1 . Born in 1975 in a poor neighbourhood in Sao Paulo, Eduardo Kobra began his career at 12 years old and, since then, has become one of the most recognized street artists in the world.

With more than 5,000 murals(壁画) over five continents, he currently holds the record for the largest mural in the world, first for creating his famous mural Las Etnias (The Ethnicities) for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Then a year later he beat his previous record with his monumental work at Cacau Show Headquarters, a masterpiece that took 700 hours to complete and more than doubled his 2016 record. Influenced by the pop-art movement and modern artists, the realism in his designs makes his flat-surfaced extremely colourful wall paintings appear 3-D and alive with life.

With his project Greenpincel(2011), Kobra showed his strong will to the environmental cause. Climate change, water pollution, deforestation, predatory(掠夺性的) fishing, and mistreatment of animals became strong themes present in his work .In Stars of Peace, Kobra describes individuals who have given hope to the world through their lives, such as Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Malala Yousafzai, and Anne Frank.

Kobra is involved in social causes, such as food collection campaigns and activities aimed at bringing art to poor communities, especially children who have no access to basic facilities.

In 2021, he started the Kobra Institute, which aims to bring art to vulnerable(脆弱的) people in Brazil.During the pandemic(大流行病), he led an activity together with the private sector to raise funds to build oxygen plants for COVID-19 patients.

1. Which of Kobra’s works made him set the second world record?

A．Las Etnias.	B．The Ethnicities.
C．Stars of Peace.	D．A work at Cacau Show Headquarters.

2. What did Kobra concern much about in his project Greenpincel?

A．Social causes.	B．Famous individuals.
C．Painting skills.	D．Environmental protection.

3. What do we know about Eduardo Kobra?

A．He was born into an artistic fanily.

B．He specializes in romantic painting.

C．He devoted himself to helping the poor learn art.

D．He made a great fortune in 2016 Rio Olympics.

4. Which of the following words can best describe Kobra?

A．Sensitive.

B．Admirable.

C．Humorous

D．Adaptable.

2 . 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.