高中英语Unit1ArtSectionIReadingandThinking测试新人教版选择性

Section Ⅰ Reading and Thinking (1)

阅读理解。

A

What is great art? On the one hand, we can all see that great art is old art

which is considered great. But how do we know which art of our own times is great,

and which will be forgotten? And who decides?

These are important questions, for the great art of the past often was not

considered great during its own time. When Shakespeare and Charles Dickens were

writing, for example, most critics considered them mediocre (平庸的) writers with

little or no literary ability.

Similarly, Van Gogh and many of the other Impressionist painters of the late

nineteenth century were not allowed to participate in events involving what were

thought to be the “real” painters of the time, and often they were very poor. Yet

today their paintings often sell for millions of dollars, while those so-called

“real” painters are now barely remembered.

So what makes great art? Can, for example, rock music be great art? Music videos?

Cartoons and comics? Those who called themselves critics of the fine arts often were

the last to recognise great art in the past, and we can probably expect this to be

the situation today.

Critics often don’t see great art for what it is because they tend to be

prejudiced against what is popular, as Shakespeare and Dickens were in their day.

Popular works, whether novels, movies, or comics, are usually considered to be

produced for the sake of money only, and not for the sake of art.

But popularity, it seems to me, is one of three signs that a present-day work

of art may come to be thought of as great. The other two are that it is groundbreaking,

and that it is inherently(内在地) beautiful.

Many works have one or even two of these qualities of being popular, unusual,

or beautiful. Having all three often will mean that a work of art will someday be

seen to be great, though it may take a good spoonful of time, such as a century or

two, to know for sure.

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A. To lead to the following, and arouse the readers’ curiosity.

B. To introduce some real painters.

C. To introduce how to appreciate great works.

D. To explain what kind of art becomes popular.

解析:推理判断题。第一段中的三个问句引出了文章的内容,引起了读者的好奇心。故选A。

答案:A

2. What does the author want to prove through the examples of Shakespeare, Charles

Dickens, and Van Gogh?

A. These masters’ works have some shortcomings.

B. These masters would never have been so successful without the critics of their

times. C. Truly beautiful works of art are never understood by the critics.

D. Great masters were often not acknowledged while they were alive.

解析:推理判断题。从文章第二、三段所列举的事例来看,许多艺术大师在世时并没有得到人们的认可。故选D。

答案:D

3. What can we learn according to the author?

A. Great works may be presented in different forms.

B. The Impressionist painters were not accepted for their poor paintings.

C. Paintings are thought to be valuable because of their popularity.

D. Critics nowadays change their attitudes to the great works.

解析:细节理解题。从文章第四、五、六段可知摇滚音乐、音乐视频、动画片、漫画、小说、电影等都有可能成为伟大的作品,由此可以推断作者认为伟大的作品可以以不同的形式呈现。B、C、D三项所述与文章信息不符。故选A。

答案:A

4. What may happen to great works of art from this text?

A. They lose value if they’re not accepted.

B. They are produced not for money.

C. They may be neglected for a long time.

D. They are presented in an impressive way.

解析:推理判断题。文章最后一段说艺术品具备三个特点(受欢迎、具有突破性和内涵美)后,尽管可能长时间内得不到人们的认可,甚至被忽视,但总有一天会被人们接受并被公认为是“伟大”之作。故选C。

答案:C

B

Street art is a very popular form of art that is spreading quickly all over the

world. You can find it on buildings, sidewalks, street signs and trash cans from

Tokyo to Paris, from Moscow to Cape Town. Street art has become a global culture

and even art museums and galleries are collecting the works of street artists.

Street art started out very secretly because it was illegal to paint on public

and private property without permission. People often have different opinions about

street art. Some think it is a crime and others think it is a very beautiful new form of culture.

Art experts claim that the street art movement began in New York in the 1960s.

Young adults painted words and other images on walls and trains. This colourful style

of writing became known as graffiti. Graffiti art showed that young people wanted

to rebel against society. They travelled around cities to create paintings that

everyone could see. In many cases, they had trouble with the police and the local

government.

Street artists do their work for different reasons. Some of them do not like

artists who make so much money in galleries and museums. They choose street art

because it is closer to the people. Some artists try to express their political