1 . Four Self-Portraits (自画像) by Famous Artists

Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino)—“Self-Portrait”, 1506

One of the beautiful self-portraits by famous artist Raphael was drawn at the age of 23. It measures around 45cm×33cm and is located at the world-famous Uffizi Gallery. The Italian painter used oil on board to draw his self-portrait, which was the clearest and the most recognizable self-portraits of Raphael himself.

Leonardo da Vinci—“Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk”, 1512

“Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk”is a self-portrait of da Vinci at the age of 60 and measures around 33.3cm×21.6cm, which is on display in Biblioteca Reale, Turin, Italy. It is drawn with red chalk on paper and represents the head of an elderly man in a three-quarter view. In the portrait, the length of the hair is uncommon in Renaissance (文艺复兴) portraits.

Rembrandt van Rijn—“Self-Portrait with Beret and Turned-up Collar”, 1659

Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn painted his self-portrait in 1659 when he was 53 years old. It shows his worried expression that clearly portrays the troubled condition of his mind at that point of his life since the year 1659 was a year of anxiety for him. This self-portrait found its place among the Benjamin Altman Collection, which has been exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 1913.

Edgar Degas—“Degas Au Porte-Fusain’”, l855

Edgar Degas made this self-portrait only when he was twenty-one years old. It was one of the most remarkable of his fifteen self-portraits. Degas was seated as seemingly without fear and anxiety. The pose in the painting was formal and academic. The painting is located in the musée d’Orsay, Paris, France.

1. Where should visitors go if they want to admire Raphael’s self-portrait in 1506?

A．Uffizi Gallery.	B．Biblioteca Reale.
C．The musée d’Orsay.	D．The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

2. Which aspect of Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk was special during the Renaissance?

A．The red clothing.	B．The formal pose.
C．The long hair.	D．The worried expression.

3. Which painter was the youngest when painting the above-mentioned self-portraits?

A．Raphael.	B．Edgar Degas.
C．Leonardo da Vinci.	D．Rembrandt van Rijn.

2 . Famous People Who Begin With Difficulties

Oprah Winfrey

Probably having one of the most famous success stories, Oprah was born into a poor family in Mississippi, raised by a single mother living on welfare. She was physically, and mentally abused during her childhood. Despite her initial struggles as a young girl, she turned herself into one of the most successful talk show hosts of our time.

Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey has been the star of some of the most successful movies of all time. But Carrey grew up extremely poor in Canada. When he was a teenager, his family took security jobs in a factory to help pay the bills. And during his first stand-up comedy performance, he was booed off （喝倒彩） the stage. Not shortly after, he made it big on In Living Color and then went on to star in Dumb & Dumber, The Mask, and Ace Ventura in the same year!

James Dyson

If you thought Thomas Edison’s failures were bad, let me introduce you to James Dyson, the famous inventor of the Dyson vacuums （真空吸尘器） you see all over the television. Dyson developed over 5,000 failed prototypes （原型） before finding the bagless vacuum brand. Not only that, he put his entire savings account into his prototypes over fifteen years! Luckily, the bagless vacuum worked.

Stephen King

Before Stephen King became known as a great living writer—having written over 60 novels, many of which have been adapted for film and television—King was rejected over and over again. In his memoir, On Writing, King describes how he used to post his rejection letters on the wall for inspiration. His first novel, Carrie, was rejected 30 times.

1. What do Oprah and Jim have in common?

A．They were abused by parents.	B．They grew up in poor families.
C．They were hired as comedians.	D．They found jobs in a factory.

2. What did James Dyson do?

A．He repaired the failed prototypes.	B．He developed over 5,000 brands.
C．He put all efforts into marketing.	D．He invented the bagless vacuum.

3. Who is a novelist?

A．Oprah Winfrey.

B．Stephen King.

C．James Dyson.

D．Jim Carrey.

3 . According to Gelb, although not everyone is born with the gifts and the capacities of Leonardo Da Vinci, it is possible for any person to use the fundamentals of Da Vinci’s approach to learning to guide us toward the realization of our inner Da Vinci. One typical fundamental is curiosity. Curiosity is “The desire to know is natural to good men.” — Leonardo Da Vinci

The young Leonardo loved being in nature, showed an early gift for drawing and was fascinated by mathematics. Young Leonardo’s Curiosity regarding education and mathematics especially often raised constant unsureness and difficulties for the teachers who taught him and continuously proved them to be wrong. Most children have in them endless amounts of curiosity and sense of wonder. Unfortunately for multiple reasons these qualities are lost as children reach adulthood, not Leonardo though. Perhaps one of his greatest characteristics was his willingness to question accepted knowledge. Leonardo’s Curiosity never faded and fueled the lake of his genius for his entire life. Leonardo’s motives were not money, women or loyalty to any church or person. His pursuits were pure: the long search for beauty and above all: truth.

Leonardo would wonder around asking questions he did not himself yet understand. He always carried a notebook with himself so that he could quickly write down hundreds of questions, ideas, thoughts, impressions and observations as they occurred. He was expectant and reliant only upon himself to answer his own questions. Being modest, he was not afraid to make mistakes and appear foolish. Leonardo accepted the feelings of unfamiliarity and foolishness.

His questions led him to designing a snorkel (水下呼吸器) as well as diving equipment and even a submarine and also inventing flying machines and a parachute. His curiosity took him under the water and into the sky.

1. What does the underlined words “Da Vinci” refer to?

A．Potential.	B．Curiosity.
C．Honesty.	D．Motive.

2. What was most typical of the young Leonardo?

A．Educating kids.	B．Seeking for love.
C．Appreciating nature.	D．Questioning his teachers.

3. What can be learned about Leonardo’s sense of curiosity from the text?

A．It fooled himself.

B．It made him independent.

C．It inspired his whole life.

D．It disappeared in his adulthood.

4. Which saying can best reflect Leonardo Da Vinci?

A．An idle youth, a needy age.

B．First come, first served.

C．Stay hungry, stay foolish.

D．Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

4 . Pop art, which emerged in the '50s and rose in popularity throughout the '60s, sought to challenge the idea of fine art.

Andy Warhol (1928-1987)

Andy Warhol is probably the most influential figure of Pop Art. He became a famous celebrity himself. Understanding ‘star-culture’, advertisement and the effect of the media, he made these the core of his work. His screenprinted images of Marilyn Monroe, Soup cans, and sensational newspaper stories, quickly became synonymous(同义词) with Pop art.

Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997)

Roy Lichtenstein is one of the fathers of the Pop Art movement. In November 2015, Christie’s sold Lichtenstein’s ‘Nurse’ for a record $95.4 million. In this piece, as well as in other works, we can see how the enlarged imagery of adverts and comics with recognisable characters, highlights the ironic(讽刺好笑的) images and situations in every-day life.

Mimmo Rotella (1918-2006)

Italian artist Mimmo Rotella, was one of the most important figures of post-war European art. He combined pieces of adverts and posters in his works. For this technique he used a series of torn posters, gathering them to create a tremendously expressive and powerful aesthetic(美学). His works Sempre lei Marilyn (2002) and Viva America(1963) are easy to recognize.

James Rosenquist (1933-2017)

James Rosenquist can be considered one of the strongest and most influential modern Pop Art artists. His work dived deep into cinematography and advertising. He employed techniques which are conventionally used to create Commercial Art. His works appear as an overwhelming mixture of fragmented(成碎片的) images of current celebrities, everyday objects and popular foods - giant lipsticks or spaghetti. If you go to Centre Pompidou, Paris, you can see his work President-Elect.

1. What artwork will you turn to if you are interested in Andy Warhol?

A．Marilyn Monroe.	B．Nurse.
C．Viva America.	D．President-Elect.

2. Which artist creates his works by putting together cut and torn posters?

A．Andy Warhol.	B．Roy Lichtenstein.
C．Mimmo Rotella.	D．James Rosenquist.

3. What do the four pop art artists’ works have in common?

A．They are typical fine art.

B．They show ironic everyday life.

C．They employ traditional techniques.

D．They are somewhat related to commercials.

5 . Michael Nesmith, the guitarist of the 1960s pop group The Monkees, died at the age of 78. The famed singer-songwriter, who composed some of the band’s catalogue, including tracks such as “Papa Gene's Blues,” “You Told Me” and “You Just May Be the One,” died of natural causes on Friday morning, according to the statement released by his family.

The Monkees member Micky Dolenz is now the only surviving member of the group. “I’m heartbroken. Dolenz said in a statement following Nesmith’s death. The Monkees television debut (首演) turned him and fellow band members Dolenz, Peter Tork and David Jones into overnight rock stars. The show, which premiered in 1966, rocketed the group to fame, scoringNo.1 hits and chart-topping albums. During the two-year run, The Monkees: won the 1967 Emmy for best comedy series.

Following the group’s breakup in 1970, Nesmith moved on to a long and creative career, not only as-a musician but as a writer, producer and director of films, author of several books, head of a media arts company and creator of a music video format that led to the creation of MTV.

Nesmith rarely rejoined the others for reunion tours, leading many to believe he disliked the band and the show, something he steadfastly denied. For the Monkees’30th anniversary he persuaded the others to reunite to record a new album, “Justus,” for which all four composed the songs and played the instruments. He also rejoined the others for a brief tour and wrote and directed their 1997 TV reunion film, “Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees.”

After fighting for creative control in The Monkees in the late 1960s, Nesmith went on to form the country rock outfit. The First National, which scored a top 25 hit in 1970 with “Joanne” according to Billboard.

1. What makes The Monkees rise to fame overnight?

A．Its numerous tracks.	B．Its creative members.
C．Its 1967 Emmy award.	D．Its first television show.

2. Which of the following is most suitable to describe Nesmith?

A．Accomplished.	B．Get-it-alone.
C．Enthusiastic.	D．Simple-minded.

3. What does “a brief tour” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．A fast trip.	B．A short holiday.
C．A road show.	D．A temporary party.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A band.	B．A musician.
C．Hit shows.	D．Golden compositions.

6 . The 19th century landscape paintings in the museum looked awfully familiar to climate physicist Albright. Artist Turner’s signature way of covering his views in fog and smoke reminded Albright of her own research — tracking air pollution. After all, Turner —a forerunner of the impressionist movement — was painting as Britain’s industrial revolution gathered steam and smoke.

To find out how much realism there is in impressionism, Albright teamed up with Harvard University climatologist Peter Huybers. Their analysis of nearly 130 paintings by Turner, Paris-based impressionist Claude Monet and several others tells a tale of two modernizing cities.

Low contrast and whiter colors are typical of the impressionist style. They are also typical of air pollution. Tiny aerosols (气溶胶) can absorb or distribute light. That makes the bright parts of objects appear less bright while also shifting the entire scene’s color toward white.

Albright and Huybers distinguished art from aerosols by first using a mathematical model to analyze the contrast and color of 60 paintings that Turner made between 1796 and 1850 as well as 38 Monet works from 1864 to 1901. They then compared the findings to sulfur dioxide emissions (二氧化硫排放量) over the century and estimated from the trend in the annual amount of coal sold and burned in London and Paris. When sulfur dioxide reacted with molecules (分子) in the atmosphere, aerosols formed.

As sulfur dioxide emissions increased over time, the amount of contrast in both Turner’s and Monet’s paintings decreased. However, paintings of Paris that Monet made from 1864 to 1872 have much higher contrast than Turner’s last paintings of London made two decades earlier. They owed the difference to the much slower start of the industrial revolution in France. Paris’ air pollution level around 1870 was about what London’s was when Turner started painting in the early 1800s. It confirmed that the similar progress in their painting styles couldn’t be coincidence, but was guided by air pollution, the pair concluded.

1. What is the purpose of Albright and Huyber’s analysis?

A．To distinguish between art and aerosols.

B．To understand different schools of painting better.

C．To figure out the effects of the real life on impressionism.

D．To find the relationship between realists and impressionists.

2. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The comparisons of aerosols and sulfur dioxide.	B．How the researchers carried out their research.
C．The effects of aerosols on the paintings.	D．Why aerosols formed in the atmosphere.

3. What did Albright and Huybers’s research find?

A．The paintings of Turner and Monet were closely linked to air pollution.

B．The industrial revolution in France started more slowly accordingly.

C．There were differences in Turner’s and Monet’s painting styles.

D．Turner’s and Monet’s painting styles were familiar to people.

4. In which section of a newspaper can you most probably find this text?

A．Entertainment.

B．Health.

C．Education.

D．Environment.

7 . You’ve likely heard of the Group of Seven, artists who travelled the remote landscapes of Ontario to capture their rough beauty by brush. But they weren’t the only artists who travelled rough and painted what they saw!

Fifty years before the Group of Seven. Frances Anne Hopkins was roughing it in a voyageur (船夫) canoe between Lachine (Montreal) and Fort William (Thunder Bay). She was born in England in 1838. She married Edward Hopkins, who worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company, and moved to Lachine, Canada.

In 1860, her husband was promoted to Chief Factor of Montreal, which led to the couple occasionally joining voyageurs on their journeys up the river, sometimes travelling all the way to Fort William by canoe. These trips would take weeks of rough living with the men who paddled the canoe. The couple travelled along the shores of the Mattawa River, where Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park is located today.

While the voyageurs paddled the canoe or set up camp, Hopkins would sketch (素描) what she saw. She documented the lives of voyageurs in her sketches in the same way we might take a photograph. Most of her paintings describing voyageurs were completed after she returned to London in 1870. Many of her works, such as Canoes in a Fog and Running a Rapid on the Mattawa River were displayed at the Royal Academy exhibition in England during her career.

By the time Frances Anne Hopkins began documenting the voyageurs’ lives, the need for them was declining. Faster travel methods such as trains and steamboats were becoming popular, and the demand for canoes was decreasing. However, one could argue that she arrived in the canoe just in time to capture the final years of the voyageurs before they could truly fade away.

1. Why did the author mention Group of Seven?

A．To show their achievements in art.	B．To attract the attention of art lovers.
C．To introduce the heroine of this article.	D．To prove their influence on other artists.

2. What made Frances Anne Hopkins join voyageurs on their journeys?

A．Her husband’s promotion.	B．Her love for travelling.
C．Her moving to new home.	D．Her interest in drawing.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．Frances Anne Hopkins’ life.	B．Frances Anne Hopkins’ works.
C．Frances Anne Hopkins’ education.	D．Frances Anne Hopkins’ marriage.

4. What was Frances Anne Hopkins’ main contribution?

A．Influencing the lives of voyageurs.	B．Changing the trends of travel methods.
C．Displaying her works at the Royal Academy.	D．Documenting the lives of voyageurs through art.

8 . In artist Roy Wang’s photos, mythical (神话的) creatures from The Classic of Mountains and Seas emerge in front of historical sites of Guangzhou.

The series of photographs is created by light painting in which the photographer uses light sources to produce different images which are captured by a camera, as if drawing on the photos. Roy Wang, the representative figure of light-painting photography in China, says, “What attracts me most about light painting is that, by using a simple light and against a dark background, I can paint in a free style.”

Wang was a professional athlete. However, his sports career ended in 2012 because of injuries. His travels led to his interest in photography. Once he saw light-painting photos by Spanish master Pablo Picasso online and was introduced to the technique. He began to try in this field.

In 2013, he started adding the dragon and other creatures from ancient texts to light painting. Wang’s work is inspired by mythical creatures that add a sense of mystery to his photography but at the same time it proves to be difficult to create such images with light.“The mythical creatures are as mysterious as light painting. They both emerge in the darkness, and without an exact shape or form, they are free. I let loose my imagination,based on the descriptions in ancient books,” said Wang.

To Roy Wang, the technique has a wide application in expressing different ideas. Apart from mythical creatures, he has been showing themes relevant to more recent events, such as a series in praise of medical workers during the outbreak of COVID-19.

Tradition will continue to be a creative force for Wang as he wants to add more Chinese elements in his works, including his next series, creating photos that have both aesthetic (美学的) and cultural values.

1. What is special about Roy Wang’s paintings?

A．They are made with light.

B．They are drawn on the photos.

C．They tell stories about ancient life.

D．They mainly show us historical sites.

2. What inspired Wang to start his new career?

A．Sudden injuries.	B．Travels with a master.
C．His sports career.	D．Photos by Pablo Picasso.

3. What problem does Wang have in photographing mythical creatures?

A．It needs a lot of light to draw the creatures.

B．There are few specific images of the creatures.

C．His technique is not suitable for the creatures

D．He has little knowledge of ancient books.

4. What can we infer about Wang’s future works?

A．They will mainly praise medical workers.

B．They will express Wang’s ideas about art.

C．They will focus on important recent events.

D．They will contain traditional Chinese culture.

9 . Lin-Manuel Miranda began writing what would become In the Heights as a university student. The musical play would make him a playwright and performer. Now, 20 years later, it has been made into a movie, which is in theaters for its first weekend.

Miranda said like other artists, he was driven by dream but also by something else. “It was a lot of fear, honestly,” Miranda said in a recent interview. “I was 18, 19 and starting to study the theater. The fear was: I’m going into a domain that has no space for me, that has no roles for me. It was sort of that thing: No one’s going to write your dream show.”

In the Heights opened on June 10. It celebrates many things: the Latino immigrant experience, neighborhood communities in New York City and life itself.

The movie was supposed to be shown last June, but was stopped by COVID-19. The film’s director, however，thinks the delay (推迟) was not necessarily a bad thing. Moviegoers might be ready for some energetic music, singing and dancing after a year of limited life.

Many performers acting in the first In the Heights Broadway show appear in the movie’s final song and dance Students from a nearby high school also can be seen in the film. The students Had produced their own In the Heights show which the filmmakers watched and found moving.

Others starring in the movie include Leslie Grace as Nina Rosano, a college student home for the summer; Corey Hawkins as Benny, a taxi driver; and Melissa Barrera as Vanessa, a beauty salon worker trying to get her own home. Thirty-year-old Barrera said the part she plays as a young woman searching for a better future away from home—is basically herself.

1. What can we infer about Miranda from the first paragraph?

A．He was good at performance.

B．He had no role to act in university.

C．He directed a movie during university.

D．He acted in a play he had written himself.

2. What does the underlined word “domain” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Field.

B．Game.

C．Future.

D．Trouble.

3. What does the film’s director think of the delay of the film?

A．Unnecessary.

B．Helpful.

C．Unacceptable.

D．Exciting.

4. What can be learned about Barrera?

A．She spent her summer holiday at home.

B．She acted as a taxi driver in the movie.

C．She has the same experience as her role.

D．She appears in the movie’s final song and dance.

10 . Bessie Mae Kelley was an animation (动画) pioneer, yet much of her story and work was lost to history and left undocumented—until now. The incredible discovery of Kelley’s rich past was made by Mindy Johnson, who spent five years searching for evidence.

According to Mindy Johnson, Kelley was studying art at New York’s Pratt Institute, when, as a part of the first generation of cinema, she fell in love with the medium. Kelley began working in the industry doing menial jobs, but she worked her way up and she was eventually working alongside Max Fleischer, Paul Terry and Walter Lantz, animators who were household names.

Kelley hand-drew cartoons in cooperation with Paul Terry for his famed animated adaptation of Aesop’s Fables, including the mouse couple that came to be known as Milton and Mary. “Even Walt Disney publicly stated that when he began his studio in Kansas City, he wanted to make cartoons as good as Aesop’s Fables,” Johnson said.

And earlier this week, Johnson presented her discoveries at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, where she also premiered (首映) two restored short films hand-drawn and directed by Kelley. The first is a five-minute film entitled Flower Fairies, completed in 1921. The second three-minute film from 1922 is called A Merry Christmas. Previously, historians had considered Tissa David to be the earliest example of a woman who directed her own hand-drawn work Bonjour Paris in 1953. The earliest surviving animated film directed and animated by a woman would be Lotte Reiniger’s The Ornament of the Lovestruck Heart from 1919, which is far from the hand-drawn variety.

Johnson, who teaches animation history at California Institute of the Arts and Drexel University, says, “Discovering Kelley’s contribution to animation isn’t just about filling in the gaps of history. It also motivates a new generation of animators. I can see my female students standing a little taller and more confident, about their work when they learn about Kelley.”

1. What does the underlined word “menial” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Unskilled.

B．Demanding.

C．Well-paid.

D．Risk-taking.

2. What does the author want to show by mentioning Kelley’s work on Aesop’s Fables?

A．Her fondness for animals.	B．Her good teamwork spirit.
C．Her early influence in animation.	D．Her close relationship with Walt Disney.

3. Which is the earliest-known animation hand-drawn and directed by a woman?

A．Bonjour Paris.

B．Flower Fairies.

C．A Merry Christmas.

D．The Ornament of the Lovestruck Heart.

4. What does Johnson think of the discovery of Kelley’s role in animation?

A．It excites students’interest in history.

B．It is an inspiration to female animators.

C．It helps reexamine women animators’ work.

D．It is a reminder of the value of surviving films.