Many years ago, a dance between clay and fire gave rise
Porcelain has also been
As it travelled around the globe through the ancient Maritime Silk Road, porcelain enjoyed great
2 . Lisa St. Coeur Cormier, a high school science teacher in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada, found a tree root. When she took a closer look, she found the shape was very strange. She realized it wasn’t a tree root though it shared the same color. She felt it was hard to break and noticed an impression of bones of what looked like some kind of animal.
Cormier sent a photo of the find to Laura MacNeil who used her knowledge in this field to confirm that what Cormier had seen really was a fossil (化石). MacNeil runs tours of sites where prehistoric fossils have been found and also helps people identify fossils. She visited the site of Cormier’s find to take more photos of it.
MacNeil contacted John Calder, a scientist, who examined the fossil and led a team of scientists to study it. John Calder said it could be as much as 300 million years old. He said it’s probably from a reptile (爬行动物) of some kind — likely one that is unknown to scientists. Scientists spent 5.5 hours carefully digging out the fossil from the ground so they could study it more in-depth and find out exactly what kind of animal it is. That research could take a year or more.
“This is an important discovery here on Prince Edward Island. It is the second of the only two articulated skeletons (关节相连的骨头) found on PEI,” Laura MacNeil said. “This creature lived about 300 million years ago. This find tells us there is a great possibility for future scientifically important fossils that could be discovered on PEI. It will lead to more researchers paying a visit.”
1. How might Cormier feel when looking at the root carefully?A.Satisfied. | B.Surprised. | C.Concerned. | D.Proud. |
A.The scientists will have a detailed study on the fossil. |
B.The scientists have identified the species of the fossil. |
C.The scientists will keep the fossil under the ground. |
D.The scientists discovered the first articulated skeleton. |
A.Its long history. | B.Its wide popularity. |
C.Its scientific value. | D.Its economic importance. |
A.A scientist’s research on fossils | B.PEI is attracting more researchers |
C.Cormier’s unforgettable tour in PEI | D.A science teacher discovered a fossil |
3 . The Golden Gate Bridge is a well-recognized landmark in the United States. It spans (横跨) the Golden Gate Strait — a mile-wide stretch of water that connects the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most beautiful bridges in the world. It is also one of the tallest.
The idea for a bridge across the strait had been around for many years, because San Francisco suffered from its isolated location. Planning for the Golden Gate Bridge began in 1916, but the design underwent many changes before construction finally started in 1933.
Joseph Strauss was the chief engineer in charge of the bridge project. However, he had little experience with the construction of suspension bridges (吊桥). For this reason, other engineers, architects, and designers made great contributions to the design and construction of the bridge. For example, the bridge owes its art deco (装饰派艺术) style and distinctive orange color to the architects Irving and Gertrude Morrow. Charles Alton Ellis did much of the technical work necessary to build the bridge.
It was not easy to get the project started. Financing had to be found, and there was much opposition to the very idea of a bridge. The US Navy, for example, feared, that a bridge would block ship traffic. The Southern Pacific Railroad, which ran the ferry fleets (轮渡船队), feared competition from the bridge. Many experts did not believe that it would be possible to build such a long bridge under such difficult circumstances. There are strong currents and heavy winds on the bridge site, which made construction dangerous.
The construction of the bridge finally began in 1933. The construction work set new standards for safety — workers were among the first required to wear hard hats, and a safety net saved the lives of nineteen men while the bridge was built. The Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937, when the bridge was opened to pedestrians (行人). It was opened to cars one year later. The bridge was finished ahead of schedule and cost much less than originally budgeted.
Because the Golden Gate Bridge is the first sight for many people arriving in the United States by ship, it is sometimes called the “Statue of Liberty” for the West Coast.
1. According to the text, the Golden Gate Bridge .A.is the best-known symbol of America | B.crosses the Golden Gate Strait |
C.crosses the San Francisco Bay | D.is about a mile wide. |
A.To give the West Coast a new tourist attraction. |
B.To connect San Francisco to the Pacific Ocean. |
C.To set up a well-known landmark. |
D.To compete with the ferry fleets. |
A.was first suggested in 1916 |
B.was first put forth by Joseph Strauss |
C.was perfected by Gertrude Morrow in 1933 |
D.was put forward long before construction started |
A.It was finished under budget. |
B.It was delayed for one year. |
C.It was opened to the vehicles in 1937. |
D.It was the first to set safety standards. |
The Chinese couplet (对联) refers to two poetic lines obeying certain rules, often
As a form of Chinese literature, the couplet
Chinese couplets originated in the Five Dynasties, and since then they
It was said that the
The couplet has two equal-length lines. However,
A SHORT HISTORY OF WESTERN PAINTING
What is Western art? It is hard to give a precise definition. As there have been so many different styles of Western art, it is impossible to describe them all in a short text. Perhaps the best way to understand Western art is to look at the development of Western painting over the centuries.
The Middle Ages (from the 5th to the 15th century)During the Middle Ages, the purpose of Western art was to teach people about Christianity. Thus, artists were not interested in painting realistic scenes. Their works were often primitive and two-dimensional, and the main characters were often made much larger than everyone else to show their importance. This began to change in the 13th century with Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337). While his paintings still had religious themes, they showed real people in a real environment. In particular, his paintings are set apart from other paintings by their realistic human faces and deep emotional impact.
The Renaissance (from the 14th to the 17th century)New ideas and values gradually replaced old ones from the Middle Ages. As a result, painters concentrated less on religious themes. They began to adopt a more humanistic attitude to life. An important breakthrough during this period was the use of perspective by Masaccio (1401-1428). Influential painters such as Leonardo da Vinci(1452-1519), Michelangelo(1475-1564), and Raphael (1483-1520) built upon Giotto and Masaccio's innovations to produce some of the greatest art that Europe had ever seen.
Another innovation was the use of oil paints. With their deep colours and realism, some of the best oil paintings look like photographs. While painters as early as Da Vinci had used oil, this technique reached its height with Rembrandt(1606-1669), who gained a reputation as a master of shadow and light.
In subject matter, the emphasis increasingly shifted from religious themes to people and the world around us. Kings, nobles, and people of high rank wanted to purchase accurate pictures of themselves and the people they loved. Others wanted paintings showing important historical events or stories from mythology. Finally, most clients wanted paintings that were beautiful and interesting to look at.
Impressionism (late 19th to early 20th century)The development of Western art slowed until the invention of photography in the mid-19th century. After that, paintings were no longer needed to preserve what people and the world looked like Hence, painters had to find a new way of looking at their art. From this, Impressionis emerged in France. The name of this new movement came from the painting by Claude Monet (1840-1926) called Impression, Sunrise. In this work, Monet's aim was to convey the light and movement in the scenethe subjective impression the scene gave him-but not a detailed record of the scene itself.
While many Impressionists painted scenes of nature or daily life, others, such as Renoir (1841-1919), focused on people. Unlike the cold, black-and-white photographs of that time period, Renoir’s paintings are full of light, shadow, colour, and life. He sought to show not just the outer image of his subjects, but their inner warmth and humanity as well.
Modern Art (from the 20th century to today)After Impressionism, subsequent artists began to ask, "What do we do next?" Painters such as Picasso (1881-1973tried to analyse the shapes which existed in the natural world but in a new way, with Cubism. Others gave their paintings a realistic but dream-like quality. Still others turned to abstract art. What they attempted to do was no longer show reality, but instead to ask the question, “What is art?”
1. 快速阅读文章,总结文章主旨大意。The text mainly tells us
A. The Renaissance B. The Middle Ages C. Introduction D. Modern Art E. Impressionism |
Part 2(Para. 2)
Part 3(Paras. 3~5)
Part 4(Paras. 6~7)
Part 5(Para. 8)
2. 精读文章,完成下面表格。
What is Western art? | ·Because of so many different styles of Western art, it is hard to give a precise |
How the Middle Ages developed | ·This began to change in the 13th century with Gitto di Bondone (1267-1337). His paintings showed real people in a |
How the Renaissance developed | ·From the Middle Ages, painters began to adopt a more ·An important breakthrough during this period was the use of perspective by Masaccio (1404-1428). ·Another |
How the Impressionism developed | ·Because of the invention of photograhy in the mid-19th century, Impressionism emerged in ·Monet’s aim was to convey the light and ·Renoir’s paintings are full of light, |
How the Modern Art developed | ·What they attempted to do was no longer show |
It is hard to give a precise
be fond of emerge influential in particular purchase realistic subjective theme |
Unlike the earlier Realists who painted in a
1. What is the conversation mainly about?
A.A picture. | B.A designer. | C.A building. |
A.Math. | B.Music. | C.History. |
1. What do we know about Beowulf?
A.Its writer is unknown. | B.It is a famous novel. | C.It is easy to understand. |
A.Between about AD 800 and AD 1066. |
B.Between about AD 1066 and AD 1150. |
C.Between about AD 1150 and AD 1500.. |
A.An English historian. | B.A Middle English poet | C.A modern English writer. |
A.Modern English. | B.Middle English. | C.Old English. |
10 . Up to one quarter of the world’s population use chopsticks as their main eating tool. Called kuaizi in Chinese, chopsticks were developed in China about 5,000 years ago. Often made of wood, chopsticks allow users to pickup pieces of food by holding together and releasing (松开) the sticks with the thumb (拇指) and first three fingers.
Before the invention of chopsticks, the Chinese used only their hands to eat. One reason why chopsticks were invented is that eating with one’s hands allowed some people to take more food than others. This was considered rude, so using chopsticks, which limited the amount of food that could be taken at one time, was thought to be a more polite practice. Another one was about the great Chinese philosopher Confucius, who was a vegetarian. He objected to the use of knives at the table, feeling that they reminded eaters of the slaughterhouse (屠宰场), so he preferred chopsticks.
At first, chopsticks were used only by nobles (贵族). Later on, during the Western Han Dynasty, which began in 202 BC, commoners (平民) began to use chopsticks as well. At that time, people used chopsticks only to eat side dishes; spoons were used for rice and for soups. During the Northern Song Dynasty, which lasted from AD 960 to 1127, noodles became a popular dish. It is very diffcult to eat noodles with a spoon, so chopsticks were used more often. Today, chopsticks are the main eating tool in China, Japan, and Vietnam; and people from countries all over the world commonly use this tool while eating Asian dishes.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?A.The popularity of chopsticks. |
B.The process of making chopsticks. |
C.The method of using chopsticks. |
D.The reasons for inventing chopsticks. |
A.Led to. | B.Went against. |
C.Believed in. | D.Agreed with. |
A.Philosophers. | B.Common people. |
C.Nobles. | D.Vegetarians. |
A.After noodles became popular. | B.Just before forks came into use. |
C.During the Weatern Han Dynasty. | D.Before the Northern Song Dynasty. |