A. During this time, he made paintings of circus people and clowns which were a bit happier. Later, Picasso moved to Paris, where lots of new art was being created. He, along with an artist friend Georges Braque, came up with a unique abstract form of art--Cubism.
B. Picasso kept changing his art style and tried lots of different things, like making sculptures and pottery. He left behind a lot of art that still makes people think and feel different things. His work changed the way we understand and make art today.
C. Pablo Picasso was a famous artist born in Spain in 1881. He was very good at drawing from a young age and became one of the most important artists in the 1900s.
D. According to Picasso it was drawing objects as he thought them, not saw them, since in Cubism, artists show all parts of a scene at once, using simple shapes and putting them together in unusual ways, like a puzzle.
E. Early in his life, Picasso’s paintings were mostly in shades of blue and showed sad scenes, which is why that time is called his Blue Period. Later, he started using lighter colors like pinks and reds, which is known as his Rose Period.
2 . Despite his complex mind, Einstein was known to be a lot of fun. You must have seen his iconic (标志性的) photo, but you might not know the backstory. The photo was taken by Arthur Sasse, on March 14, 1951, Einstein’s seventy-second birthday. In the photo, we can see Einstein sitting in a car, between his wife, Elsa, and Dr. Frank Aydelotte, the head of the Institute for Advanced Study.
The story goes that as they were leaving his birthday celebration for their home in Princeton, New Jersey, Einstein was repeatedly asked to smile at the camera. But when Snsse asked for one last photo he made a funny face. Einstein liked the resulting image so much, that he immediately ordered multiple copies so he could sign and send them to friends as a joke. Later on, he used this photo to make greeting cards.
Einstein rarely let others get in the way of his fun. He was quick to joke. He rarely wore socks thinking that the shoes should do the job. He let his mustache and hair grow and gave interviews on his porch (门廊) in pink slippers. His commitment to fun ran deep — and yet when Sasse sent his photo to editors for publication, they debated whether it was even appropriate to make it public, given Einstein’s eminence. It only saw the light of day because Sasse related how much the great scientist himself loved the image.
According to Walter Isaacson’s biography, Einstein: His Life and Universe, the personalities that contributed most to Einstein’s greatness were curiosity and non-conformism (不墨守成规). Scientific Lo studies suggest that humor and intelligence are associated. People who show a gift for lun also seem have superior cognitive abilities. Fun has so many levels. The best part is that no matter what fun means to you, it can lead you to stand out from the ordinary.
1. What was Einstein doing when the iconic photo was taken?| A．He was joking about Sasse. | B．He was making a funny face. |
| C．He was celebrating his birthday. | D．He was smiling at the camera. |
| A．Being loving and caring. | B．Being humorous and funny. |
| C．Being famous and respected. | D．Being sharp-minded and considerate. |
| A．It was taken to record his life. | B．It was not published until years later. |
| C．It shows Einstein being interviewed on the porch. | D．It was taken to celebrate an instance birthday. |
| A．Best humor means high-level fun. | B．Curiosity leads to non-conformism. |
| C．Humorous people tend to be intelligent. | D．Greatness should be defined by scientific standards. |
Recently, Ma Xiaohui, a famous Chinese erhu
Attendees from different backgrounds and participants in the World Madam Global Awards Ceremony were
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4 . David Chipperfield, the British designer known for his minimalist and inclusive spaces, has won the Pritzker Prize, often called “the Nobel Prize of architecture”. With this honor, he joins the company of groundbreaking designers such as Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Richard Rogers and Oscar Niemeyer.
Chipperfield has distinguished his works by creating sharp, minimalist socially conscious buildings. The Pritzker committee wrote, “His architectural language balances consistency with the fundamental design principles and flexibility towards the local cultures ...The work of David Chipperfield harmonizes European classicism, the complex nature of Britain and even the delicateness of Japan.”
In 1997, Chipperfield’s firm was chosen to renovate Berlin’s Neues Museum, which was a mess long after being damaged by World War I. Chipperfield approached the project in honor of the building’s history. For more than a decade, he searched through stones and bricks from the original structure for pieces to use,some of which had bullet (子弹) holes in them.
The architect has applied the same belief to his recent works, including the expansion of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, where he renovated galleries, created a new auditorium (礼堂) and built a concrete bridge to connect its original buildings.
“While some architects may use the attention that comes with the Pritzker Prize to go big and advance their commercial ambitions, Chipperfield’s win is unlikely to result in steel-and-glass supertall skyscrapers,” writes Bloomberg’s Kriston Capps.
Instead, Chipperfield says he will work harder to create architecture that has a specific mission.“I regard this award as an encouragement, continuing to direct my attention not only to the substance of architecture and its meaning but also to the contribution that we can make as architects to address the existing challenges of climate change and social inequality,” he says in a statement. He adds,” We must rise to these challenges and help inspire the next generation to shoulder this responsibility with vision and courage.”
1. What do the groundbreaking designers mentioned in paragraph 1 indicate?| A．The fierce competition for the Pritzker Prize. |
| B．The inspiration for Chipperfield’s design features. |
| C．Chipperfield’s goal to become a leading architect. |
| D．Chipperfield’s amazing architectural achievements. |
| A．The creation of visually striking buildings. |
| B．The integration of different cultural elements. |
| C．The consistent design style in different projects. |
| D．The flexible selection of architectural materials. |
| A．Research. | B．Restore. | C．Build. | D．Decorate. |
| A．Realize personal commercial ambitions. |
| B．Take up environmental protection industry. |
| C．Make a positive impact on critical social issues. |
| D．Encourage more people to major in architecture. |
5 . Jack Prelutsky is an American poet. He is known for his humorous and fantastic poetry for children, which has earned him numerous awards.
Jack Prelutsky was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1940. As a child, he did not enjoy poetry, finding it boring and pointless. Instead, Prelutsky expressed his artistry through music, taking voice and piano lessons. While Prelutsky claims he got into poetry almost by accident, he also states that he was always a poet. It just took him some time to realize his love for poetry.
Prelutsky explored quite a few options before he found his niche in poetry. He was a folk singer and guitar teacher in Greenwich Village in his late teens and early twenties. Prelutsky also held a variety of odd jobs. He worked as a furniture mover, piano mover, taxicab driver, coal shoveler, fruit picker, truck driver and photographer, among other jobs.
At the age of 23, Prelutsky decided to try illustrating. Just before presenting his illustrations to a children’s book editor, he added a few lines of poetry to the pictures. The editor told him that the illustrations were not publishable but the poems showed the talent. Over the next months and years, Prelutsky worked with the editor to create a collection of animal poems inspired by his love of the Bronx Zoo. His first book, entitled A Gopher in the Garden and Other Animal Poems, was published in 1967.
In addition to writing, Prelutsky has edited various poetry collections and translated poetry from German and Swedish into English. He currently resides in Seattle, where he writes and performs his work. Prelutsky is considered one of the most popular children’s poets. His work pioneered a new era of children’s poetry. In 2006, the Poetry Foundation named Jack Prelutsky the first Children’s Poet Laureate, a position designed to promote poetry for children and raise awareness of the power and relevance of poetry for young people.
1. Why did Prelutsky dislike poetry in his early years?| A．It was too difficult. | B．He wasn’t good at it. |
| C．He thought it meaningless. | D．It took up too much of his time. |
| A．Mistake. | B．Dream | C．Comprehension. | D．Interest. |
| A．23. | B．27. | C．40. | D．66. |
| A．To introduce a poet. | B．To attract poetry lovers. |
| C．To display some excellent poems. | D．To encourage readers to write poems. |
1. When did Albert Bierstadt move to America?
| A．In 1830. | B．In 1831. | C．In 1832. |
| A．He focused on improving his drawing skills. |
| B．He held exhibitions in different countries. |
| C．He started to work as an art teacher. |
| A．To visit his sick family member. |
| B．To get inspiration for his paintings. |
| C．To engage in environmental protection. |
7 . Born in Anhui Province, Tao Xingzhi (October18, 1891-July 25, 1946) was one of the greatest educationalists, social activists and patriots in modern China. When he was young, Tao lived in a poverty-stricken area and had witnessed miserable life of Chinese people, especially that of the peasants who accounted for 80% of the nation’s population, under the suppression of foreign invaders (外国侵略者的压迫) at that time.
After graduating from Nanjing University as the top student with the highest scores in all courses, Tao set out for the US to further his education. At first, he studied politics in University of Illinois but soon he found that politics offered no help for saving the country, and then he changed his major into education.
Six-year experience abroad let Tao Xingzhi come to realize the sharp contrast between China and developed countries, and drove him to make up his mind to change the situation in China. Tao declined a number of invitations from many famous universities and gave up high salaries as a college professor. Instead, he set up Xiaozhuang Normal School in the countryside of Nanjing to develop educational cause in rural areas. When he returned to China from Japan in 1939, Tao set up Yu Cai School in Sichuan Province for the kids who lost their family in Anti-Japanese War (抗日战争). He picked out those with special talents and trained them to be useful men for the nation. Zhou Enlai, former Chinese premier, once paid a visit to this school and gave a high praise.
As an educationalist, Tao devoted his entire life to the educational-cause for Chinese. Quite different from other major educationalists at that time, Tao carried out life education and said that “life education means an education of life, by life and for life”. Because of overtoil (积劳成疾), he died on July 25, 1946 in Shanghai. Chairman Mao praised him as “a great educationalist for the people”. In memory of this great man, Tao Xingzhi Museum was built in Shanghai in 1986.
1. The underlined phrase “accounted for” in the first paragraph has the same meaning of the phrase “______”.| A．depended on | B．took up | C．carried out | D．put off |
| A．Mr Tao returned from Japan to China |
| B．Mr Tao set up Yu Cai School in Sichuan Province |
| C．Mr Tao picked out some with special talents and trained them |
| D．Mr Tao established Xiaozhuang Normal School in Nanjing |
| A．Tao Xingzhi’s great contribution | B．Tao Xingzhi’s diseases |
| C．Tao Xingzhi’s daily life | D．Tao Xingzhi’s educational theories |
| A．a tourist website | B．an entertainment website |
| C．an educational website· | D．a scientific research website |
8 . The New Year Honors list was published at the end of December 2023, rewarding more than 1,200 people for their outstanding achievements and helping others. Prime Minister Sunak said those honored are “an inspiration to us all”.
The list included well-known figures and ordinary people who have help cd their communities. Everyone is awarded one of a number of honors depending on what they have done, from a Knighthood or a Damehood to a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). These awards are given twice a year by the King.
Tony Hudgell, aged nine, became the youngest person to be awarded a New Year Honor. He was given a British Empire Medal(BEM) for his charity work to protect vulnerable (易受伤害的) children. Tony has raised £1.8 million for charity and successfully campaigned to update laws protecting children.
A transport worker called Rizwan Javed, who works at Ealing Broadway station in London,was awarded an MBE for helping people who are in difficult situations. Following special training with the Samaritans charity, Javed lea med to spot people who are struggling with mental health problems and have conversations with them to help them feel better. After learning of his award. Javed said, “I feel like this MBE award has given me the confidence to take it a step further to help people talk about mental health.”
Space scientist Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock, who is also the head of the University of Leicester, received a Damehood for services to science education and diversity. Goalkeeper Mary Earps was honored with an MBE and is one of three of the England women’s national football team to be recognized for their services to football. James Martin, an actor from Nor them Ireland, was awarded an M BE for his services to drama. When he found out about the honor. Martin said. “I couldn’t believe it — I was really happy.”
1. What do we know about the New Year Honors list according to the text?| A．It was released on December 12. | B．It rewards people who inspire us. |
| C．The awards are given by PM Sunak. | D．Children have no right to be honored. |
| A．He got some laws renewed. | B．He set up his own charity. |
| C．He had a big New Year celebration. | D．He wrote lots of laws about children. |
| A．Rizwan Javed. | B．Maggie Aderin-Pocock. |
| C．Mary Earps. | D．James Martin. |
| A．High-achieving people. | B．Ordinary people’s lives. |
| C．Community-focused charities. | D．Well-known campaigns in England. |
1. What made Chai Lin get his first bike?
| A．His own efforts. | B．His family’s help. | C．His successful business. |
| A．Education. | B．Fame. | C．Recreation. |
| A．Collect more antiques. | B．Produce new brand bikes. | C．Expand the exhibition area. |
1. How many books did Eric Carle create for children?
| A．Less than 55. | B．Over 70. | C．Almost 90. |
| A．The Grouchy Ladybug. | B．The Mixed-Up Chameleon. | C．The Very Hungry Caterpillar. |
| A．To make school more attractive. |
| B．To help children get inspiration. |
| C．To offer materials to teachers. |
