1 . John Myatt is an artist. He may not be the greatest artist in the world, but he is possibly the world’s greatest forger (伪造者). He is able to paint pictures in the style of famous artists like Monet and Matisse.
The amazing thing is that Myatt painted his pictures with decorator’s paint.
A.It wasn’t illegal. |
B.Then he decided to stop copying famous paintings. |
C.It was the same paint that people use to paint houses! |
D.Myatt only spent four months in prison for good behavior. |
E.That’s more than Drewe gave him for his ‘genuine’ paintings! |
F.His pictures are so good that experts can’t tell that they are not originals. |
G.Between 1986 and 1994 they sold about 200 paintings and made over a million pounds. |
2 . Matilda Browne (1869-1947) was a successful artist in the early 20th century. Unfortunately, few people know her name or her art today.
Matilda Browne showed promising artistic talent early in her life. Growing up in Newark, New Jersey, she got an introduction to art by watching her neighbor, painter Thomas Moran. Her parents supported their budding young artist.
Browne loved to paint animals, especially cows and other animals.
Matilda Browne quickly became a respected and successful artist. Her list of honours opened doors that would have been otherwise inaccessible for a female artist of her time. As an adult, she moved to Connecticut, where she painted in Old Lyme.
Browne was a successful artist throughout her life. She won numerous awards and exhibited in many important shows. However, very few people know about her today. This is a more common story for female artists than one might think. So, why has Browne faded into being unknown?
A.She was the only woman accepted into the male artists’ circle there. |
B.It was her artistic style that hadn’t aroused people’s interest. |
C.Her impressive skill brought her under everyone’s notice. |
D.She also painted many flowers in colorful garden landscapes. |
E.It could result from her double minority — in gender and nationality. |
F.Her mother took her to Europe for training while she was quite young. |
G.Either way, her great skill as a painter made these other artists take notice. |
3 .
However, it’s not only the quality of Beethoven’s music that makes him so special.
The composer changed the musical world forever. It has been said that he alone dragged music out of the Classical age and into the Romantic. But that doesn’t go far enough.
Before Beethoven, composers worked for the glory of God, or wrote on bended knee for wealthy courts. Beethoven kicked down the doors of the aristocratic (贵族的) world and made himself at home.
Beethoven knew beyond doubt that he was writing for eternity (不朽). His confidence in his abilities was the only great truth in his life and he held on to it.
In 1805 he changed the course of musical history with his Eroica symphony composition. It was the first truly “heroic” piece of music ever created.
His sense of invention and resourcefulness never declined. His Fifth symphony was described by English novelist E.M. Forster as “the most beautiful noise that has ever penetrated into the car of man.” His music, especially that which was composed during his last ten years, is unique.
And he was deaf.
Study Shakespeare and he will show you what people are. Listen to Beethoven, who wrote simply to show his artistic and intellectual existence, and he will show you what you could be.
A.He wrote for himself alone. |
B.He never abandoned hope. |
C.His music is the very definition of “interiority (内在)”. |
D.Out of all composers, Beethoven needs the least promotion. |
E.Beethoven both defined and deserves his own musical time. |
F.Nothing like it has ever been composed and nothing ever will. |
G.Beethoven enjoyed a great reputation as a wonderful musician. |
4 . According to Michael Gelb, the author of ‘Think Like Da Vinci’, any living person can bring out their inner Da Vinci by committing themselves to several ‘Da Vincian’ principles.
According to Gelb, although not everyone is born with the gifts and the abilities of Leonardo Da Vinci, it is possible for any person to use the fundamentals of Da Vinci’s approach to learning to guide us to toward the realization of our own full potential.
Leonardo possessed an intense curiosity about the world around him. It was this undiscouraged curiosity that began in childhood and continued throughout his life that drove Leonardo into becoming one of the greatest thinker’s humanity.
The young Leonardo loved nature. Leonardo would wonder around the Tuscany countryside asking questions he did not himself yet understand. Questions such as: Why shells exist on the tops of mountains alongside seaweed usually found in the sea. Why lightning is visible whereas thunder is not and takes a longer time to travel.
Keeping a journal or notebook – Leonardo always carried a notebook with him so that he could jot down ideas, thoughts, impressions and observations as they occurred.
Asking questions - Making a list of a hundred questions in your notebook on any given topic that comes into your head.
Be willing to make lots of mistakes – Leonardo was not afraid to make mistakes and appear foolish.
A.Curiosity can be developed. |
B.Why so many important families live in Tuscany. |
C.But don’t think Leonardo was a man of thought alone. |
D.Here, we are going to look at one key principle: curiosity. |
E.Leonardo relied only on himself to answer his own questions. |
F.Actually, Leonardo embraced the feelings of unfamiliarity and foolishness. |
G.But do not be fooled into thinking that Leonardo did not make any mistakes. |
5 . “To be a musician, it’s like fulfilling a part of your life that can’t be replaced. It’s something that I enjoy and I love to do and I get a satisfaction from it.”
That is Renald Richard. Born in 1925 in Thibodaux, Louisiana, just west of New Orleans, Richard’s memories of childhood are filled with music. His father played the piano by ear.
At the age of 13, Renald Richard went to see a band perform at a church dance. It was very amazing and he decided to play the trumpet.
Over the years, Richard has written many other songs that have been recorded by artists or bands including Joe Turner, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley, to name but a few.
Renald Richard retired from teaching in 1991.
A.Ray Charles is forming a new band. |
B.He found himself can’t live without the trumpet. |
C.His uncles and cousins all played instruments and sang. |
D.He went on with his musical life in the years to follow. |
E.Renald Richard soon was playing his trumpet for Ray Charles’ band. |
F.He thought it was the right decision to work with Ray Charles for many years. |
G.He went back to his hometown and became the high school’s band director until 1962. |
6 . Hungarian artist Zoltan Viczan has revealed his love and memories of his homeland in a series of new glass artworks at the exhibition, Layers of Hungary, which is taking place at Picnic Gallery in downtown Shanghai from Oct 13 to Nov 15.
Born in Hungary in 1979, Viczan began his studies in glass art at an early age in Budapest.
Traditional glassmaking in the West originated in Italy, where the royal court forced master crafts people to live on an island and create fine goods, Viczan says.
Viczan came to Asia 10 years ago, spending four years in Japan and two years in Hong Kong before moving to Shanghai in 2016. Generally many expatriates socialized with people from their countries to overcome homesickness.
In the exhibition, visitors will see a map of Hungary sculpted in cast glass and decorated with traditional Hungarian glass patterns, and works describing the city of Budapest and Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe.
A.He has practiced the art form for nearly 30 years. |
B.This is the first time he has presented his creations. |
C.The works on show reflect Viczan’s unique methods. |
D.Some managed to escape despite of the risks of death. |
E.Viczan chose to represent memories of his homeland through his art. |
F.The artist believes this is a good way to show idea about people’s viewpoints of reality. |
G.It recalled the beauty of the calm, flat water which starts rippling after throwing a pebble in it. |
7 . It's hard to say goodbye to your favorite pair of jeans, even when they're way beyond wearable.
Netherton-born artist Ian Berry has made quite a name for himself after his unique art took the art world by storm. It's hard to believe the idea of using old denim (牛仔布) as medium for his art came after a call from his mother, Christine, asking him to clean out his room. “It was about six or seven years ago, my mum was clearing out my old room and she wanted me to go through my things. I found loads of old jeans and denims and I noticed the different colors and shades. I kept hold of them but it was only about 18 months later that I began to do something with them.”
Ian Berry quit his full-time job in advertising to focus all his attention on art.
Iain Barratt, director of the Catto Gallery, told the Examiner, “what Ian Berry does is extraordinary.
A.So many people would rather put their jeans away than throw them away. |
B.He didn't know his experiment would soon make him and his denim art famous all over the world. |
C.It was a risky move. |
D.He thought he would earn a lot of money in his new career. |
E.But English artist Ian Berry has found a way to use denim to create beautiful works of art. |
F.Denim art is as simple as it is beautiful. |
G.People can't see how he's created these wonderful scenes until they see it close up and touch it. |
8 . With smiling eyes, a quick wit and a good sense of humor, Jia Ling has long been a well-known female comedian.
Jia, 39, starred in and directed the film, Hi, Mom, which by Feb 23rd has earned more than 4 billion yuan. Jia became the top box office grossing female director in China and is on the path to becoming an international name in the filmmaking industry.
One factor may be her passion for comedy. Jia graduated from Beijing's Central Academy of Drama in 2003. In the last 18 years she has performed crosstalk in various competitions and shows. She has also played comedic roles in many comedies on the big screen,
A.So what is the secret behind Jia's success? |
B.Another factor is that the approach to the film also makes Jia's works stand out. |
C.which ultimately led to the connection between the stage and film. |
D.making her an outstanding comedian welcomed by many viewers. |
E.This film truly breaks the happy atmosphere with its sentimentality. |
F.But recently, she has gained another title. |
G.Hi, Mom appears to have hit all the right notes. |
9 . Young Taylor Swift
For a certain 11yearold, a spring break trip to Nashville, Tennessee, was lifechanging. Nashville was the center of the country music industry.
While her mom waited in the car, the girl walked into all the big record companies in town.
Because that girl was Taylor Swift.
Making music came easily to Taylor, but making friends did not.
You probably know how this turned out. Since her first album came out in 2006, Taylor has won 10 Grammy Awards. Her album, 1989, has sold more than 9 million copies.
A.What kind of music does Taylor sing? |
B.So what makes Taylor so popular? |
C.Taylor’s parents knew she was talented. |
D.She introduced herself and dropped off recordings of her singing. |
E.Taylor’s parents have made her into a successful singersongwriter. |
F.Taylor has been interested in singing since she was little. |
G.Kids would move to a different table when she tried to sit with them at lunch. |