托福TPO阅读41原文+答案

小编给小托儿们带来了托福

TPO41

阅读原文

+

答案，

希望备考

TPO

真题的同学一定要认真 的

看题、做题，多研究积累才能实现自我提升，预祝各位考生都取得理想的成绩。

Navajo Art

The Navajo, a Native American people living in the southwestern United

States, live in small scattered settlements. In many respects, such as

education, occupation, and leisure activities, their life is like that of other

groups that contribute to the diverse social fabric of North American culture in

the twenty-first century. At the same time, they have retained some traditional

cultural practices that are associated with particular art forms. For example,

the most important traditional Navajo rituals include the production of large

floor paintings. These are actually made by pouring thin, finely controlled

streams of colored sands or pulverized vegetable and mineral substances, pollen,

and flowers in precise patterns on the ground. The largest of these paintings

may be up to 5.5 meters in diameter and cover the entire floor of a room.

Working from the inside of the design outward, the Navajo artist and his

assistants will sift the black, white, bluish-gray, orange, and red materials

through their fingers to create the finely detailed imagery. The paintings and

chants used in the ceremonies are directed by well-trained artists and singers

who enlist the aid of spirits who are impersonated by masked performers. The

twenty-four known Navajo chants can be represented by up to 500 sand paintings.

These complex paintings serve as memory aids to guide the singers during the

performance of the ritual songs, which can last up to nine days.

The purpose and meaning of the sand paintings can be explained by examining

one of the most basic ideals of Navajo society, embodied in their word hozho