1 . Eric Carle, the author and artist of over 70 books for children, passed away at the age of 91. Mr. Carle's lively, creative, and colorful work was loved by children around the world. The Very Hungry Caterpillar was Mr. Carle's best-known book. Since it was published in 1969, over 55 million copies of the book have been sold, and it has been translated into more than 70 different languages.
Mr. Carle was born in Syracuse, New York in 1929. As he was growing up, his mother died and Mr. Carle spent a lot of time with his father, who would take him out walking in nature. His father would show him small creatures, filling the young boy's head with wonder. Mr. Carle thinks this helps explain why so many of his books are about nature. At the age of 12, Carle began to study art in school, where, with his teachers' help, he drew many pictures for children's books.
In 1952, Mr. Carle got a job as an artist at the New York Times. Though he created pictures for books with other authors, he created many of his most well-loved books completely on his own. Most of Mr. Carle's books are meant for younger readers. He said that he wanted to help make school a fun, welcoming place. "I believe that children are naturally creative and eager to learn." he said.
Children around the world responded to Mr. Carle's work, and Mr. Carle responded to this enthusiasm. Mr. Carle worked hard to reach out to students and teachers. In 2002, Mr. Carle and his wife opened the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. The museum shows off picture books from around the world. It also puts on many art programs for students and teachers.
Mr. Carle will be missed, but his creative art and sweet, funny stories will continue to bring joy to very eager readers all around the world.
1. What inspired Eric Carle to be interested in nature when he was young?| A．His sad childhood experience. | B．The early instruction of his father. |
| C．The encouragement of the teachers. | D．His cooperation with other authors. |
| A．Learning is both fascinating and fun. |
| B．Reading can broaden their eyesights. |
| C．Drawing is the basic skills for students. |
| D．Writing represents one's love for nature. |
| A．To collect picture books from the world. |
| B．To show off his own books and art works. |
| C．To help students know more about art works. |
| D．To express his enthusiasm about picture books. |
| A．To discuss the meaning of our life. |
| B．To show his love for children works. |
| C．To remember Eric Carle, an active artist. |
| D．To introduce Eric Carle's popular books. |
2 . No one knows exactly when jazz was invented, or by whom. But it is said that it began in the early 1900s. Jazz was a new kind of music, for America and the world, and New Orleans was its birthplace.
Who were the jazz pioneers? Most were blacks. This music was not written down, and at first only blacks played it. It was hard for white musicians to learn the new style. But soon they, too, were playing jazz.
The popularity of this music spread. From New Orleans, it traveled up the Mississippi to Chicago, then to Kansas City and New York. By the 1920s, there were many jazz musicians, both black and white. Many of them were famous. One man was better than the rest. His name was Louis Armstrong.
Louis Armstrong was a born musician. He was not only talented but also hard—working. He also had a good sense of humor and a big, good—natured smile. These personal qualities were valuable in his rise to fame. After he became famous, he traveled around the world. It seemed that everyone wanted to hear Louis play. But life was not always easy, especially at the beginning.
Louis Armstrong was born in 1900 in New Orleans. His father never went to school and his mother could hardly read. When Louis was still a kid, his parents separated, and Louis lived with his mother. How hard their life was can readily be imagined. And yet Louis smiled through everything. He later wrote, "My whole life has been happiness. Life was there for me and I accepted it. Whatever happened has been beautiful to me. I love everybody."
1. The underlined word "they" in Paragraph 2 refers to ________.| A．New styles | B．Jazz pioneers |
| C．White musicians | D．Black musicians |
| A．His family background. | B．His big, good- natured smiles. |
| C．His good sense of humor. | D．His talent and hard work. |
| A．The development of jazz. |
| B．The development of jazz and its best musician. |
| C．The achievements of Louis Armstrong. |
| D．The influence of jazz on Americans. |
3 . Distinguished Baltimore artist John D. Ferguson died Sept 16. The Catonsville resident was 81.
“His artist eye was in everything he did. His life was art and his family,” said Jennifer C. Jackson, who was Mr. Ferguson's friend for nearly three decades.” He was a lovable man who was always willing to talk about any topic he was interested in. At shows, people would go crazy for his work,” Ms. Jackson said. “He was also an enthusiastic sailor who loved nothing more than being on the water.” “His sculptures were just memorable,” said Mr. Lund, a Washingtonian. “I used to say, ‘Ferguson, I don't think you know how to do anything that is less than monumental.’”
Mr. Ferguson earned a bachelor's degree in 1961 at Holy Cross University, where he developed an interest in painting. He served in the Army for two years until being discharged in 1963, and after studying briefly at the Boston Museum School, registered at the Chicago Art Institute, where he studied until 1966, when he entered the University of Illinois Chicago, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in 1966 in fine arts. Mr. Ferguson developed his interest and skills as a sculptor after moving to Baltimore to do further studies at the Maryland Institute College of Art's Rinehart School of Sculpture, from which he graduated in 1971 with a master's degree in fine arts.
“Over the years my work has moved gradually in the direction of elegance and simplicity,” Mr. Ferguson wrote in his artist statement. “Heavy, bulbous forms have been replaced by dancing, winglike forms. The welding process and respect for the qualities of the materials are interrelated and affect the final piece. “Most of the sculptures that are pictured in my works are made from steel, silicon bronze, and to Cor-Ten steel; shaped to create these beautiful and unique pieces of art. As you can see, my sculptures range in size anywhere from 12 inches to 30 feet or larger.”
Through the years, his work found its way into such major public and private collections. “They encourage optimism, for they show strength and affirmation; there's nothing negative, depressing or anxiety-ridden about them”, wrote the late art critic John Dorsey in a 1997 exhibition review.
1. What did Mr. Lund think of Ferguson?| A．Likeable. | B．Ordinary. | C．Unwelcome. | D．Interesting. |
| A．He studied at the Boston Museum School. |
| B．He got a bachelor's degree in fine arts. |
| C．He entered the University of Illinois Chicago. |
| D．He continued his studies at the Maryland Institute College. |
| A．An even larger scale than before. | B．The material comprised of metals |
| C．The shape of elegance and simplicity. | D．Welding process as well as material quality. |
| A．A stylish, stubborn old man | B．Sculptures towering into the clouds |
| C．John D. Ferguson—a famous sculpturer | D．The evolution of the sculptural style |
4 . Cayce Zavaglia is an artist with a unique transformation to her work.
Cayce starts with the hair and forehead, then moves on to the shoulders and clothing, and finally the face. The human face is what she most enjoys creating in her art.
Cayce believes her success depends on three things: her choice of colors, the length and direction of the stitches, and her ability to make the portrait look true. She loves the surprise when people view her art. From a distance, people believe the portraits are painted.
| A．She makes sure the person looks straight into her. |
| B．The biggest challenge is making the skin look real. |
| C．Instead of painting with a brush,she sews with a needle. |
| D．Cayce's first step is deciding who will be in the portrait. |
| E．She loves creating portraits of her family and close friends. |
| F．It requires a lot of patience, for you often have to rethread your needle. |
| G．But when they take a closer look, they see the portrait has been embroidered. |
5 . Szilajka Erzsebet is a Hungarian artist who turns ordinary pebbles into amazing works of art. The artist says she’s inspired by the pebbles’ shape, the richness of their patterns, and the beauty of nature. “I use all the pebbles in their original form shaped only by nature itself.” says Szilajka.
When Szilajka is creating her art, she lets her feelings shape the details. “This way the completed picture becomes dynamic in spite of the fact that the pebbles themselves play a static role in the work of art,” explains the artist. “It’s like a photo taken in the perfect time. It includes the movement, the feeling, the story which can be continued. This way there are not only pebbles in the pictures but invisible fingerprints and ‘soul-prints’ as well.”
When creating her art, Szilajka often relies on her customers’ ideas but uses her artistic freedom as well. “If I only listen to myself, I do think that the most essential elements in life stand on the simplest things,” says the artist. “For me, art is adding that little something extra to simple subject matters.”
The artist believes that the completed work of art is not only her own but a common creation of the artist and the receiver. “These two things together is pebble art,” explains Szilajka. “It only becomes a real work of art if it really means something to the receivers as they have the opportunity to add their own feelings and thoughts as well. Pebbles have no face, so anyone can enter and play a part in a pebble picture…”
1. What’s the feature of her work according to Szilajka?| A．It’s original and dynamic. | B．It’s creative and picturesque. |
| C．It’s imaginative and static. | D．It’s emotional and inspiring. |
| A．A pebble. | B．A pebble picture. | C．A photo. | D．Nature itself. |
| A．The inspiration of Szilajka’s creation. | B．The concept of Szilajka’s creation. |
| C．The significance of Szilajka’s creation. | D．The rewards of Szilajka’s creation. |
| A．A feature. | B．An argumentative essay. |
| C．A biography. | D．A personage introduction. |
6 . How can having a childlike view of the world help the environment? Danish eco-artist Thomas Dambo combines a talent for recycling with a fairy-tale imagination to bring people worldwide closer to nature.
For the “Guardians of the Seeds” exhibition, Danish eco-artist Thomas Dambo built five trolls from discarded wood materials, which were appointed by Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens (CMBG) for its splendid riverside woodland.
The exhibition composed of the five trolls aims to give visitors an emotional connection with nature that will encourage them to become keepers of it. For the exhibition, Thomas came up with a story that a family of trolls hid 10 golden seeds to protect the old forest. Using a map that's provided, visitors follow clues to find where the seeds are hidden.
Besides using carefully selected recycling materials to produce his works, to challenge himself creatively, the artist allowed for a degree of production on-site. He gave a skinny troll named Birk a beard made from the roots of fallen trees. The fur of another troll Roskva is made from bark. Also, Gro, sitting with her eyes closed in a yoga pose, has a tongue made out of a nearby deserted planter.
“Thomas wants people to interact with them,” says Gretchen, president of CMBG. “He wants it to be a journey of discovery where you're walking along and all of a sudden this big magical being appears in front of you. These are friendly, happy trolls. They're not scary, mean trolls.”
Thomas hopes that “Guardians of the Seeds” gives viewers the same joy he gets from an occupation that he compares to a hobby. He says too many people lose their playfulness in their adult life. The key quality of his work is just its playfulness. One of his trolls sits on a real car on a hillside, appearing to cheerfully ride it. He wants to reactivate a childlike imagination in adults so they begin to see trash as objects that can be repurposed in practical and even picturesque ways. And he loves to entertain kids, too.
Nowadays, Mr. Dambo gets a kick out of seeking waste everywhere, hoping to find more stuff he could refashion into something amazing.
1. What does the underlined word “discarded” mean in paragraph 2?| A．Given-out. | B．Thrown-away. | C．High-priced. | D．Randomly-chosen. |
| A．To set off visitors' curiosity. | B．To get back the 10 golden seeds. |
| C．To promote the popularity of CMBG. | D．To boost the bond between visitors and nature. |
| A．His environmental awareness. | B．His creativity and artistic gift. |
| C．His working efficiency and skill. | D．His sense of social responsibility. |
| A．Thomas' Massive Troll Sculptures |
| B．Let Us Turn Trashed Wood into Elegant Art |
| C．Artist Preserves Imagination and Nature with Huge Trolls |
| D．Welcome to the Magic “Guardians of the Seeds” Exhibition |
7 . There have been many great painters in the rich history of Chinese art. Here are four of the greatest painters from China.
Li Cheng (919-967, Five Dynasties and early Song Dynasty)
Li Cheng contributed greatly to one of the golden ages of landscape paintings in world history. During his time, he was considered the best landscape painter ever. He is remembered especially for the winter landscapes he created and for simple compositions of tall, old evergreens set against a dry landscape. Several of his paintings are in thin ink which gives them a foggy appearance.
Fan Kuan (990-1020 , Song Dynasty)
Fan Kuan began his career by modeling Li Cheng's work but later created his own style, claiming that the only true teacher was nature. His finest work Travelers among Mountains and Streams is a masterpiece of landscape painting and many future artists turned to it for inspiration.
Qi Baishi (1864-1957)
One of the greatest contemporary Chinese painters, Qi Baishi is known for not being influenced by Western styles like most painters of his time. He can be considered as the last great traditional painter of China. He painted almost everything from insects to landscapes. He is regarded highly in Chinese art for the freshness that he brought to the familiar types of birds and flowers, insects and grass.
Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010)
Widely considered as the founder of modern Chinese painting , Wu Guanzhong has painted various aspects of China, like its architecture, plants, animals, people and landscapes. Wu went on to combine Western and Chinese styles to create a unique form of modern art. In 1992, he became the first living Chinese artist whose work was exhibited at the British Museum.
1. What do we know about Li Cheng?| A．He loved landscape paintings. |
| B．He copied many artists' work. |
| C．His work gained worldwide recognition. |
| D．He was considered as Fan Kuan's teacher. |
| A．They have foggy appearances. |
| B．They lack diversity in the theme. |
| C．They come under Western influence. |
| D．They show advanced traditional painting skills. |
| A．They were all modern painters. |
| B．They all created landscape paintings. |
| C．They were all impacted by Western art. |
| D．They were all pioneers in traditional art history. |
8 . Xu Beihong was born in 1895 in Yixing, Jiangsu province. When he was only six, he began to learn the Chinese classic works and calligraphy under the direction of his father, who was a local portrait painter. At the age of nine, his father taught him art. His family was poor and at the age of eleven, young Xu had to leave home with his father and sell paintings to make a living. After several years, Xu achieved local success and recognition, but his father developed a serious illness and died shortly afterwards. Xu's early experiences of hardship and loss became the basis of the realism in his artistic creations.
In 1917, he went to Japan and studied art in Tokyo, and later, he was able to spend eight years studying art in Europe. He then returned to China to teach. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Xu became president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and chairman of the Chinese Artists' Association.
Xu was primarily known for his Chinese ink paintings of horses and birds. However, his experiences in Europe drove his desire to create a new form of national art that combined the traditional Chinese paintings techniques with Western perspective and methods of composition to reflect a modern China. His talent and hard work led to the development of a new style of Chinese painting and an approach to art that is still taken by art institutions across China.
1. What has shaped Xu Beihong's realistic artistic creations?| A．His overseas study. | B．His talent in art. |
| C．His boyhood experiences. | D．His father's instructions. |
| A．The traditional Chinese style of painting. |
| B．Reflecting Chinese theme in traditonal national style. |
| C．Painting horses in the Western painting techniques. |
| D．Joining Chinese art techniques with Western skills. |
| A．Determined. | B．Creative. |
| C．Old-fashioned. | D．Imaginative. |
| A．A biography. | B．A news report. |
| C．A book review. | D．A short story. |
9 . 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. |
10 . Christo Javacheff the artist who worked to turn landscapes and buildings into massive, temporary works of art, died on March 2021 at age 84. Christo surprised the world again and again with the imagination and size of the artworks he created.
Christo, born in Bulgaria in 1935, met his wife Jeanne-Claude in Paris in 1959. Together, the two formed a strong partnership that lasted the rest of their lives. They worked as a team to create huge works of art called installations. In these installations, Christo and Jeanne often changed the way buildings or large areas of land looked — a kind of art known as "land art”.
The two were most noted for “wrapping” things so large that most people would never think to wrap them. Many of their projects used huge pieces of cloth or plastic. For example, in 1969, they wrapped 1.6 miles of rocky coastline near Sydney, Australia and it was the largest artwork ever made. In 1995, they used cloth to wrap up the Reichstag, a famous and historic building in Berlin, Germany.
Being extremely large, their art works cost a fortune to create. The artists paid for the projects themselves by selling the plans, drawings, and models they made for each installation. Many projects seemed so unusual that the couple had to work very hard to get permission to create them.
But, like almost all of the artist's work, it was only meant to last a short time. Most of the installations only stayed up for a few weeks or months before being taken down.
“I am an artist, and I have to have courage," Christo said. "Do you know I don't have any artworks that exist? They all go away when they're finished." Christo himself has gone away, leaving behind an art world forever changed by the memory of his huge and daring artworks.
1. For what were the couple best known?| A．Overcoming financial problems. |
| B．Tearing down old-fashioned buildings. |
| C．Inventing innovative building materials. |
| D．Packaging huge landscapes and buildings. |
| A．Considerate and humble. | B．Creative and courageous. |
| C．Enthusiastic and careful. | D．Demanding and generous. |
| A．His artworks were temporary. |
| B．His hard work didn't pay off at last. |
| C．He regretted exhibiting his artworks. |
| D．He didn't expect his works to last long. |
| A．Christo's Collection of Massive Artworks |
| B．Christo's Enormous Influence on Architecture |
| C．Christo: an Artist Who Dreamed and Built Big |
| D．Christo and Jeanne: a Couple Who Warmed the World |
