In a world facing increasing conflict and instability, a Chinese Canadian is sending messages of love and peace through his artwork.
William Ho, 60, who arrived in Canada from Hong Kong 42 years ago, teaches Chinese brush-painting near Toronto. The United Nations invited Ho to exhibit his art and his masterpiece at its headquarters in New York in 2006, and he then became a UN global partner. Ho has been doing Chinese art and Chinese brush-painting for more than 50 years and teaching for over 30. He has more than 3, 000 students from around the world.
“I actually started in Western art when I was younger, working in pencil drawing, oil painting, water color, etc. However, after I met Chinese brush-painting a couple of years later, my eyes and mind were enlightened,”Ho recalled. Chinese and Western artists should respect, appreciate and learn from each other. Ho said one of his missions (使命) is to bring Chinese culture“back to”the centre stage of the world, as it had been for thousands of years.
So one of the themes in Ho' s speeches delivered at UN Headquarters was“position well China, and position well the world". Ho said that some countries demand special treatment from the world or the international court in the name of democracy (民主) and freedom.“This mentality is sick, selfish and bad. The people of the world and Mother Nature are saying no to the greedy. In fact, the whole world cannot afford these types of demands. We as a global family wouldn' t allow this to happen."Ho said. Contrary to greed, Chinese culture believes that“less is more'”.
“Chinese culture has been enlightening the world through our art, literature, philosophy, medicine, technologies in astronomy, navigation and four great inventions,”Ho said.
1.What did Ho wish to do when he learned Chinese art?
A.To be UN's partner easier and earlier.
B.To make his artwork more enthusiastic.
C.To regain its leading position in the world.
D.To combine Chinese and Western culture in art.
2.What does Paragraph 4 mainly tell us?
A.Democracy and freedom.
B.Some country 's special demand.
C.A famous Chinese proverb.
D.Ho's opinion about cultural exchanges.
3.What does Ho think of artwork according to the passage?
A.A tool for glory and money.
B.The carrier of culture.
C.A way to the world center.
D.A stage for artists.
4.What's the best title for the passage?
A.An Artist Whose Heart Beats for World
B.A Chinese Painting Lover
C.A Pioneer Who Promotes Chinese Culture
D.A Famous UN Global Partner
Jo Usmar is a writer for Cosmopolitan and co-author of the lifestyle books. Here she picks her top reads.
Frankly in Love by David Yoon
There are some books I would never pick up if it weren' t for review purposes and Frankly in Love is one of therm. I bad heard of this book and seen it all over Goodreads.
Within the first few pages of this book, I was all in. I think part of what was so engaging is that it's from he viewpoint of Frank Li, a teen of high school.
Game of Stars by Sayantani Dasgupta
Just like any 12-year-old girl, Kiran is just tying to figure out who she is. Unlike other 12-year-old girls, however, she has to0 deal with titles like "princess and "demon slayer (魔鬼杀手)”. She happens to be a princess from the Kingdom Beyond, a world where gods and demons existed. Now it is up to her to save the kingdom and be the hero.
Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
This is a remarkable book. The depth of the story went far beyond my expectations. The author paints a picture of Lincoln, a portrait (肖像) of strength, determination, and sacrifice in the face of personal and national disaster. Although some readers may find it rude to use a great leader of the United States in a fictional action book for entertainment, Grahame Smith tries to preserve an air of dignity and honor in the character of Lincoln.
1.What does the book Frankly in Love probably show to readers?
A.A world in a teen's eye.
B.The building of a new country.
C.The life of a famous politician.
D.Ways of becoming a top student.
2.If you don't like to read about sex, which do you prefer?
A.Frankly in Love
B.Game of Stars
C.Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
D.Cosmopolitan
3.What is special about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter?
A.It's about a romantic painter.
B.It is a collection of pictures.
C.It' s about a country leader.
D.It tells the true life of the author.
Directions: Write an English composition in 120-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
假设你是明启中学学生张华，你的朋友李明来信。在信中他提到他母亲不论在旅游时还是在生活中，总是未经许可就把他的照片发到微信朋友圈（WeChat Moments),这让他十分烦恼。请你写一封回信，给李明提一些具体的建议并说明理由。
Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
1.弘扬中华民族的美德，并不意味着我们不需要与时俱进。(mean)
2.出于安全考虑，任何账户的密码都应该包括字母、数字和符号。(concern)
3.尽管最后期限延长了一个月，研究团队仍需调整策略，以便如期完成项目。(so that)
4.很多医生表情严肃说着难懂的术语，但张医生是个例外，他做事脚踏实地，话语浅显幽默，赢得了公众的认可。(whose)
Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s)of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
Building a Greener Future
Year after year, Earth's precious resources are becoming increasingly scarce. Still people need materials to build new houses, office buildings and schools. There's only one solution to this problem: do more with less. That's what sustainable construction is all about. Advocates of sustainable construction believe the entire building process can be done without harming the environment, and by doing so, the earth is kept sustainable for future generations. To make these green buildings possible, however, the process must be implemented from the beginning.
Picture a city government that wants to build a green office building. The first thing these city planners would do is select a site with a small environmental impact. Ideally, they would choose a site that had already been developed, thus keeping the forests and grasslands protected.
Next, city planners would turn their attention toward the construction process. Only green materials could be used to build their office towers. These include wood, steel, and other materials that have been recycled from destroyed buildings. If possible, they have been manufactured, recovered, or resourced locally. The closer that these green materials are to the construction site, the less energy is wasted getting them to where they're needed.
Maintenance costs are the next important factors that need to be considered. City planners would design heating and cooling systems that use as little energy as possible. They would fit solar roof panels that will absorb the heat from the sun to power the building. Toilets and sinks designed to minimize water waste would be fitted throughout the building. These efficiencies don't just help to protect the environment; they can save money over the long run as well.
After all this was finished, the city planners would relax and maybe even throw a party. They have designed a building that was green at every step--the golden rule of sustainable construction.
Bringing Light to the Darkness with Crisco Art
Most paintings are best enjoyed in galleries with good lighting. But an Italian artist who goes by the name Crisco is changing the way we look at paintings with a new approach: glow (发光）－in-the-dark paint.
Crisco's paintings are beautiful in normal lighting, but it is when the lights go down that they really come alive. 1. His art mostly shows landscapes. Trees, horizons, and especially starry skies come alive with the glow of his paints. At the center of most of his work, there is often a human or animal figure. The figure may be just a shadow surrounded by the glowing colors, but it often appears to be the source of the light. 2.
Instead, they are all bright pictures of hope, life, wonder, and growth. They are Crisco's way of adding a little light to the world.
Crisco's full name is Cristoforo Scorpiniti. 3.Instead of letting a negative experience get the best of him, he threw himself into a new pursuit: art. According to Crisco, he paints with glowing colors to inspire hope. Though his paintings often show night scenes that look good in the dark, Crisco does not focus on the darkness. Instead, he uses his paintings to express positivity by creating light in the darkness.
A lot of his best work has come out of just painting what he felt at the time without any plan or structure. 4.With over half a million followers on Instagram, Crisco is already popular on social media for his unique paintings. He'll surely only get more famous in the future for his inspiring paintings that beautifully mix darkness and light.
A.In addition to painting on canvas, Crisco also paints on musical instruments.
B.However, no matter what the scene is, none of the paintings focus on the darkness.
C.His paintings take you on an unknown adventure into an unknown space, reminding you to be alert and brave.
D.Through the use of glowing paint, he brings a sense of magic and energy to the scenes that he creates.
E.Studies have shown that expressing themselves through art can help people with depression and anxiety.
F.As a self-taught artist, he found his passion for art at a dark time in his life when he found himself suddenly out of work.
