1 . During the 19th and 20th centuries, Qi Baishi (1864-1957) was one of the best-known Chinese artists. He grew up in a poor peasant family, but this did not prevent him from pursuing his interest in painting.

Qi was schooled for less than a year due to illness, and he dropped out of school. However, he was too weak to do much of the work and this was why he became a carpenter. As a carpenter, he showed his creativity. He could carve figures of animals, woodblock prints, and sniff-boxes. At the age of 20, he taught himself to paint with Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting. He met many mentors who greatly influenced his painting skills through his painting journey, among whom are the renowned artists Zhu Da and Xu Wei. When he was 28, he became a student of the famous artist Hu Qinyuan, and he began to study Chinese painting.

Qi arrived in Beijing in 1917. While he was in Beijing, he stayed devoted to painting. Most of his paintings represented Chinese tradition. Qi’s works are now found in several famous museums, including National Gallery Prague and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. His works now are the most expensive ever sold at auctions.

Qi got noticed by many institutions, one of which is the Ministry of Culture. In 1954 he was selected as the representative of the Chinese people. Also, in 1956, he was awarded the World Peace Prize by World Peace Council. A college was also named after him, the Baishi School of Art in Hunan University of Science Technology.

1. Why did Qi Baishi drop out of school?

A．He suffered from illness and was too weak.

B．He wanted to devote himself to painting.

C．He wasn’t interested in what he learned at school.

D．His family was too poor to afford his schooling fees.

2. According to the passage, which of the statements is TRUE?

A．He learned Chinese painting on his own.

B．He showed great creativity of art since childhood.

C．His works are one of the costliest ever sold at auctions.

D．At first he learned to paint from some renowned artists.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us about Qi Baishi?

A．His painting style.	B．His painting works.
C．His achievements.	D．His contributions to his hometown.

4. How does the author mainly develop the text?

A．By giving examples.	B．By using data.
C．By raising questions.	D．By following the order of time.

2 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Mi Fu, also known as Mi Fei, was a Chinese painter, poet, and calligrapher born in Taiyuan, Shanxi during the Song dynasty. In painting he gained     1     (recognize) for his style of painting misty landscapes. This style was considered as the “Mi Fu” style and involved the use of large wet dots of ink     2     (apply) with a flat brush. His poetry followed the style of Li Bai and his calligraphy that of Wang Xizhi.

He is best known for his calligraphy,     3     he is regarded as one of the four     4     (great) calligraphers in the Song dynasty. His style arises from that of calligraphers in earlier dynasties, but with a unique mark     5     his own.

As     6     famous calligrapher, Mi Fu was also noted as an eccentric (怪人). At times he    7     (call) “Madman Mi” because he was     8     (true) crazy about collecting stones. He even declared one stone to be his brother. He would bow to his “brother” rock     9     (show) the devotion given to older brothers. His son, Mi Youren, was also a famous painter in his father’s artistic style. Unlike his father, Mi Youren lived to be quite elderly,     10     (die) at the age of 79.

3 . 语义匹配

Tobias Le Compte, a 35-year-old Belgian musician, has become a _________sensation on social media for his excellent grasp of the main Shanghai dialect. In 2008, Le Compte, visited Shanghai for the first time in an arts festival. He _________was enchanted by the city right away, and returned the next year and enrolled as an undergraduate student at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Like most _________expats in China, Le Compte first studied Mandarin and spent about half a year teaching himself the language. It was not until 2021, when Le Compte was back in Belgium and _________confined to his home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that he started learning Shanghainese. He was also _________motivated by the 2021 hit movie B for Busy, a tale set in Shanghai starring local stars who speak their lines in the city’s dialect.

1.

A．wrestler

B．influencer

C．actor

D．conductor

2.

A．was capable of

B．was moved by

C．was impressed by

D．was eager for

3.

A．local people

B．native speakers

C．descendants

D．foreign residents

4.

A．joined to

B．limited to

C．addicted to

D．devoted to

5.

A．inspired

B．scared

C．discouraged

D．awarded

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What makes the man confused?

A．Why Roman Holiday was so famous.

B．Why Audrey Hepburn learned ballet.

C．Why so many girls adored Audrey Hepburn.

2. What prevented Audrey Hepburn from sticking to being a dancer?

A．Her physical condition.

B．Her interest in acting.

C．Her financial condition.

3. What was Audrey Hepburn like in real life?

A．Outgoing.

B．Shy and quiet.

C．Humorous and lovely.

4. Why did Audrey Hepburn love charity?

A．She was influenced by her roles.

B．She thought children were her hope.

C．Her family once got help from a charity.

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is a major challenge that Stevie Wonder has had to face?

A．His unsuccessful records.

B．Pressure from other musicians.

C．Not being able to use his eyes.

2. When did Stevie Wonder start his professional career?

A．At the age of 6.

B．At the age of 11.

C．At the age of 19.

3. How many Grammy Awards did Stevie Wonder receive?

A．10.

B．25.

C．30.

4. What kinds of songs did Stevie Wonder often record?

A．Rap songs about life.

B．Sad songs about death.

C．Happy songs about love.

6 . 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.

7 . 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.

8 . 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.

9 . 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.

10 . 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.