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. |
| 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. |
| A．His painting style. | B．His painting works. |
| C．His achievements. | D．His contributions to his hometown. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By using data. |
| C．By raising questions. | D．By following the order of time. |
2 . 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. |
| 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. |
| A．Patient and passionate | B．Positive and ambitious |
| C．Hard-working and optimistic | D．Intelligent and humorous |
| A．A brief introduction to Taylor Swift. | B．Taylor Swift’s autobiography. |
| C．Taylor Swift’s influence. | D．Taylor Swift’s childhood and dream. |
3 . 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. |
| A．The red clothing. | B．The formal pose. |
| C．The long hair. | D．The worried expression. |
| A．Raphael. | B．Edgar Degas. |
| C．Leonardo da Vinci. | D．Rembrandt van Rijn. |
4 . For more than 40 years, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has annually selected a group of Jazz Masters. Here are the NEA Jazz Masters selected for 2024.
Amina Claudine Myers
Amina Claudine Myers grew up in Dallas, Texas. She moved to New York City in the 1970s. The former elementary school teacher also worked in theaters and cooperated with musicians around the world.
Willard Jenkins
Willard Jenkins is familiar to jazz fans in New Orleans and Washington, D. C., where he’s hosted radio programs on stations such as WWOZ and WPFW. The Pittsburgh native first started writing about jazz for the Black student newspaper as an undergraduate at Kent State University. He also taught at various universities and contributed to leading jazz publications.
Gary Bartz
Gary Bartz has played with generations of jazz stars. In the 1960s, after graduating from Juilliard, he joined the Max Roach/ Abbey Lincoln Group and the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop. In the 1970s, he played with Miles Davis and founded the Ntu Troop, which united jazz with African folk and other kinds of music. He has published more than 40 personal albums.
Terence Blanchard
It’s almost amazing that Terence Blanchard was named the NEA Jazz Master. He is only 61. It’s relatively young for the recognition.
Born in New Orleans to an opera-loving father, Blanchard started playing the trumpet (小号) as a child. Over the years, he has won multiple Grammys and a Peabody Medal. He made history in 2021 when his opera Fire Shut Up in My Bones became the first by a Black composer to be staged by the Metropolitan Opera.
1. Who was born in Pittsburgh?| A．Gary Bartz. | B．Terence Blanchard. |
| C．Willard Jenkins. | D．Amina Claudine Myers. |
| A．In the 1950s. | B．In the 1960s. | C．In the 1970s. | D．In the 1980s. |
| A．He is the first Black composer to be the NEA Jazz Master. |
| B．He is the youngest to be selected as the NEA Jazz Master. |
| C．He won a Grammy and a Peabody Medal in the same year. |
| D．One of his works was performed by the Metropolitan Opera. |
5 . CNN compared dozens of popular masterpieces and made a list of 10 most famous paintings in the world. The top 3 are as below:
1. ‘Mona Lisa’
Artist:Leonardo da Vinci
Estimated date: 1503 to 1519
Where to see it: Louyre Museum (Paris)
It should come as no surprise that the most famous painting in the world is that mysterious woman with the mysterious smile.
What’s so special about the Mona Lisa? Did you know? Before the 20th century, historians say the “Mona Lisa” was little known outside art circles. But in 1911, an ex-Louvre employee stole the picture and hid it for two years. That theft helped cement (巩固) the painting’s place in popular culture ever since and exposed millions to Renaissance (文艺复兴) art.
2. ‘The Last Supper’
Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
Estimated date: 1495 to 1498
Where to see it: Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan, Italy)
Leonardo, the original “Renaissance Man,” is the only artist to appear on this list twice.
Painted in an era when religious imagery was still a dominant artistic theme, “The Last Supper” catches the last time Jesus broke bread with his students before his crucifixion (十字架刑罚).
The painting is actually a huge fresco (壁画) — 4.6 meters (15 feet) high and 8. 8 meters (28.9 feet) wide, which makes for a memorable viewing
It is Leonardo da Vinci’s legacy. Did you know? The fresco has survived two wartime threats — Napoleon’s troops used the wall on which the fresco was painted as target practice. It also was exposed to the air for several years when bombing during World War II destroyed the roof of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.
3. ‘The Starry Night’
Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Date:1889
Where to see it: Museum of Modern Art (New York City)
The comparatively abstract painting is the signature example of van Gogh’s innovative and bold use of thick brushstrokes. The painting’s striking blues and yellows and the dreamy atmosphere have been attracting art lovers for decades.
1. What is special about the Mona Lisa?| A．A theft made it a household name. |
| B．It has survived two wartime threats. |
| C．It is a classic example of van Gogh’s creativity. |
| D．It shows a mysterious woman with a mysterious smile. |
| A．Broke up with. | B．Quarreled with. |
| C．Had dinner with. | D．Made friends with. |
| A．In a novel. | B．In a biography. |
| C．In a textbook. | D．In an art magazine. |
6 . Have you ever thought of being an actress and having to finish a show you started and at the same time, battling a life-threatening illness? That is what Emilia Clarke did. You may know her for her famous role of Daenerys Targaryen from the hit TV series Game of Thrones. This role skyrocketed her to stardom and made a big impact on her life. However, behind the scenes, Clarke had been battling a life-threatening illness for most of the first few seasons.
Just after finishing the first scazon of Game of Thrones, she faced an awful situation following the events of being rushed to the hospital after a workout session at the gym. Her worst fears were realized when she was diagnosed with subarachnoid hemorrhage, a kind of disease that kills once out of three people diagnosed with it. She was immediately told that she needed to undergo surgery to remove her brain aneurysm (动脉瘤) but she was a bit skeptical about it since she had a busy life and a busy schedule.
Ultimately, she had to go under the knife and the recovery was very miserable for her. She felt so hard to memorize and remember that it came to the point that she couldn’t even remember her name. At that point, she was extremely desperate since she believed that her life depended on communication and memorization so her life wasn’t worth anything. Luckily, a month later, Clarke recovered well and was able to go home just a few weeks before the start of filming for the 2nd season of Game of Thrones.
After the third season, doctors found out that there was another brain aneurysm that needed immediate surgery. Recovery had been more painful than before and Clarke spent a month in hospital experiencing all sorts of anxiety and depression. Fortunately, she overcame this adversity again. She recovered well and was able to finish all eight seasons of Game of Thrones. Right now, she’s just waiting for all the beauty and surprises that life can bring.
1. What can we know about Emilia Clarke?| A．She hesitated about the first surgery. |
| B．She suffered less during the second recovery |
| C．She fought the disease for eight seasons of Game of Thrones. |
| D．She missed the filming of the 2nd season of Game of Thrones. |
| A．She wasn’t sure of her sports ability. |
| B．She was afraid of her upcoming surgery. |
| C．She wasn’t confident of her acting skills. |
| D．She was worried about her career development. |
| A．Decent and talented. |
| B．Diligent and tough. |
| C．Daring and thoughtful. |
| D．Dedicated and trustworthy. |
| A．Fashion. | B．Science. | C．Health. | D．Celebrity. |
7 . Wang Fang, a Suzhou native, has given her heart and soul to Kunqu Opera. Wang, who has twice won the Plum Performance Award — China’s top award for theater and opera performances-started to learn the traditional art form in 1977.
Born with a melodic voice, Wang loved to sing and dance when she was little. She performed frequently, and was recruited by the Suzhou Kunqu Opera Troupe (剧团) when she was in middle school. However, her parents refused the troupe’s invitation, insisting that she should concentrate on her studies and not drop out of school. After members of the troupe visited the parents repeatedly and showed great sincerity,Wang’s parents finally agreed.
Learning the traditional art form was never easy. She started to learn how to pronounce words, sing them lyrically and make gestures gently. As an actress playing martial artists roles at first, she had to spend extra time practicing kung fu movements. Years later, Wang used the word “unimaginable” to describe how hard the days were when she first learned Kunqu. She was soaked in sweat when practicing movements in summer, while in winter she often had chilblains (冻疮) on her hands when training in shabby classrooms with broken windows. “But I was young and determined at the time. No matter how difficult, I always got up early the next morning to practice,” Wang recalls.
Wang says she did not love Kunqu at first, but in her early 20s,when she watched the show Peony Pavilion performed by Zhang Jiqing, a master of the art form, it clicked. “I was shocked,” Wang says. “Her every movement was full of elegance and delicacy. Each of her lines and songs was perfect. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of Kunqu for the first time in my life, and it has stayed with me since.” Now, Wang has herself become a master of Kunqu. Her performances have impressed generations and helped to promote the art form among young people.
1. Why did Wang’s parents turn down the troupe’s invitation at first?| A．They didn’t think Wang had artistic talent. |
| B．They saw no future in learning Kunqu Opera. |
| C．They didn’t want Wang to ignore her studies. |
| D．They regarded members of the troupe as insincere. |
| A．Wang has made great efforts to learn Kunqu well. |
| B．Artists should be given more attention and care. |
| C．Traditional culture needs to be further promoted. |
| D．Wang has played a key role in the development of Kunqu. |
| A．Winning the Plum Performance Award. |
| B．Joining the Suzhou Kunqu Opera Troupe. |
| C．Watching Zhang’s masterly performance. |
| D．Being greatly admired by the audience. |
| A．It is never too late to learn. | B．Rome was not built in a day. |
| C．Doing is better than saying. | D．Don’t judge a book by its cover. |
8 . To say that Spanish painter Pablo Picasso was a leader in Western art in the 20th century is to repeat an accepted fact, according to Time magazine. “No painter before him had enjoyed such a large following in his own lifetime.”
This year marks the 140th anniversary of Picasso’s birth. Born on Oct. 25, 1881, Picasso had created more than 20,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures and other pieces of art by the time he died at 91.
That’s a long time to paint! The result is not only a lot of art, but a lot of different phases in Picasso’s work. On its website, Christie’s auction (拍卖) house lists eight different periods in the course of his painting career.
Over a century ago, the painter once said that, “Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction.” So the eight periods are all very different in their choice of subjects and yet unmistakably drawn by Picasso’s hands. Financial Express called his style unusual.
As his style changed over time, it became more simplistic. A common joke is that Picasso forgot how to paint. After all, he was classically trained at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona.
Now he is best known for leading an artistic movement known as “Cubism (立体派)”. It used geometric shapes to create human and animal figures. With this method, Picasso tried to show his figures from multiple perspectives (视角) in two-dimensional space. For example, a person’s left eye may be shown from straight ahead while his right eye and nose are shown from the side. The result is strange and beautiful, frightening and funny.
Picasso often said that he admired primitive art and drawings made by youngsters. “When I was the age I could draw like Raphael, but it took me a lifetime to learn to draw like them,” he said. Maybe that’s why Picasso is still so popular. We look at his work and think, “Maybe I could do that!”
1. Which of the following best describes Pablo Picasso?| A．Productive. | B．Optimistic. | C．Traditional. | D．Generous. |
| A．His act of creation was destructive. | B．He created a series of simple images. |
| C．His painting style remained unchanged. | D．He drew different subjects in different periods. |
| A．It is rather difficult to understand. | B．It shows figures from various perspectives. |
| C．It covers different subjects at the same time. | D．It reflects the relationship between humans and animals. |
| A．Raphael’s works. | B．Artists. | C．Drawings. | D．Youngsters. |
9 . You may have heard of Dude Perfect. They are 5 guys who make crazy trick (技巧) shots and have fun for a living! They are so good at what they do. They have one of the top 10 channels (频道) on YouTube. It all sounds good. But their real story is much deeper and better. It is a story of trust, friendship, hard work, passion and giving back.
Dude Perfect is made up of 5 best friends who met while at college at Texas A&M University. Their names are Coby, Cory Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones, and Tyler Toney. At college, they became friends through their love of sports. They enjoyed spending time with each other so much that they all became roommates.
One day, in their backyard, they said they could make a trick basketball shot. They started to take video of their crazy shots. Within one week, the video received over 200,000 views! Soon, they received a call from the TV show Good Morning America who wanted to interview them. That was their first interview, the one that started everything! As Dude Perfect started to catch on, they started to attract star athletes to shoot videos with them.
Despite all their success, they have never taken their eyes off their bigger goal to spread good worldwide. Their message of the power of faith and friendship is at the heart of what they do.
Their videos show the history of Dude Perfect and the values that drive them. There is a great example of how they use their fame (名声) to spread good. They also show how they invite children from the Make a Wish Foundation to be a “Dude for a Day”!
Dude Perfects tricks are so good that some people question whether they are real. Well, they are. The secret is simply hard work and persistence (坚持). Their videos show how they do what they do!
1. What is the key to setting up Dude Perfect?| A．The star athletes’ love for it, |
| B．The members’ common interest. |
| C．The popularity of social media. |
| D．The trust between different people. |
| A．Strong but shy. | B．Humorous but crazy. |
| C．Kind and hard-working. | D．Handsome and easy-going. |
| A．It is never too old to learn. | B．Never forget why you started. |
| C．You can’t judge a book by its cover. | D．Be prepared for danger in times of peace. |
| A．Dude Perfect, an amazing team | B．Dude Perfect’s tricks are real |
| C．Dude Perfect built on friendship | D．Dude Perfect achieved their goal |
10 . Musicians born after the year 2000 kicked off the Project Spring Bird music season at the Blackstone Music Plus, showcasing the passion and creativity of Generation Z.
The small orchestras were among the biggest surprises in the festival. Each of the pieces in their repertoire (全部剧目)was performed for the first time. Homewood Symphony Orchestra directors and audience alike marveled at the talent of the young performers.
The small orchestras and musicians are the products of a nurturing program aimed at developing the skills and artistic creativity of young talent. It is strongly supported by Mellon Swift, music director of the Homewood Symphony Orchestra. “For young musicians, growth not only takes time, but also a starting point to bigger stages,Mellon said. “We want to help them cross the barriers and explore their artistic passion.”
Young musicians at the beginning of their careers usually emerge from well-known competitions, but Mellon said he wants to see opportunities become more expansive. “We insist on giving them as much freedom and support as possible, so that they don’t get sidetracked by concerns about some practical elements at the beginning of their careers,” he explained. “All they are required to do is to grow artistically and explore their creative potential and ideas, ” he added.
“If a voice tells us:Just do whatever you want, and we will support you all the way, just imagine what kind of potential could emerge?” wrote conductor Karajan, who is only 21, “The future belongs to us, and it can belong to us now! ”
1. What can we learn about the small orchestras in the festival?| A．Their songs were considered as classics. | B．Their performances amazed the audience. |
| C．They have got chances to be world known. | D．They are faced with few developing problems. |
| A．They rose to fame from fashion shows. |
| B．It was they who spread the popular pieces. |
| C．They are budding talents in the music world. |
| D．It takes them little time to peak in their career. |
| A．Young talents need help and improvement. |
| B．It is a long shot to explore music potential. |
| C．Big stages have been set for the music lovers. |
| D．Freedom is the only source of music inspiration. |
| A．A Big Success: the Project Spring Bird | B．Music Directors: Passion and Creativity |
| C．Generation Z:A Group of Musical Talents | D．Young Musicians: “The future belongs to us” |
