Each different part of China has its own special forms of traditional art. These usually try to represent the things that are important in life such as love, beauty and family. The most common things, from paper to clay to bamboo, are turned into objects of beauty.
According to Chinese history, sky lanterns were first used by Zhuge Kongming. He sent them out to ask for help when in troub
le. Today, sky lanterns are used at festivals and other celebrations. They are made of bamboo and covered with paper. When the lanterns are lit, they slowly rise into the air like small hot-air balloons for all to see. They are seen as bright symbols of happiness and good wishes.
Paper cutting has been around for more than 1,500 years. Paper cutting sounds very easy but it can be difficult to do. The paper, usually red, is folded before it is cut with scissors. The most common pictures are flowers, fish, animals, and things about Chinese history. During the Spring Festival, they are put on windows, doors and walls as symbols of wishes for good luck and a happy new year.
Chinese clay art is famous because the clay pieces are so small but they look very real. The pieces are carefully shaped by hand from a very special kind of clay and then allowed to air-dry. After drying, they are fired at a very high heat. They are then polished and painted. Finally, materials such as wood or paper are added to make different things. It takes several weeks to complete everything. These small pieces of clay art show the love that all Chinese people have for life and beauty.
Beauty in____1____Things
Passage outline | Supporting details |
____2____ | Some traditional Chinese art forms which are made of common objects ____3____ for things that are important in life |
Sky lanterns | They are made of bamboo and paper. They were used for asking for help when people first invented them. Now, they are used to celebrate festivals as symbols of happiness and g |
Paper cutting
| It is made of paper. It has a long history of over 1,500 years. It appears in different_____4_____ , such as flowers, fish, animals and so on. It represents good wishes for the Spring Festival. |
Chinese clay art | It is made of clay. It looks very real though it is small. It takes_____5_____four steps to finish after being shaped carefully by hand. It shows love for life and beauty. |
完成句子（每小题2分，满分10分）
1.We don’t have enough chairs. We ________________________________（还需要三把椅子）.
2.Hard work helps us __________________________________________（实现我们的梦想）.
3.It provides ___________________________________（为贫困地区的儿童提供基础教育）.
4.You_________________________( 再怎么小心也不为过 ) when you are getting across the street．
5.If we _________________________（在公共场所扔垃圾）, we ___________________（会被罚款）.
选词填空（每题1分，共10分）
true; in one's fifties; patient; out of control; wolf
destroy; catch; consider; wait; ride;
1.Millie is a(n) ______________ girl. She can get angry easily.
2.____________________ belong to the dog family, living and hunting together.
3.---- How many people were badly hurt in the accident?
---- Three, including two teenage boys and a woman ______________________.
4.I am ________________ sorry to hear that several hundred people died in last month’s South Korean ferry disaster
5.----What happened just now?
----The truck went ________________and hit a tree by the road.
6.I hope that you __________________ the effect it will have on your family before you decide to leave your job.
7.— Why didn’t you turn up at yesterday’s meeting?
— Because I___________________ for my uncle at the airport, and the plane was two hours late.
8.They are mending the door, and they are wondering who ____________________ it?
9.Mrs Merrick always ____________________ to work in the past, but now she drives a car.
10.Through this story, our teacher wanted to tell us a lesson — The early bird ____________ the worm.
Why do people wear clothes? Your answer may be to keep w1. and to cover the body. That’s why people wear clothes, but people also want to look attractive and appear successful to others.
If people wear clothes only for warmth and to cover their bodies, most clothes would be simple and c2. . In many countries, however, clothes are sometimes very expensive. The main reason for this is not the cost of the materials or the cost of making clothes. The clothes are expensive because of fashion.
Successful businessmen, for example, often wear very expensive suits, shirts and ties. So they p3. thousands of dollars for a suit and hundreds of dollars for a tie. It’s still just a suit and a tie, but they pay these prices because of the famous designs.
Fashion is constantly (持续不断地) changing. It means that people who want to be fashionable have to buy new clothes every few months, even if last month’s clothes have only been worn once or t4.. Some people have boxes f5. of clothes, but some of these clothes have never been worn. These clothes are no longer in fashion though they are still new.
A. 根据括号中的中文提示、英文释义或句意，写出句中所缺单词，使句子通顺。
1.After finishing high school, my brother went to study in Tsinghua, one of the most famous ____________________ (大学) in the world.
2.Like many famous scientists, Marie Curie __________________（献身，致力于）herself to the study of science.
3.We are expecting the superstar’s arrival with ______________________. (激动)
4.Mr. Li is ______________ (解释)to us how to organize our ideas according to the type of writing.
5.My parents are very ______________________ with me. They always ask me to go home immediately after school.
What do you see when you look at abstract art？Does it make sense to you? Does it look like anything? Is it supposed to be like …?
Abstract art became popular in the early 20th century. Artists did not want to paint, draw, or sculpt things exactly like they looked. They didn’t want their art to be realistic. They were more interested in basic shapes and colours.
Picasso is probably the most famous of these artists. He painted and drew in many, many styles. Sometimes he used a lot of blue colours (his “blue period”). Later, he used more red and pink colours (his “rose period”). Many of his other paintings are called “cubist” because they are made of painted squares.
After a long time, Picasso’s paintings became more and more abstract. He painted people and things using strange shapes. His work was so original that many of his fellow artists didn’t understand it.
Kandinsky, another famous artist, used lines, shapes, and patterns to paint his subjects. His paintings also used strong colours to express feelings.
Other artist like the surrealists, were interested in subconscious(潜意识). Painters like Breton and Magritte used many symbols in their works. The meaning or subject of their work wasn’t always clear. Dali, another surrealist artist, painted pictures that look like dreams.
There are still many abstract artists around the world. That’s the way many artists prefer. They want each person to look at art and find their own meaning in it.
1.Which would be most like abstract art?
A. A painting of a house.
B. A sculpture of a car.
C. A drawing of two people in a coffee house.
D. A red and blue painting, with no clear subject.
2.What happened to Picasso’s work after a long time?
A. It became more abstract.
B. It became less original.
C. He only painted with coloured squares.
D. He went from using red colours to using blue colours.
3.How did Kandinsky express feelings?
A. By using colours and shapes. B. By painting with a lot of symbols.
C. By painting realistic people. D. By painting in red and pink colours.
4.Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Picasso painted in many different styles.
B. Dali was interested in dreams.
C. Abstract artists feel each work of art only has one meaning.
D. Magritte’s art was full of symbols.
