Bob Dylan wins 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature
US music legend Bob Dylan won the Nobel Literature Prize on Thursday, the first songwriter to win the prestigious award in a decision
The 75-year-old Dylan —best known for tunes like “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Like a Rolling Stone”
The choice was met by gasps and a long round of applause from reporters
“Dylan has the status of
The Nobel is the latest award for the singer, who has come a long way from his humble beginnings as Robert Allen Zimmerman, born in 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, and who taught
Initially
2 .
15 TH OCT 2023 CULTURE Gazelle Twin, a composer, producer, and musician, opens up about being a conceptual artist and establishing a unique identity ahead of the release of her new album (专辑), Black Dog. Q: Would you describe your music as conceptual? A: Conceptual is a good term. I don’t make music just for the sake of making music. My records are inspired by themes. I spend a considerable amount of time before writing the music, learning about subjects related to the theme. Then I work on the structure of the album. Ideas can change. For example, Black Dog was originally about ghosts (幽灵), but I ended up with an album about my childhood experiences, through to adulthood and parenthood, and the anxiety and fear that has been with me during that time. Q: Throughout the album, there is a sense of an observer. Is that person yourself, or another presence? A: Both. There is the voice of depression and anxiety, and also this other person you know is always there. I thought of having this ominous presence (不祥之兆) around you. There is also that sense of being out in the world, as a woman, aware of my vulnerability (脆弱). For example, just going for a walk is never simple. We have to build protective instincts around ourselves. Q: When you started out, did you have any idea of the kind of artist you wanted to be? A: I knew I didn’t want to fit a fixed style or be restricted by being female. I wanted to be flexible. I like to think in scale and of more than I can achieve as one person. I like artists with unique identities. Q: What would be your advice to anyone with ambitions to become a musician? A: Follow your instincts. Put yourself out there without pressure to be “finished”. Absorb things, experiment, and allow yourself to follow a journey where you don’t know where you will end up. Being successful commercially takes a team and time. You have to love it and be in it for the long journey. Q: Fast forward ten years, where do you want to be? A: I would love to carry on following my instincts and making albums. I would like more of a collection of TV and film scores because I enjoy writing scores and cooperative work. |
A.Her records are usually about ghosts. | B.The album’s structure is a top priority. |
C.The word “conceptual” itself is attractive. | D.Her music is highly motivated by themes. |
A.spiritual growth | B.vivid imagination |
C.inner self-awareness | D.external intervention |
A.She tends to take the bigger picture into account. |
B.Her future planning is profit-driven to some extent. |
C.Black Dog has already become a hit album worldwide. |
D.She expresses willingness to help the potential musicians. |
3 . Every artist knows in his heart that he is saying something to the public. Not only does he want to say it well, but he wants it to be something that has not been
What
Most artists take shapes and colors from the world of nature and from human bodies in
If one painter chooses to paint a gangrenous(坏疽性的)leg and anther a lake in moonlight, each of them is directing our attention to a(n)
A.afforded | B.said | C.involved | D.promised |
A.visual | B.concert | C.mature | D.opera |
A.figures | B.volumes | C.words | D.accents |
A.selection | B.combination | C.translation | D.isolation |
A.transferring | B.showing | C.infecting | D.granting |
A.specialized | B.imaginary | C.particular | D.definite |
A.delight | B.urgency | C.memory | D.advantage |
A.stock | B.entertainment | C.track | D.motion |
A.majors | B.choices | C.comments | D.arguments |
A.tones | B.notes | C.meanings | D.sights |
A.relatively | B.merely | C.alternatively | D.rightly |
A.relation | B.contribution | C.reference | D.inference |
A.irregular | B.odd | C.vague | D.certain |
A.emphasizing | B.objecting | C.responding | D.commenting |
A.consult | B.teach | C.command | D.imply |
4 . The outstanding biography portrays the life of the complicated Renaissance artist with details. We come to see da Vinci as not only an inventor of musical instruments and early flying machines, but also a notebook keeper and vegetarian, who had trouble finishing many of the projects and paintings he started.
Yet what is most thrilling is getting to know da Vinci the scientist. Isaacson explains how loving science and applying the scientific method to observing the world was really what made da Vinci a great artist and, Isaacson argues, a genius. Da Vinci was fascinated with observing and understanding phenomena in nature. He wanted to know about everything around him, in minute detail, Isaacson writes. He wondered about questions “most people over the age of ten no longer puzzle about”—for instance, how the tongue of a woodpecker works.
To learn about the world, da Vinci combined his own observations with experimentation. Never formally schooled, “he preferred to induce from experiments rather than deduce from theoretical principles,” Isaacson explains. He recorded his observations, looked for patterns among them, and then tested those patterns through additional observation and experimentation.
When he became fascinated with the idea that he could invent flying machines, he observed various birds and filled notebooks with the function and speed at which their wings flapped. That’s why Isaacson calls da Vinci an exemplar of this scientific method. He goes on: “Galileo, born 112 years after Leonardo, is usually credited with being the first to develop this kind of approach and is often regarded as the father of modern science.” There can be no doubt that this honor would have been bestowed on Leonardo da Vinci had he published his scientific writings during his lifetime.
Da Vinci’s emphasis on empirical observation also helped him improve his art. First, he was able to use what he learned from looking at nature to paint and draw. His studies of the body, animals, motion, shadow and light, perspective and proportion helped him better understand what he was seeing in front of him, and render it in art more accurately and finely than anyone else of his time. Most importantly, his ability to connect art and science, helped him innovate in his work. Da Vinci made surprisingly diverse series of discoveries, including conceptualizing the helicopter and solar power and advancing knowledge about everything from the reproductive organs to botany. This genius is also what drew Isaacson to Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs as subjects: They’re all innovators who were inspired by and drew connections between art and science.
“Leonardo da Vinci is the ultimate example of the main theme of my previous biographies: how the ability to make connections across disciplines-arts and sciences, humanities and technology—is a key to innovation, imagination, and genius,” Isaacson writes. And this wonderful book is a reminder, in a time of increasingly narrow specialization and focus, that the methods of Renaissance men like da Vinci are as relevant as ever.
1. What made da Vinci a great artist?A.Viewing the world from the perspective of science. |
B.Combining experimentation with theoretical principles. |
C.Attempting to know about the world like a child. |
D.Being filled with ambition to become an artist and inventor. |
A.To introduce his important findings. |
B.To memorize the father of modern science. |
C.To show the prejudice faced by da Vinci during his lifetime. |
D.To illustrate the significance of da Vinci’s research method. |
A.Da Vinci improved his art and drew more accurately by painting mostly in the natural world. |
B.The methods of Renaissance men like da Vinci can still apply to contemporary scientific research. |
C.Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs are as famous as da Vinci because they all have a talent for combining art with science. |
D.Da Vinci failed to publish his scientific writing because the scientific method kept in it was too complicated to understand at that time. |
A.How a Genius Changed the World |
B.The Features of Renaissance Art |
C.How Science Shaped His Art |
D.The Comparison between Induction and Deduction |
5 . To the music of Verdi’s Ave Maria, Bulgarian-born soprano Raina Kabaivanska opened the funeral service for her longtime friend and colleague Luciano Pavarotti in the cathedral of Modena. Archbishop Benito Cocchi read a message of condolence from Pope Benedict. In it, the pope said Pavarotti had “honored the divine gift of music through his extraordinary interpretative talent.”
Pavarotti’s white maple casket was covered in sunflowers-his favorite-and laid before the altar. Since his death on Thursday, some 100,000 people of all ages have filed past his coffin in the cathedral, paying last respects to the maestro. Music resounded throughout the service. Tenor Andrea Bocelli sang Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus.” Family members, close friends as well as dignitaries and celebrities attended the invitation-only service. Among those attending were Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, U2 lead singer Bono, and film director Franco Zeffirelli.
Across Italy, admirers watched the service live on television, and thousands of ordinary citizens gathered in the square outside the cathedral and followed the service on a giant screen. One admirer outside the church said Pavarotti would never die. He’s said he is convinced that Pavarotti is not dead because he will continue to live with his voice, with his songs, and he will always remain in our hearts.
Applause broke out as the casket was carried outside the church as loudspeakers amplified a recording of Pavarotti singing arias by Verdi.
As a special honor for a man of humble origins who became Italy’s greatest cultural ambassador, an air force team flew over the cathedral, streaking the sky in the white, red and green colors of the Italian flag.
1. The music played throughout the service was sung by .A.Raina Kabaivanska | B.Tenor Andrea Bocelli |
C.Bono | D.Verdi |
A.People of all ages filing past his coffin in the cathedral. |
B.family members and close friends of Pavarotti. |
C.Italian Prime Minister and former U.N Secretary General. |
D.dignitaries and celebrities invited. |
A.Pavarotti is Italy’s greatest cultural ambassador with extraordinary talent. |
B.Pavarotti will always remain in the heart of his admirers across the country. |
C.Tenor Andrea Bocelli attended Pavarotti’s funeral solemnly and respectfully. |
D.To show people’s respect, the funeral was completed with an air force gun salute. |
The Great Voice Actor
Since the creation of animated (动画的) motion pictures, the use of actors supplying voices
Mel Blanc, known as “The Man of Thousand Voices”,
Mel Blanc lent his voice to many classic characters, but the one he is best known for is Bugs Bunny. There is little that can be said about Bugs’ impact
Mel Blanc paved the way for voice acting as a true art, though it’s a skill that often goes unrecognized when praise is focused on movies and TV. The characters we all love wouldn’t be where they are in the public eye without
A. exactly B. requires C. forced D. perfectly E. comfort F. rush G. released H. as I. relates J. asked K.including |
When Michael Wong was young, he was sensitive and shy. It was a huge task for him to talk to a stranger or go downstairs to the shops. But he found
Recently, the Malaysian piano star
“Music sounds better when it
Now, Michael has grown, up to be one of the most popular singers in Taiwan. His slow love songs including First Time and Fairytale are hits with heartbroken young people.
Over the years, he has become bolder and learnt to voice opinions in his music. Once, he was
Michael is often called the piano prince. He’s elegant when he plays and sings along. “When I play, inspirations
8 . The composing career of Albert Roussel got off to a wayward start, and received one of its biggest advances from a lie.
Roussel was orphaned at the age of eight and went to live with his grandfather. He built on the music he had learned from his mother, entertaining himself by reading through the family music collection and playing operatic selections and popular songs on the piano.
Three years later Roussel’s grandfather died, and his mother’s sister took him in. Her husband arranged for young Albert to take piano lessons. Summer vacations at a Belgian seaside resort added a second love to his life — the sea. He studied to be a naval officer, but still made time to study music.
In the French Navy, while he was stationed on a cruiser (巡洋舰) based at Cherbourg, he and two friends found the time to play the piano trios (三重奏) of Beethoven and other composers. Roussel also began composing. At the Chuich of the Trinity in Cherbourg on Christmas Day 1892, he had his first public performance as a composer with the performance of his Andante for string trio and organ.
That success encouraged Roussel to write a wedding march, and one of his fellow naval officers offered to show it to an outstanding conductor, Edouard Colonne. When Roussel’s friend returned with the manuscript (手稿), he reported that Colonne had advised Roussel to give up his naval career and devote his life to music.
Not long afterward, at the age of 25, Roussel did just that. He applied the self-discipline, conciseness, and spirituality that he had developed in the navy to his composing and became a major force in twentieth century French music. As for Eduoard Colonne’s inspiring advice that Roussel devote his life to music, Roussel’s navy friend later admitted that he had made it up and that he had never even shown Roussel’s manuscript to the conductor.
1. From “a wayward start” in Paragraph 1, we know Albert Roussel’s composing career________.A.was a great success at first | B.was inspired early in every way |
C.was a happy one because of a lie | D.was unpredictable in the beginning |
A.His mother. | B.His grandfather. |
C.His piano teacher. | D.His fellow naval officer. |
A.He didn’t want to live with his mother’s sister. |
B.He was fascinated by the sea at a seaside resort. |
C.He wanted to practice music with his friends. |
D.He thought it could help him create music. |
A.his love for music | B.the conductor’s inspiring advice |
C.his navy friend’s lie | D.the good qualities acquired in the navy |
A.He like music and travelling when he was little. |
B.He became famous and rich very soon. |
C.He played music a lot even at his early childhood. |
D.He learned music from other classical musicians. |
A.He was engaged as a court musician in Salzburg. |
B.He composed a lot and earned a lot of money. |
C.He predicted his own death by composing Requiem. |
D.He reached the peak of his career. |
A.A brief biography of Mozart. |
B.How did Mozart compose music. |
C.Mozart and classical music. |
D.The influence of western music on Mozart. |
10 . Zhang Daqian was born in 1899 in Sichuan province. Brought up in an artistic family, Zhang was first taught to paint by his mother and older siblings. He went on to copy as many masterpieces as he could set his eyes on, and was especially influenced by the individualistic masters Shitao (石涛) and Bada Shanren (八大山人). In the early 1940s, Zhang spent two years studying the Buddhist mural paintings at Dunhuang, which proved to be a crucial experience in his artistic development.
In particular, Zhang’s works are noteworthy for the many painting styles that he mastered, from highly meticulous (注意细节的) and detailed portraits to bold and expressive splashed-ink landscapes (泼墨风景画). While he was highly innovative as he developed his own unique style, he always ensured that his art was firmly rooted in Chinese tradition. As is usually the case with ink artists, his later works, especially his vibrant splashed-ink landscapes, are the most sought after.
Zhang mastered the art of painting “from heart to hand” late in his life. In 1971, he selected this particular phrase to carve into a seal (印章). The phrase probably conveyed a twofold message. First, it was Zhang’s proud claim that he had developed a stylistic versatility (多才多艺) for depicting the endless variations of the natural world. He acquired this ability by imitating the works of previous masters, which led to a grand combination of historical styles in his art. He also enriched his personal experience with his extensive travel and enhanced his artistic vocabulary in order to capture the beauty of the world. Second, the phrase communicates Zhang’s belief that an artist should follow his heart to convey their “spirit resonance (气韵生动),” a historical principle in judging the beauty of Chinese painting. Before applying his brush to paper, Zhang had already conceived (构思) the forms he wanted to depict and the inspiration he wished to convey through the painting. He would be fully aware of the most effective means by which to inspire awe and wonder in his audience.
Blessed with a long life—he was 83 when he died in 1983—and filled with an enormous amount of passion and energy for life, the artist produced a huge number of paintings over his lifetime. He is estimated to have completed an average of about 500 per year.
In 2011, Zhang became not only the most popular Chinese artist at auction but the best-selling artist in the world as well, surpassing Pablo Picasso. And demand for his works has remained high since then.
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?A.The characteristics of Zhang Daqian’s art. |
B.The most sought-after works by Zhang Daqian. |
C.Where Zhang Daqian got inspiration for his paintings. |
D.The reason why Zhang Daqian’s artworks are so popular. |
①How Zhang Daqian became aware of the most effective means to inspire his audience.
②How Zhang Daqian was able to put what he wanted on the canvas without thinking about it.
③How Zhang Daqian learned to freely convey the principle of “spirit resonance” through his approach to painting.
④How Zhang Daqian was able to depict the endless variations of the natural world using a combination of different styles.
A.①② | B.①③ | C.②③ | D.③④ |
①the beauty of the natural world
②the Buddhist mural paintings at Dunhuang
③masters in the likes of Shitao and Bada Shanren
④the rich nature of his travels and personal experiences
A.①②③ | B.①②④ | C.②③④ | D.①②③④ |