(完整版)高中英语选修六课文原文

高中英语选修

6

Unit 1

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

a

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 gradually replaced those held in the Middle

Ages.

People

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 rules 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 19h 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 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

angry

about it. They said that the painters were careless and their paintings were ridiculous.

Modern Art(29th 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

modern

art

is

abstract;

that

is,

the

painter

does

not

attempt

to

paint

objects as we see them with our eyes, but instead concentrates n 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?

Unit 3

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

two

weeks'

time

and

I

’

ll

be82years old! I think my long and active life must be due to the healthy life I live.

This brings me to the real reason for my letter, my dear grandson. Your mother tells me that you

started smoking some time ago and how you are finding it difficult to give it up. Believe me, I

know how easy it is to begin smoking and how tough it is to stop. You see, during adolescence I

also smoked and became addicted to cigarettes.

By the way, did you know that this is because you become addicted in three different ways.

First, you can become physically addicted to nicotine, which is one of the hundreds of chemicals

in cigarettes. This means that after a while your body becomes accustomed to having nicotine in

it.

So

when

the

drug

leaves

our

body,

you

get

withdrawal

symptoms.

I

remember

feeling

bad-tempered

and

sometimes

even

in

pain.

Secondly,

you

become

addicted

through

habit.

As

you know, if you do the same thing over and over again, you begin to do it automatically. Lastly,

you

can

become

mentally

addicted.

I

believed

I

was

happier

and

more

relaxed

after

having

a

cigarette, so I began to that I could only feel good when I smoked. I was addicted in all three ways,

so it was very difficult to quit. But I did finally manage.

When I was young, I didn't know much about the harmful effects of smoking. I didn't know,

for example, that it could do terrible damage to your heart and lungs or that it was more difficult

for smoking couples to become pregnant. I certainly didn't know their babies may have a smaller

birth weight or even be abnormal in some way. Neither did I know that my cigarette smoke could

affect

the

health

of

non-smokers.

However,

what

I

did

know

was

that

my

girlfriend

thought

I

smelt

terrible.

She

said

my

breath

and

clothes

smelt,

and

that

the

ends

of

my

fingers

were

turning

yellow.

She

told

me

that

she

wouldn't

go

out

with

me

again

unless

I

stopped!

I

also

noticed that I became breathless quickly, and that I wasn't enjoying sport as much. When I was

taken off the school football team because I was unfit, I knew it was time t quit smoking.

I am sending you some advice I found on the Internet It might help you to stop and strengthen

your resolve. I do hope so because I want you to live as long and healthy a life as I have.

Love from

Grandad