Question

    This year marks the 170th anniversary of Paul Gauguin’s birth. He lived for just 54 years but he packed his brief life with activity.

The French painter spent his early childhood in Peru before returning to France. As an adult, he continued to travel a lot. Most famously, he spent much of the last decade of his life in Tahiti, an island in southern Pacific Ocean. Indeed, Gauguin is best known for his colorful paintings of Tahitians and their culture.

The restlessness of this great painter has been normal among modern artists since the middle of the 19th century. They’re never satisfied for long with a certain style or way of life. Once something becomes conventional, it’s turned down.

The artistic culture that Gauguin developed from was that of Impressionism (印象派). Painters like Claude Monet had wanted to paint how they saw the world, not how their teachers taught them it should be seen. Gauguin, and similar artists like his friend Vincent van Gogh, moved even further away from “respectable” art than the Impressionists. For them, it was not simply a matter of seeing the world differently, but feeling and thinking about it differently, too.

Gauguin saw, felt and thought differently from most members of European society. He thought that European culture was too fancy and not spontaneous. This is why he turned to the traditions of other parts of the world, like Africa, and, eventually, Tahiti. Artists like Gauguin used the word “primitive” for these cultures, but not as a negative term. For him, Europe, in becoming modem, industrial and scientific, seemed less natural than other parts of the world.

In truth, Gauguin’s paintings may be unconventional but they are certainly not “primitive”. They are the work of a painter with great awareness of what he was doing. It was this awareness that made him such an important painter for those that came after, in the 20th century. When we look closely at the works of Gauguin we begin to understand Pablo Picasso, and especially Henri Matisse, a little better.

1.What can we infer about Gauguin’s life?

A. He had an unhappy childhood. B. He lived most of his life in Peru.

C. He enjoyed painting in Tahiti. D. He preferred a traditional life style.

2.What’s the main purpose of Paragraph 4?

A. To explain why Gauguin’s works were popular.

B. To point out where Gauguin’s inspiration came from.

C. To show Gauguin’s different understanding of painting.

D. To compare Gauguin’s painting style with Vincent van Gogh’s.

3.Which of the following best explains “spontaneous” underlined in Paragraph 5?

A. Natural. B. Modern. C. Industrial. D. Scientific.

4.The author mentions Picasso and Matisse in the last paragraph to show ________.

A. their styles are different from Gauguin’s B. great artists share many similarities

C. they are as important as Gauguin D. Gauguin’s influence on their works

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.A

4.D

【解析】

本文是一篇人物传记。今年是Gauguin诞辰170周年。他只活了54年，但他短暂的一生充满了活力。这篇文章介绍了著名画家Gauguin的生平及其作品。

1.推理判断题。根据最后一段最后一句Indeed, Gauguin is best known for his colorful paintings of Tahitians and their culture.“事实上，Gauguin最为人所知的是他对塔希提人和他们的文化的丰富多彩的绘画。”可知，他喜欢在塔希提岛画画。故选C。

2.段落大意题。根据第四段中The artistic culture that Gauguin developed from was that of Impressionism (印象派).“Gauguin发展起来的艺术文化是印象派”和Gauguin, and similar artists like his friend Vincent van Gogh, moved even further away from “respectable” art than the Impressionists.“Gauguin和他的朋友文森特·梵高(Vincent van Gogh)等类似艺术家比印象派画家更远离“受人尊敬的”艺术。”可知第四段的目的是“展示Gauguin对绘画的不同理解。”故选C。

3.词义猜测题。根据第五段最后一句For him, Europe, in becoming modem, industrial and scientific, seemed less natural than other parts of the world.“在他看来，欧洲在走向现代化、工业化和科学化的过程中，似乎没有世界其他地区那么自然。”由此推知He thought that European culture was too fancy and not spontaneous. 中划线词的意思是“自然的”。故选A。

4.推理判断题。根据It was this awareness that made him such an important painter for those that came after, in the 20th century. When we look closely at the works of Gauguin we begin to understand Pablo Picasso, and especially Henri Matisse, a little better.“正是这种意识使他成为20世纪后来者的重要画家。当我们仔细观察Gauguin的作品时，我们开始更好地理解毕加索，尤其是马蒂斯。”可知，作者在最后一段中提到了毕加索和马蒂斯，以展示Gauguin对他们作品的影响。故选D。