The term modern art sounds like it means art that is popular at the moment, but in fact, modern art is a style that originated over 150 years ago, and includes artists that by now have attained classic status, such as Picasso, Matisse, and Gauguin. And what’s even more ironic (讽刺的) is that the movement they pioneered, considered revolutionary at the time, was inspired largely by an object of a traditional and ancient design.
As far back as the Renaissance, the primary European art movements emphasized conventional representation and adherence (遵循) to classical forms. But that began to change in the late 19th century as artists like Van Gogh and Cezanne expanded the boundaries of painting. Soon, a movement arose that sought to create an entirely new style of art, and one way of doing so was to look beyond Western civilization.
Henri Matisse showed his friend Picasso a mask he had acquired made by the Dan tribe of the Ivory Coast. The mask awoke Picasso’s curiosity, leading him to visit the Trocadero Ethnographic Museum in Paris in 1907. The visit was eye-opening for Picasso, who declared that African masks were what painting was all about. At this time, Picasso had been working on a painting of five naked women in a style that would later come to be known as Cubism. And while three of these ladies show facial features found in ancient Iberian art, a nod to Picasso’s Spanish heritage, the faces of the two on the right closely resemble African masks. Created in 1907 after hundreds of sketches and studies, “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” has been considered the first truly 20th century masterpiece, breaking with many previously held notions in art.
Inspiration from ancient cultures started one of the most revolutionary movements in art history, but were these artists playing the role of explorers or conquerors, stealing ideas and profiting from cultures they considered primitive? Questions like this deserve scrutiny (审查), as artists continue to redefine standards. Perhaps not too long from now, the bold innovations (单新) of modern art will be overturned by a new set of pioneers drawing inspiration from another unlikely source.
1.The style of European art didn’t experience any changes until__________
A.artists turned to nature for inspiration.
B.artists looked beyond western civilization.
C.artists began to emphasize self-expression.
D.artists expanded the boundaries of painting.
2.What can we learn about “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon”?
A.It combined different cultural elements.
B.Its distinctive style invited much criticism.
C.It broke away from all conventional styles.
D.It was inspired by a visit to the Ivory Coast.
3.What does the author try to convey in the last paragraph?
A.Artistic creation involves imitation and innovation.
B.The pioneering role of modern artists is questionable.
C.Drawing inspiration from different cultures is essential.
D.It’s vital that the standards of art should change constantly.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.A Glimpse into Modern European Art
B.The Pioneering Figures of Modern Art
C.Why We Should Redefine Modern Art
D.How Ancient Art Influenced Modern Art
The new year is the moment when people vow to improve their fitness. They join gyms, swear off alcohol and adopt healthier diets. These resolutions usually do not last beyond January.
But some employers try to help their workers stick to their goals by offering “wellness” programmes. One of the longest-running examples began in 1979 at Johnson&Johnson (j&j), an American health-care company. The plan promotes weight loss, smoking quitting and efforts to reduce blood pressure. The firm claims it reduced medical costs by $400 an employee per year, and resulted in fewer workers suffering from heart disease or high blood pressure.
Yet an examination of the data by Martin Cherniack of the University of Connecticut found that in 2005-08, a sharp jump in alcohol use, depression and stress among j&j employees occurred. This coincided with a period when the firm had a target of lifting productivity by 9% a year. So the employees may have been leaner and fitter, but it is possible that workplace pressure to produce more meant greater stress.
All this suggests that employee well-being is a rather more complex topic than can be tackled by a programme devoted to exercise and healthy living. A study by Rand Europe, a research institute, found that obvious bad habits such as smoking and high alcohol use were in fact not associated with lower productivity, while obese workers were no more likely to take time off than anyone else. The biggest productivity problems were associated with lack of sleep, financial concerns and mental-health issues-factors that may well be directly linked to work-related stress.
It seems reasonable for companies to expect some level of economic return from any wellness programme that they provide. But the trade-off should not be too blatant. Making employees fitter so you can work them a lot harder seems rather like drilling your infantry (野战军) on a course before sending them to face the machine guns. A better impact on morale (士气) (and thus productivity) might occur if workers felt that their managers had a genuine interest in their welfare.
1.What does the author want to tell us by the example of Johnson&Johnson?
A.A healthy lifestyle can contribute to higher productivity.
B.Caring for employees’ physical health is of great importance.
C.A health program is not enough to improve employee well-being.
D.A wellness program benefits both the company and the employees.
2.What does the study by Rand Europe indicate?
A.Certain living habits help improve motivation.
B.Work-related pressure is to blame for low productivity.
C.Financial concerns have nothing to do with productivity.
D.Obesity is associated with lower attendance in the workplace.
3.What does the underlined word “blatant” mean?
A.Challenging.
B.Effective.
C.Flexible.
D.Obvious.
4.What’s the purpose of this text?
A.To recommend a new way of increasing profits.
B.To compare various factors affecting productivity.
C.To question some practice in business management.
D.To urge employers to improve health care programs.
I waited until my Ph. D. committee had left the room to break down. I had just failed my dissertation proposal defense (学位论文答辩)－a poor start to my fourth year of grad school (研究生院). My committee members had told me that my experiments were too small-scale, my ideas not deep enough. I realize now that they were pushing me because they believed in me. But at that moment, all I could hear was the voice in my head telling me that I’d failed.
For the next 4 months, I lacked focus at work. I no longer double-checked my experiments, and I had trouble finding the energy to even think about re-writing my proposal.
Actually, the outcome of my proposal defense wasn’t the only cause of my slump. After some thought, it dawned on me that I had been putting undue pressure on myself throughout grad school. To believe I was making good progress, I needed external validation-an award, positive results, or praise from professors I respected. When I didn’t get those things at every opportunity, I felt I was not on the right track. When I didn’t pass the defense, the failure confirmed my self-doubts. Eventually, as my loss of confidence became a bigger problem, I knew that I had to do something about it.
I decided that I needed to set healthier standards for myself. I did not have control over how much praise I received. The only thing I had control over, I realized, was the effort I put forth.
I went into my second proposal defense with a much more positive mindset (思维模式) along with grander experiments in my proposal and passed. I’m pleased to report that my new approach has helped me regain confidence in myself — and my work — and I’m more productive as a result. I hope that I can help other students realize that external validation is not always guaranteed, and if they are doing their best, that is good enough.
1.What directly leads to the failure of the author’s first defense?
A.Imperfection of his proposal.
B.His negative mindset.
C.The committee’s lack of confidence.
D.The choice of his experiments.
2.What can we learn about the author from paragraph 3?
A.He was under a lot of pressure from his parents.
B.He made progress with the help of his professor.
C.He used to overemphasize the recognition he got.
D.Getting positive results helped him get over shyness.
3.Which word can best describe the author?
A.Adaptable.
B.Ambitious.
C.Generous.
D.Outgoing.
4.What does the text mainly tell us?
A.We should spend more time reflecting.
B.We should be thankful for our failures.
C.We should focus more on our own effort.
D.We should keep calm in the face of failure.
The Weirdest Restaurants In The World
Regardless of the occasion, we all have our favorite restaurant to dine at, the fifth-generation Italian pizzeria in the corner, or the traditional diner that looks so run down yet serves delicious food. But just how weird can restaurants get? You’ll be amazed, so keep reading.
Ithaa, Maldives.
One of the most beautiful restaurants in the world, Ithaa is located fully under the sea and offers spectacular views to anyone brave enough to book a table. You can dine with fish all around you and enjoy a 180-degree panoramic (全景的) view. The menu is, as you might have guessed, seafood based.
O. Noir, Canada.
O. Noir in Canada is the first restaurant to introduce the concept of dining in the dark. The idea is that when our sense of sight is lost, others are heightened, so eating in the dark can only mean we’re more focused on the taste, smells and flavors than Instagram filters.
Duke’s Last Resort, US.
Duke's Last Resort is not a restaurant for sensitive people. Staff here get paid to be rude to the customers. Duke's Last Resort is famous for bad words, mocking customers and basically telling them they're cheap when they only order tap water.
The Shed, Dulwich.
One of the weirdest restaurants in the world is this one which doesn’t exist. How come? A journalist by the name of Oobah Butler decided to pull a gastronomic prank (美食恶作剧) and ended up having his fake restaurant ranked number one in London on TripAdvisor. A fried egg on a heel, a sponge covered in paint and some round-shaped power bleach powder are use some of the dishes that built The Shed’s high reputation.
1.Which restaurant can you go to if you want your experience to be all about the food?
A.Ithaa, Maldives.
B.O. Noir, Canada.
C.Duke’s Last Resort, US.
D.The Shed, Dulwich.
2.What is special about “The Shed”?
A.It is not a real restaurant.
B.It serves food in unique ways.
C.It serves really delicious food.
D.It is famous for its modern style.
3.Where is the text most likely from?
A.A menu.
B.A diary.
C.A novel.
D.A magazine.
假定你是某校高三学生李华，在最近几次英语考试中，书面表达部分得分较低。请给你的英国笔友Jim写封邮件，寻求他的帮助。
要点如下:
1. 自己的困难和困惑；
2. 希望得到帮助。
注意: 1. 字数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Jim,
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加: 在缺词处加一个漏字符号（Λ），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除: 把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改: 在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:
1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I like varieties of sports but basketball is my favorite. Taught how to play basketball from my father, I became very interesting in it. I had never stopped playing it ever since then. Basketball can bring me much pleasure and keep me excited, provide me with different kind of other benefits. For instance, as a team sport, basketball can train me how to cooperate with others. I often play basketball with your teammates every weekend improve my skills and prepare for basketball competitions. General speaking, basketball is such a fun that I hope all of us can enjoy the pleasure of playing basketball.
