1 . This painting Spring Bouquet has a precise structure. The flowers spill over into the lower left-hand corner, with an imbalance as free and as wild as nature. But at once the artist responds to this unbalance. To the right of the vase, Renoir has developed a heavy shadow area, rich in purples and sharply contrasted with the light below it. The placing of the straight line in the lower right side is necessary. If the reader covers this line, he will see that the composition becomes unbalanced.
The Impressionist technique had not yet developed when Renoir painted this picture. Yet the painting with light and color indicates Impressionism is around the corner; there is something of that school in the feeling of the out-of-doors that Renoir has acquired. The texture (纹理) of the flowers is described. Above all, one can’t help saying the very nice smell of the flowers is there, too.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born in 1841. He began working as a young painter of porcelain and textiles. At age 21, Renoir entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and went on to study under the instructions of painter Charles Gleyre’s. Even though his paintings had been initially rejected by the Academy and the public, with time he became one of the most admired artists of his generation.
Unfortunately, in 1899, he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (风湿性关节炎). It is a disease that causes a lot of pain. In addition, the person affected by it may also have deformities (畸形). Consequently, his movements became very limited and each movement was a big and certainly painful effort.
His son, Jean Renoir, writes in the book Renoir, My Father after his father passed away, the reaction of the people to the painting of the father, after seeing his hands:
Visitors who were unprepared for this could not take their eyes off his deformity. Though they did not dare to mention it, their reaction would be expressed by some such phrase as “It isn’t possible!” With hands like that, how can he paint those pictures? There’s some mystery somewhere.
1. What can readers see in the painting?| A．A vase in the left corner. | B．A shadow to the vase’s right. |
| C．A straight line at the bottom. | D．A natural light in the middle. |
| A．The painting material. | B．The color choice. |
| C．The smelly flower taste. | D．The impressive feeling. |
| A．Renoir, My Father. | B．Spring Bouquet. |
| C．Rheumatoid arthritis. | D．Renoir’s bravery. |
| A．Patience Is a Lifetime Practice | B．Pain Passes, but Beauty Remains |
| C．Impressionism Is a Unique Technique | D．Work hard, and You Will Catch Up |
2 . This was going to be a year of great jazz centennials (百年纪念) for 1920 marked the birth of several jazz musicians who either changed the course of the music or deeply enriched it. So let’s raise a glass to some of them:
Charlie Parker(August 29, 1920-March 12, 1955)
Of all the jazz languages that coursed through the 20th century, no one did more than Parker, for he developed complex improvisational methods that transformed the way musicians understand harmony and dissonance. The fact that Parker also happened to be a most influential saxophone player broadened the scope of his achievements.
Dave Brubeck (December 6, 1920-December 5, 2012)
Early in his long career, pianist-composer Brubeck was laughed at by some jazz lovers. How could a musician so popular among the masses possibly have anything to offer those who considered themselves “masters”? The joke was on them, of course, as Brubeck’s music was filled with new ideas in rhythm, embracing elements of Western classical music. No one played the piano quite the way Brubeck did.
Clark Terry(December 14, 1920-February 21, 2015)
Some musicians are at least as important for the influence they have on others as for the music they create themselves. Trumpet masters such as Miles Davis have credited Terry for having encouraged them in the earliest days of their careers. Terry’s work on trumpet affected those trumpeters and uncounted others.
Peggy Lee(May 26, 1920-January 21, 2002)
Singer-songwriter Lee proved that a vocalist needn’t shout to be heard around the world. Her soft vocals delighted jazz devotees and brought the music to huge audiences across the decades, thanks to hit recordings such as “Fever” and “Is That All There Is?” There were no vocal skills involved. Instead, Lee taught the jazz world the beauty of saying everything with a few well-chosen notes.
1. Who changed the way musicians understand harmony and dissonance?| A．Charlie Parker. | B．Dave Brubeck. | C．Clark Terry. | D．Peggy Lee. |
| A．He played music for a longer time. | B．They didn’t recognize his excellence. |
| C．He played the piano in a traditional way. | D．They had nothing to learn from him. |
| A．Her unique piano playing. | B．Her great influence on others. |
| C．Her beautiful singing voice. | D．Her mixture of western music. |
3 . Rebecca Williams, 42, from Australia, has been doing dubbing (配音) work in Beijing for many years. When she was very young, she would unconsciously imitate other peopled voices, not to make fun of them, but more out of habit. “My voice has always been very changeable, depending on who I’m talking to,” she said. She never expected this habit to land her a dubbing job in China in the future.
At 18, Williams was an exchange student at the University of the Nations in Hawaii, the U. S. Like most new adults, she was thinking about what to do with her life. Then, a group of exchange students from China visited the school. “They were sharing everyday life in China. As they were talking, something inside me got lit on fire,” she said. At that time, she realized her future would lie in China.
After graduation, Williams came to China and got into dubbing by chance. At this point, she has dubbed for nearly 100 English teaching films, TV shows and movies. Williams has cooperated with the StarTimes. The StarTimes has a TV network in more than 30 African countries. Most of the TV shows she has dubbed for are shown in African. “I think it’s a really great way to bridge cultures, to allow people abroad to watch some of the plays that Chinese people watch, and have a better understanding of Chinese life, but in a language they can understand,” Williams said.
Williams has lived in China for twenty years. She used to visit Australia once every two years. Luckily, there’s no time difference between her hometown of Esperance and Beijing. And thanks to advanced mobile networks, she can just pick up her phone and video chat with her family whenever they feel like it. “That helps me a lot,” Williams said.
Williams has become more and more at home in China and she sees China as her second hometown.
1. Why did Williams imitate other people’s voices?| A．It was her usual behavior. |
| B．She expected to find a dubbing job in China. |
| C．She enjoyed showing her unique talent. |
| D．She did it just to make fun of them. |
| A．Embarrassed. | B．Bored. | C．Excited. | D．Confused. |
| A．It calls for teamwork. |
| B．It’s helpful to cultural exchanges. |
| C．It’s more attractive to foreigners. |
| D．It requires a set of excellent skills. |
| A．Williams’ connection with her family. |
| B．Williams’ plans for the next few years. |
| C．Williams’ best wishes to her hometown. |
| D．Williams’ addiction to the mobile phone. |
4 . “The arrow shot is so straight that it hits the bull’s eye, the young people will have good luck…” Dargye sang as he worked on his handmade bag.
Dargye, 56, an artist who excels at traditional craftsmanship and Tibetan folk music in Drinba village in Dragyib district, Nyingchi, Tibet autonomous region, remembers many folk songs he learned from his father and uncle. Now, it’s his turn to pass them on.
“I have liked traditional songs and dances since I was a child,” said Dargye, who has four apprentices (学徒).“The songs tell the histories of our ancestors and carry our unique culture, and-it’s always a lot of fun to perform these traditional songs and dances at various gatherings.” The song topics vary from archery, love, to labor and praise for the land. In addition to teaching these songs to/his family members and apprentices, he also uses social media platforms such as WeChat to teach songs.
His daughter, Chok Butri, also admires the folk culture. After posting a video of her daughter, Tsering Kyi, dancing on Douyin, she gained a lot of new fans on the popular short-video platform. “We are modern people living in a modern era, so it’s important and our responsibility that we use modern tools to pass on our traditional culture to make it last forever.” said Chok Butri, adding that she often posts songs and dances on WeChat and Douyin.
Dargye and his fellow villagers also recreate songs, adding modern elements such as aircraft and trains to the lyrics. Besides singing and dancing, Dargye makes handicrafts decorated with Tibetan cultural elements, including various hide and hair ropes, bags made of leather and cloth, and knife sheaths.
The local government encourages villagers to inherit (继承) and develop folk songs and other forms of traditional culture. Dargye’s efforts to preserve folk culture have been acknowledged by the government. In 2014, he was chosen as a county-level intangible (无形的) cultural inheritor and receives funds every year.
1. Why does Dargye want to pass the culture on?| A．He wants to satisfy his interest. | B．He wants to learn from the seniors. |
| C．He wants to bring people fun. | D．He wants to inherit and develop it. |
| A．To show folk music’s effect on her. | B．To stress Dargye’s influence on her. |
| C．To emphasize her love for folk culture. | D．To reveal the popularity of folk culture online. |
| A．Ambitious and honest. | B．Talented and curious. |
| C．Devoted and creative. | D．Generous and determined. |
| A．All efforts to preserve culture pay off |
| B．Craftsman carries tunes to preserve culture |
| C．An artist prefers traditional songs and dances |
| D．Tibetan culture is being protected and passed on |
5 . World-famous music and movie star Olivia Newton-John has died in southern California. The highly awarded Newton-John sold more than 100 million record albums during her career. From 1973 to 1983, she was among the world’s most popular entertainers. She had 14 top 10 singles in the United States alone and won four Grammy Awards.
Newton-John is perhaps most remembered for her performance in 1978’s wildly popular musical movie Grease. She starred as a high school student Sandy, and was partnered with John Travolta. One song the two shared in the film, You’re the One That I Want, sold more than 15 million copies.
“I was afraid that at 30 I was too old to play a high school girl,” Newton-John told The Telegraph in 2017. “Everything about making the film was fun, but if I had to pick a favorite moment, it was the transformation from what I call Sandy 1 to Sandy 2. I got to play a different character and wear different clothes, and when I put on that tight black clothes to sing You’re the One That I Want, I got a very different reaction from the guys on the set.”
Physical, Newton-John’s biggest single, came out in 1981. The energetic dance song was hugely popular, holding Number One position on Billboard’s hit list for 10 weeks straight. Later, the music industry magazine named Physical the Song of the Year. A video linked to the song won a Grammy Award as well.
In 1992, Newton-John faced loss and sickness. Her father died and she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then Newton-John created an album, Gaia: One Woman’s Journey, about her battle with cancer and the loss of her father.
Newton-John married John Easterling in 2008. She became involved in several causes, serving as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme and a national spokeswoman for the Children’s Health Environmental Coalition. She also founded the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Center in Melbourne, Australia.
1. What is Sandy in paragraph 2?| A．A film director. | B．A music teacher. |
| C．A film character | D．A music composer. |
| A．Because of her age. | B．Because of her gender. |
| C．Because of her acting skills. | D．Because of her tight clothes. |
| A．Her film. | B．Her dance songs. |
| C．Her sufferings. | D．Her husband’s encouragement. |
| A．Newton-John’s physical pain. |
| B．Newton-John’s social activities. |
| C．Newton-John’s happy marriage. |
| D．Newton-John’s artistic achievements. |
6 . “I don’t feel like I’m very good at drawing real people in the real world,” says Axel Scheffler. The illustrator (插图画家) is famous for his unusual and wonderful pictures of animals, but now the COVID-19 pandemic has brought him back into the real world.
The elder illustrator has just helped to produce what must have been one of the fastest books in history. Coronavirus: A Book for Children was written, illustrated and then published for free online in the space of a week!
Facts are important but the book is also frank about the uncertainty the world faces. There’s a chapter on vaccines (疫苗) which explains that the disease is new and currently has no cure. “Honesty is crucial for children of any age, you have to have their trust,” said Scheffler. The book deals with issues such as not seeing grandparents and coping with annoyed parents who might be trying to work from home themselves at a stressful time. The reaction to the book has been overwhelming.
“I’m not a doctor or a nurse but as an illustrator this was something I could do to help and I feel proud that it has had this amazing response,” said Scheffler.
Like all good children’s stories, the book ends on a positive note. There’s a picture of families, doctors and nurses celebrating together and the caption (说明文字) reads “One day this strange time will be over.” Scheffler said, “Right now, hope is very important for children, because one day this pandemic will indeed be over and then perhaps we can stand close together again as the characters do on the last page of this book.”
1. Why is Axel Scheffler so well-known?| A．He draws wonderful pictures of animals for books. |
| B．He is always interested in the real world. |
| C．He is better at drawing real people than others. |
| D．He observes different kinds of animals. |
| A．It was mainly about how to cure the disease. |
| B．It was free of charge for readers online. |
| C．It was the fastest book written in history. |
| D．It was fully finished in less than a week. |
| A．Negative. | B．Proud. | C．Indifferent. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．The Fastest Book Was Illustrated Within a Day |
| B．An Illustrator Helped Published One of the Fastest Books |
| C．An Illustrator Was Encouraged by Doctors and Nurses |
| D．The CO VID-19 Pandemic Brought an Illustrator Back to Reality |
7 . On a table at his home in Rosetta, a port city in northern Egypt, self-taught artist Ibrahim Bilal displayed a variety of his signature mini sculptures made with pencil tips.
With about 80 works featuring landmarks and famous people in Egypt and beyond, the 30-year old artist said he was inspired four years ago to thoroughly grasp the art form after watching videos of a Chinese artist carving pencil lead into sculptures.
Fond of ancient Egyptian icons (象征物), Bilal dedicated one of his earliest works to the world-famous Rosetta Stone, an ancient Egyptian relic unearthed in his city and kept in the British Museum. “Being the first Egyptian to master this kind of art, I wanted to present the Egyptian cultural relics in a modern way,” Bilal noted.
Bilal uses a microscope for an enlarged view, a set of pen cutters or carving detail knives, and quality pencils mostly made in Germany or China while working. Through his deft (灵巧的) hands，landmarks across the globe, including the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, emerge on the pencil tips. The size of each sculpture is no more than 6 mm unless it’s a tower, and each takes an average of 10 hours to finish. Some may take him more than 40 hours like his dearest King Tut’s mask. These pieces are so delicate and fragile that has to be wrapped in tissues before sliding into a lab tube for temporary storage.
After graduating from law school, Bilal taught himself to be a painter professional enough to give painting classes to junior artists. He started taking part in exhibitions two years ago. “We use magnifying glasses (放大镜) to allow visitors to see the showcased works on display in detail without having to come too close to them.” Bilal said, noting the feedback from visitors has been awesome. “It was a pencil. But once I turned it into a sculpture, it has to be treated as art as well,” he said.
1. What is the author’s purpose in writing the second paragraph?| A．To introduce the origin of the art form. |
| B．To highlight the short history of the art form. |
| C．To reveal how to turn pencils into mini sculptures. |
| D．To show what made Bilal an artist of pencil tips. |
| A．To teach young artists about the art form. |
| B．To hold exhibitions of pencil tip sculptures. |
| C．To promote foreign landmarks through the art form. |
| D．To show the Egyptian icons with a modern technique. |
| A．Bilal got the inspiration from an Egyptian professional. |
| B．All of Bilal’s sculptures are around 6 mm. |
| C．The King Tut’s mask cost Bilal much longer time than the average. |
| D．Bilal’s sculpture display famous structures and people within Egypt. |
| A．Favourable. |
| B．Objective. |
| C．Critical. |
| D．Indifferent. |
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. |
| A．Sudden injuries. | B．Travels with a master. |
| C．His sports career. | D．Photos by Pablo Picasso. |
| 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. |
| 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 . Growing up in rural Jiangsu Province, Yu Jigao showed a strong interest in fine arts at an early age and studied on his own for years. His hard work paid off later. In the early 1950s, he made his way to Nanjing Normal University, where he learned painting theories and techniques from some famous artists. It was then that Yu found his lifelong artistic passion for gongbi. Gongbi paintings usually describe birds and flowers, symbols of beauty and joy, in an artistic way with intense color.
After graduation from the art school in 1957, Yu began his professional career at the Chinese Painting Institute of Jiangsu. He has since published a series of art collections. Since 1959, Yu has contributed a series of works to many important sites. Yu’s works have also been displayed in a range of national and international exhibitions. From 1986 to 1997, he held his exhibitions in such places as Beijing, Guangzhou and New York. Both the themes and artistic techniques have won widespread praise in the past years.
While observing traditional rules, he uses accurate lines, powerful brush movements as well as the interplay between dark and light to represent the harmony of nature. Though he adopts a realistic style, he tries to enrich his works with spiritual beauty through his brush. Yu says, “That feeling turns into the images of singing birds and elegant flowers in my paintings.” Thanks to his careful observation of nature and artistic sensitivity, Yu is able to combine realistic description with artistic expression in his brushwork.
Now as deputy director of the Academy of Chinese Gongbi Painting of Flowers and Birds and a national top-level artist, Yu maintains a simple and easy-going style. In addition to artistic creation, Yu has devoted himself to promoting his painting style as the cultural heritage of China. “Art is part of my life,” Yu says. “I am proud to be a flower-bird painter. I hope to create a bright future for it through my efforts.”
1. Where did Yu discover his love for gongbi?| A．In Beijing. | B．In New York. |
| C．At Nanjing Normal University. | D．At the Chinese Painting Institute of Jiangsu. |
| A．His school life. | B．His painting techniques. |
| C．His contributions to the art school. | D．His artistic achievements in painting. |
| A．Adopting abstract objects. |
| B．Excluding plants and animals. |
| C．Combining traditional rules with a realistic style. |
| D．Representing the imbalance between nature and humans. |
| A．It will change a lot. | B．It will be passed on. |
| C．It will look more complicated. | D．It will reach the top international level. |
10 . It’s common to see a barista create coffee art (咖啡拉花).
Han has been fascinated by the culture and art of the Song Dynasty, and has engaged in its artistic practices since childhood. His mother loves traditional culture and he has been leaning toward it under her influence. Han is curious about the patterns created on the tea foam and he often goes to museums to observe Song paintings. “Usually, it takes a year of practice for one to fully grasp tea-whisking.”
“It’s like adding bells and whistles to tea and giving people a stronger sense of occasion, so drinking tea is more fun,” Han says.
| A．It is through trial and error that Han gets going. |
| B．However, it’s a whole different ballgame doing same thing with tea. |
| C．However, the pattern on coffee foam will last for up to only an hour. |
| D．Chinese tea culture started to enjoy popularity during the Tang Dynasty. |
| E．The better the tea, the whiter it should be, and the longer the foam should last. |
| F．Applying the theory to practice proves to be quite different from his imagination. |
| G．It’s also his intention to bring the old ritual and culture back for more people to appreciate. |
