Question

One of America’s best-known artist colonies, the MacDowell Colony, will turn 110 next year. It is a place where artists of all types can sweep away distractions (令人分心的事物) and just create.

MacDowell’s operations are funded by foundations, corporations and individuals. Writers, composers, photographers, filmmakers and sculptors — both famous and unknown —compete for the 32 free studios at the place. Once accepted, an artist can stay for as little as a couple of weeks, or as long as a couple of months.

When they arrive, artists find a kind of isolation (隔绝) hard to find in our world. There’s no phone. No fax. No friends. No family. It’s just a cabin in the snowy woods.

Writer Emily Raboteau lives in New York City. She came to MacDowell to work on a novel. She received a desk, chairs, pencil and paper — and ice grippers. The walk from one isolated, one-room studio to another is icy, so colony residents (居住的人) fasten the ice grippers to the bottom of their shoes.

Another colony resident, Belfast composer Elaine Agnew, plays a piece called “To a Wild Rose,” written by Edward MacDowell. She says it’s so famous that every pianist in the world has played the tune. A hundred years ago, Macdowell owned the land where the colony now sits. He liked its isolation and his ability to get work done there. After his death, his wife, Marion, encouraged other artists to come.

And for the last century, artists have accepted the invitation, coming to step outside of their daily lives for a short time. Privacy is respected, but cooperation and discussion is common.

Screenwriter Kit Carson — who wrote Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and the film adaptation of Sam Shepherd’s play Paris, Texas — has visited MacDowell twice. He says that the interdisciplinary (学科间的) discussion there is valuable.

“You sit around at dinner, talking, and then somebody runs off and brings you back some stuff and shows it to you,” he says. “That, I didn’t realize, was part of the magic here, because people are really open to showing their opinions here.”

1.What do the colony residents have in common?

A. They find it hard to survive the loneliness.

B. They usually stay in the colony for months.

C. They are already famous in their own field.

D. They are nearly cut off from the outside world.

2.Why does the author mention Elaine Agnew?

A. To show the wide range of the residents.

B. To introduce the origin of the colony.

C. To admire her great musical talent.

D. To show respect for MacDowell.

3.Where does the magic of the MacDowell Colony lie according to Kit Carson?

A. It has a homely feel.    B. It values work-play balance.

C. It encourages privacy greatly.    D. It has an idea-sharing atmosphere.

4.What would be the best title for the text?

A. Wonderland for artists    B. Creativity at work

C. Happy birthday!    D. Power of silence

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.D

4.A

【解析】本文讲述了美国一个著名的艺术家的聚居地-MacDowell Colony，这是一个所有类型的艺术家都包括的地方。文章介绍了聚居地的特点，起源以及艺术家选择在这里创作的原因。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第三段“When they arrive, artists find a kind of isolation (隔绝) hard to find in our world. There’s no phone. No fax. No friends. No family. It’s just a cabin in the snowy woods”可知，这个艺术家聚居地是一个隔绝外界世界的地方，没有手机、传真、朋友及家人。故选D。

2.推理判断题。根据文章第五段“She says it’s so famous that every pianist in the world has played the tune. A hundred years ago, Macdowell owned the land where the colony now sits. He liked its isolation and his ability to get work done there. After his death, his wife, Marion, encouraged other artists to come.”可知，Elaine Agnew之前在Macdowell创作时发现这个地方清净，与世隔绝，他去世后，他的妻子也鼓励其他艺术家来此地创作。所以作者介绍Elaine Agnew是想介绍这个艺术家聚居地的起源。故选B。

3.细节理解题。根据文章最后一段“That, I didn’t realize, was part of the magic here, because people are really open to showing their opinions here.”可知，Kit Carson认为人们真的很愿意在这里展示他们的观点，这里有分享自己方法的氛围。故选D。

4.主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文讲述了美国一个著名的艺术家的聚居地-MacDowell Colony，介绍了它的起源以及艺术家选择在这里创作的原因。全文围绕着这个殖民地展开描述。故A项是最佳标题。

【名师点睛】主旨大意题类型中的标题选择题部分，标题的选择要遵循“精、准、全”三原则。“精”是指要用精炼的语言概括出文章的中心；“准”是指标题的选择要注意文章的外延和内涵，不能扩大或缩小文章的内容；“全”是指标题的选择应该排除掉那些片面的选项，而正确地选取能包含文章的主要内容及作者要表达的观点的选项。例如本篇文章第4小题，选择一个更好的标题。通读全文可知，本文讲述的有艺术家，有聚居地，有艺术性的创作。故排除CD选项。再次仔细阅读可知，本文主要是讲述的聚居地的特点，起源以及艺术家选择在这里创作的原因，而不是艺术家的创作。而且第一段开头“One of America’s best-known artist colonies, the MacDowell Colony, will turn 110 next year.”也点明了文章主题——艺术家的聚居地。故综合来看，A项标题更能涵盖全篇。故此题选A。