be fond of emerge influential in particular purchase realistic subjective theme |
Unlike the earlier Realists who painted in a
A. uprising B. original C. frequently D. spectacular E. features F. luxuriously G. captured H. approaches I. inhabited J. matters K. ranks |
Welcome to Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and the Official Residence of the Queen of Britain. Over a period of nearly 1,000 years it has been
The Castle is huge, so people tend to head for the most
The magnificent and beautiful St. George’s Chapel was started in 1475 by Edward IV and was completed 50 years later by Henry VII. It
The Drawings Gallery
A. defined B. aiding C. trends D. dominate E. typical F. loss G. necessities H. featured I. mark J. survive K. appliances |
American Decoration in the Middle of the 20th Century
Home decorating has come a long way over the decades. Certain elements that began as
No one knows what home decoration of the future will look like. But if we look back through history, we can guess which design elements will come back—and which will disappear forever.
The Great Depression affected every aspect of American life—including decoration. People were just trying to
It’s impossible to describe the 1940s without mentioning World War II. During the first half of the decade, home design took a backseat to
Post-war America was a lot happier and shinier than recent decades. With a prospering middle class and a healthy economy, people had more time and money to devote to new pursuits—like decorating their houses.
The unfussy furniture made popular by Charles Eames started to
The 60s brought about many changes to American culture and home design was no exception. People wanted to show off their unique sense of style more than ever before. Homes weren’t just seen as a
A. housing B. leisurely C. sought D. reference E. primarily F. leg G. winding H. wildly I. pioneered J. major K. highlight |
18th-century Grand Tour of Europe
The Grand Tour began in the 16th century and gained popularity during the 17th century. Privileged (有特权的) young European graduates
These young, classically educated Tourists were rich enough to fund multiple years abroad for themselves and they took full advantage of this. They carried letters of
A typical journey through Europe was long and
Grand Tourists were
The vast majority of Tourists took part in similar activities during their exploration with art at the centre of it all. Once a Tourist arrived at a destination, he would look for
A. alternative B. capacity C. characteristic D. extinct E. exclude F. identity G. increasingly H. interacting I. measuring J. narrative K. restore |
The earliest storytellers
A stunning cave painting discovered in Indonesia may be the earliest evidence of storytelling. The artwork is at least 43,900 years old, and shows that humans were depicting scenes tens of thousands of years earlier than previously thought.
The painting is a 4.5-metre-wide hunting scene, discovered by Maxime Aubert of Griffith University, Australia and his colleagues. It depicts at least eight small human-like figures hunting two pigs and four dwarf buffaloes with spears or ropes. “It’s a(n)
“It’s really an exciting discovery,” says Genevieve von Petzinger at the University of Victoria, Canada, “It shows a (n)
The cave painting gives us a glimpse into the minds of the people who created the Indonesian art, but we don’t yet know whether they were modern humans or one of our
One possible group is the Denisovans, who may also have lived in Asia at this time. Earlier this year, while studying a site in China thought to have been home to Denisovans, a team of researchers revealed artistic engravings on a piece of bone.
“We can’t completely
The discovery comes as archaeologists
tell shout reply greet weep speak |
We were in Rome when World War Ⅱ ended. The first we knew of it was when we heard bells ringing and people running into the streets. Everyone was
candidate commitment cruel damp motive resolution wage |
One hundred years ago, exploring the Antarctic was a dangerous business. Because of the
A. account B. contented C. contested D. date E. feature F. previously G. believably H. pointed I. represented J. stretches K. winds |
For centuries, two of the most intriguing question about Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” were “Who?” and “When?” A discovery made at Heidelberg University in 2005 pretty much answered both. A note written in a manuscript in the library confirmed the
A third mystery—“Where?”—is still in dispute, But on June 3rd a French engineer, Pascal Cotte, declared that he and a collaborator had identified the landscape in the background of the painting. Arguments had once been made for
Mr. Cotte, who was asked by the Louvre (where the “Mona Lisa” hangs) to create a digital image of the painting, is the inventor of the multispectral (多光谱的) camera: a device that can detect not only the drawing below the surface of an oil painting, but also, where they exist, intermediate layers of work. It was among these, under what appears to be a
The landscape of the “Mona Lisa” also includes a huge steep cliff. That is similar to one that da Vinci included in a sketch of a fortress(堡垒)
Mr. Cotte argues that a channel that
It never was. But if Mr. Cotte’s theory is right, it might just explain why Gherardini, a Florentine, wears such a
A. executive B. substantially C. borders D. minority E. fiercely F. unrest G. efficient H. move |
Ukraine, a nation whose history has experienced long periods of occupation from other countries, today wrestles(摔跤,全力应付)between war and peace, as well as between corruption and reform. The nation
Ukraine declared independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991. Its president is directly elected by voters. The prime minister is the head of the central government, which is separated along
The country’s post-Soviet political life has been controversial, disturbed by persistent charges of government corruption and fraud. Large-scale protests at the end of 2013 turned violent in 2014, leading to the ouster(罢免)of the government and
Ukraine joined into a free trade area at the beginning of 2016, and the World Bank noted that the country’s economy did begin to show signs of a weak recovery. A broader recovery has been held back, the World Bank says, by continuing conflict in the east and the need for reforms.
Ukraine entered a long-awaited agreement with the European Union in September 2017, a move that brings the country a step closer to the goal of joining the European Union and NATO.
Services, industry and agriculture are Ukraine’s three largest economic sectors. The nation
Ukraine is a member of major international and regional organizations, including the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
A. measurement B. similar C. remarkably D. monetary E. astronomy F. altered G. civilization H. defined I. independence J. invariably K. dominated |
The Nile
The ancient Greek writer Herodotus once described Egypt-with some envy-as ‘the gift of the Nile’. The Egyptians depend on the river for food, for water and for life. The Ancient Egyptians were able to control and use the Nile, creating the earliest irrigation systems and developing a prosperous
Snaking through the deserts, the Nile would flood almost
An early system of
The Egyptians took up some of the earliest trading missions. Without a(n)
By the 16th century Egypt was under the Ottoman Empire until Britain seized control in 1882. What is now mostly Arabic Egypt only won