英语选修6课文(reading)

选修

6 Unit 1 Art-Reading

A SHORT HISTORY OF WESTERN PAINTING

Art is influenced by the customs and faith of a people. Styles in Western art

have

changed

many

times.

As

there

are

so

many

different

styles

of

Western

art,

it

would be impossible to describe all of them in such a short text. Consequently, this

text will describe only the most important ones, starting from the sixth century AD.

The Middle Ages (5th to the 15th century AD)

During the Middle Ages, the main aim of painters was to represent religious

themes. A conventional artist of this period was not interested in showing nature and

people as they really were. A typical picture at this time was full of religious symbols,

which created

feeling of respect and love for God. But it was evident that ideas were

changing

in

the

13th

century

when

painters

like

Giotto

di

Bondone

began

to

paint

religious scenes in a more realistic way.

The Renaissance (15th to 16th century)

During the Renaissance, new ideas and values graduallv replaced those held

in the Middle began to concentrate less on religious themes and adopt a

more humanistic attitude to life. At the same time painters returned to classical Roman

and Greek ideas about art. They tried to paint people and nature as they really were.

Rich

people

wanted

to

possess

their

own

paintings,

so

they

could

decorate

their

superb

palaces

and

great

houses.

They

paid

famous

artists

to

paint

pictures

of

themselves, their houses and possessions as well as their activities and achievements.

One

of

the

most

important

discoveries

during

this

period

was

how

to

draw

things

in

perspective.

This

technique

was

first

used

by

Masaccio

in

1428.

When

people first saw his paintings, they were convinced that they were looking through a

hole in a wall at a real scene. If the roles of perspective had not been discovered, no

one would have been able to paint such realistic pictures. By coincidence, oil paints

were also developed at this time, which made the colours used in paintings look richer

and deeper. Without the new paints and the new technique, we would not be able to

see the many great masterpieces for which this period is famous.

Impressionism (late 19th to early 20th century)

In

the

late

19th

century,

Europe

changed

a

great

deal.

from

a

mostly

agricultural

society

to

a

mostly

industrial

one.

Many

people

moved

from

the

countryside to the new cities. There were many new inventions and social changes.

Naturally,

these

changes

also

led

to

new

painting

styles.

Among

the

painters

who

broke away from the traditional style of painting were the Impressionists, who lived

and worked in Paris.

The Impressionists were the first painters to work outdoors. They were eager

to

show

how

light

and

shadow

fell

on

objects

at

different

times

of

day.

However,

because

natural

light

changes

so

quickly,

the

Impressionists

had

to

paint

quickly.

Their paintings were not as detailed as those of earlier painters. At first, many people

disliked

this

style

of

painting

and

became

very

angr

about

it.

They

said

that

the

painters were careless and their paintings were ridiculous.

Modern Art (20th century to today)

At the time they were created, the Impressionist paintings were controversial,

but

today

they

are

accepted

as

the

beginning

of

what

we

call

art

This

is

because

the

Impressionists

encouraged

artists

to

look

at

their

environment

in

new

ways. There are scores of modern art styles, but without the Impressionists, many of

these painting styles might not exist. On the one hand, some modem art is abstract;

that is, the painter does not attempt to paint objects as we see them with our eyes, but

instead concentrates on certain qualities of the object, using colour, line and shape to

represent them. On the other hand, some paintings of modern art are so realistic that

they

look

like

photographs.

These

styles

are

so

different.

Who

can

predict

what

painting styles there will be in the future?

THE BEST OF MANHATTAN’S ART GALLERIES

The Frick Collection (5th Avenue and E.70th Street)

Many

art lovers would rather visit

this small

art gallery than

any

other in

New

York.

Henry

Clay

Frick,

a

rich

New

Yorker,

died

in

1919,

leaving

his

house,

furniture

and

art

collection

to

the

American

people.

Frick

had

a

preference

for

pre-twentieth

century

Western

paintings,

and

these

are

well-represented

in

this

excellent

collection. You can also

explore Frick's beautiful home and

garden which

are well worth a Visit.

Guggenheim Museum(5th Avenue and 88th Street)

This

museum

owns

5,000

superb

modern

paintings,

sculptures

and

drawings. These

art works

are not

all displayed

at

the same time. The exhibition is

always

changing.

It

will

appeal

to

those

who

love

Impressionist

and

Post-Impressionist

paintings.

The

Guggenheim

Museum

building

is

also

world-famous. When you walk into gallery, you feel as if you

were inside a fragile, white seashell. The best way to see the paintings is to start from

the top floor and walk down to the bottom. There are no stairs just a circular path. The

museum also has an excellent restaurant.

Metropolitan Museum of Art (5th Avenue and 82nd Street)

The reputation of this museum lies in the variety of its art collection. This

covers more than 5,000 years of civilization from many parts of the world, including

America,

Europe,

China,

Egypt,

other

African

countries

and

South

America.

The

museum displays more than just the visual delights of art. It introduces you to ancient

ways of living. You can visit an Egyptian temple, a fragrant Ming garden, a typical

room in an 18th century French house and many other special exhibitions.

Museum of Modern Art (53rd Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues)

It is amazing that so many great works of art from the late 19th century to

the

21st

century

are

housed

in

the

same

museum.

The

collection

of

Western

art

includes paintings by such famous artists as Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso and Matisse. A

few words of warning: the admission price is not cheap and the museum is often very

crowded.

Whitney Museum of American Art (945 Madison Avenue, near 75th Street)

The

Whitney

holds

an

excellent

collection

of

contemporary

American

painting

and

sculpture.

There

are

no

permanent

displays

in

this

museum

and

exhibitions

change

all

the

time.

Every

two

years,

the

Whitney

holds

a

special

exhibition of new art by living artists. The museum also shows videos and films by

contemporary video artists.

选修

6 Unit 2 Poems-Reading

A FEW SIMPLE FORMS OF ENGLISH POEMS

There are various reasons why people write poetry. Some poems tell a story

or describe something in a way that will give the reader a strong impression. Others

try to convey certain emotions. Poets use many different forms of poetry to express

themselves. In this text, however, we will look at a few of the simpler forms.

Some of the first poetry a young child learns in English is nursery rhymes.

These rhymes like the one on the right (A) are still a common type of children's poetry.

The

language

is

concrete

but

imaginative,

and

they

delight

small

children

because

they

rhyme,

have

strong

rhythm

and

a

lot

of

repetition.

The

poems

may

not

make

sense and even seem contradictory, but they are easy to learn and recite. By playing

with the words in nursery rhymes, children learn about language.

A

Hush, little baby, don't say a word, Papa's going to buy you a mockingbird. If

that mockingbird won't sing, Papa's going to buy you a diamond ring. If that diamond

ring turns to brass, Papa's going to buy you a looking-glass. If that looking-glass gets

broke, Papa's going to buy you a billy-goat. If that billy-goat runs away, Papa's going

to buy you another today.

One of the simplest kinds of poems are those like B and C that list things.

List poems have a flexible line length and repeated phrases which give both a pattern

and a rhythm to the poem. Some rhyme (like B) while others do not (like C).

B

I saw a fish-portal all on fire

I saw a fish-pond all on fire,

I saw a house bow to a squire,

I saw a person twelve-feet high,

I saw a cottage in the sky,

I saw a balloon made of lead,

I saw a coffin drop down dead,

I saw two sparrows run a race,

I saw two horses making lace,

I saw g girl just like a cat,

I saw a kitten wear a hat,

I saw a man who saw these too,

And said though strange they all were true.

C

Our first football match

We would have won ...

if Jack had scored that goal,

if we'd had just a few more minutes,

if we had trained harder,

if Ben had passed the ball to Joe,

if we'd had thousands of fans screaming,

if I hadn't taken my eye off the ball,

if we hadn't stayed up so late the night before,

if we hadn't taken it easy,

if we hadn't run out of energy.

We would have won ...

if we'd been better!

Another simple form of poem that students can easily write is the cinquain, a

poem made up of five lines. With these, students can convey a strong picture in just a

few words. Look at the examples (D and E) on the top of the next page.

D

Brother

Beautiful,

athletic

Teasing,

shouting,

laughing

Friend

and

enemy

too

Mine

E

Summer Sleepy, salty Drying, drooping, dreading Week in, week out Endless

F

A fallen blossom Is coming back to the branch. Look, a butterfly!

( by Moritake)

G

Snow having melted, The whole village is brimful Of happy children.

(by Issa)

Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that is made up of 17 syllables. It is not a

traditional form of English poetry, but is very popular with English writers. It is easy

to write and, like the cinquain , can give a clear picture and create a special feeling

using the minimum of words. The two haiku poems (F and G) above are translations

from the Japanese.

H

Where

she

awaits

her

husband

On

and

on

the

river

flows.

Never

looking

back,Transformed

into

by

day

upon

the

mountain

top,wind

and

rain

the traveller return,this stone would utter speech.,

(by Wang Jian)

Did you know that English speakers also enjoy other forms of Asian poetry

- Tang poems from China in particular? A lot of Tang poetry has been translated into

English. This Tang poem (H) is a translation from the Chinese.

With

so

many

different

forms

of

poetry

to

choose

from,

students

may

eventually

want

to

write

poems

of

their

own.

It

is

easier

than

you

might

think

and

certainly worth a try!

I'VE SA

VED THE SUMMER

I've saved the summer

And I give it all to you

To hold on winter mornings

When the snow is new.

I've saved some sunlight

If you should ever need

A place away from darkness

Where your mind can feed.

And for myself I've kept your smile

When you were but nineteen,

Till you're older you'll not know

What brave young smiles can mean.

I know no answers

To help you on your way

The answers lie somewhere

At the bottom of the day.

But if you've a need for love

I'll give you all l own

It might help you down the road

Till you've found your own.

(by Rod McKuen)

选修

6 Unit 3 A healthy life-Reading

ADVICE FROM GRANDAD

Dear James,

It is a beautiful day here and I am sitting under the big tree at the end of the garden. I

have

just returned from a long bike ride to an old castle. It seems amazing that at my

age I am still

fit enough to cycle 20 kilometres in an afternoon. It's my birthday in