Victor Hugo, 1802 -1885, was a celebrated French literary giant. After the British and French invaders(入侵者) bad burnt the Winter Palace(圆明园) in October, 1860, he wrote a reply to an officer named Bartlette one year later.
Sir, you ask me what I think of the expedition(远征) to China. You must feel that it was laudable. In your opinion, the expedition, performed under the joint banner(联合旗帜) of Queen Victoria and Emperor Napoleon, was nothing short of a British-French glory. Therefore, you would like to know to what extent I appreciate this glory. Since you ask, I will answer as follows:
In a corner of the world there existed a man-made miracle - the Winter Palace. Art has two sources: one, an ideal, from which has come European art; two, fancy, from which has come Easter art. The Winter Palace belongs in the art of fancy. The Winter Palace, indeed, was the fruit of all of the art that an almost superman race could have fancied.
For whom was the Winter Palace built, after all? Eventually, for the people. Because as time passes by, all that the people has made remains in the possession of mankind. Great artists, poets, philosophers - they all knew about the Winter Palace. Voltaire once talked about it. Many people at different times compared the Winter Palace to the Parthenon, the Pyramids, the Arena, the Notre Dame. If they could not see the Winter Palace with their own eyes, they could dream about it- as if in the distance they saw a breath-taking masterpiece of art as they had never known before – as if there above the horizon of European civilization was towering the outline of Asian civilization.
Now, the miracle is no more! One day, two pirates broke into it One of them robbed; the other set every building and everything in it on fire! Judging by what they did, we know that the victors could degenerate into robbers. The two of them fell to dividing between themselves the treasure. What great victories they had won! What a heaven-sent fortune! One stuffed his pockets full to overflowing; the other filled in his bags with treasure. Then, hand in hand they made of, laughing happily.
Incidentally, I must thank you for giving me the opportunity to accuse. The rulers commit crimes but the ruled do not. The government becomes a robber, but the people will never.
France has gained a large portion of the treasure. Now, she thinks herself the rightful owner of the property财物), and she is displaying the riches of the Winter Palace! I can only hope that there will come one day when France will disburden herself of the heavy load on her conscience and clean herself off the crime by returning to China all the treasure taken from the Winter Palace.
Sit, such is my praise of the expedition to China.
1.Mr. Hugo wrote this letter mainly to_________.
A.show his praise of the expedition to China in reply to Bartlette’s request
B.persuade French officers to return the treasure taken from the Winter Palace
C.prove people hold different attitudes towards the burning of the Winter Palace
D.express his anger and condemnation over the burning of the Summar Palace
2.What does the underlined word “laudable” most probably mean?
A.praiseworthy B.violent C.unreasonable D.abundant
3.In the 4th paragraph Victor Hugo mentioned the Parthenon, the Pyramids, the Arena and the Notre Dame in order to_________,
A.compare different architectural styles
B.praise European and African civilization
C.introduce some more famous buildings to Bartlette
D.emphasize the civilizational value of the Winter Palace
4.“Two pirates” in Paragraph 5 refers to__________.
A.Bartlette and his fellow B.Bartlette and Great Britain
C.France and Great Britain D.the rulers and the ruled
5.We can infer that when Batlette got the letter from Victor Hugo, he might have felt _________.
A.satisfied B.proud C.disappointed D.frightened
Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) is one of the most popular of the Post-Impressionist painters. He is famed for the great vitality of his works which are characterized by expressive and emotive use of brilliant color and energetic application of impastoed (厚原料的) paint.
Below are some famous pictures painted by Vincent and the poetic lyrics(歌词) to Don McLean’s hit song Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) in the famous cartoon film 《Loving Vincent》 .
Vincent Starry, starry night, Paint your palette(画板) blue and grey, Look out on a summer’s day, With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.
Shadows on the hills, Sketch the trees and the daffodils, Catch the breeze and the winter chill, In colors on the snowy linen land.
Now I understand What you tried to say to me How you suffered for your sanity(精神正常) How you tied to set them free. They would not listen They did not know how Perhaps they'll listen now.
Starry, starry night. Flaming flowers that brightly blaze, Swirling clouds in violet haze(阴霾,疑惑), Reflect in Vincent’s eyes of china blue. Colors changing hue, morning. field of amber(黄色的) grain, Weathered faces lined in pain, Are soothed(抚慰) beneath the artist’s loving hand.
For they could not love you, But still your love was true. And when no hope was left in sight On that starry, starry night, You took your life, as lovers often do. But I could have told you, Vincent, This world was never meant for one As beautiful as you.
Now I think I know what you tried to say to me, How you suffered for your sanity, How you tried to set them free. They would not listen, They're not listening sill Perhaps they never will… |
the sunflowers |
Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear | |
the Yellow House | |
Starry Night | |
Head of a Peasant Woman | |
The Potato Eaters |
1.What attitude does the writer of the song have towards Van Gogh?
A.Prejudiced and changeable. B.Admiring and understanding.
C.Doubtful but respectful. D.Positive but contradictory.
2.According to the song, Van Gogh was__________.
A.good at drawing on starry nights B.murdered by one of his lovers
C.a person full of love and beauty D.popular with people when be was alive
3.Which of the following belong to the four famous pictures of Van Gogh’s mentioned in the underlined parts in 4th paragraph?
A.The sunflowers, the Potato Eaters
B.Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear, Head of a Peasant Woman
C.the Potato Eaters, the Yellow House
D.Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear, Wheat Field with Crows
After winning five Grammy trophies(格莱美奖) at this year’ awards ceremony, Finneas O'Connell became a name at the tip of everybody’s tongue - mostly in relation to his younger sister, pop superstar Billie Eilish, but increasingly in his own right too.
The 22-year-old Los Angeles native is most famously known to have produced and co-written his sister Eilish’s album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?.
Along the way, O'Connell has marched to his own beat and presented a sound that is unlike anything else that can be found currently on official music charts or on the airwaves. Weird-pop, Gothic-pop, Avant-pop(先锋派流行音乐), Art-pop. Even by using these definitive terms(称号), critics still can't pin down(解释清楚) O'Connell. And even if they try, be simply rejects the terms.
O'Connell and Eilish were home -schooled by their actor- musician parents. O'Connell entered show business as a child actor. From Bad Teacher and his mother’s Life Inside Out to comedy favorite Modern Family and musical TV series Glee, he knew not to let his personality get in the way of his acting roles.
Talent definitely runs in the family. O'Connell’s fondness for music was instilled(逐渐灌输) in him from a young age. “We have never stressed getting a job and making a living,” his father said, “If we modeled anything, it was being broke and artsy(附庸风雅的).”
Not forgetting his acting roots, O'Connell uses film as a metaphor(隐喻) to describe the current climate of music and has expressed this with singles-only releases. “Music singles are like [blockbuster] movies made by film studios to carry the independent films. There’s Avengers music. Even though I think Avengers is great, my favorite movie is The Social Network, I’d rather make music that feels kind of like that.”
O’Connell is working in music full-time now, preparing Eilish s next album and his own full-length album while experimenting and learning more production ideas and sounds. But Finneas the actor will not turn down acting gigs(临时工作) if an ideal role is offered.
1.What can we say about Finneas O'Connell?
A.He has his own musical style. B.He prefers acting to writing music.
C.He is a hardworking and considerate man. D.He will only focus on music in the future.
2.Which of the following is right?
A.Billie Eilish’s father loves her more.
B.Billie Bilish is an actor and singer now.
C.Finncas O'connell’s parents educated him at home.
D.Finneas O'connell’s mother wanted him to live on music.
3.What can we infer from the article?
A.A good medicine tastes bitter. B.The role of gene is powerful.
C.Music is the mother of all arts. D.School education often ruins a talent.
4.The author writes this article to__________.
A.express his admiration for a famous star B.report entertaining information to readers
C.emphasize the importance of family love D.discuss the secret to success with readers
假定你是李华。你的英国朋友George对中国饮食文化很感兴趣，在来信中想请你就“如何学做中国菜”给出建议。请你用英语回信，要点如下：
1.询问近况；
2.提出建议；
3.表达祝愿。
注意：
1.词数100—120左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
After four silent years, the 27-year-old has finally introduced herself to the world again with Hello, the opening song from her third album 25. The album will ________ on Nov 20. As soon as her comeback single debuted (首发) on Oct 23, Hello ________ became the most downloaded song on the iTunes charts in 85 different countries, and ________ the record for the most views on the video website Vevo in 24 hours.
Although Adele is a very ________ singer now, music wasn’t always ________ she saw herself doing. At age 10, when she saw her grandmother’s ________ over the death of Adele’s grandfather, she ________ herself as a heart surgeon (外科医生). “I wanted to fix people’s hearts,” she said, remembering the childhood ________ she’d had in biology classes ________ she found out that her real talent was for singing.
Adele didn’t go to medical school, but many would ________ that she still has healing powers. Her songs find “the kind of memory every listener holds somewhere in their ________ .This kind of emotion is what people have always liked in Adele”, said The Telegraph. “She writes a pop diary, ________ the simple secrets of her heart.”
________ , Adele keeps her own diaries of her albums. Most successful pop stars make albums at a fast pace, but not Adele. After her second album 21____the 2012 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, she made it ___with her label that she would spend “four or five years” making her next album. “I’m in it for the long run,” she told Vogue magazine. “You’re only as ________ as your next record.”
Instead of chasing ________, Adele moved to the countryside and remained ________ . In her free time, she loved to watch TV ________ Teen Mom, American Horror Story, and The Walking Dead. Living life as normally as possible is ________ to the singer’s art.
1.A.carry on B.come out C.settle down D.turn up
2.A.slightly B.briefly C.approximately D.quickly
3.A.broke B.consulted C.sought D.measured
4.A.familiar B.successful C.modest D.considerate
5.A.that B.which C.what D.when
6.A.attention B.relief C.fault D.pain
7.A.pictured B.spotted C.reminded D.forgave
8.A.devotion B.belief C.interest D.scene
9.A.once B.until C.as though D.now that
10.A.argue B.admire C.appreciate D.agree
11.A.heart B.life C.childhood D.generation
12.A.hiding B.earning C.sharing D.exploring
13.A.In her turn B.In fact C.By chance D.On the contrary
14.A.announced B.respected C.delivered D.won
15.A.obvious B.energetic C.worthwhile D.unexpected
16.A.limited B.violent C.good D.cheerful
17.A.support B.fame C.dream D.independence
18.A.silent B.secure C.powerful D.faithful
19.A.projects B.performances C.quiz D.series
20.A.fundamental B.impressive C.attractive D.unbelievable
Besides being fun, well-managed festivals and events offer a host of economic and social benefits to communities. 1. There are risks and costs related to the effort.
Festivals attract visitors and boost the economy. 2. On-site spending includes admission fees, parking fees, food, beverage and souvenir sales — and more. But off-site spending related to festivals brings income for communities, too. For example, visitors stop at local gas stations, souvenir shops, and restaurants — the list goes on. Festivals also provide free marketing and advertising for local businesses as visitors talk about their fun experiences when they go back home. If visitors post comments and photos about their experiences on Facebook or other social media, so much the better. The economic benefits of successful festivals affect local tourism and non-tourism-related businesses alike.
3. Planning and conducting festivals involves many members of the community, which produces a number of social benefits. “The best thing about being involved with festivals and events is the opportunity to help build a community, develop a sense of pride within a community, and engage a community,” says Chris Romano, a business consultant with Thrivent Financial Services. “Honestly, in my professional career, I’ve never found something outside a community festival that can do that to the same degree.” Experts agree that hometown pride is a critical factor in the development and improvement of any community. People with community pride are more likely to speak positively about their town to others and to volunteer with organizations and activities that support the common good.
Festivals will teach visitors new things. Whatever a festival’s theme, it’s bound to be instructional and visitors are bound to learn from it. Of course, education is another social benefit of festivals. 4. Learning is a big byproduct of the annual Lady Slipper Celebration in the northwestern Minnesota community of Blackduck. The community launched the celebration, named after the Minnesota state flower, to showcase and promote understanding of the area’s natural resources and Native American culture. This educational experience helped visitors connect to the area, who were pleased with their experience and planned to return to the area.
A.But hosting festivals also poses challenges.
B.Festivals may help to improve community pride.
C.Festivals play a significant role in developing relationships.
D.This is hands-on, experiential learning offered in the fun context of celebration.
E.They spend money, which boosts the local economy both on and off the festival site.
F.While a successful event raises a community’s fame, a less-than-successful effort does just the opposite.
