
| C．It was created two hundred years ago. | D．It inspired Michelangelo to some extent. |
| A．Fall into disfavor. | B．Receive recognition. |
| C．Reshape their styles. | D．Suffer discrimination. |
1. When did Mozart begin to compose music?
| A．At the age of four. | B．At the age of five. | C．In his early teens. |
| A．In Milan. | B．In Vienna. | C．In Salzburg. |
| A．He did business. | B．He taught for a living. | C．He composed music. |
5 . “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 |
6 . Hedy Lamarr, a Hollywood actress, who was called “the most beautiful woman in the world,” starred in dozens of films over a career that lasted decades. But there was more to Lamarr than met the eye. An enthusiastic inventor, she worked on everything from a tablet to frequency hopping — a World War II-era secure communications technology that’s used today in wireless internet, GPS, and cellphones, which makes her regarded as the “mother of Wi-Fi.”
The Austrian-born Lamarr grew up in Vienna without a lot of education in science. Her natural curiosity drove her to explore and understand the world around her.Therefore, her father, who was also interested in science and technology, often walked with her around the city, pointing out what made things work.
Lamarr's informal scientific training continued when, as a young girl in 1933, she married a wealthy arms merchant who worked with the German and Italian military. When all of these generals and admirals were coming around, she listened, absorbed and learned.
The marriage didn’t last, and Lamarr set out to seek her acting career. When she got to Hollywood in the 1930s, she quickly became an international icon(偶像). After watching World War II break out, with growing concern, Lamarr began inventing on her own. As an Austrian, she thought she should do more to contribute to the allies’s(同盟国) war efforts.
In Hollywood, Lamarr met George Antheil, a composer who would become her cooperator on the frequency-hopping technology. Together, they invented a system that made it harder for the enemy to track or jam signals on radio-guided weapons. However, it wasn’t until 1997, three years before her death, that Lamarr received professional acknowledgment(认可) for her invention.
Lamarr played the role she expected to play in Hollywood-a beautiful object to admire on the big screen. However, She never yielded to society’s expectation to women. Her story really encouraged young people, and especially young women, to go into fields that are traditionally male-oriented, and not to judge a book by its covers.
1. What mainly made Lamarr develop her interest in science?| A．Her father. | B．Her first husband and his friends. |
| C．Her own curiosity. | D．Her teachers. |
| A．She was the most beautiful woman in the world at one time. |
| B．She was gracefully beautiful as well as scientifically intellectual. |
| C．She encouraged young women to invent. |
| D．She decided to give up her acting career after World War II broke out. |
| A．worried about | B．looked down on |
| C．disagreed with | D．gave in to |
| A．A Great Inventor. |
| B．A Famous Actress. |
| C．A Film Star With A Great Contribution. |
| D．A Wireless Communication. |
7 . The exact location in France where Dutch master Vincent van Gogh painted his last work of art has been discovered.
A Dutch researcher figured out that a scene described in the artist’s last work, Tee Root, was visible on a postcard showing a man standing next to a bicycle on a back street of the village Auvers-sur-Oise. Van Gogh spent the last weeks of his life in the village. Helpfully, the card even included the name of the street.
Researchers were given a unique glimpse (体验) into the famous painter’s final hours. He was at work right up to the end.
Wouter van der Veen, scientific director of the Van Gogh Institute in France, made the discovery. While stuck at home, van de Veen used the extra time to organize the numerous files and documents on van Gogh, including images such as the old postcard from Auvers-sur-Oise. One day in late April, he saw the card on his computer screen and it suddenly struck him that he was looking at the location of Tree Roots. Next to the man and his bicycle, roots and trees are clearly visible. He took a virtual trip down the site using Google’s Street View.
“Villagers know the spot and the main tree root well, even giving it the name ‘the elephant’ because of its shapes,” van der Veen said. “It was really hiding in overt sight.”
The discovery provides tourists with an extra reason to visit Auvers-sur-Oise. “They travel a lot just for one reason — to walk in the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh. Now they can stand at the very place where he painted his last painting,” van der Veen said. “And that’s a very moving thing for a lot of people. So I’m very happy to be able to share that with all those who love van Gogh.”
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．What the postcard revealed. | B．How Tree Roots was discovered. |
| C．Why Auvers-sur-Oise became known. | D．Where van Gogh painted his works. |
| A．He studied a picture of Auvers-sur-Oise. |
| B．He organized his data on van Gogh. |
| C．He traveled to France to see for himself. |
| D．He paid a visit to the spot online. |
| A．Mixed. | B．Obvious. | C．Lovely. | D．Strange. |
| A．They enjoy exploring how to paint. | B．They share their love for van Gogh. |
| C．They admire van Gogh very much. | D．They want to experience the life there. |
8 . There was once a man who penned comics(漫画) under the name Stan Lee. This man originally wished to leave comics behind and write serious literature. But he never made that career change.
Born Stanley Martin Lieber in 1922 in New York City, he has contributed more to the world than just a few fun stories. At 17, Lee began working as an assistant for the Timely comics group (today’s well-known Marvel Comics). Two years later he was given a chance to write for his first comic, “Captain America”. His skills in the business led him to become the comic-book division’s editor-in-chief until 1972.
After working with comics for many years, Lee became tired of the material he was told to write. For a long time, comic books were considered silly stories. The characters weren’t complex, and the dialogue was short and simple. Lee wanted more from his work.
The Fantastic Four was born after his wife asked, “Why don’t you write one book the way you would like to do it?” With that comic, Lee helped change comics from simple action stories to the complex narratives (叙述文) they are today. However, he still hasn’t done changing the industry.
In the early 1960s, Stan Lee and another writer created the Spider-Man character. In one edition of Spider-Man, Lee wrote a story in which the superhero’s friend almost dies from drug abuse. From the 1950s until 2011, comic publishers followed the rules given by the Comics Code Authority (CCA), who disapproved of drug use in comics.
But Lee published the comic without CCA’s agreement. The story sold, and there was a positive response to the story’s focus on a serious problem in society. The CCA ended up changing its rules to allow more inspirational stories like this.
From this victory, Lee went on to create more interesting and realistic characters that dealt with both super and real life problems.
1. The underlined part “that career” in Paragraph 1 refers to the job as _____.| A．a superhero | B．a comic actor |
| C．a comic book creator | D．a serious literature writer |
| A．In 1939. | B．In 1941. | C．In 1960. | D．In 1972. |
| A．Spider-Man was published. |
| B．Stan Lee left the comic industry. |
| C．Stan Lee’s wife began to work on comics. |
| D．The comics began to tell complex stories. |
| A．Spider-Man was created by Stan Lee himself. |
| B．Stan Lee likes to discuss social issues in his comics. |
| C．The story of Spider-Man came from Stan Lee’s friend. |
| D．The CCA has been carrying out rules without changing them. |
Toby Mott was just an ordinary person working as an artist. But then, at the age of 36, he had an idea that made him famous. It started when he wanted
He took the Tshirts to a clothing store and they sold 40 in a week.
The 
Mott says, “I’m successful,
10 . Listening to guitarist Milos Karadaglic’s album, you will find yourself wandering in a world where you are surrounded by amazing classical guitar music. “I want to wake classical guitar music up from its hibernation and show what I can do and what my instrument can do,” said Milos.
Born 37 years ago in a small town in Yugoslavia, he was inspired from an early age to be a performer. Since his country had a small population and no formal music school, making a career on the instrument was extremely hard for him. It all began when Milos discovered an ancient, dusty guitar with broken strings in his basement. Strangely, this broken instrument convinced him that he must become a guitarist. By the age of 9, he was giving public performances, and at 11 he won his first national competition. He was also a talented singer and became star of TV and radio.
Unfortunately, Yugoslavia was torn apart in 1992, and because of the war, Milos’ family suffered food shortages. Fast forward to 1996, when Milos became a teenager, he had his first opportunity to travel outside of his hometown to play a concert. It was in Paris where he was amazed by its western European prosperity and air of Christmas happiness.
During the trip, he made up his mind to study at the Royal Academy of Music. He sent a home-made tape of his performance to the academy, where a professor found something special in his playing, so Milos was admitted to the academy. Afterwards, Milos earned first-class honors and a master’s degree, and his albums are highly praised by other world-famous guitarists.
However, this is just the beginning for Milos, and his horizons seem limitless. He has been making a variety of plans for broadening the classical music’s reach.
1. What can we learn about Milos from this story?| A．He studied music in a college in his own country. |
| B．It was his master’s degree that made him famous. |
| C．Travelling to Paris enabled him to get further education. |
| D．Poverty was the main reason for him to play the guitar. |
| A．By being introduced to a professor by his teacher. |
| B．By sending a tape of his performance. |
| C．By taking part in a music competition. |
| D．By having a college entrance exam. |
a. He discovered an old, broken guitar.
b. He won the national competition for the first time.
c. He made his mind to study at the Royal Academy.
d. He travelled to Paris to play a concert for the first time.
| A．a, c, d, b | B．b, a, d, c | C．c, b, a, d | D．a, b, d, c |
| A．Talented guitarist pursues the highest level. |
| B．The limitless horizons of guitar music. |
| C．A guitar hero’s success in war. |
| D．Guitar music from Yugoslavia. |
